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 121 yards and a tying touchdown on 25 carries to help Oregon (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten) win its first 11 games for the second time in school history. The Ducks also won their first 11 games in 2010 and went on to reach 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 its third straight loss. The Badgers fell to 2-15 in their last 17 games against Top 25 teams, going 0-6 in Luke Fickell’s two-year coaching tenure.
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Oregon won by outscoring Wisconsin 10-0 in the fourth quarter.
After Sappington put Oregon ahead, Wisconsin got the ball two more times but failed to capitalize.
Wisconsin lost the ball on downs at its own 26 with 2:03 remaining. The Badgers got one last chance after Oregon couldn’t convert a fake field-goal attempt, but Jamaree Caldwell tipped Braedyn Locke’s pass and Matayo Uiagalelei picked it off at Wisconsin’s 24 with 1:32 left to seal it.
Locke was 12-of-28 for just 96 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Oregon trailed 13-6 and faced fourth-and-9 from Wisconsin’s 41 when the fourth quarter started. 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 end for a tying touchdown with 13:14 remaining.
After a 12-yard punt return from Gary Bryant Jr. gave Oregon the ball at Wisconsin’s 43 with 6:49 left, Oregon moved into position for Sappington’s go-ahead field goal. Sappington also had made field goals of 35 and 42 yards in the first half.
Oregon’s missed opportunities early caused the Ducks to fall behind.
The Ducks outgained Wisconsin 152-minus-3 through the first three series by each teams, but they only had a 6-0 lead to show for it.
Oregon wasted 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 on Nathanial Vakos‘ 31-yard field goal early in the second quarter. The Badgers then pulled ahead 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 a third-down incompletion 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 wiped out a 6-yard touchdown pass from Locke to Vinny Anthony.
But the Badgers wouldn’t get another first down the rest of the night, enabling Oregon to rally.
The takeaway
Oregon: One 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 withstood injuries that prevented star defensive end Jordan Burch or leading receiver Tez Johnson from playing.
Wisconsin: The Badgers have led three Top 25 opponents at halftime but were unable to close the deal in any of those games. They blew halftime leads over then-No. 13 Southern California and then-No. 3 Penn State by getting outscored by a combined 49-3 in the second half of those games. Wisconsin maintained its lead into the fourth quarter this time but ultimately came up short again.
Poll implications
Oregon figures to maintain the No. 1 ranking in the AP Top 25 and the College Football Playoff standings.
Up next
Oregon has next week off before closing its regular-season schedule Nov. 30 by hosting Washington. Wisconsin visits Nebraska on Nov. 23.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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