Despite sloppy play, No. 1 Oregon Ducks eke out a win over Wisconsin Badgers

The Oregon Ducks did not look like themselves and certainly didn't look like the No. 1 team in the nation as they visited the Wisconsin Badgers in Week 12. Sloppy play and lackadaisical moments led to the Badgers leading at halftime and it was an uphill battle for the Ducks after that.

Despite striking first and going up 6-0, the Ducks struggled to produce on offense. At halftime, Oregon trailed 6-10 and were outscored 10-0 during the second quarter. Dillon Gabriel failed to lead Oregon to a single touchdown in the first half and threw an interception in the red zone.

The Ducks needed the second half to be nearly flawless, if not perfect. However, the third quarter, as always, was a struggle for Oregon. Oregon allowed a field goal by Wisconsin and trailed 13-6 after the third, failing to put up any points from the end of the first quarter until nearly two minutes into the fourth quarter.

The saving graces of Oregon's day? Running back Jordan James and kicker Atticus Sappington.

Not only did James record his sixth 100-yard-plus game of the season but he scored the Ducks' only touchdown of the game. Sappington kicked a perfect 3-of-3 on his field goal attempts and made his singular extra point to score 10 of Oregon's 16 points.

After the game, head coach Dan Lanning discussed the team's performance and it was far from a stellar review of the Ducks.

"We needed every second we needed every moment," Lanning said. "We had just enough at the end to make the numbers."

Undeniably, the Ducks' defense led the team to its 11th victory of the season (a perfect 11-0 start). Multiple three-and-outs, six tackles for loss, and one interception led to Oregon dominating on the defensive side of the ball and the Decks held Wisconsin to just 13 points.

"They're resilient, right? The defense put their team on their back tonight, they did just enough" Lanning said of his defense.

While it was far from a perfect game by Oregon, the lack of defensive leader Jordan Burch and star wide receiver Tez Johnson make up for some of the lapses in gameplay. The fact that Oregon has played eight weeks in a row and has now faced back-to-back opponents coming off byes, fills the gap a little more.

However, as Oregon heads into its bye week before the Ducks take on rival Washington, Lanning has to right his team's ship if they're going to remain perfect as they head into postseason play.

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