Keys to victory: Three Badgers on the offensive side of the ball

The 2012 Rose Bowl between the University of Wisconsin and the University of Oregon set a then-bowl record for 83 combined points. Don’t expect the Badgers and Ducks to come close to that number in this year’s edition.

The champions of the Pac-12, No. 6 Oregon is headed to the Rose Bowl with one of the most dominant defenses in school history. Ninth in the nation in scoring defense (one spot ahead of Wisconsin), the Ducks have held 12 of its 13 opponents under their current season scoring average, including eight to at least 10 points below their average. Needless to say, the Badgers won’t find much success with a single-pronged approach.

Here are three offensive players for Wisconsin who could play an important role in winning the 106th Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day.

Shocking, right? Taylor has arguably been the most important offensive player for Wisconsin over the last three years and has obliterated countless FBS rushing records in three seasons. How special has he been? If the junior can somehow rush for 326 yards Wednesday, he’ll break the official NCAA career rushing record in 13 fewer games. The two-time Doak Walker Award winner, Taylor leads the nation in scoring (12 ppg, 26 touchdowns) and is 91 yards away from another 2,000-yard season.

Waiting for Taylor is a talented Oregon front seven with a stout three-man group in the trenches - freshman end Kayvon Thibodeaux was a freshman All-American by The Athletic and the Pac-12 freshman defensive player of the year; junior nose Jordan Scott was honorable mention all-conference; and junior tackle Austin Faoliu has made 20 tackles in his last three games. Get past them an Oregon has a talented group of linebackers led by first-team all-conference senior Will Dye.

Oregon’s rush defense is ranked 10th nationally (106.8 yards per game), three spots behind Ohio State. How the Badgers and Taylor adapt from the loss in Indianapolis will go a long way in determining the bowl’s outcome.

Over the last three games, which include games against No. 2 Ohio State and No. 8 Minnesota, Coan completed 63.5 percent of his passes for 715 yards, threw for four touchdowns, ran for two scores and had one pass intercepted. Boil down the numbers, the junior posted a pass efficiency rating of 159.8. The only Power Five quarterbacks with better ratings during that stretch are Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow and two players who joined him in New York in Justin Fields (Ohio State) and Jalen Hurts (Oklahoma). Ranked 15th nationally in pass efficiency, Coan is on pace to be the first quarterback to finish among the top 20 in the category since Russell Wilson set a then-FBS record in the category in 2011.

The success of Coan stems from the junior’s ability to make smart decisions with the football. Coan’s four interceptions are the fewest for a Wisconsin program since the 1999 season, the last year the Badgers won the Rose Bowl. Staying at that number will be a monumental success considered the Ducks are ballhawks.

Ranked second nationally with 19 interceptions, sophomore Jevon Holland and redshirt freshman Verone McKinley III are tied for the Pac-12 lead with four INTs. That sudden change in field position has benefited the offense. The Ducks' 9.23 points off turnovers per game is sixth in the country while their +7.15 points off turnovers differential per game is third.

Coan played against six top-20 defenses this past season (Ohio State x2, Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota and Michigan State) and beat four of them, including leading five touchdown drives on the Badgers’ first seven possessions against the Wolverines. Continuing his steely demeanor is critical.

The return of receiver Quintez Cephus has seemingly energized Wisconsin’s offense, as his 52 catches, 842 yards and six touchdowns are all team bests. But the Badgers have six players that have made at least 20 catches (a first in school history), a sign that UW isn’t a one-man show. Of the group, however, the presence of Ferguson is vital. Having played in 850 snaps this season (second-most on the team behind center Tyler Biadasz), the 6-5 tight end has overcome a torn ligament in his left thumb during training camp to quietly put together a solid campaign.

Even though his numbers are down from a season ago, Ferguson has caught one pass in every game (29, 363, 2) from a variety of different set ups (on the ball, off the ball, split out, etc.), all the while sealing off ends for Taylor and Wisconsin’s running game to flourish. Ferguson will likely see a lot of Thibodeaux, who had 2.5 sacks and a blocked punt in the Pac-12 championship game victory over Utah. How Ferguson handles the edge and runs his route will play a large part in UW’s offense.