No. 1 Oregon escaped with a 16-13 win at Wisconsin after a fake field goal in the final two minutes of the game almost spectacularly backfired on the Ducks.
Oregon had the ball within field goal range after Wisconsin turned the ball over on downs just outside the two-minute warning. Facing a fourth down after Wisconsin used two of their timeouts, the Ducks opted to send the field goal team onto the field to potentially extend the lead to 19–13.
Instead, Oregon ran a fake, and punter Ross James tripped a yard short of the line to win.
“We felt like the look was there,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said, adding that he realized the decision was easy to guess because it backfired.
However, Oregon avoided disaster and much doubt when Matayo Uiagalelei grabbed a deflected pass from Braedyn Locke and sealed the victory with an interception.
Lanning and the Oregon coaching staff were likely comfortable with the risk of the fake given how Wisconsin had failed to move the ball. Locke was just 12 of 28 passing for 96 yards. The Badgers had a total offensive margin of 226 yards and 193 of those came on their three scoring drives.
Oregon’s offense wasn’t its usual explosive self either. Dillon Gabriel was just 22 of 31 passing for 218 yards and an interception in the red zone, although he did have a fourth-down throw to Terrance Ferguson in the second half. Jordan James rushed 25 times for 121 yards and Oregon’s only TD, but the Ducks as a team averaged 3.4 yards a carry.
However, a game like this was to be expected in the Big Ten. Teams have struggled this season to travel across multiple time zones in the conference’s vast geographic footprint. And Oregon hadn’t had a close road game all season. Before Saturday night, Oregon’s biggest road win was a pair of 21-point games.
The win also clinched a spot in the Big Ten title game for Oregon. The Ducks are off in Week 13 before a home game against Washington on Nov. 30. Even if Oregon loses that game, it will play Indiana, Ohio State or Penn State on Dec. 7 for the conference title and a bye in the finals. College Football Playoff.
