Rose Bowl 2020: Examining Key Stats, Matchups for Oregon vs. Wisconsin

Touted NFL prospect Justin Herbert and All-American running back Jonathan Taylor will wrap up their college careers when Oregon takes on Wisconsin in the 2020 Rose Bowl.

Herbert led Oregon to an 11-2 record and helped the Ducks secure the Pac-12 championship. The senior, who could be a top-10 draft pick, enters the Rose Bowl with 32 touchdown passes to only five interceptions this season.

Taylor hasn't officially declared for the NFL draft, but he's likely to announce that decision soon after the bowl. He's already topped 900 career carries at Wisconsin and recently became the first player to ever rush for 6,000 yards in three years.

The Rose Bowl is scheduled for a 5 p.m. ET kickoff on New Year's Day, and Wisconsin is a three-point favorite, per Caesars.

Key Stats

Oregon

• 33.3 opponent red-zone touchdown percentage (leads FBS)
  19 interceptions (tied for second)
• 22.03 yards allowed per kick return (94th)
• 64.8 penalty yards per game (111th)

Wisconsin

• 27.1 third-down conversion rate allowed (leads FBS)
• 50 percent third-down conversion rate (seventh)
• 39.6-yard punting average (103rd)
• 14 fumbles lost (tied for 127th)

Numbers from CFBstats.com

Matchups to Watch

Oregon LT Penei Sewell vs. Wisconsin LB Zack Baun

Ron Jenkins/Associated Press

For decades, football fans simply had no access to quantitative measures of offensive linemen. Fortunately for us in 2019, we can understand exactly how dominant Penei Sewell has played.

According to Pro Football Focus, the sophomore left tackle has surrendered only seven pressures in 466 pass-blocking snaps.

Sewell's next challenge is stopping Wisconsin star Zack Baun, who ranks tied for eighth nationally in sacks (12.5) and seventh in tackles for loss (19.5). The senior has racked up 52 total quarterback pressures, per PFF, and also forced two fumbles.

"I think winning the line of scrimmage [is the X-factor of the Rose Bowl]," Baun recently told reporters. "They play a physical brand of football and so do we. So whoever gets pushed on that line is going to most likely be the victor."

And if Baun manages to beat Sewell a few times, that's an enormous advantage in favor of the Badgers.

Wisconsin RB Jonathan Taylor vs. Oregon Defense

When Taylor has the ball, Oregon had better wrap up. Otherwise, a familiar sight will appear once again.

The junior has consistently diced opposing defenses, surpassing the 100-yard mark in 10 of Wisconsin's 13 games this season. The only player in the Football Bowl Subdivision with more 10-yard runs than Taylor is Navy quarterback Malcolm Perry.

"You have to be at your very best, and you have to play with great effort [to contain Taylor], Oregon coach Mario Cristobal told reporters. "And that's the best way to describe it. He's that kind of a player. He's a game-changer.

Oregon is capable of containing Taylor, though.

Entering the Rose Bowl, the Ducks have allowed only 43 carries of 10-plus yards. That ranks  tied for 11th nationally, and the defense holds top-20 rankings at every 10-yard increment.

Freshman defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux leads Oregon with 14 tackles for loss, but the Troy Dye-led linebacker corps will be critical pieces in limiting Taylor's impact.

Follow Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR