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Oregon

Ducks Top Wisconsin on Soggy Saturday Night, 21-7

by: Ted Leroux3 hours ago
Jordon Davison
Oregon Ducks running back Jordon Davison agains the Wisconsin Badgers. (Photo by: Max Unkrich/ScoopDuckOn3)

It rained in Autzen Stadium. 

On a cold, wet evening in Eugene, Oregon, the football on the field matched the weather — ugly.

Oregon tried to spark some energy right from the opening kickoff when Atticus Sappington executed a perfectly placed onside squib, giving the Ducks an early boost. But the offense couldn’t capitalize. Over their first three drives, Oregon ran 12 plays for just two yards and allowed two sacks.

Momentum seemed to shift on the fourth possession after Dante Moore connected with Jeremiah McClellan for a 20-yard gain, but the drive eventually stalled, forcing yet another punt. The first quarter ended the way it began — scoreless, soggy, and full of missed opportunities.

Special teams were the early highlight inside Autzen Stadium. James Ferguson-Reynolds pinned Wisconsin deep in the first quarter, and early in the second, Atticus Bertrams answered by trapping Oregon at its own 1-yard line. But it was on that drive that the Ducks finally began to find some rhythm on offense.

Oregon marched 99 yards in 16 plays, grinding out 49 yards on nine carries from Jordon Davison before he capped the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run to finally put the Ducks on the board and send them into halftime with a 7–0 lead.

The second half picked up right where the first left off for Oregon’s ground game. Noah Whittington opened the half with back-to-back runs totaling 45 yards, setting the tone for the Ducks. After a hard hit left quarterback Dante Moore with a bloody nose and forced him out of the remainder of the game, Brock Thomas took over under center. But it was Davison who once again finished the drive, powering in for a 15-yard touchdown to extend Oregon’s lead to two scores after three quarters in Eugene.

It was an odd night overall, and the fourth quarter began with an odd couple connecting for a score. Brock Thomas threw his first career touchdown pass to none other than offensive lineman Gernorris Wilson to put the Ducks up 21–0 and seal the win for Oregon on Saturday night.

Although the Oregon running game got off to a slow start — with Wisconsin’s defensive front reading plays well and holding the Ducks to just 39 rushing yards and 2.1 yards per carry in the first half — the second half told a different story. Oregon found its rhythm on the ground, piling up 166 of its 205 rushing yards after halftime. On the other side, the Ducks’ run defense had its own struggles, as Wisconsin’s fourth-string running back, Gideon Ituka, carried 21 times for 85 yards.

Safe to say, the Ducks will gladly run away from this game and into their bye week — because, at the end of the night, a win is a win.

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