Despite sheets of rain, Oregon’s Week 9 matchup ended in a Ducks win on the back of a reinvigorated rushing attack.
Adorned in black jerseys with yellow and green tie-dye numbers, a tribute to the Grateful Dead, Oregon (7-1, 4-1 Big Ten) got its win, 21-7 over Wisconsin (2-6, 0-4 Big Ten) on the backs of Jordon Davison and Noah Whittington. Davison, a true freshman who leads the Ducks in touchdowns through nine weeks, and Whittington, who burst multiple long runs through the atmospheric river, fought their way through one of the best rush defenses in college football on Saturday.
Oregon and Wisconsin traded 10 punts throughout the game, but in between, the Ducks were able to score three times. Davison (16 carries, 102 rushing yards, 2 touchdowns) punched in two, and backup quarterback Brock Thomas, who entered after Dante Moore was injured on a quarterback keeper, threw another to offensive lineman Gernorris Wilson to complete the scoring. Wisconsin scored with a pass to tight end Lance Mason after getting to the goal line on a 43-yard completion, but it wasn’t enough to get it back in the game.
The Ducks started the game in unconventional fashion with an onside kick. Recovered by Na’eem Offord, Oregon started with the ball on the Wisconsin 42. Whittington began his day with a five-yard carry against the 18th-best rush defense in yards per game allowed in college football.
“Sunday, we started looking at film, trying to find moments that we think that there might be an advantage,” Oregon head coach Dan Lanning said. “You don’t just do it just to do it, you feel like the look’s there, right? We felt like the look was there — (it was) something we checked. I don’t know that we executed it perfectly, but we had a lot of guys running down the field with their hair on fire, trying to go get the ball, and it worked out.”
The Ducks got to fourth-and-3 immediately, though and Dante Moore (9-15, 86 yards) took a sack administered by Wisconsin’s Mason Reiger, resulting in a turnover on downs; Wisconsin started on their 48. The Badgers went three-and-out, too, and punted to Gary Bryant Jr.
Oregon got its first big play of the game on a 20-yard pass to Jeremiah McClellan up the middle, pushing the Ducks to their own 38-yard line. It didn’t go anywhere after that, and a negative rush by Whittington (14 carries, 97 yards), a tipped pass from Dante Moore and an overthrow to Dakorien Moore set up another punt for Oregon.
At the end of the first quarter neither team had anything going. Oregon was getting stuffed at the line, in the backfield, and its pass game was lackluster. Wisconsin had some strong plays but ultimately couldn’t find a way to get up the field.
The start of the second quarter saw Gideon Ituka (21 carries, 85 yards) take the ball twice for Wisconsin, ripping off nine and 10-yard runs. The Badgers continued to rip off running plays throughout their drive, but shut themselves down after a first-down holding penalty.
The Ducks finally found their spark on a 16 play, 99-yard drive at the end of the first half.
The run game was slow to start the 8-minute, 24-second drive, but the Ducks broke out after Dante Moore and McClellan connected again, this time for 18 yards. Davison broke through the Badgers’ lockdown defensive line for a seven and then an 11-yard carry. Tight end Jamari Johnson snagged a pass, bounced off a couple defenders in the midfield, and broke off for 23 yards ending at the Wisconsin 33-yard line.
Davison again showed his speed and agility on the field, breaking off his second 11-yard carry of the drive. He delivered the final blow of the 16-play drive, trucking his way into the endzone for an Oregon touchdown with 1:07 left on the clock before half.
“Finally getting to open up, have some running space, break tackles, it feels good,” Davison said.
Rain continued to pelt the field, and despite the previous rushing touchdown, the Ducks only had 39 net rushing yards, and Moore had only thrown for 86 passing yards.
“We had to settle in and figure out what runs were going to work,” Lanning said. “They’re really well coached on defense…to be able to finish the game with 203 yards rushing shows that we were able to figure it out.”
They began to figure it out on the first play of the third quarter. Whitington had an electric carry to start off the second half, a 35-yard rush that ended at the Wisconsin 40 — Oregon surpassed its first quarter rushing total on just two plays. The Ducks’ figured out the run game, which fueled their multi-score second half.
Redshirt-sophomore quarterback Thomas (4-4, 46 yards, 1 touchdown) entered the game after Dante Moore was banged up on a quarterback keeper, which ended his night — although Lanning said they “could have pushed to get him back in.”
Taking over the drive, Thomas slung a pass to Dakorien Moore on the left side of the field, putting the Ducks five yards away from their second touchdown before a personal foul on center Iapani Laloulu pushed Oregon back to the Wisconsin 20-yard line.
“He (Thomas) understands the offense, he’s been a part of it a very long time,” Lanning said. “He’s worked really hard, nobody’s earned that more than Brock.”
Postgame, dressed in street clothes and wearing a beanie, Dante Moore stepped into the back of the press room. A reporter asked Thomas if it was true he’d been carried to the locker room, and what it felt like. In response, Thomas pointed to the back of the room.
“I love you Brock, you did your thing today baby,” Moore said before turning around and slipping out.
In the second half, Davison stayed true to form in his 20-yard rush. He bounced off defenders, slipped through tackles and took it to the house, putting the Ducks up 14-0.
Oregon would get the ball back on another Badgers punt. Thomas would stay on the field, and handed off to Whittington, who flew down the field, tight-roping the sideline and, after review, was determined to have stepped out of bounds at the Oregon 49-yard line.
After that, in jaw-dropping fashion, Dakorien Moore, while on his way down, reeled in a Thomas pass that slipped through a Badgers’ secondary’s hands. Moore’s phenomenal catch resulted in a first down that was not taken advantage of after a Thomas sack put the Ducks in third-and-17.
True freshman back Dierre Hill Jr. scampered up the Oregon sideline for 27 yards before the end of the third quarter, setting up an Oregon first-and-goal to begin the fourth quarter. Thomas, on a fake QB sneak, threw to offensive lineman Gernorris Wilson for the touchdown.
“Everybody was just excited for me,” Wilson said. “It just felt good to see it finally pay off, the excitement it brought everybody, on offense and defense. Just everybody coming together.”
The Badgers found their way to the endzone after a 42-yard pass to Eugene Hilton Jr. got them to the Oregon 1-yard line, followed by a touchdown pass to tight end Lance Mason. The Badgers got their first touchdown since the first quarter of Week 6 against Michigan.
“We were pretty frustrated,” Bryce Boettcher said. “You prepare not to give up any points, sometimes the offense does because they’re good too. You just have to study that drive and see what they did better than us.”
In the waning stages of the fourth quarter, up 21-7, the Ducks iced the game on an interception by Daylen Austin. Thomas headed back out, set up in victory formation and the Ducks left a drenched Autzen Stadium with a win.
Oregon goes into a bye week before taking on the Iowa Hawkeyes in Iowa City, Iowa.
