Sayville's Jack Coan and No. 11 Wisconsin edged by No. 7 Oregon in Rose Bowl

PASADENA, Calif. — Sayville’s Jack Coan finished his first full season as Wisconsin’s starting quarterback by statistically matching one of college football’s best at the position.

Yet that performance proved insufficient to give the Badgers their first victory in the Rose Bowl since 2000.

Wisconsin, ranked 11th in the final AP poll, hurt itself with turnovers and untimely penalties, allowing seventh-ranked Oregon to rally for a 28-27 victory Wednesday night in front of 90,462.

“We made a bunch of mistakes and didn’t play our best,” Coan said. “Obviously, we’re not used to that. But, you know, that’s football. Things happen. Things go crazy. Things go wrong.”

Wisconsin (10-4) committed four turnovers, which Oregon (12-2) converted into 21 points, and lost 79 yards on nine penalties, some of which defused potential scoring drives.

Nevertheless, Coan completed 23 of 35 passes for 186 yards, one touchdown and one interception for a quarterback rating of 114.1. The junior also rushed twice for 8 yards without being sacked.

“The best part about Jack is that he was himself,” Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst said. “He’s tough. He competes. He’s incredibly selfless. He’ll do anything for this team.”

Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert compiled a 118 rating after going 14-for-20 for 138 yards and an interception. But Herbert ran for three touchdowns and 29 yards on nine carries and was named offensive player of the game.

Herbert entered leading all active quarterbacks in the FBS with 95 career passing touchdowns and placing third with 10,403 passing yards. The senior also is one of only eight quarterbacks who threw for at least 3,000 yards in each of the past two seasons.

“He’s an unbelievable quarterback,” said Coan, who works regularly with former Giants great Phil Simms. “He’s going to do outstanding things on the next level. I look forward to following him and watching him.”

Coan engineered two scoring drives that twice put Wisconsin ahead after the Ducks exploited turnovers to build leads. His only interception, returned by Thomas Graham Jr. for 24 yards, started a 33-yard drive that ended after three plays on Herbert’s 5-yard run. That score gave Oregon a 14-10 lead.

Yet on the Badgers’ ensuing series, Coan completed all five of his passes for 30 yards and added a 7-yard run. But the drive’s biggest play was an incomplete pass.

Quintez Cephus dived to catch a 32-yard pass at Oregon’s 1 with defensive back Mikael Wright getting physical. Cephus’ right foot fell out of bounds as he caught the ball, making the pass incomplete. But Wright received a penalty for pass interference that gave the Badgers a first down at the Ducks’ 18. Three plays later, Cephus caught Coan’s 11-yard scoring pass with 11 seconds left in the half to put Wisconsin ahead 17-14.

Oregon regained a 21-17 lead when Brady Breeze returned a fumbled snap on a punt 25 yards early in the third quarter. Coan responded by directing an 11-play, 65-yard scoring drive that consumed 6:59 and allowed the Badgers to retake a 24-21 lead.

“We trust in Jack,” said Jonathan Taylor (21 rushes, 94 yards), the two-time winner of the Doak Walker Award as college football’s best running back. “He commands in the huddle.”

Collin Larsh’s 27-yard field goal 2:51 into the final quarter extended the Badgers’ lead to 27-21. But Wisconsin’s final turnover proved devastating.

Breeze forced Danny Davis to fumble after a 3-yard gain, and Bryson Young recovered it on the Badgers’ 30. On the next play, Herbert faked a handoff to C.J. Verdell and ran around right end to force a 27-27 tie. Camden Lewis’ conversion kick put Oregon ahead with 7:41 to play.

“We’re definitely a resilient group,” Coan said. “I think we showed that all season and in this game. We’re going to look at those mistakes and move forward. We’re going to take this game and use it as motivation for next year.”