BadgerBlitz.com brings back it's Behind Enemy Lines series, where we get an opposing beat writer's take on the upcoming matchup.

For Week 12, we spoke to Scott Reed of Duck Sports Authority and touched on the Ducks' first year in the Big Ten, potential weaknesses with this undefeated team and more.

Reed: Most of the issues were related to the offensive line. Prior to fall camp, Matthew Bedford was slated to be the starter at right guard with Dave Iuli as the next person up. Unfortunately, both began the season injured and the Ducks experimented with the OL rotation moving freshman All-American Center Poncho Laloulu to the guard spot and putting walk on Charlie Pickard at center.

After giving up just five sacks all of 2023, the Ducks gave up 7 sacks in the first six quarters. After the half against Boise State, the Ducks moved Laloulu back to center and brough Nishad Strother to the guard position and that has mostly solved having given up just 3 in the 8-plus games since.

Reed: There has sort of been an up and down vibe. A roller coaster of emotion in many ways. The early struggles with Idaho and Boise State created a lot lower expectations heading into week three. I would say that those expectations were still only cautiously hopeful until the Ohio State win which brought a ton of excitement among a large sector of the fan base.

But the Ducks have been here before. A year ago, many considered the Ducks a favorite to get to the College Football Playoff over Washington with the thinking that the Ducks would win the rematch and be a legitimate contender. That leaves them back on a roller coaster heading toward the end of the season and a potential berth in the Big Ten Championship Game. In many ways, it looks like a mirror of last season – just in a different conference.

One thing I will add is that almost every fan I have talked with has been universal in their love of the new conference. The Pac-12 spent a lot of time trying to promote the teams in the middle of the conference and there is a recognition that the new conference does a tremendous job promoting the programs and most fans feel that the difference between the old Pac-12 and the Big Ten is a night and day improvement.

Reed: The biggest thing right now is health. This will be the eighth straight game without a bye for the Ducks and the number of nicks and dings has started to add up. The biggest one right now is the absence of leading receiver Tez Johnson with what appears to be a shoulder injury. The Ducks passing game lacked their explosiveness without him against Maryland and that is an area that some are wondering of the Ducks can address sooner rather than later.

We don’t know the extent of Johnson’s injury or a timeline for his return so it is sort of a guessing game. Most people feel it will be – at the earliest – for the Conference Championship Game.The other injuries seem less severe so the rest of the issues are just about how fresh some of the players are after the gauntlet they have faced for the last two months.

Reed: From an insider perspective, there has only been one surprise which sort of answers the following question. Justius Lowe had to step into a starting role following the Ohio State game due to internal discipline of Traeshon Holden for his actions in the game and he responded with 14 catches, 154 yards, and his first career touchdown in the four games since. Prior to that he had 4 catches for 20 yards in the first six games of the season.

Prior to the season, the expectations were for some of the higher rated guys like Jurrion Dickey, Jeremiah McClelland, and Dillon Gresham to potentially be ahead of Lowe, but he has worked really hard and is one of the smartest receivers on the team.

Reed: I am going to start with defensive tackle Jamaree Caldwell. Derrick Harmon gets a ton of much deserved attention for the season he is having so far, but Caldwell is a sneaky good defensive tackle who eats up space and forces offensive linemen to be honest. By keeping Harmon from facing as many double teams, he allows Harmon to make plays. Caldwell has a knack for getting into the backfield and forcing tackles for loss. He has 2.5 TFLs of his own, but he has done a tremendous job setting the table for guys like Harmon, Matayo Uiagalelei, and Jordan Burch.

Offensively, there is the under the radar success of Justius Lowe, but there is a tight end that we were very aware of throughout the last year that also got a chance to break onto the scene when Terrance Ferguson missed two games following an appendectomy. Kenyon Sadiq is a freakish athlete who has 19 catches for 233 yards as well as being a threat to run the ball from different formations.

Reed: The weather is not going to be the factor that some worried about when they first saw this game on the calendar. In fact, the weather expected Saturday will be nicer than what we have seen in Oregon all week.

I think a part of last week’s ‘malaise’ was related to the records Dillon Gabriel was chasing and I expect the Ducks to be a little more focused this week than they seemed last weekend. But I also expect Wisconsin to do what they can to limit possessions for the Ducks and run the ball early and often. The Ducks do a good job of stopping the run and forcing teams into passing situations and making plays. I do expect the game to start out at a slower pace with Wisconsin trying to control the clock. The Badgers have looked very good against the pass, but I am not sure that they will be able to keep the Ducks from moving the ball and scoring. I expect it to be close with the Ducks pulling out a win.

Oregon 34-17.

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