MADISON, Wis. — Running back Jordan James proved pivotal in Oregon's 16-13 win over Wisconsin on Saturday, carrying the ball 25 times for 121 yards, including a crucial 11-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter that tied the game. With a bye week ahead, James and his teammates are looking forward to some much-needed rest.

"We go pretty hard to practice, so it's going to feel good to get that rest on our bodies for sure," James said, reflecting on the toll of eight straight games for Oregon.

When asked about his key touchdown run, James broke down the moment. "Yeah, it was just a just a counter. They climbed up the middle of them, so I bounced it, followed T-Frog into the end zone. It felt pretty good getting the end zone. It was kind of rough. They did a good job today, for sure. It was hard for us in the end zone, so that felt good," James explained.

James emphasized the importance of keeping energy levels up throughout the game. "Yeah, we just needed to keep our energy up, you know, keep our minds clear. You know, we were down early. We didn't play a good first half at all. So it was important to, you know, keep the juice up. You know, I believe in—we all believe in each other."

For Oregon, comebacks have become a pattern this season. James credited the team's preparation and mindset for their resilience. "I think what we do every day at practice, you know, we all believe in each other. We all see what we do every day at practice. I see those guys work hard on the offensive line. I see what they do every day, so I believe in them."

Reaching the 1,000-yard mark on the season was a milestone for James. "It means a lot, I wanna thank my offense a lot. That's not possible at all without those guys and what they do up front," he said.

Wisconsin’s tradition of playing "Jump Around" in the fourth quarter of games was something Oregon had prepared for during practice. "For us, it was kind of a reset button. You know, I guess they played on the fourth quarter, get the crowd happy, get their team happy. Yeah, I'm sure it kind of threw them off the road on the other side jumping around to their song," James said.

The running back also discussed the importance of practice in preparing the team for challenging situations. "Yeah, like I said, we do it every day in practice. Our Tuesdays and days, even our Thursday practices are as physical as we can get. So it's not surprising. We go out there and we all physical up on it."

Oregon’s ability to come back in games has been a hallmark of their season. "It just shows the resiliency of every one of our team. And all the guys in defense and offense, and the defense play that I talked to today, you know. It just shows their resiliency," James stated.

James pointed to the competition in practice as a key factor in the team's confidence and resiliency. "Honestly, it comes from competition and practice. Our practices are not like offense is not beating the defense every day and defense is not beating the offense every day. It's a competitive practice, competitive as it gets. It's the most competitive, what am I trying to say, since the three years I've been here, it's the most competitive."

James’ efforts, along with Oregon’s physical and resilient approach, helped the Ducks notch their eighth consecutive victory, solidifying their place as a force to be reckoned with in college football.