A 95-year Rose Bowl win drought for the Oregon Ducks came to an end on Monday as the No. 5 Ducks used a 10-point fourth quarter to beat No. 10 Wisconsin Badgers 45-38 in the 2012 Rose Bowl on Monday.
2012 Rose Bowl, Wisconsin Vs. Oregon: Ducks End Rose Bowl Drought
For Ducks head coach Chip Kelly, who scored his first BCS bowl in three tries, the Rose Bowl drought wasn’t an issue.
“None of us were around 95 years ago, and we never talked about it,” Kelly said. “We’re a forward-thinking operation, and we’re always looking ahead.”
Looking forward, the Ducks getting a big-time performance from freshman running back De'Anthony Thomas is a sign they'll likely remain in the BCS bowl picture for the foreseeable future. The electric freshman had two carries for 155 yards and two touchdowns, including a 91-yard score at the end of the first quarter and a 64-yard run on the third play of the second half to giving the Ducks a seven-point lead. Thomas also caught four passes for 34 yards and averaged 25 yards on five kick returns.
Monday was the Badgers’ second consecutive Rose Bowl loss in heartbreaking fashion. The Badgers gave up over 600 yards of total offense to the speedy Ducks, burned two timeouts in the first five minutes of the second half that could have come in handy on the final drive, and fumbled inside the Ducks’ 30-yard line with a little over four minutes to play.
Head coach Bret Bielema has guided the Badgers program to back-to-back 11-win seasons, but is looking to take that next step.
“I’m kind of tired of tears of sadness,” Bielema said. “I want to come out here and experience tears of joy at some point.”
For more on the Rose Bowl, visit Wisconsin blog Bucky’s 5th Quarter and Oregon blog Addicted to Quack, plus Pac-12 blog Pacific Takes and Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire.
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