Wisconsin football report card for the 16-13 loss to No. 1 Oregon
A fourth-quarter collapse caused the Wisconsin Badgers to come up short of earning a signature win over the Oregon Ducks, as the Badgers fell 16-13.
A fourth-quarter collapse caused Wisconsin football to come up short of earning a signature win over the Oregon Ducks, as the Badgers fell 16-13.
Here are my grades for Wisconsin's offense, defense, and special teams from Saturday night's loss.
Offensive Grade: D
Once again, the Badgers offense did not return the favor in a game where the defense gave them many opportunities to win. It looked like Braedyn Locke would finally snap his streak of consecutive games with an interception, but on the final drive, he had yet another ball batted at the line, and this time it ended up in enemy hands. It was another brutal showing for the redshirt sophomore, as he completed just 12 of his 28 pass attempts for 96 yards, a touchdown, and an interception on the day.
Wisconsin was able to get a bit of a push on a strong Ducks defensive front and create some opportunities in the run game, as Tawee Walker logged 97 yards on 20 carries, and Darrion Dupree recorded 33 yards on ten carries.
Vinny Anthony continues to be a strong weapon in the passing game, as he led the team in receptions with four for 53 yards. He would have had a touchdown catch on a left-handed pass from Locke if it weren't for an ineligible player downfield penalty.
Defensive Grade: B+
Credit to Mike Tressel, the Badgers defense played well enough to beat the No. 1 team in the country. UW used the bye week to its full advantage, and they were able to make Dillon Gabriel uncomfortable and limited one of the most high-powered offenses in the nation to just 16 points with just one touchdown drive. It's hard to put almost any blame on the defense here.