Jump around, mess around...but Oregon's still around
Ducks struggle with Wisconsin, and their coach's decision-making, but remain unbeaten and atop the rankings.
It’s the best segue in college football. Before the fourth quarter begins, the big crowd at Camp Randall Stadium gyrates to the tune of “Jump Around.” That’s fans, players, ballboys, maybe even coaches and an occasional ref. It’s communal and it’s cathartic. And it beats the hell out of “Sweet Caroline.”
(Florida’s rendition of “Won’t Back Down,” by local legend Tom Petty, is a distant but formidable second.)
Oregon joined the Big 10 this season. New cities, new stadiums, new rituals to learn. The Ducks knew all about Jump Around. They played it after each practice last week. When the time came Saturday night, they Jumped Around on their own sideline. “You just embrace your environment and love every second of it,” said Dillon Gabriel, the Oregon quarterback.
There was one problem. At the time, the top-ranked Ducks were performing a rendition of Mess Around. Against a five-win Wisconsin team that was coming off a 42-10 slapping at the hands of Iowa, Oregon was trailing 13–6. The Ducks hadn’t scored a touchdown yet. Wisconsin wouldn’t let Gabriel hotfoot his way out of bad situations. This can happen in cauldrons like Camp Randall. And even though a loss wouldn’t have eliminated Oregon from a national championship as it would have last year and in years before, it would have complicated the Ducks’ hopes of getting to the Big Ten title game and winning it. That is the opinion-free path to playing in the College Football Playoff. Anything short of that, and you’re at the mercy of the selection committee.
This was serious. Oregon’s top deep threat, Tez Johnson, was out. The Ducks hadn’t failed to score 30 points since their opener, versus Idaho. Since their one-point win over Ohio State, they were 4-0 with a combined score of 149–54. So maybe their big-game receptors were a little dull for a while. It didn’t mean they couldn’t win.
In fact, the very first play after everyone Jumped Around was a fourth-and-nine situation at the Wisconsin 41. Confident that his defense had figured out Wisconsin, coach Dan Lanning went for it. Gabriel moved out of the pocket on one of the adventures that have made him a Heisman candidate, and he fired a seed to tight end Terrance Ferguson, for 15 years and a first down. Jordan James swept to the end zone from 11 yards out, and the Ducks had tied it, 13-13.
The Badgers thought they had a chance on their own third-and-9 when Braedyn Locke found C.J. Williams over the middle. But Williams ran into Oregon’s Matayo Uiagalelei after five yards and fell hard, which often happens in such encounters. Uiagalelei’s brother D.J. is playing out a disappointing quarterbacking career at Florida State, but Matayo is a sophomore linebacker who is getting better and badder. His hit on Williams was a blast from their past: Williams played at Mater Dei High before he went to USC, and Uiagalelei played at St. John Bosco, their perennial companion in a southern California high school rivalry that resembles Freddy vs. Jason.
By now Oregon had established its superiority, but it was taking its time in translating that into a win. The Ducks were forced to kick a go-ahead field goal. When they stopped Wisconsin on a fourth down and reassumed control at the plus-26, they seemed home free. But when three runs by James only gained eight runs, it was time for Atticus Sappington to try another field goal and assume that the Ducks could take a six-point win onto the plane home.
That’s when Lanning’s mind started to jump around. We have seen this before. His obsession with going for fourth downs cost the Ducks a game at Washington last year that could have kept them out of the CFP. Here, he went for imagination points instead of real ones. He instructed holder Ross James, who also punts, to take the snap and take off. James did, fell short of the sticks, and Wisconsin got the ball with a theoretical chance. As NBC analyst Todd Blackledge observed, you might want to use Gabriel or James if you’re really interested in yards there.
However, Wisconsin’s offense had reached its expiration date by then. Jamaree Caldwell reached out to slap away Locke’s pass, and the ball wound up in the most secure place on the field, the hands of Uiagalelei.
Only Washington, the team that can’t lose at home and can’t win on the road, remains on Oregon’s regular-season schedule and stands as the final pothole between the Ducks and 12-0. Future foes who study the tape might find ways to slow down the Ducks. It won’t necessarily show a way to jump around and beat them.
Otherwise:
Kansas 17, BYU 13: The Cougars’ perfect season was deep-sixed by a perfectly awful turn of events. They stopped Kansas and forced a punt, but the bouncing ball hit BYU’s Evan Johnson and was recovered by Kansas’ Quentin Skinner. Devin Neal scored from three yards to give KU (4-6) the lead with 13:19 left. Kansas had to survive two late BYU possessions, the last of which was complicated by a false start on fourth-and-six from the Jayhawks’ 11. Jake Retzlaff’s final play was an 8-yard completion to Chase Roberts, three yards short of the first down line. The cheap TD was the only one BYU allowed in the second half, but the Cougars fall to 9-1 with a difficult trip to Arizona State coming up.
Colorado 49, Utah 24: This time last year the Buffaloes were playing out the string with seven consecutive losses. Now they’re 8-2 overall and 6-1 in the Big 12, and if they win at Kansas and beat Oklahoma State, they’re in the conference championship game. This was Colorado’s best scoring output in five years, as they got a punt return TD from LaJohntay Wester and three touchdown passes from Shedeur Sanders. Travis Hunter had an interception on one end and a scoring run on the other, and no one was begrudging him for his Heisman poses. Best of all, the crowd celebrated the 100th birthday of Peggy Coppum, the team’s best fan. She’s missed three home games since 1966.
Georgia 31, Tennessee 17: It was billed as an elimination game for the College Football Playoff, but both teams are likely still alive. It was far more urgent for Georgia to win and avoid a third loss. Down 10-0, their defense throttled the Vols the rest of the way, and Carson Beck threw no interceptions for a change. His 10-yard run was the go-ahead touchdown. The defense also held Nico Iamaleava to 167 pass yards and no touchdowns. Texas and Texas A&M now lead the SEC with one loss. Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi have two apiece.
Clemson 24, Pittsburgh 20: The play of the day came from Cade Klubnik, who ran for a 50-yard touchdown with 1:16 left. Klubnik is Clemson’s quarterback. Instead of searching out the sideline with no time outs in his pocket, he went for the end zone. And, at the time, the Tigers had rushed for only eight yards. The Panthers had just gone ahead 20-17 with 2:41 left, after they had trailed 17-7 at the half. Clemson still has eyes on the postseason. It is 8-2 overall and finished its ACC season 7-1, a game behind league leader SMU.
Boise State 42, San Jose State 21: The Spartans led Boise State 21-14 early in the third quarter when Nick Nash caught a 6-yard touchdown from Walker Eget. The Broncos responded with the end zone-seeking missile known as Ashton Jeanty. His 36-yard TD run followed Maddux Madsen’s 17-yard TD to Matt Lauter for a 28-21 lead, and Jeanty scored again from five yards to put it out of reach. Boise State is 9-1, 6-0 in the Mountain West conference, and is the front-runner to get the Group of Five conference championship spot in the College Football Playoff. Jeanty ran for 159 yards and three scores and is the runaway national rushing leader with 1,734 yards, at 7.7 per carry. Nash has 86 catches for 1,156 yards and 13 touchdowns, ranking first, second and first nationally in those “triple crown’ categories.
Stanford 38, Louisville 35: Those who thought Louisville couldn’t lose this game in regulation didn’t count on Louisville’s imagination. The Cardinals (as opposed to the Cardinal) were up 35-21 in the fourth quarter. Then Stanford tied it on Ashton Daniels’ two TD passes to Emmett Mosley V. Straining to get into position for a game-winning kick, Louisville’s Tyler Shough threw four consecutive incompletions. With :04 left, Daniels threw a sideline pass to Mosley that gained one yard….but Tayon Holloway needlessly shoved Mosley after the play was over, which brought out a 15-yard flag for unsportsmanlike conduct. That still would have required a 57-yard field goal try for Emmett Kenney. So Quiny Riley helpfully jumped offside. From 52 yards, Kenney connected, and Stanford became 3-7 and Louisville 6-4. That’s 20 yards of penalties in the final four seconds.