The University of Wisconsin football team (5-5, 3-4 Big Ten) hosted the No. 1 Oregon Ducks (11-0, 8-0) at Camp Randall Saturday, Nov. 16.
Over 76,000 fans packed the stadium and cheered the team on against the undefeated, unanimous No. 1 Ducks.
First half
The first three drives for the Badgers ended in quick punts, with redshirt sophomore quarterback Braedyn Locke going 0-4 on pass attempts while running backs senior Tawee Walker and freshman Darrion Dupree combined for negative one yards.
Meanwhile, Oregon was able to methodically move the ball down the field. After settling for a 35-yard field goal on their opening drive, senior quarterback Dillon Gabriel consistently found junior wide receiver Evan Stewart for big gains, including a back-shoulder 32-yard pass to the red zone for the Ducks.
But, as the Ducks would later learn, the Badgers hold strong in the red zone. As Gabriel dropped back to pass from the nine-yard line, his throw was tipped into the air right into the arms of redshirt senior cornerback Nyzier Fourqurean for his first interception of the season.
It was a game of special teams, as both teams would kick field goals, Wisconsin’s from 31 yards and Oregon’s from 42, and take two punts each before the final full drive of the first half.
Starting from their own 25-yard line, the Badgers made use of Walker. In three straight rushes and a defensive holding penalty on the Ducks, the Badgers marched to midfield. With only 52 seconds to go in the half, Locke took the top off of the Oregon defense, slinging the ball to junior receiver Vinny Anthony II for a 43-yard gain to the Ducks’ 12-yard line.
Locke took shots to the endzone, and after the first attempt resulted in shouts for pass interference on the defense, the Badgers got the call on the second play, putting them on Oregon’s two-yard line. Locke found redshirt junior receiver Will Pauling on a quick route for the first touchdown of the game, giving the Badgers a 10-6 lead going into the half.
Locke ended the first half on 7-17 passing for 64 yards and a touchdown, while Walker rushed for 63 yards on 12 attempts and Anthony II caught two passes for 40 yards.
Second half
After a quick three-and-out from the Ducks, the Badgers took one of their longest drives of the season at eight minutes and 53 seconds, which resulted in a field goal.
As the No. 1 team in the country, the Ducks were bound to find the endzone eventually, and Gabriel found his receivers for big gains as Oregon moved down the field, scoring their first touchdown of the game on a 12-yard rush from junior running back Jordan James.
After two quick three-and-outs for the Badgers that resulted in negative eight total yards in six plays, the Ducks ran the ball seven straight times, setting themselves up for a 24-yard field goal, giving them the 16-13 lead.
Despite having the ball with two and a half minutes to go in the game, the Badger offense was unable to get anything going, and the Ducks forced a turnover on downs after three straight incompletions from Locke.
The Badger defense held strong one last time, thwarting a fake field goal attempt from the 20-yard line and giving the offense one last chance to score the game-winning touchdown with just over a minute and a half to play.
On the second play of the final drive of the game, Locke’s pass was tipped up by the defensive line and intercepted by the Ducks, killing any chance the Badgers had of making a late comeback.
Postgame
Locke ended the game on 12-28 passing with one touchdown and an interception. Anthony finished with 53 yards on four catches, while Walker tallied 97 yards on 20 rushes and freshman running back rushed for 34 yards on 10 attempts.
The Badgers close out the season with games away against Nebraska on Nov. 23 before returning to Camp Randall on Nov. 29 for a border battle against Minnesota
