Wisconsin lost their sixth straight as the Badgers fell to Oregon 21-7 on Saturday night.
The Badger defense was actually respectable, holding Oregon to just seven points at half and 21 for the game. True freshman Mason Posa shined in his first major action of the year, notching a team-high 13 tackles while fellow true freshman Cooper Catalano added another 8 tackles. It was one of the better defensive showings for Wisconsin since their early non-conference games. It was all for naught though, as the Badger offense continued their abysmal ways against the Ducks.
Badgers once again fail to show any improvements on offense
The good news was that the Badger offense finally scored after going 15 quarters without getting in the endzone. That's about where the positives end, however, as the team failed to show any progress from the previous weeks. The Badgers were held scoreless until late in the fourth quarter and had completed just one pass at halftime.
Quarterback Hunter Simmons was just 7-for-21 for 86 yards with one touchdown and an interception on a night where the pouring rain seemed pretty symbolic of the Wisconsin offense. Running back Gideon Ituka had a solid first half, and led the team on the day with 21 carries for 85 yards, but couldn't get much going against an Oregon front committed to stopping the run. True freshman Eugene Hilton Jr. made his first splash play of the year with a 42-yard catch that actually could've been a touchdown with replay review, but ultimately it was the only big play of the night.
While a few true freshman like Mason Posa and even receiver Eugene Hilton Jr. really popped, it was more of the same for the most part against Oregon. Despite the promising youngsters, the Badgers still looked like a team struggling for identity. They'll head back home for a date with Washington next week.