No. 1 Oregon rallies in the 4th quarter to beat Wisconsin 16-13

MADISON, Wis. – Atticus Sappington broke a tie with a 24-yard field goal with 2:36 remaining and No. 1 Oregon rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Wisconsin 16-13 on Saturday night.

Jordan James rushed for 115 yards and a game-tying touchdown on 22 carries to help Oregon (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten) win its first 11 games for just the second time in school history. The Ducks also won their first eleven games in 2010 and then reached the BCS championship game before losing to Cam Newton-led Auburn.

Tawee Walker rushed for 97 yards on 20 carries for Wisconsin (5-5, 3-4) in their third straight loss. The Badgers fell to 2-15 in their last 17 games against Top 25 teams, moving to 0-6 in Luke Fickell’s two-year coaching stint.

Oregon won by outscoring Wisconsin 10-0 in the fourth quarter. The Ducks also erased fourth-quarter deficits this season with wins over Boise State and Ohio State.

“We can handle critical moments,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. “We can handle it when it’s hard. At some point that experience will pay off for us. It certainly paid off for us tonight.”

After Sappington gave Oregon the lead, Wisconsin got the ball two more times but failed to capitalize.

Wisconsin lost the ball on downs at its own 26 with 2:03 to go. The Badgers had one last chance after Oregon failed to convert a fake field goal attempt, but Jamaree Caldwell tipped Braedyn Locke’s pass and Matayo Uiagalelei picked up the ball at Wisconsin’s 24 with 1:32 left to seal it.

Locke was 12 of 28 for just 96 yards with a touchdown and interception.

“They fought their butts off,” Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell said. “They did everything we asked of them. They played the way we wanted them to play and expected them to play. We have to find a way to end now. The games that come down to the fourth quarter, the games that come down to the most critical times, the deep, deep waters. We still have to get over the hump and find a way.”

Oregon trailed 13-6 and faced fourth-and-9 from Wisconsin’s 41 as the fourth quarter began. Dillon Gabriel responded by rolling to his left and firing a 15-yard completion to a well-covered Terrance Ferguson.

Three plays later, James ran 11 yards around the right sideline for a tying touchdown with 13:14 remaining.

After a 12-yard punt return from Gary Bryant Jr. Giving Oregon the ball at Wisconsin’s 43 with 6:49 left, Oregon got into position for Sappington’s go-ahead field goal. Sappington also had field goals from 35 and 42 yards in the first half.

Oregon’s missed opportunities early caused the Ducks to fall behind.

The Ducks outscored Wisconsin 152-minus-3 through each team’s first three series, but they only had a 6-0 lead to show for it.

Oregon squandered a scoring opportunity in the opening period when Nyzier Fourqurean picked off Gabriel’s pass on first and goal from the 9. Gabriel went 22 of 31 for 218 yards.

Wisconsin cut Oregon’s lead to 6-3 after Nathanial Vakos’ 31-yard field goal early in the second quarter. The Badgers then took the lead on Locke’s 2-yard touchdown pass to Will Pauling with 25 seconds left in the first half.

The Badgers’ touchdown came after Oregon’s Nikko Reed was called for pass interference on an incompletion on third down in the end zone, giving Wisconsin first and goal.

Wisconsin extended its lead to 13-6 on Vakos’ 35-yard field goal with 4:43 left in the third after an ineligible man downfield penalty negated a 6-yard touchdown pass from Locke to Vinny Anthony.

But the Badgers wouldn’t get another first for the rest of the night, allowing Oregon to rally.

The takeaway

Oregon: A week after breaking Case Keenum’s NCAA record for career total touchdowns, Gabriel didn’t run or pass for a touchdown. James and the defense were good enough for Oregon to withstand a subpar performance from the sixth-year quarterback. Oregon also weathered injuries that kept star defensive back Jordan Burch or leading receiver Tez Johnson from playing.

Wisconsin: The Badgers led three Top 25 opponents at halftime but were unable to close the deal in any of those games. They blew the halftime lead over then-No. 13 Southern California and then-No. 3 Penn State by being outscored by a combined 49-3 in the second half of those games. Wisconsin kept its lead this time in the fourth quarter, but ultimately fell short again.

Survey implications

Oregon manages to maintain its No. 1 ranking in the AP Top 25 and College Football Playoff rankings.

Oregon has next week off before concluding the regular season on Nov. 30 by hosting Washington. Wisconsin visits Nebraska on November 23.

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