Arizona Football returns home for tough game against the Oregon Ducks

Arizona Football (3-5, 2-3) returns to Tucson after a tough loss to UCLA, now prepares for a heavily favored Oregon Ducks (5-2, 2-2) team.

It was a rough week for Arizona Football. Khalil Tate was out, and the Wildcats faced a UCLA squad fresh off their first win against the Cal Golden Bears.

Playing in Pasadena against a team coming off their first win, as well as it being homecoming night, it seemed all signs pointed to a potential loss.

Arizona Wildcats

UCLA got to quick work, making it 10-0 early. Luckily, the Wildcats would rally a bit just before halftime to keep it relatively close at 17-7.

The Arizona offense would finally find a bit of rhythm in the second half, seemingly exchanging scores with the Bruins for much of the third and fourth quarters, but ultimately, it was the Bruins who would hold on until the end.

UCLA would go on to win 31-30, picking up their second win of the season, and sending the Wildcats home beaten and bruised.

Sophomore quarterback Rhett Rodriguez played admirable in his first start on the road, but couldn’t will the Wildcats to a victory. Instead, Arizona drops to 3-5 (2-3) on the year, and is likely out of contention for a bowl game this season.

The road also doesn’t get any easier for Arizona either, as they now face what will likely be a pissed off Oregon team on Saturday. The Ducks traveled to Pullman, WA this past weekend to take on the then No. 25 Washington State Cougars for ESPN’s College Gameday.

Wazzu came out strong, absolutely punishing the visiting Ducks, en route to a 34-20 victory. The Ducks have a lot of talent, and much will be contingent in this game if Arizona’s offense can get going and keep pace with the high-flying Ducks in this one.

With that said, here is our preview for week nine!

Know Thy Foe:

Team: Oregon Ducks (5-2, 2-2); lost 34-20 last week to WSU in Pullman, WA.

Conference: Pac-12 Conference

2017 Record: 7-6 (4-5); lost 38-28 to Boise State in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Head Coach: Mario Cristobal is 32-50 (22-28) as head coach at the Division 1A level, and enters his first season with the Ducks. Cristobal took over Oregon last season in their bowl game, after then head coach Willie Taggert left for Florida State.

Cristobal first started as a head coach at Florida International University in 2007, arguably one of the toughest places to win at. In his six seasons in University Park, FL, Mario went a combined 27-47 (20-26). Despite leading the Golden Panthers to back-to-back bowl games in 2010 and 2011, he was let go following a 3-9 season in 2012.

He now has a chance to get things back on track and hopefully return Oregon back to national prominence. Cristobal currently has the Ducks playing well, and has put together a nice class so far for 2019, so he definitely has things trending in the right direction in Eugene!.

Key Returners/ Starters: Coming into this one, Oregon has one of the nations best offenses, ranking 18th in average yards per game, and just over 39 points per game. This explosive unit is without doubt led by junior quarterback and potential Top pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, Justin Herbert. The Ducks’ signal caller already has over 1,800 yards and 18 touchdowns passing on the season, and has even added another 115 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

In addition to Herbert, the Ducks use the three-headed monster of CJ Verdell, Travis Dye and Tony Brooks-James in the backfield. Together, the three have ran for over 1,100 yards on 215 carries and nine touchdowns on the ground.

The Ducks’ offense is also very well balanced in their offensive attack, as Herbert likes to spread the ball to a number of his targets. However, Oregon has gotten most of their production from receivers/ tight ends Dillon Mitchell, Jaylon Redd, Jacob Breeland, Johnny Johnson III and Brenden Schooler (yes, brother to current Wildcat Colin).

Defensively, Oregon has been pretty solid as well. As a unit, they currently rank tied for 50th in the NCAA for total defense and is largely led by junior linebacker, Troy Dye. The Ducks have also received great production from Jalen Jelks, Justin Hollins and Kaulana Apelu.

In the secondary, the Ducks have been quite good this year too! Defensive backs Ugo Amadi and Jevon Holland have put together monstrous seasons together combining for six interceptions and seven pass deflections.

Key Injuries/ Missing Players: 

Arizona: (According to SportsReference)

OL- Nathan Eldridge (out for season).
QB- Khalil Tate left the game versus Utah and is questionable for Oregon
OL- Layth Friekh is still recovering from an ankle injury and his status is unknown
OL- Alex Kosinski still out.
DL- Justin Belknap is done for the year.
DL- Dereck Boles has an undisclosed injury and could miss the game against UCLA.
CB- Jace Whittaker didn’t suit up for the third straight game and it’s unclear if he will play vs Utah.
DE/LB- Jalen Cochran is nursing an arm injury and could miss the game with UCLA.
RB- Darrius Smith has been dealing with a foot injury and is questionable versus Utah.

Oregon:

LB- Kaulana Apelu is questionable for Saturday against Arizona
OL- Penei Sewell has been out with a high ankle sprain and it’s uncertain if he’ll play at Arizona.
TE- Cam McCormick is out with a broken leg.
RB- Darrian Felix missed the last three games with a foot injury and is questionable for Arizona.
QB- Braxton Burmeister (former Arizona commit) had knee surgery recently and is questionable.
DL- Austin Faoliu (another former Arizona commit) has been out with an ankle injury and is also questionable
LB- Isaac Slade-Matautia is recovering from a shoulder injury and is questionable

Game Information: 

When: Saturday, October 27th, 2018

Time: 7:30 PM PST – ESPN

Where: Arizona Stadium (Tucson, AZ)

Spread: -9.5 Oregon

Overall Series Record: 26-16 Oregon

Last Meeting vs. Arizona: Oregon won 48-28 in the last match-up in which Tate was limited in Eugene. Worth noting, the Ducks have also won 14 of the last 18 match-ups, so Arizona has not fared well in recent years.

Our Prediction: Oregon 45 Arizona 27. I think Arizona will be able to score some points, especially if Kevin Sumlin goes to Rodriguez again, but regardless, I don’t see Arizona being able to stop Oregon’s high-powered offense.

I think the Wildcats will fight and compete just as they have done for much of the year, but they just don’t have enough weapons or talent to keep up in this one.

The Ducks come in as a 9.5-point favorite so far, but I see them covering the spread. Oregon I think will start quickly, and the Arizona will have to play catch-up for the rest of the game. Ducks win by two touchdowns at least.

Listen to coach Sumlin following the teams’ loss in Pasadena

It’s been a frustrating season so far, but hopefully the Wildcats can remain competitive. Oregon will be a tough one to win, but perhaps Arizona can surprise in this one! Bear Down, Arizona!