No. 1 Oregon escaped with a 16-13 win at Wisconsin after a fake field goal inside the last two minutes of the game nearly backfired spectacularly on the Ducks.
Oregon had the ball in field goal range after Wisconsin turned it over on downs just outside the two-minute warning. Facing a fourth down after Wisconsin had used two of its timeouts, the Ducks elected to send the field goal team out on the field to potentially extend the lead to 19-13.
Instead, Oregon ran a fake, and punter Ross James got tripped up a yard short of the line to gain.
“We felt like the look was there,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said, adding that he realized the decision was easily second-guessed since it backfired.
However, Oregon avoided disaster and a lot of second-guessing when Matayo Uiagalelei grabbed a deflected pass from Bradyn Locke and sealed the win with an interception.
Lanning and the Oregon coaching staff likely felt comfortable with the risk of the fake given the way that Wisconsin had been unable to move the ball. Locke was just 12-of-28 passing for 96 yards. The Badgers had 226 yards of total offense 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 a red zone interception, though he had a clutch 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 averaged 3.4 yards a carry as a team.
A game like this was to be expected in the Big Ten, however. Teams have struggled traveling across multiple time zones in the conference’s massive geographic footprint this season. And Oregon hadn’t had a close road game all season. Before Saturday night, Oregon’s closest win on the road was a pair of 21-point contests.
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 vs. Washington on Nov. 30. Even if Oregon loses that game, it will play either Indiana, Ohio State or Penn State on Dec. 7 for the conference title and a bye in the College Football Playoff.