| Score by Quarters |
| Oregon |
14 |
14 |
7 |
10 |
45 |
| Wisconsin |
14 |
14 |
10 |
0 |
38 |
“Light it up” was the motto of the day for the 98th Rose Bowl Game, since the scoreboard was continuously changing during a feeding frenzy of points between the Big Ten Champion Wisconsin Badgers and the Pac-12 Champion Oregon Ducks. In the end the Ducks defense flocked the Badgers and prevailed 45-38, bringing Wisconsin its second consecutive Rose Bowl Game loss and giving Oregon its first Rose Bowl Game win since 1917. The victory also marked the Ducks’ first BCS win in three consecutive attempts.
“I’m kind of tired of tears of sadness,” Wisconsin Coach Bret Bielema said. “I wanted to come out here and experience tears of joy at some point.”
Both teams combined to set a Rose Bowl Game record for the most points in the game’s history, and most points scored in a half by drawing to a 28-28 tie. Although the Badgers had a staggering lead in time of possession, 21:17 to Oregon’s 7:98, it was the Ducks’ De’Anthony Thomas who wowed fans with a 91-yard touchdown run. Thomas, a graduate of Crenshaw High, scored a second rushing touchdown, caught four passes and amassed 125 yards in kickoff returns.
It wasn’t just the Ducks offense flying high.Wisconsin’s running back Montee Ball carried the Badgers with 164 rushing yards and tied Barry Sanders’ single-season NCAA record of 39 touchdowns. Ball, the Big Ten running back and Offensive Player of the Year, gained 78 yards on nine carries on the ground and lead the Badgers in receiving catches for 37 yards in the first half. Quarterback Russell Wilson was 4-of-6 for 80 yards and one touchdown. The Badgers also got some help from the defense as lineman Louis Nzeguwu took a 33-yard fumble recovery in for the score.
Oregon’s offense picked up where it left off in the third quarter with Thomas adding his second touchdown of the day on a three-play drive. Oregon had three scoring drives of 43 seconds or less, which included two of the top 10 quickest scores in Rose Bowl Game history at eight seconds and 32 seconds. Wisconsin, meanwhile, added a field goal to make the score 35-31 Oregon.
The Badgers added a touchdown from Wilson to receiver Nick Toon and attempted to cushion their lead when Wilson was intercepted by Oregon linebacker Kiko Alonso. Alonso was named Defensive Player of the Game with 1.5 sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss and his game-changing interception.
“On that play,” Alonso explained, “I was loose arming on the sideline looking at him (Wilson), and I just got a good jump on him.”
Capitalizing on the turnover, Oregon quarterback Darron Thomas found receiver Lavasier Tuinei in the end zone to put the Ducks ahead, 42-38. Tuinei was named Offensive Player of the Game with career-highs in receptions, eight, and 158 yards for two touchdowns.
“For a senior, you get those moments and he (Tuinei) had a signature moment,” Oregon Coach Chip Kelly said. “What an unbelievable way to end his career and his performance here in the Rose Bowl. He’s a warrior, and that’s what we’ve expected from him.”
Wisconsin got one more possession with 16 seconds remaining in the game and no timeouts. Wilson marched the Badgers down field, hitting passes of 29 and 33 yards to get to Oregon’s 25. With two seconds remaining on the clock, officials ruled the ball in play and signaled for the clock to start with Wilson snapping and spiking the ball as time ran out.
“I didn’t think there was any way that two full seconds ran off the clock there,” Wilson said. “It would have been nice to have a chance there.”
Attendance: 91,245
Weather: 82° (Sunny)
Scoring:
First Quarter
WIS – Abbrederis, 38-yard pass from Wilson, Russell (Welch kick good)
ORE - James, L., 1-yard run (Maldonado kick good)
WIS – Wilson, 4-yard run (Welch kick good)
ORE – Thomas, De. 91-yard run (Maldonado kick good)
Second Quarter
WIS – Ball, 3-yard run (Welch kick good)
ORE – Barner, 54-yard pass from Thomas, Da. (Maldonado, kick good)
WIS – Nzegwu, 33-yard fumble recovery (Welch kick good)
ORE - Tuinei, L., 3-yard pass from Thomas, Da. (Maldonado kick good)
Third Quarter
ORE - Thomas, De. 64-yard run (Maldonado, A. kick good)
WIS - Welch, Philip 29-yard field goal
WIS - Toon, Nick 18-yard pass from Wilson, R. (Welch kick good)
Fourth Quarter
ORE - Tuinei, L. 11-yard pass from Thomas, Da. (Maldonado kick good)
ORE - Maldonado, A. 30-yard field goal
Coaches
Oregon: Chip Kelly
Wisconsin: Bret Bielema
Fun Fact:
For only the 13th time in our history, the 98th Rose Bowl Game was played on January 2 per the Tournament’s ‘Never on Sunday’ policy. This game also marked the first time the Rose Bowl Stadium tiered Rose Bowl Game ticket prices. Game ticket prices increased to $175 for seats and $150 each for bench seats (end zones).
Game Statistics
Team Stats Oregon Wisconsin
First Downs 22 23
Net Yards Rushing 345 212
Net Yards Passing 276 296
Total Yards 621 508
PC-PA-Int. 18-24-1 19-26-1
Punts-Avg. 3-138 2-89
Fumbles-Lost 2-1 1-1
Penalties-Yards 7-56 3-20
Individual Stats
Rushing
ORE - James, L. 25-159; Thomas, De. 2-155; Barner 7-30; Thomas, Da. 6-1
WISC - Ball 32-164; White 8-30; Wilson, R. 6-18
Passing
ORE - Thomas, Da. 17-23-1; Bennett 1-1-0
WISC - Wilson, R. 19-25-1
Receiving
ORE - Tuinei, L. 8-158; Thomas, De. 4-34; Barner 2-52; Huff 2-14; Paulson 1-10; Thomas, Da. 1-8
WISC - Toon, Nick 9-104; Abbrederis, Jar 4-119; Ball, Montee 4-51; Pedersen, Jacob 1-17; Ewing, Bradie 1-5
Punting
ORE – Rice 3-138
WISC – Nortman 2-89