We did see some big upsets in college football this past weekend as there are less undefeated teams now than there were before week 12. There were a lot of close calls for other top teams as well, and one team that barely survived this past weekend is the top-ranked Oregon football team. The Ducks went on the road to play Wisconsin under the lights, and it ended up being a very tricky matchup. However, a strong fourth quarter showing was enough to get Oregon past the pesky Badgers. The Ducks remain unbeaten.
Wisconsin put up a good fight on Saturday night in front of their home crowd, but they weren’t able to close things out for the big upset win.
The Ducks got on the board first as they were able to move the ball in field goal range a couple times early in the game. The Badgers did a good job of forcing field goal attempts and Oregon led 6-0 after the first quarter.
Wisconsin dominated the second quarter as they outscored Oregon 10-0 to take a lead into halftime. They kicked a chip shot field goal early in the quarter, and then they were able to score a touchdown with just 25 seconds left in the half to go up 10-6 at the break.
The third quarter was pretty quiet as there were only three points scored. The Wisconsin defense continued to hold their own as they held the Ducks scoreless for a second straight quarter, and the Badgers went into the fourth quarter in complete control as they led 13-6, and Oregon had been struggling to move the football.
When it mattered most, the Oregon football team rose to the occasion and they found a way to get it done in the fourth quarter. They ended up tying the game less than two minutes into the quarter after converting a clutch third down play. The Ducks were rock solid on defense all quarter and they were able to completely shut down the Wisconsin offense. Oregon kicked the game-winning field goal with 2:36 to go and they secured the win on an interception after that.
Oregon did get the win, but there were some things that were a little bit concerning in the game. Here are a couple things to keep an eye on when the Ducks get to the Big Ten title game and beyond:
Failure to get the knockout punch
If you look at the stats from this game, it’s surprising that the Oregon football team was only able to come away with 16 points. They moved the ball pretty well and they had a decent third down success rate. The offense was balanced, but they weren’t able to capitalize on a lot of scoring opportunities.
They had a couple nice drives in the first quarter that resulted in field goals, but a couple touchdowns there and it’s 14-0 and Wisconsin probably isn’t clawing their way back into this game.
This isn’t a huge concern right now because Oregon found a way to step up when it mattered most, but in both of their close games this year (this one and the Ohio State game), they did leave some meat on the bone, and the result could’ve gone either way. In fact, better clock management from Ohio State in that game and it’s probably a loss for the Ducks.
Dan Lanning’s aggressiveness
Dan Lanning is a very aggressive coach, and that can be a very good thing. However, his aggressive decision making has hurt the Oregon football team before, and it could’ve hurt them on Saturday. The Ducks probably would’ve won their first game against Washington last year if Lanning wasn’t quite as aggressive. Then on Saturday, the decision to fake a late field goal when he could’ve gone up by six points late in the game with his defense dominating was an interesting call.
Lanning obviously knows what he’s doing and he is one of the best coaches in college football. However, it’ll be interesting to see how his calls affect this team in a close playoff game or in the Big Ten title game.
At the end of the day, these are the biggest concerns for the Oregon football team, but they are very minor. The Ducks have looked like the most consistent team in college football this season.
Week 12 college football recap
The Oregon football team barely outlasted Wisconsin on Saturday night, and that was definitely one of the more entertaining games of the weekend. However, there were a lot of other good ones as well. Here is a quick recap of what went down.
Starting in the ACC, Clemson kept its conference title hopes alive with a massive win against Pitt on the road. They needed a late score, and they got it done. Also, #19 Louisville was upset by Stanford. That was surprising to see.
Moving over to the Big 12, we had some good ones. First, Colorado picked up a big win at home against Utah, and the Buffaloes are the favorite to win the Big 12. Arizona State stayed in the conference title hunt with a huge win at Kansas State, and Kansas went on the road and took down undefeated #6 BYU. What a weekend in the Big 12.
Not much went down in the Big Ten this weekend. The Oregon-Wisconsin game was a fun one, but not much else happened.
Lastly, there were some big results in the SEC. Florida knocked off LSU in the swamp, Georgia kept their postseason hopes alive with a huge win against Tennessee, and South Carolina continued to impress as they scored late to take down #23 Missouri.
It was another fun weekend of college football, and now we’re ready to do it all again in week 13.
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