You saw it. Cats lose 44-41 in two overtimes. Rose Bowl hopes … gone. Winning season … in jeopardy.

“This is a tough one tonight,” said UA coach Mike Stoops. “I thought our kids gave it a great effort. For the most part, I thought we had the right plan and had a lot of momentum late in the game and just lost it in the fourth quarter.

“Credit to Oregon. They made some plays down the stretch, some incredible plays. Jeremiah Masoli, that was one of the best performances I’ve seen in a long time by a quarterback. …

“We were one play short. It seems to be our story for the season. But I have no problems with our kids. I love our effort. Our kids competed, and that’s really all you can ask. That’s not a moral victory in any sort of way. It’s just life.”

(more postgame stuff here: Your Arizona Wildcats: Love them or hate them?)

* * *

Going down to field. Be back after game.

* * *

Oregon coach Chip Kelly isn’t bashful. He goes for on fourth-and-4 from the Oregon 45 with 6:32 left. Arizona stuff a pass to Jeff Maehl and takes over on downs.

* * *

Play of the Year. Juron Criner — one play after Oregon ties the game — takes a bubble screen and then absolutely out-races the Ducks to the end zone despite close pursuit from two defenders. I’m guessing he’s never run that fast in his life. I’m pretty sure the press box was shaking a bit as the fans rocked the stadium.

* * *

OK, it’s tied at 24 with 8:02 to go. Oregon’s Morgan Flint kicks a low field goal that looks short from 42 yards, but the ball hits the cross bar and bounces through for three points. Strange things always happen, huh?

* * *

UA needed Keenyn Crier to boom a punt; instead, a rugby-type punt goes 32 yards out of bounds at the UA 45. With momentum having switched back to the Ducks, they take over needing a field goal to tie. There’s 9:46 left.

* * *

You didn’t think Oregon would go quietly, did you? Oregon responds with a 79-yard drive in 10 plays, capped by a 1-yard Jeremiah Masoli run. That makes it 24-21 Arizona with 10:57 left.

* * *

Arizona makes a red-zone play on third-and-goal from the 5. Nick Foles fires to Bug Wright for 5-yard score (and what a difference a healthy Wright has made recently). Arizona leads 24-14 with 13:37 to go.

* * *

Oregon has been held scoreless for the past 25 minutes of game time.

* * *

Now, Oregon is self-destructing with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty to end the third quarter. Arizona leads 17-14 and has the ball at the Ducks 10 for first down.

Do you believe?

* * *

Talk about a missed opportunity. Trevin Wade will never have an easier interception than the one he just dropped at about the Oregon 35. Jeremiah Masoli just lobbed a pass down field and Wade was all alone, but he dropped the ball as he tried to tuck it away. As it is, Oregon punts to the UA 29.

* * *

Arizona got inside the 10, but couldn’t get the touchdown. Couldn’t get the field goal, either, as Alex Zendejas drills one wide left. So, it’s still UA 17-14 with about 4 minutes to go in the third quarter.

UA, counting its fumble into the end zone in the first quarter, has left anywhere from six to 14 points in the red zone.

* * *

Shank you. A 14-yard Oregon punt sets up UA at its 46 to start a drive.

* * *

A punt downed at the 1, a defensive stop, a nice punt return by Bug Wright and a 31-yard touchdown drive for the lead. Arizona goes up 17-14 with 10:39 to go in the third quarter when fourth-string RB Nick Booth muscles in on an 8-yard run on third-and-3.

* * *

Grigsby back in, and he rushes for 16 yards to the Oregon 15 on his first play.

* * *

Fourth-and-1 from the Oregon 48? Would you go for it? Mike Stoops decides to punt, and Keenyn Crier drops one near the goal line that UA’s Lyle Brown (no, I haven’t heard of him either) gets in front of and pokes out of bounds inside the 1.

* * *

Forgot to mention this earlier — there’s been no Nic Grigsby since the first quarter, no Keola Antolin since the first play of the second quarter. Looks like UA will have to make do with third-string RB Greg Nwoko.

* * *

Total yards at halftime: Arizona 206, Oregon 181.

* * *

Add this to the list of things I never thought I would see: Alex Zendejas making a 47-yard field goal (no, that wasn’t what I thought I would never see), but then he strutted over and taunted the Oregon sideline, which had called two timeouts to “ice” him. Game officials and some players had to step in before a situation developed. A kicker talking smack to the other team? That’s what I thought I wouldn’t see.

Anyway, Zendejas’ career-best field goal on the final play cut Oregon’s lead to 14-10 at halftime. Not bad for the Cats, who made some bad plays and had some bad luck, but have hung around … and they get the ball to start the second half.

Should be fun.

* * *

A break. Cam Nelson tips a Jeremiah Masoli pass, which is intercepted by LB Sterling Lewis and returned 3 yards to the Oregon 44. With the help of a 22-yard pass down the middle to Bug Wright, and a 19-yard screen pass to Greg Nwoko, Arizona drives into scoring position inside the 10.

Arizona gets on the board with a 5-yard fade pass to the left corner from Nick Foles to Juron Criner, who out-leaps CB Cliff Harris. Oregon leads 14-7 with 1:59 before half.

* * *

UA is stuffed on third-and-1 from its 35, and Keenyn Crier gets off a short punt. There is a smattering of booing, which prompts somebody in the press box to comment: “Sounds like an ASU game.”

There’s 4:27 to go before half. Ducks still up 14-0.

* * *

Rose Bowl officials are here in the press box. They must like what they’re seeing from the Ducks.

* * *

You can bemoan the bad luck on fumbles, but Arizona was its own worst enemy on its most recent drive — an illegal block on the kickoff return, a sack, a delay-of-game penalty … and a punt.

Against Oregon, the game can get away from you in a hurry.

* * *

The ball isn’t round and it takes funny bounces. Oregon QB Jeremiah Masoli fumbles on his first play of the second quarter, and four or five Wildcats are there to recover it. But the ball gets batted backward and receiver Jeff Maehl recovers for Oregon. On the very next play, Masoli goes deep and finds Lavasier Tuinei for a 37-yard reception.

And on the very next play, LaMichael James runs for 21 yards.

And then …

Masoli fumbles again on second-and-goal but TE David Paulson is there to cover it up for Oregon.

You sense the pattern here … on the next play (third-and-goal from the 9), Masoli spins out of trouble in the backfield and, in what almost appeared to be a throw-away pass, hit Maehl near the sideline and he slips into the end zone for a 14-0 lead with 10:07 left in the second quarter.

With a couple of different bounces …
You can bemoan not getting any luck on the fumbles, but Arizona was its own worst enemy in its most recent drive — an illegal block on the kickoff return, a sack, a delay-of-game penalty … and a punt.

Against Oregon, the game can get away from you in a hurry.

* * *

The sold-out stadium got awfully quiet. Arizona, on a drive fueled by a couple of big plays from Keola Antolin, had first-and-goal from the 10, when Nick Foles completed a pass to David Douglas on the right side. Douglas cut inside the hashmarks and was at about the 2 when a hit by free safety T.J. Ward jarred the ball loose. Defensive end Will Tukuafu recovered in the end zone for the Ducks.

Not the kind of thing that upsets are made of.

The Arizona defense forced a three-and-out and UA had the ball back as the first quarter ended 7-0. Lower-scoring than most thought so far, but more fireworks are to come.

* * *

After two drives, Oregon has 53 yards on seven rushes. Positive news for Arizona’s defense is that it is doing a decent job on first done, which gives the Cats a fighting chance to stop the fast-paced Ducks’ offense.

* * *

Nic Grigsby starts at running back, which is a good sign for Arizona. But the Cats have to punt after gaining one first down, which is not a good sign.

* * *

Oregon scores a touchdown on the opening drive of the game, and Arizona did a couple of things it can’t do. First, the Ducks’ read-option game forces the defense to devote extra personnel to the run, which means more man coverage from the cornerbacks, who must have a good game. Devin Ross was called for pass interference on the second play of the game.

Secondly, when Arizona has the chance to make a tackle, it can’t whiff. The Wildcats had a chance to stop LaMichael James at the line of the scrimmage, but he broke free for a 22-yard gain to the UA 34.

QB Jeremiah Masoli scores the touchdown on second-and-goal from the 14, making a brilliant cut to get away from UA defenders, including end Ricky Elmore, who was probably held on the play.

* * *

Arizona, as expected, is in its all-red uniforms. The Cats are not, however, wearing red helmets, as rumored. They are in their usual blue.

* * *

Here we are, the biggest home game in Arizona history. We’ll be blogging here, and feel free to leave you opinions in the comments section.

PREGAME

Oregon has scored at least 42 points in each of six Pac-10 games in which quarterback Jeremiah Masoli has played. The Ducks scored 45 in the first half against Arizona last season.

“They’re difficult to defend and they are going to put you in a bind,” said defensive coordinator Mark Stoops.

Typically, in the read-option game, the quarterback reads the defensive end and then makes a decision on whether to hand off or keep the ball. Mark Stoops said Oregon’s offense has evolved past that, just another reason why the Ducks are so hard to defend.

“They’re very interesting and very innovative in what they do,” Stoops said. “The pressure used to be on the ends, now they put the same pressure on nose guard, the three-technique, the ‘backers and the ends. They zone read everybody. It’s going to take a great effort.”

Stoops praised the physical running of Masoli, which makes him different than ex-Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon.

“I would say Dixon was a little flashier at times and a little bit more difficult to defend in the open field,” Stoops said. “But Masoli just gets it done. He is very streaky. He is very physical. Masoli is stronger (than Dixon).”

Read more in the weekly Nothing but the Notes column from our partner WildaboutAZcats.com.

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