Wisconsin Badgers
10-4
Oregon
12-2
Wisconsin edged by Oregon, 28-27
January 01, 2020 | Football
Badgers fight to end in Rose Bowl nail-biter
PASADENA, Calif. — The 106th Rose Bowl gave fans a thrilling matchup to open the New Year as No. 7 Oregon battled No. 11 Wisconsin to a 28-27 final in the Granddaddy of Them All. The appearance marked Wisconsin's fourth trip to Pasadena in the last 10 years.
Ducks quarterback Justin Herbert scored three rushing touchdowns to lead Oregon (12-2) to its third consecutive victory in the historic bowl.
Aron Cruickshank opened up scoring for the Badgers with a fiery kickoff run, returning the ball 95 yards for a touchdown for the Big Ten runner-up Badgers (10-4).
Brady Breeze returned the first of his two fumble recoveries 31 yards for an early touchdown for the Ducks. Herbert then made his go-ahead rambling run on the next snap after Breeze's second snatch, and Oregon capped its Pac-12 championship season with its 12th win in 13 games in yet another frenetic edition of this venerated bowl game.
Eight years after De'Anthony Thomas' Ducks surged past Russell Wilson's Badgers to win a 45-38 thriller in the 2012 Rose Bowl, their schools put on another entertaining evening with six lead changes, key special teams mistakes and two stout defenses stretched by inventive offenses.
Jonathan Taylor rushed for 94 yards and Quintez Cephus caught seven passes for 59 yards and a score, but Wisconsin quarterback Jack Coan's offense couldn't capitalize on its whopping advantages in time of possession (38:03-21:57) and total yards (322-204).
Herbert passed for just 138 yards without a touchdown in his collegiate finale. Instead, Oregon improbably relied on the legs of its 6-foot-6 quarterback to grind out the fourth Rose Bowl victory in school history.
Herbert had only 10 rushing touchdowns in the first 41 starts of his career, but he turned into a big-play machine on the ground. After he scored on runs of 4 and 5 yards in the first half, he rambled through the defense for the go-ahead score in what's sure to be the signature moment of the four-year starter's career.
Herbert eventually made a key 12-yard throw to Mycah Pittman for a first down with 1:51 to play, and his 28-yard throw to Juwan Johnson with 1:03 left allowed the Ducks to run out the clock.
After kickoff in 68-degree temperatures on another postcard-perfect New Year's Day in Pasadena, the Ducks marched 75 yards on their opening drive. Herbert ran 4 yards for a TD, stiff-arming a defender on the way in.
But Cruickshank took the ensuing kick straight down the Oregon sideline for an electrifying score and a rarity in the Rose Bowl. The kickoff return was just the second for a touchdown in Wisconsin's lengthy bowl history, but just the third in 106 Rose Bowls - and the first in 17 years.
Herbert then threw his fifth interception in six games after throwing just two in the Ducks' previous 10 games, and Wisconsin went ahead 10-7 despite having 1 yard of offense at that point.
Both teams traded missed scoring opportunities before Jack Coan's first interception got Oregon in business. Herbert ran 5 yards for his second score, again stiff-arming a Wisconsin defender to the ground.
Wisconsin replied with a gritty drive right before halftime, with Cephus making an 11-yard TD catch with 11 seconds left to put the Badgers up 17-14.
Oregon got a break right after the half when Wisconsin punter Anthony Lotti caught the snap but dropped the ball on the ground instead of kicking it under pressure. Breeze alertly picked it up and sprinted for the go-ahead score.
The Badgers responded with a drive capped by Stokke's 2-yard scoring run, and they went up 27-21 on a field goal with 12:09 to play.
But Breeze recovered another fumble by Wisconsin's Danny Davis, and Herbert took the next snap on a 30-yard ramble to the end zone to take the lead with 7:41 left on the clock.
Team Stats
ORE 7, WIS 0
ORE - Herbert, Justin 4 yd run (Lewis, Camden kick), 12 plays, 75 yards, TOP 5:07
ORE 7, WIS 7
WIS - Cruickshank, A. 95 yd kickoff return (Larsh, Collin kick)
ORE 7, WIS 10
WIS - Larsh, Collin 44 yd field goal 4 plays, 1 yards, TOP 1:30
ORE 14, WIS 10
ORE - Herbert, Justin 5 yd run (Lewis, Camden kick), 3 plays, 33 yards, TOP 0:47
ORE 14, WIS 17
WIS - Cephus, Quintez 11 yd pass from Coan, Jack (Larsh, Collin kick) 8 plays, 53 yards, TOP 2:57
ORE 21, WIS 17
ORE - Breeze, Brady 31 yd fumble recovery (Lewis, Camden kick)
ORE 21, WIS 24
WIS - Stokke, Mason 2 yd run (Larsh, Collin kick), 11 plays, 65 yards, TOP 6:59
ORE 21, WIS 27
WIS - Larsh, Collin 27 yd field goal 11 plays, 51 yards, TOP 5:53
ORE 28, WIS 27
ORE - Herbert, Justin 30 yd run (Lewis, Camden kick), 1 plays, 30 yards, TOP 0:10
