9 thoughts from Wisconsin football's 21-7 loss to No. 6 Oregon
The Wisconsin Badgers battled hard on the road, but didn't have enough firepower on either side of the ball to topple No. 6 Oregon.
EUGENE, OR. — Wisconsin football hung around with the Ducks, playing a pesky first half that saw the Badgers trail just 7-0 to the No. 6 team in the land.
But as darkness fell on Autzen Stadium, the clearly better team separated, seizing full control early in the 4th quarter with a three-score lead and cruising to a 21-7 victory.
Now 2-6 overall and 0-5 in Big Ten play, Wisconsin must win out to avoid missing a bowl game in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1991–92.
The following are my thoughts, observations, musings, and analysis from a wet, blustery evening in Eugene:
Oregon smelled blood in the water early
It’s clear the Ducks thought they were going to roll out of bed, mosey on over to Autzen Stadium and absolutely demolish Wisconsin. To be fair, that’s a completely valid assessment of where this Badgers team is at.
Oregon executed an onside kick on the game’s opening kickoff, immediately sending the message that it believed it could play with its food. When that drive stalled out, the Ducks went for a 4th-and-3, only to get sacked by Wisconsin outside linebacker Mason Reiger.
After that stop, and as it became evident that the Badgers weren’t simply going to roll over, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning dialed back the brazen calls.
Gideon Ituka has some very appealing traits
Redshirt freshman tailback Gideon Ituka was one of Wisconsin’s few bright spots Saturday afternoon. With Dilin Jones and Darrion Dupree unavailable, the Badgers trotted out Cade Yacamelli as their starter. But soon enough, Ituka replaced him in the backfield and wound up dominating the carries with 21 touches for 85 yards.
“He had put the ball on the ground in fall camp and maybe didn’t get as many opportunities, but I’ll tell you what, he showed us some things tonight, he could be a back of the future,” head coach Luke Fickell said. “I know, again, it’s one game, one opportunity, but I thought he did a really good job.”
“The way he played, the way he ran the football, I think, gives us not just hope, but the ability to have a more physical running game.”
Though his longest run was just 18 yards, Ituka ran with some personality. He ran with excellent patience and vision, making him somewhat unique in that regard in the Badgers’ backfield. He bounced runs to the outside, getting downhill in a hurry. He waited for lanes to open before darting through them. I asked Ituka if that patience and vision are something he prides himself on.
“I never really had much of that,” Ituka laughed. “But again, working my tail off to implement that into my game, watching the guys in front of me.”
It’s been hard to evaluate Wisconsin’s tailbacks this season behind such a haphazardly thrown-together offensive line, but Ituka made a statement Saturday evening: he deserves carries as much as Jones or Dupree at this point.
Wisconsin’s edge defenders are skilled yet too inconsistent
Oregon has two fifth-year seniors at tackle: Isaiah World and Alex Harkey, both of whom have their eyes on the NFL. In the first quarter, however, the Badgers’ pass-rushers made short work of both of them.
Reiger collected his aforementioned sack on the first series of the game, while Sebastian Cheeks added one on the Ducks’ next drive, fighting through a face-mask penalty to drop Oregon quarterback Dante Moore.
Still, the pass rush fizzled out as the game wore on, and Wisconsin was unable to bring consistent heat into the Ducks’ backfield.
“Just gotta keep with the momentum,” Reiger said. “Obviously, they start to scheme you, start to chip with the tight end, keep them in protection, or start to roll and sprint out, but at the end of the day, it’s no excuse. The pressure needs to be there…It definitely wasn’t enough, it hasn’t been enough.”
Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano are the future of this defense
But don’t just take my word for it.
“There’s the future,” Fickell said succinctly when I asked him what he saw from his two true freshman linebackers.