MADISON — The University of Wisconsin-Madison nearly pulled the upset against top-ranked University of Oregon in a Big Ten matchup on Saturday, Nov. 16. The Badgers had a 10-6 lead going into halftime but fell 16-13 with the Ducks’ fourth-quarter field goal.
“That’s crushing,” Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell said. “To not be able to find a way to come out on top is difficult. Those guys in that locker room fought their butts off and did everything we asked them to do. … We just haven’t found a way to be able to finish.”
Since entering the Big Ten Conference, Oregon (11-0, 8-0) has proven to be a powerhouse, thanks to quarterback Dillon Gabriel and running back Jordan James. The week prior against Maryland, Gabriel set the NCAA career touchdown record with 179. He is the top quarterback in the league with 3,066 passing yards and 22 touchdowns on the season. James is one of the top backs in the league with 1,067 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns.
But the Badger defense did enough to keep the Ducks on their toes early. Oregon got into the red zone three times in the first quarter, settling for two field goals and turning the ball over on an interception.
In those possessions, Christian Alliegro, Jake Chaney and John Pius had key tackles, limiting Oregon to small gains, and Nyzier Fourqurean had the red-zone interception — just the fourth one Gabriel has thrown all season.
“They (defense) did a great job of tackling and eliminating the big plays,” Fickell said. “I think we mixed it up enough on Dillon Gabriel that he wasn’t ever really comfortable.”
Initially, Oregon penalties helped Wisconsin keep drives alive. After a 22-yard rush from Tawee Walker put the Badgers just outside the red zone, the team was almost forced to punt. But a delay of game penalty gave Wisconsin a fresh set of downs at the Oregon 13-yard line. The possession ended in a 31-yard Badger field goal, cutting the deficit in half, 6-3.
After trading a couple of empty possessions, the Badgers got the ball back at their 25-yard line with just over three minutes left in the second quarter. On second-and-7, a holding call on Oregon’s Derrick Harmon gave Wisconsin a fresh set of downs. Walker chipped away with gains of 9 and 2 yards before Braedyn Locke connected with Vinny Anthony II on an over-the-shoulder pass that netted 43 yards. With just 52 seconds left on the clock, the momentum-shifting play sent Camp Randall into a frenzy.
Another penalty — this time a pass interference call — on the Ducks put the Badgers at the 2, where Locke threw a touchdown pass to Will Pauling, giving Wisconsin a 10-6 lead.
“We are best when we are able to establish some ground game, control the line of scrimmage and get first downs and stay out of the third-and-long situations,” Fickell said. “We did that in the drives that ended up in points.”
Wisconsin kept attacking Oregon in the second half, gaining ground on first- and second-down, making for shorter third-down conversions. This allowed Fickell to go for it on fourth-and-1 at the Oregon 25, where Walker picked up three yards for the first down.
Five plays later, Wisconsin looked to increase its lead to 19-6 with a touchdown pass to Anthony II. But the play was called back, as Locke made the throw beyond the line of scrimmage. Oregon outside linebacker Matayo Uiagalelei made Wisconsin pay, sacking Locke on the next play, resulting in a fourth-and-18. From there, Fickell had no choice but to send out Nathanial Vakos for another field goal.
Getting only three points out of the red-zone trip hurt Wisconsin, as Oregon knotted the score at 13-13 on its next possession. The Ducks kept the drive alive on critical third- and fourth-down plays. On the first, Gabriel connected with Terrance Ferguson for a 12-yard gain. Later, a tackle at the line of scrimmage and sack by Pius set up a fourth-and-9, but Gabriel found Ferguson again for a 15-yard gain. James capped the drive with an 11-yard touchdown run.
Where the Badgers once found success in their run game and ability to stay out of third-and-long situations was a struggling point in the fourth quarter. What was a fourth-and-4 play turned into a fourth-and-9 with a false start on Anthony II. The next time Wisconsin got the ball, a chop block eliminated a 12-yard gain, instead setting up a third-and-19.
“We knew we had to score touchdowns. There were a lot of those situations if they hadn’t been fourth-and-8, we were going to go for them,” Fickell said. “You’re not going to knock off the No. 1 team in the country kicking field goals.”
But an Oregon field goal was enough to quack by Wisconsin, as Atticus Sappington made his third field goal of the game — a 24-yarder with just over two minutes left in the contest. A pick by Uiagalelei on Wisconsin’s final drive was enough to seal the win.
With the loss, Wisconsin drops to 3-4 in the Big Ten and 5-5 overall. The Badgers need to defeat either Minnesota (6-4, 4-3) or Nebraska (5-5, 2-5) in their last two games to be bowl-eligible.
“It’s an emotional shot that we have to get over and get over fast,” Fickell said. “We’ve got two weeks left of the season, and they are really big weeks.”
Following the loss, Fickell fired offensive coordinator and quarterback coach Phil Longo on Sunday. Longo held that position for 23 games after coaching at North Carolina and Ole Miss.
