Arizona Football looks to right the ship against No. 3 Oregon

Arizona Football shockingly fell to 0-3 after an upset loss to NAU, but can the Wildcats rebound against the No. 3 Oregon Ducks (3-0, 0-0)?

Things are not all hunky-dory with Arizona Football as the Wildcats have stumbled out of the gates. Falling to an awful 0-3 start to begin the year, that record also includes their shocking and rare loss to NAU for the first time in 89 years this past Saturday.

Coming into their matchup with Oregon, Arizona needs answers and quickly! The team is now losers of 15-straight games (the longest active losing streak in college football), and their road for the Wildcats becomes significantly more difficult too with matchups against the No. 3 Ducks and No. 24 UCLA looming.

So far, the Wildcats have been outscored 83-49 in their first three games, and the offense has been rather meek and uninspiring, all impacted by the porous and inconsistent play at quarterback and along the offensive line.

Unless the Wildcats are able to match the Ducks’ high-flying offense, Arizona could be in for a rather long Saturday against Oregon. With that said, here is our Preview of the Wildcats’ game against the Ducks.

Getting to Know the details with Arizona Football’s matchup against the Oregon Ducks

Team: Oregon Ducks

Conference: Pac-12

2020 Record: Finishing with a 4-3 (3-2) record in the abbreviated Covid season, Oregon ended the year with a 34-17 loss to Iowa State in the Fiesta Bowl.

Head Coach: Mario Cristobal enters his 4th season with the Ducks as the head coach having compiled a 28-10 record at Oregon after taking over at the end of the 2017 season. So far, the Ducks are off to an impressive 3-0 start in 2021.

Key Returners/ Starters:

Offense

Largely led behind the three-headed offensive attack of CJ Verdell, Travis Dye, and Anthony Brown, together, these three have combined for 115 carries for 605 yards and eight touchdowns rushing. A large contingency of their offense runs through them, and Verdell and Dye are also good pass catchers out of the backfield.

Under center will likely be Brown. Despite the Ducks giving reps to Ty Thompson this past Saturday, Brown should return under center and pose a lot of challenges for the Wildcats.

Anthony is smart with the football, and he can beat you with his legs or his arm, having thrown for 567 yards and four touchdowns in their three games.

The Ducks also like to use several receivers, with six different players having four receptions or more. Arizona’s secondary should have a fairly busy day on Saturday.

Defense

Defensively, Oregon has a stout and talented group, possessing several different playmakers on that side of the football. So far, they have largely been led by the play of Noah Sewell, Verone McKinley III, and Mykael Wright, but will likely see a huge impact with the return of Kayvon Thibodeaux.

Coming in, this is a group that is holding opponents to just 19.7 points per game and tends to excel in run defense, holding opponents to an average of 114.3 rushing. With the Wildcats’ woes in running the football, Arizona could have a lot of trouble in moving the football.

Key Injuries/Absences: 

Oregon

• CB – DJ James (Suspension) – James has been handed a suspension due to an off-field incident, and there is no timetable for return.
• TE – Patrick Hebert (Knee) – Herbert is still recovering from a knee injury, and will likely be out.
• S – Jamal Hill (Suspension) – Hill is serving a suspension for an off-field incident, and team officials have yet to provide an exact return date.
• RB – Sean Dollars (Leg) – Dollars is managing a leg injury, and is questionable vs Arizona.
• OL/DL – Jaylen Smith (Undisclosed) – Smith has an undisclosed injury and is questionable vs Arizona.

Arizona 

• WR – Jamarye Joiner (Foot) – Will be questionable against Oregon.
• LB – Jabar Triplett (Knee) – Still recovering from offseason knee surgery.

Game Information: 

When: Saturday, September 25th, 2021

Time: 7:30 PM MST (Arizona Time)

Watch: Pac-12 Sports Network, FuboTV 

Spread: +27.0 Arizona (Also, don’t forget to use WynnBet to enhance your betting experience)

Where: Autzen Stadium – Eugene, OR (54,000)

Overall Series Record: 27-17 Oregon. The Ducks have dominated this head-to-head series recently, holding a current one-game winning streak, and being winners in eight of their last 11 matchups.

Last Meeting vs. Arizona: The last time these two teams met, Arizona lost 34-6 to the Ducks in Oregon in 2019.

My Prediction: Oregon 45 Arizona 10 – In short, Arizona is going to struggle mightily and the matchup couldn’t come at a worse time for the Wildcats. Oregon scores early and scores often, running through, over, and around the Cats en route to the big win.