Wisconsin Football: Jonathan Taylor will be Tested by Oregon Run Defense

As always, the Wisconsin offense runs through Jonathan Taylor but he will be tested by a very good Oregon run defense.

The Oregon Football team sits at 11-2 on the season after winning the Pac-12 Championship and if not for a devastating loss at Arizona State, they very well could have been in the College Football Playoffs. While they may be an unfamiliar opponent, most are familiar with Justin Herbert, who is one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2020 NFL draft.

Led by Herbert, Oregon is 15th nationally in scoring offense averaging 35.9 points per game and while the Wisconsin defense will certainly have their hands full, it’s the Oregon run defense that could be a huge problem for the Badgers as well.

It’s no secret that the Wisconsin offense and much of their overall success falls on the shoulders of Jonathan Taylor. But he and the Badger offensive line will be tested in the Rose Bowl.

Per usual, Taylor was a monster on the ground this season. Up to this point he has totaled 1,909 rushing yards at 6.4 yards per carry with 21 touchdowns. He was also the Doak Walker Award winner for the 2nd consecutive season, as well as a first team All-American once again. Not to mention that he became a weapon in the passing game.

However, we saw against Northwestern and Illinois how difficult it can be for the Badgers to move the ball when Taylor is bottled up at times. And of course, when Ohio State all but took him out of the game in their regular season matchup, the Wisconsin offense was futile. So having Taylor find success early against Oregon will be key.

While Justin Herbert may grab the headlines, the Oregon defense has been very good in their own right. This season they have allowed just 15.7 points per game, the 9th fewest in college football and a big contributor to their defensive success has been their play against the run.

This year they rank 11th in rushing yards allowed per game with 106.8 to be exact. Meanwhile, opposing running backs are averaging a measly 3.3 yards per carry and in their 13 games, the Ducks have allowed only four rushing touchdowns.

In fact, in nine of Oregon’s games, they’ve held their opponents under to four yards per carrry and the most that they’ve allowed this season was Week 1 against Auburn at just 4.8. For some context on how dominant they’ve been, Taylor has seven games in 2019 where he’s averaged over seven yards per carry.

Once the game kicks-off, a name to keep your eyes on is Kayvon Thibodeaux, a true freshman that already looks like a top pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. The defensive end has 34 tackles in 2019 and a whopping 14 of them has been behind the line of scrimmage. Not to mention that he also has nine sacks.

Whether they choose to double-team him, chip him, or anything else, slowing down Thibodeaux and keeping him out of the backfield is a must.

This game between Wisconsin and Oregon is a clash between one of the nation’s best running teams up against one of the nation’s top run defenses. It may be tough sledding for Taylor at times, but if anyone can rip-off a few big runs, it’s J.T. And whichever team can win this battle, they will have the upper hand in the Rose Bowl.