It’s over. Oregon wins 56-31, dealing Arizona its eighth consecutive loss to FBS teams. I’ll be back later with postgame reaction and stories.
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RB LaMichael James set the school single-game record with 288 rushing yards against Arizona with a 6-yard run with about 3 minutes left. The former record was 285, set by Onterrio Smith in 2001 against Washington State.
The Ducks score again to lead 56-31 with 1:45 to go.
James also had 15 yards in receptions and 60 yards on two punt returns.
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Arizona comes back with a 75-yard touchdown drive, capped by a 4-yard pass to David Roberts. QB Nick Foles has set a personal record with 56 pass attempts; the school record is 62, held by Willie Tuitama.
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Oregon finishes off a drive with another touchdown, this one from RB Kenjon Barner, to make it 49-24 with about 10 minutes left … and the clock can’t run fast enough now.
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Oregon RB LaMichael James, with a 22-yard run with about 11:30 to play, set a personal record with 260 rushing yards. His former career high was 257 yards, set against Stanford last season.
He is the first player to rush for 200 yards against Arizona since Washington’s James Sims in 2005.
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Down 18 points, facing fourth-and-goal from the 6 … that might have actually been a time to kick a field goal.
In any case, Arizona — which converted two fourth-down plays on its latest drive — comes away with no points when Nick Foles is sacked. Foles is taking a beating tonight, having been sacked five times and taking some big hits along the way.
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QB Nick Foles is 1-for-1 this season throwing left-handed. The right-hander, switching hands while rolling to his left and being dragged down by a pair of Oregon defenders, completed a pass to RB Keola Antolin for an 11-yard gain late in the third quarter.
Shades of former UA quarterback George Malauulu, a lefty who would occasionally throw right-handed when under defensive pressure.
Foles got up hobbling, however, which is definitely something to watch.
The game is going to the fourth quarter.
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Oregon strikes back with a 75-yard touchdown drive, capped by a 5-yard keeper from QB Darron Thomas on fourth-and-1. The Ducks take a 42-24 lead with 3:19 to play. This is the fourth consecutive game in which Oregon has scored at least 40 points vs. Arizona.
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Good for Mike Stoops for going for it on fourth-and-10 from the Oregon 34. The Cats pick it up as Nick Foles scrambles to his right and fires to David Douglas for a 12-yard gain.
It all pays off as the Cats march on to a 7-yard scoring pass from Foles to David Roberts. A two-point conversion pass from Foles to Douglas makes it 35-24 with 5:43 to go in the third quarter.
Douglas has six catches for 104 yards — the first triple-digit game of the senior’s career.
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Arizona holds Oregon to a three-and-out. Holding out any hope for a comeback?
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Arizona scores on the opening possession of the second half with a 12-play, 74=yard drive. Alex Zendejas converts the PAT to make the score 35-16.
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Scary, scary moment as receiver Austin Hill is down for a few minutes after taking a shoulder-to-helmet hit from Oregon safety John Boyett. There was no penalty on the play — which certainly drew the ire of coach Mike Stoops — as the deep pass to Hill fell incomplete.
Hill was able to walk off the field with help and will tested for a probable concussion.
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Looks like about one-third of the Zona Zoo came back after halftime. Can’t blame the students for bailing.
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Oregon had 214 rushing yards at halftime. The Ducks gained a staggering 389 yards on the ground last season vs. the Cats.
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Starting LG Chris Putton left the game with 7:36 left in the first half with an apparent leg injury. He did not return for the rest of the half, replaced by OL Shane Zink, who started the first two games at right guard. There has been no update on Putton’s status.
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With 1:04 to play in the half after cutting the lead to 35-9, Arizona successful pulls off an on-sides kick. But the Cats can’t do anything with it, sacked on fourth down on the final play of the half.
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Arizona scores on a 34-yard touchdown pass from Nick Foles to Richard Morrison, but even this sliver of good news comes with a dollop of bad news.
Alex Zendejas had his PAT attempt blocked.
It has to be time for John Bonano at place-kicker.
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LaMichael James scores on an 18-yard run up the middle, bouncing off a tackle, on fourth-and-1. The damage now looks like this: 35-3 with 2:45 to go before half.
The short TD drive was set up by James’ 51-yard punt return.
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Two things go wrong when Arizona tries a trick play — wide receiver David Douglas takes the ball on a reverse and throws down field into double coverage, incomplete. Not that it matters. The Cats are flagged for holding anyway.
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Not much left but the complaining. Oregon scores again — do you really need the details? — to take a 28-3 lead with 5:18 to go before halftime. It’s as if the Cats have never seen the Oregon offense before.
Oregon has 272 yards, 192 on the ground.
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Oregon’s LaMichael James goes over the 100-yard mark with 6:52 to go in the first half. He had eight carries for 108 yards at that point.
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Juron Criner has dropped two passes tonight. One thing for sure: He won’t talk about it after the game. Criner hasn’t talked to the media since his summer “personal and family issues.”
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Starting LG Chris Putton left the game was an apparent leg injury with 7:36 to play in the first half. He was injured on a play in which Nick Foles took a vicious hit on a sack … but at least he got up.
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The Arizona defense has no excuse. It has given up 12 — 12! — scoring drives of 70-plus yards in the past nine-plus quarters.
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Juron Criner drops what would have been a 49-yard TD pass. The Cats are spending more time throwing deep tonight, but QB Nick Foles hasn’t been very accurate. When he is, the receivers haven’t delivered.
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Oregon continues to shred Arizona’s defense, this time going 80 yards in eight plays, taking only 2:06 of the clock. The Ducks finish the drive on a 10-yard pass from Darron Thomas to tight end David Paulson. They leads 21-3 with 13:24 to go before halftime.
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Arizona, in its scoring drive, showed its full-house backfield — two running backs flanking QB Nick Foles in the shotgun, with a tailback behind Foles.
The Cats worked on this through camp, but used the formation only one time — against NAU — through three games (to my recollection). Arizona tried it four or five times in its scoring drive, having success handing the ball to Ka’Deem Carey, with Taimi Tutogi going in motion and serving as a lead blocker.
Let’s see more.
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Whew. Arizona doesn’t get the touchdown it needed after a 13-play drive, but Alex Zendejas makes his return as the starting place-kicker by drilling a 28-yard field goal with 30 seconds to go in the quarter. Holder Kyle Dugandzic makes a nice play by handling a high snap.
Oregon leads 14-3.
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More evidence it will be THAT kind of night: Nick Foles misses a deep pass down the right sideline to Dan Buckner, who was 5 yards behind the cornerback. Two plays later, Foles throws a wobbly pass over the middle that David Roberts drops.
If you can’t count on the passing game …
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Arizona is in big trouble, unable to do anything on defense that suggests it can stop Oregon. The Ducks go 72 yards on 10 plays in 2:19 on their second drive to take a 14-0 lead with 7:58 to go in the first quarter.
Safe to say, Arizona PK Alex Zendejas will not be a factor tonight.
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For the record, Mark Watley did start for safety Marquis Flowers, as we told you first in the pregame.
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Arizona hands off to RB Keola Antolin on three of its first four plays. Not a big fan of that play-calling. Arizona gets a first down by penalty then has to punt back to the Ducks.
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Expect anything different? Oregon, using a variety of read-option keeps from Oregon QB Darron Thomas, marches 80 yards on eight plays to take a 7-0 lead with 2:52 gone in the game. Wildcats showed shoddy tackling on the times they were in position to make a stop.
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Junior college transfer DE Lamar De Rego gets the start for Mohammed Usman, who did not play last week because of an ankle injury. On the first play, De Rego is penalized for a horse-collar tackle.
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Oregon wins the toss and elects to receive. Saves Arizona coach Mike Stoops the trouble of winning the toss and deferring the choice to the second half.
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This will be the spot for our in-game updates and analysis of the Arizona-Oregon game from Arizona Stadium as the Wildcats try to end a seven-game losing streak to FBS teams. Here are some pregame thoughts, and, as always, leave your opinions or questions in the comments section.
Bad sign: Alex Zendejas — the new old starting kicker — misses from 27 yards near the end of warm-ups, bouncing it off the left upright not far above the left crossbar. He made the next attempt, judging by the mock applause from fans near the north end of the stadium.
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Arizona starting strong safety Marquis Flowers is likely out for tonight’s game against Oregon because of injury, believed to be related to the leg injury suffered in the first half of last week’s game. He was able to return to the game last week.
Flowers, who is dressed out, is the team’s leading tackler with 29, and he has broken up one pass.
Junior Mark Watley is next on the depth chart.
Flowers would be the third starter missing from the UA secondary. Safety Adam Hall and cornerback Jonathan McKnight are out because of ACL injuries.
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Arizona is going for a different look in stadium tonight. The typical color to wear is red, but UA requested fans on the east side to wear red, fans on the west side to wear blue and those in the end zone seats to wear white. The school left appropriate-colored pom-poms on the seats.
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Picking among its 384 uniform combinations, Oregon has decided on to wear green helmets, white jerseys and green pants for tonight’s game at Arizona.
PREGAME
It’s not a good sign — from either perspective — when you have only one more rushing yard than penalty yards.
That’s the case for the Arizona Wildcats, who have gained 167 yards on the ground while accruing 166 yards in penalties. Can they somehow take advantage of an Oregon rushing defense that is 107th nationally, allowing 214.3 yards per game?
UA’s offensive line hasn’t opened enough creases up front in the run game, but coaches remain confident in tailback Keola Antolin and Ka’Deem Carey.
“I think the guys themselves have played at the same level every week, which is really at a high level,” running backs coach Garret Chachere said of Antolin and Carey.
“When they have gotten their chance to run the ball, and gotten a little space to do something with it, the thing I’ve been the most proud of is that they will make the first person miss — actually making that person miss or breaking that tackle. When they get going, they get churning pretty good.
“I have been pleased with their attention to detail, and their pass protection for the past three weeks has been fantastic.”
In addition to Arizona’s running game, here are four more things to watch (courtesy of stuff I filed early for CBSSports.com’s Rapid Reports:
–Arizona QB Nick Foles vs. Oregon CB Cliff Harris. Foles hasn’t been intercepted in 143 attempts dating to last season. Harris (6 INTs last year) has been lightly used since his opening-game suspension but figures to get ample time against a spread attack that will force the Ducks to use more nickel and dime coverage.
–WR Juron Criner has only eight catches against Oregon in the past two seasons, but five have gone for TDs. He should be a lot closer to full speed after making six catches for 48 yards and a TD last week vs. Stanford, playing 12 days after an appendectomy.
–CB Trevin Wade has been UA’s top playmaker on defense, with an INT and four passes broken up. The challenge against Oregon is to not get lulled to sleep by the read-option offense. “You get so tuned in to the run that all of a sudden the passing game can become an issue,” said defensive coordinator Tim Kish.
–DE Mohammed Usman is expected back after missing last week’s game because of an ankle injury. Sacking Oregon QB Darron Thomas doesn’t happen very often, but Usman and DE C.J. Parish have to get in his face and disrupt his timing for UA to be successful, defensive line coach Joe Salave’a said.
Also from the TucsonCitizen.com Sports Network:
Javier Morales: Arizona to play third consecutive top talent, but nothing tops task of 1995
Another week, another difficult, unique challenge for Arizona’s defense
Hall of Famer Waldrop to be honored at halftime