Some cumulative errors from Arizona in the second half — and some typically hot Oregon play after halftime — made this game a laugher.

Oregon is the Pac-10 champ for the second consecutive season after beating Arizona 48-29 (which is right on the point spread set by Las Vegas … how do they do it?). Anyway, the Wildcats fall to 7-4, losing their third game in a row.

It’s on to next Thursday night, when Arizona State visits Arizona in the regular-season finale. I’d call that one a toss-up right now. Your thoughts?

* * *

Arizona-Santa Clara basketball game has started. Javier Morales is there in Las Vegas for TucsonCitizen.com and has an in-game blog.

* * *

Arizona safety Adam Hall leaves with an apparent right arm injury.

* * *

Nick Foles has 385 passing yards tonight.

* * *

The UA offense mostly has done its part tonight. It might not matter much, other than to make the final stats look a little glossier, but Nick Foles leads the Wildcats on a six-play, 81-yard touchdown drive, capped by a 32-yard pass to a wide-open David Roberts.

It’s 48-29 with 10:45 left.

If the Cats can recover three on-sides kicks, they might have a chance.

* * *

Not sure why Mike Turner is the primary kick return tonight. Maybe we’ll find out after the game.

* * *

Mike Turner fumbles the kickoff return. Oregon recovers. Game can’t end soon enough. LaMichael James disagrees, though, because he wants to pick up some Heisman votes.

Another TD, LaMichael James.

Oregon leads 48-22. Hard to believe that about 80 minutes ago in real time, Arizona led 19-14.

* * *

Another step toward Oregon-Auburn in national title game. Who do you have?

* * *

Touchdown, LaMichael James. Oregon up 41-22 with 12:46 left. Fun while it lasted?

* * *

Oregon converts on fourth-and-9 from the Arizona 34. Yeah, I’m sticking by the o-v-e-r comment.

* * *

Keenyn Crier shanks a punt to the UA 35 with 14 minutes to play.

It’s not too soon, is it? This one is o-v-e-r.

* * *

Going to the fourth quarter. Arizona has the ball deep in its territory, down 34-22. Not looking good.

* * *

I’m guessing there is no stopping the Ducks now. Oregon quarterback Darron Thomas throws a touchdown pass to D.J. Davis late in the third quarter, and the Ducks now have some breathing room. They lead 34-22 with 36 seconds to go in the quarter.

That’s a 20-point quarter for Oregon.

As far as Arizona is concerned, Thomas = Jeremiah Masoli.

Masoli had six touchdowns (four in regulation) against Arizona last season. Thomas as four, three by passing.

* * *

Tweets AP college football writer Ralph Russo: “Bo Pelini watches Mike Stoops and thinks, ‘That guy needs to chill out.’

* * *

Arizona hanging around. Alex Zendejas hits a 41-yard field goal attempt to cut the deficit to 27-22 with 2:46 to go in the third quarter. The defense got some rest, too, as the Cats moved down the field.

But if Oregon gets a two-score lead, the panic level increases exponentially.

* * *

Joseph Perkins was out for 13 plays with that leg injury before he returned. So, let’s definitely call that “not faking.”

* * *

Killer. Senior defensive end Ricky Elmore jumps offsides as Oregon misses a 42-yard field goal. The 5-yard penalty gives the Ducks a first down. And two plays later, Darron Thomas keeps for a 20-yard touchdown and a 27-19 lead with 4:44 to go.

Just. Can’t. Happen.

We’re talking about the penalty there, but also the 99-yard drive.

* * *

Ducks do it again on fourth down, picking up the 1-yard conversion as RB Kenjon Barner out-wrestles linebacker Paul Vassallo near midfield. Now, the Cats seems back on their heels a bit as Oregon is trying for a 99-yard drive.

* * *

Free safety Joseph Perkins leaves game with a leg injury. Faking? Doesn’t look like it. Let’s see how true freshman Marquis Flowers does and how long Perkins is out.

* * *

Alex Zendejas, as we wrote about last week, is handling pooch punting duties in place of Keenyn Crier. “He’s really good at it,” special teams coach Jeff Hammerschmidt told me last week about Zendejas.

Indeed. He knocks one 40 yards out of bounds inside the 1.

Uh-oh … does that mean a 99-yard Oregon play is coming up?

* * *

And here go the Ducks. True freshman speedster Josh Huff takes an option pitch from Darron Thomas for an 85-yard touchdown run. Gotta pin the blame on this one on free safety Joseph Perkins.

Defensive end Brooks Reed had contain on Thomas, so Perkins should have covered Huff out of the backfield. Instead, Perkins made a move toward the quarterback … so Huff was able to ramp up to full speed in a hurry.

Arizona denies the two-point conversion pass… Oregon leads 20-19 with 13:30 to go in the third quarter.

* * *

No momentum coming out of halftime. Arizona has to punt after three plays. But nice punt coverage pins Oregon at its 15.

* * *

No backing down from the Cats. Number of faked injuries on defense: Zero.

* * *

Arizona — 274 yards. Oregon — 175.

* * *

It’s not a touchdown, but Arizona ends the half with a 29-yard field goal from Alex Zendejas for a 19-14 lead.

Oregon doesn’t mind being behind. The Ducks have been in this position before. They bank on wearing out the other team in the second half. We’ll see.

Anyway … whew. That was a thrilling half.

Take a deep breath and enjoy halftime.

Now, things get really interesting.

* * *

Arizona in the red zone in the final two minutes of the half. Plus, the Cats start the second half with the ball. A TD here would be H-U-G-E.

* * *

Is linebacker Paul Vassallo the best junior college recruit that coach Mike Stoops has ever brought to Arizona? Vassallo, who leads the team in tackles, probably just saved seven points when he blitzed and forced a fumble from Kenjon Barner that Arizona recovered at the 7.

* * *

Tough series for Adam Hall. After Arizona stops the Ducks on third down near midfield, he is called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after the play when getting tangled up with tight end David Paulsen. Hall swings his arms a bit, but not much there. A no-call would have worked for me.

Then, two plays later, Hall gets called for a helmet-to-helmet hit as he causes a fumble that Arizona recovers. Replays show he hit LaMichael James with his shoulder. Oregon still driving for the lead.

* * *

Oregon’s Cliff Harris is the most dangerous punt returner in the country, but he has no business trying to run and jump to try to catch a short punt. Ducks got a break that they were able to quickly jump on the ball.

Bigger question: What was Keenyn Crier doing hitting the ball right down the middle of the field? I don’t think that’s the plan against Harris.

* * *

Three false starts, two on guard Jovon Hayes.

* * *

An unforced error from the Ducks after the Wildcats forced a three-and-out following Nick Foles’ interception at the 10. The long snap flies over the punter’s head and out of the end zone for a safety.

Arizona leads 16-14 with 9:56 before halftime.

* * *

Another catch for Terrence Miller, this time on third-and-8 as he converts the first down. Nick Foles is playing very well so far, really working through his progressions. (Jinx … two off-target throws right after I write that … and then Foles throws an interception.)

So never mind this whole little note.

Foles hasn’t thrown more than one interception in any game this season. I wonder if I just jinxed him there, too.

Oregon takes over at its 10.

* * *

Word is Oregon starting punter Jackson Rice is in street clothes on the sideline. Is that because he knows he won’t be needed?

* * *

When the Ducks go for it on fourth down, it’s usually not much of a gamble. They convert on fourth-and-1 from the UA 8 with a running play up the middle. One play later, Darron Thomas fires a touchdown pass to Jeff Maehl, threading the ball through the defense.

It’s tied at 14 with 14:04 to play in the second quarter.

We know Oregon can play at this pace for 60 minutes … can Arizona?

* * *

First quarter ends with Oregon knocking on the door, trailing 14-7. Former Wildcat Mike Thomas is watching the game. He tweets about UA’s long touchdown pass: “I see you Foles great Ball”

* * *

Crazy game already. A play-action fake when Nick Foles was under center (nice unpredictability) and a double move by wide receiver Juron Criner leads to an easy 85-yard touchdown reception for the Cats.

Can an 85-yard pass play ever be easy?

Tweets ESPN’s Pat Forde: “Oregon DB Cliff Harris bit on out fake like a largemouth on a plastic worm. Criner made him look silly”

One thing: Criner needs to run hard into the end zone and not just jog to the goal line, holding out the ball for the ref.

But, in any case, Arizona leads 14-7 late in the first quarter in a wild one.

* * *

A minute-and-a-half later, Oregon comes back with a touchdown as the Wildcats let tight end David Paulsen run free for a wide-open scoring reception. That’s what the Ducks do. They are going to get their plays. Just can’t to many of them if the Cats hope to survive. It’s 7-7.

* * *

Touchdown, Arizona. A perfect start for the Wildcats, who get a turnover (Adam Hall’s interception), a time-consuming 16-play drive, and a touchdown in the red zone.

And the Wildcats have avoided a slow start (see “five things to watch” below), as they lead 7-0 with 4:47 to go in the first quarter.

* * *

Two false start penalties now.

* * *
A Terrence Miller sighting on a third-and-11 catch. I don’t think it can be stated enough that Miller can be the big over-the-middle threat this time desperately needs.

* * *

Wow… Arizona just gets a timeout called before taking a delay-of-game penalty on fourth-and-inches. Crowd noise definitely an early factor. By the way, someone as powerful as Greg Nwoko shouldn’t have been stopped short of the first down on that third-down swing pass.

* * *

Arizona playing fast on offense, too. Good to see Nic Grigsby back in the lineup after his recent ankle injury. That’s one false start penalty on UA. How many will the crowd noise cause tonight?

* * *

That’s it. Gotta have turnovers to beat Oregon, and safety Adam Hall comes up with an interception of Darron Thomas to stop Oregon’s scoring threat.

* * *

If the Cats can’t tackle in space, they can’t win. Robert Golden misses a chance to slow down LaMichael James at the line of scrimmage, and James goes for 38 yards.

* * *

This is what it means to NOT win the critical situations: Arizona allows Oregon to convert a third-and-14 play on the first drive. Instead of a confidence-building three-and-out for the UA defense, the Ducks keep marching. Remember this if Oregon scores.

* * *

Arizona won the coin toss and deferred its choice to the second half. I think I would have taken the ball first.

* * *

Looks like Arizona will be facing ASU quarterback Brock Osweiler on Thursday night, not Steven Threet, who was knocked out of today’s game against UCLA. Osweiler is 22 of 30 for 336 yards, with four touchdowns, as the Devils lead 45-27 in the fourth quarter.

* * *

What will the Ducks be wearing today? Green helmets, green jerseys, gray pants (thanks to Ken Goe (@KenGoe) of the Portland Oregonian.

Pregame:

Everyone has had almost a couple of weeks to break down this game. Does Arizona has a chance? Let’s look at five things to watch (and keep checking back as this will be the spot for our in-game analysis and your opinions in the comments section):

1. A fast start.
This isn’t a big deal from the Oregon perspective because its go-go offense fears no deficit. The Ducks have had three double-digit deficits in the first half, notably 21-3 against Stanford, and they still left those teams in the dust.

But it’s critical from an Arizona standpoint. The Wildcats have allowed their opponent to score on its opening possession in five of the past six games. In UA’s three losses, the Cats have never led. You do not want to play catch-up against the nation’s highest-scoring offense.

2. Converting in the red zone.
Arizona doesn’t want to see Alex Zendejas on anything other than extra points. Kicking field goals — or committing turnovers — in the red zone will be death against the Ducks. Gotta have touchdowns. The Wildcats are 111th nationally in red zone offense, converting just 73 percent of its chances into points.

3. Following the plan.
Cal held Oregon to 15 points by playing tight man-to-man coverage and keeping a defender in the box to spy on quarterback Darron Thomas in the running game. The goal: Dare him to pass to beat the Bears.

That was the scheme. It worked because Cal’s defensive line got great penetration, disrupting the running game and not giving Thomas to find those receivers in one-on-one coverage. How is Arizona going to play it?

If there ever a time to do something different and use the element of surprise, this is it.

“We don’t have much to lose,” coach Mike Stoops said. “We have to be aggressive. That’s the only way you can beat a team like this.”

4. Arizona’s creativity
Speaking of the element of surprise, how will Arizona use backup quarterback Matt Scott, who apparently will be available after missing two weeks because of a wrist injury. His running skills make him the X-factor.

5. The belief system.
Yeah, there is all the usual important football stuff. Taking care of the football. Tackling one-on-one in space (especially crucial against Oregon). Winning the key situations. Basically, just paying attention to all the little details.

But we’ll end with the words of ex-Wildcat Heath Bray, one of the team captains in 1992 and a former college assistant coach.

“If you want to beat a team as good as Oregon is, you roll in there like you believe it,” he said. “That’s how you beat them.”

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