Report Card: Oregon Ducks earned mixed grades after ugly Week 9 win over Wisconsin

The monsoon-like rain. An injury at a key position. A pesky opponent who always seems to put up a fight in this matchup. Those were all factors that had be to taken into account when looking at the final score (21-7) of the Oregon Ducks‘ victory over the Wisconsin Badgers in Week 9.

The 30-plus point line heading into the game — already having zero effect of what happens on the field — proved to be way off despite the Ducks coming into the game with a 6-1 record versus the Badgers’ 2-5 record. In reality, these were two teams in the Big Ten, right up there with the SEC as the best conference in college football, on a relatively level playing field because of the weather and quarterback Dante Moore‘s injury.

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That Oregon came away with the victory shows their resilience and mental makeup — despite the obvious takeaway that there is much to clean up as they head into their second bye week of the season.

Let’s dive into our weekly report card complete with a grade and analysis of every position group, keeping in mind the standard that has been set for the Ducks this season while pointing out several things that need to improve — and fast.

Quarterbacks

Grade: C+

When he was on the field, Moore completed nine of his 15 attempts for just 86 yards and didn’t seem to have a great handle of what the opposing defense was doing. It was a far cry from a week prior, when he’d carved up the Rutgers defense with ease on his way to four first-half touchdown passes. If it were only him, he’d have received a “C” grade. But it wasn’t just Moore, as backup Brock Thomas came in and operated the offense as well as could be expected (four-for-four, 46 yards and a touchdown), finishing the game and earning the “+” for this unit.

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Running Backs

Grade: A

If not for the excellence of this group, this game would’ve been much closer than just 14 points. Starter Noah Whittington carried the ball 14 times for 97 yards, effectively slashing through the Badgers’ inept rushing defense. But it was true freshman Jordon Davison who got the Ducks on the board in the second quarter and contributed mightily to their 99-yard scoring drive. In all, he finished with 16 totes for 102 yards and two scores — his ninth and tenth of the season. Hard to ask for much more from the running backs, who did their job in exemplary fashion on Saturday as they have for much of the season.

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Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Grade: B

This is one of the more difficult grades to give, as the wide receivers were greatly effected by Moore’s injury and the weather. But at the end of the day, they did their job. True freshman standout Dakorien Moore caught a pass near the sideline in which he collected the ball off the tip, making a nice sliding grab. Jeremiah McClellan continues to have a larger impact, as he caught three passes for 40 yards. While starting tight end Kenyon Sadiq was quiet, backup Jamari Johnson caught a short pass and turned it into a 23-yard gain, showing burst and vision. The wide receivers and tight ends were solid, but can still reach a much higher level as we’ve already seen this season.

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Offensive Line

Grade: C+

It took a while for the offensive line to get going, as they gave up four sacks on the day with the pressure being especially felt early on. But they rebounded and opened up holes in the run game for Whittington and Davison, as the Ducks went over 200 yards rushing on the game. That, combined with lineman Gernorris Wilson‘s one-yard reception touchdown and his dance moves, earns the offensive line a “+.”

Defensive Line

Grade: C-

The fact that the Ducks gave up four sacks and only sacked Wisconsin quarterback Hunter Simmons once is not a good sign for the lineman overall. And while Simmons was pressured, it wasn’t very difficult for him to escape the pocket and have time to look downfield. But where the defensive lineman really struggled was in the run game, as they gave up 110 yards on the ground, 85 of which to freshman Gideon Ituka. The Badgers’ offensive line moved the line of scrimmage more than a few times, a surprising and unexpected occurrence heading into the game.

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Linebackers

Grade: B-

Much of the season, this has been a one-man position group with Bryce Boettcher standing out and needing others to step up around him but to little avail. That was no different against Wisconsin, as Boettcher finished with six total tackles (four solo), a tackle for loss and two passes defensed. Alongside him, Devon Jackson and Jerry Mixon combined for four tackles. That’s simply not good enough from the talented pair of ‘backers — but thanks to Boettcher, who seems to be having banner performances each week, they stay out of the “C” grade range.

Secondary

Grade: A-1

The secondary was one of the best units for the Ducks, as, outside of a deep pass in which safety Dillon Thieneman lost his footing, they were sticky in coverage and gave up just seven Simmons completions on 21 attempts. When the Badgers quarterback escaped the pocket, he rarely found much of anything, instead having to check the ball down underneath for inconsequential gains. Reserve cornerback Daylen Austin‘s fourth-quarter interception was the cherry on top. It was the first of his career and the ninth of the season for the Ducks.

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Special Teams

Grade: A

A perfectly executed onside kick to open the game. A punt was downed inside the one-yard line. Three clean extra points in the wet weather. What other grade would we give the Ducks’ special teams unit? They deserve an “A” here.

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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Report Card: Oregon Ducks’ grades after victory over Wisconsin