One of the big questions for the Arizona Wildcats this week: How’s that left ankle of Jared Tevis?

The sophomore safety landed awkwardly on the ankle in the first quarter Saturday night and, although he returned for one series, missed the entire second half.

He tweeted after the game that “it’s looking like a bad sprain.” His status likely won’t be updated until Thursday, when the school releases its weekly injury report.

Tevis entered Saturday’s game against Oregon State with 39 tackles, one behind the team lead of linebacker Jake Fischer. Tevis forced three fumbles and intercepted two passes through four games.

“He’s a really good football player, probably one of our best defensive players,” coach Rich Rodriguez said after the 38-35 loss. “Makes plays. Anybody who watched him in the first four games saw that.”

Redshirt freshman Patrick Onwuasor came in to play the Bandit safety spot, which is designed to be a playmaking position in the 3-3-5 scheme of coordinator Jeff Casteel. Onwuasor made eight tackles.

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Oregon State quarterback Sean Mannion fired the game-winning touchdown pass between two redshirt freshman defenders — a walk-on linebacker and an injury-replacement safety who was a receiver until fall camp.

Such is Arizona football these days.

Young and beat up, but battling, the patchwork Wildcats eventually succumbed to the passing of Mannion, who rang up a career-high 433 yards, the final nine coming on a perfectly timed pass to backup tight end Connor Hamlett with 1:09 left.

The Beavers won 38-35, their sixth consecutive victory at Arizona Stadium. They are 12-2 against Arizona since 1999.

The Wildcats had enough time left to mount a counter-strike to cap a wild second-half show, but Matt Scott and receiver Tyler Slavin weren’t in sync on a crossing pattern, and Scott’s throw over the middle was picked off by Rashaad Reynolds at the UA 44 with 38 seconds left.

Scott threw ahead of Slavin, who hesitated, perhaps breaking off the route because linebacker Michael Doctor had dropped into coverage and was occupying the middle of the field. Reynolds slipped inside Slavin and made the interception.

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Oregon State holds on to beat Arizona 38-35, as cornerback Rashaad Reynolds intercepted Matt Scott with 38 seconds left, stepping in front of a slant pass intended for Tyler Slavin at the UA 44.

Arizona overcame a 17-0 deficit in the second quarter but couldn’t stop the passing of Sean Mannion, who completed 29 of 45 throws for 433 yards.

Scott threw for a career high 403 yards, completing 31 of 53 passes.

Arizona falls to 3-2, while 18th-ranked Oregon State improves to 3-0.

* * *

Oregon State goes 75 yards to grab a 38-35 lead with 1:09 to play. The go-ahead points come on a beautiful 9-yard pass to Connor Hamlett, as Sean Mannion threads the ball between linebacker Sir Thomas Jackson and safety Patrick Onwuasor at the goal line along the left sideline.

* * *

Arizona, helped by a defensive holding call in the end zone, strikes back on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Matt Scott to Austin Hill. The Cats move back ahead 35-31 with 5:34 to go.

Oregon State QB Sean Mannion already has a career high 381 passing yards. Can the Arizona defense stop him late in the game?

Matt Scott, meanwhile, has tied his career high with 30 completions, good for 386 yards.

* * *

A little luck never hurts. An Oregon State defender tips a pass but center Addison Bachman is down field and snatches the ball out of the air for a 10-yard gain.

* * *

Official attendance: 44,153, just beating out the crowd for the game vs. South Carolina State (43,919).

* * *

Jourdon Grandon commits major penalties on back-to-back plays — a late hit and then a face mask — as Oregon State retakes the lead with 8:35 left after an 86-yard drive. Sean Mannion fires to Markus Wheaton for a 20-yard score to make it 31-28 for OSU.

* * *

Getting down to it. Arizona punts back to Oregon State, with the Beavers taking possession at their 14 with 10:39 left, trailing 28-24. Been a gritty game for Arizona, which has overcome a 17-0 deficit and lost S Jared Tevis in the first half and C Kyle Quinn in the second half.

* * *

Tra’Mayne Bondurant strips the ball from Oregon State running back Storm Woods, resulting in a huge pile-up that takes a while to figure out. As the officials get to the bottom of the scrum, one signals possession for Oregon State, and then another points for Arizona.

After the officials huddle, they rule that Jourdon Grandon recovered the ball at the Oregon State 40.

Arizona marches on and scores a touchdown on a 16-yard fade pass to the back left corner of the end zone as Dan Buckner makes the catch and gets one foot down for the score. UA is back on top, 28-24 with 19 seconds to go before the fourth quarter.

* * *

C Kyle Quinn still on the sideline as the Cats go three-and-out. But Kyle Dugandzic boots a 70-yard rugby punt down to the Oregon State 5.

* * *

Oregon State turns in the interception into a 50-yard touchdown drive, capped by a 1-yard run by Storm Woods around right tackle. The Beavers go back on top, 24-21 with 4:25 to go in the third quarter. Oregon State effectively ran the ball that drive, perhaps a sign of things to come the rest of the way.

* * *

Beavers get the ball back at midfield on a freaky interception. Jordan Poyer jumped in front of a sideline pass to Richard Morrison and tipped the ball into the air. Morrison tried to gain control but ended up batting it with his left hand over his head to Poyer, who made a diving pick just in bounds.

* * *

Oregon State held Wisconsin’s Montee Ball to 61 yards and UCLA’s Johnathan Franklin to 45 yards. Arizona’s Ka’Deem Carey has 103 yards on 12 carries halfway through the third quarter.

* * *

Safety Jared Tevis not playing in the second half (at least yet), but Arizona has forced two three-and-outs. Oregon State has 3 yards on six plays.

* * *

And just like that, Arizona has the lead and all the momentum. After holding Oregon State to a three-and-out, Arizona goes 52 yards in three plays, punctuated by a 24-yard burst up the middle from Ka’Deem Carey, who carries defenders the last few yards into the end zone.

The Cats lead 21-17 with 8:48 to go in the third quarter.

Isn’t football a funny game?

* * *

Arizona opens the second half with a 91-yard drive, capped by a 3-yard pass from Matt Scott to Austin Hill. It’s back to being anybody’s game after the Cats cut the lead to 17-14. Now, the defense needs to come up with a play.

* * *

Matt Scott scrambles for his first run of the game (other than a sack, which counts as a run) and he gains 21 yards before being dragged down and getting his left leg caught under the defender. He comes out for a play — Richard Morrison came in to run the ball from the shotgun — but comes sprinting back into the game.

* * *

Sean Mannion passed for 278 yards in the first half. Arizona had 218 total yards.

* * *

Arizona gets a red-zone stop late in the first half, with Oregon State’s Trevor Romain missing a 35-yard field goal attempt with 11 seconds to go. That keeps the score 17-7 for OSU at halftime, with Arizona getting the ball to start the second half.

A score there and the Cats will be back in business.

* * *

Upon further review, Ka’Deem Carey scores on a 1-yard dive to end a scoreless streak that stretched 92 minutes, 29 seconds, dating to the fourth quarter of the South Carolina State game.

Matt Scott — who still isn’t doing any running — connected on passes of 26 and 29 yards to Dan Buckner on the drive.

Arizona gets within 17-7 with 3:29 to go in second quarter.

* * *

Oregon State having its way with the Cats. Yet another long pass — 38 yards to Kevin Cummings — helps Oregon State march to a touchdown, capped by a 1-yard run Tyler Anderson.

Beavers lead 17-0 with 6:10 to go.

* * *

Jared Tevis back in the game for Arizona. Didn’t see that happening. Crisis apparently averted (although he seems to a bit tender out there.)

* * *

The curse of the north end zone strikes again. Arizona blows it again in the red zone after reaching the OSU 9. An intentional grounding penalty on Matt Scott eventually makes the Cats settle for a 41-yard field goal try from John Bonano, who like predecessor Alex Zendejas has trouble kicking it through the north goal posts.

Bonano missed wide right.

Is walk-on Casey Skowron next up at kicker tonight?

* * *

Brooks Reed and Ricky Elmore, where are you? Going through a season without a pass rush is no way to be. The Wildcats, who entered the game with only three sacks, can’t get to get Sean Mannion, who can survey the field and eventually find someone deep.

His 51-yard pass to Markus Wheaton sets up Oregon State for a 30-yard field goal and a 10-0 lead with 11:03 to go in the second quarter.

Redshirt freshman Patrick Onwuasor came in at free safety in the last drive, with Jourdon Grandon moving up to Bandit safety to replace injured Jared Tevis.

* * *

End of first quarter. Oregon State up 7-0, and the Arizona offense doesn’t have any rhythm or tempo. QB Matt Scott not doing any running, which limits what the Cats do in this offense, which has the read-option play as its centerpiece.

Up front, Shane Zink and Cayman Bundage have played at right guard for injured Trace Biskin.

* * *

More special teams woes. This time, Jonathan McKnight is flagged for running into the kicker after Trever Romain missed a short field goal. The 5-yard penalty gave OSU a first down, and the Beavers went ahead and punched it in a third-down 2-yard pass from Sean Mannion to Markus Wheaton.

Oregon State leads 7-0 with 2:05 to play in the first quarter.

* * *

Horrible news for Arizona. Safety Jared Tevis seriously rolls his ankle while landing after jumping to defend a pass in the end zone. Trainers attended to him and he needed helped off the field, without putting any weight on his left leg. Earlie this week, Rich Rodriguez said Tevis could have been the team’s defensive MVP in every game this season.

* * *

Oregon State not afraid to take its shots deep down the field, which Sean Mannion can go because of a lack of a UA pass rush. A big play — 57 yards to Brandin Cooks sets up the Beavers in the red zone.

* * *

Not a big crowd tonight, probably less than the 43,919 that was at Arizona Stadium for South Carolina State two weeks ago. Fan fatigue? Are four home games in five weeks too much for Tucson. Hard to figure why crowds haven’t been better this season with a new coach that everybody seems to like.

* * *

Each team begins with a three-and-out. This won’t be West Virginia-Baylor.

* * *

Arizona won the toss and deferred, as has been its custom this season. Dan Pettinato starting at DE for injured Reggie Gilbert.

* * *

The copper-topped Wildcats going with blue jerseys and blue pants tonight. On a more serious note, it looks like some players listed earlier this week as questionable — receiver Terrence Miller, offensive guard Trace Biskin and defensive end Reggie Gilbert — will not be playing.

* * *

Happy Copper Helmet Day!

The Arizona Wildcats’ theme through the first couple of weeks of the season was to achieve relevancy. A win over Oklahoma State and two weeks in the Top 25 accomplished that.

Then came last week’s 49-0 loss at Oregon.

The road back to relevancy goes through the other Oregon team — 18th-ranked Oregon State tonight at Arizona Stadium. Win this game, and the Cats would be 4-1, well on their way to bowl eligibility and perhaps back in the national rankings.

The Beavers have been this week what Arizona was last week — one of the “it” teams. Oregon State coach Mike Riley has made many of the same rounds of national media that Arizona’s Rich Rodriguez did a week earlier.

Oregon State is 2-0, having defeated Wisconsin and UCLA. Good wins, but how good? The Badgers have been unimpressive in their other games, and the Bruins had to pay against Oregon State for their lack of experience on the offensive line.

That was a tough matchup for UCLA, and so might this one for Arizona. The Cats are going to have really spread the field to prevent Oregon State from stacking up against the run, but the Beavers should appear versatile enough to handle that.

If the Beavers have to pay extra attention to the pass, their front four is good enough to handle the run game. If the Beavers devote extra attention to the run, cornerbacks Jordan Poyer and Rashaad Reynolds can stick with Arizona’s wideouts.

I think Oregon State is overall a more balanced team than Arizona and will win its sixth straight game in Arizona Stadium: Oregon State 31, Arizona 27.

* * *

NFL draft analyst Rob Rang wrote on CBSSports.com that Arizona quarterback Matt Scott was one of five prospects to watch today. Wrote Rang, in part:

“A significant reason for Rodriguez’s immediate success in the Pac-12 has been the play of his senior quarterback, who currently is completing 65.9 of his passes for 1,205 yards and seven touchdowns (against four interceptions). Scott, 6-2 and 198 pounds, has every bit the arm strength that former Wildcats’ (and current Philadelphia Eagles’ backup) quarterback Nick Foles possesses and is certainly a better athlete (199 rushing yards, two scores so far in 2012). …

“He’s flashed an intriguing combination of size, arm talent and mobility but struggled amid constant pressure a week ago versus the Ducks. Considering his relative lack of experience, scouts knew he’d struggle at times. To earn a draft selection come April, he’ll need to prove that he’s learning from his mistakes and can handle the adversity that comes with a disappointing loss to play well in his next opportunity.”

* * *

The Beavers have won 11 of the past 13 meetings against Arizona. Since 1999, Arizona is a combined 4-23 against Oregon and Oregon State.

* * *

Some pregame reading:

Arizona-Oregon State: Three things to watch

Safeties first: Sophomore trio becomes cornerstone of Arizona defense

Greg Hansen’s Mr. Football column

Corvallis Gazette-Times: Mike Riley highly respected in the football community

Normally, at this stage of the week, I would give you five things to watch in Arizona’s game. Today, only three.

Don’t feel cheated. We’ve hit on the big themes through the week; they were too important to wait.

We have already discussed the Wildcats’ copper helmets, the need for Matt Scott’s hip to be healthy enough to allow him to be a threat running the ball, and Oregon State’s dominance over Arizona in terms of stopping the run.

Those are three things. Here are three more. That’s six. It’s like getting a bonus item to watch.

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Arizona Wildcats senior pitcher Kenzie Fowler will undergo back surgery on Oct. 4 but is expected to be recover in time for the 2013 season, UA announced Friday.

Fowler, who has had a myriad of health problems through her career, has been bothered by back pain, as well as leg and foot numbness for the past nine months, which includes the 2012 season. She will undergo a microscopic lumbar discectomy for a herniated disc.

Fowler was a first-team All-American as a freshman in 2010, helping the Wildcats advance to the championship round of the Women’s College World Series. She was a second-team All-American in 2011 but struggled last season while dealing with the back problems.

Fowler was 15-9 last season with a 2.85 ERA. She is 79-27 in her career, with a 1.95 ERA and 794 strikeouts in 652 2/3 innings.

The Wildcats have more options in the circle this season, starting with junior Shelby Babcock, who was 21-10 with a 3.02 ERA in 2012. Arizona also welcomes highly touted freshman Nancy Bowling and Estela Pinon, from Yavapai Junior College and Sunnyside High School.

Arizona will begin its fall schedule Oct. 7 with a home doubleheader against Yavapai and Eastern Arizona College, beginning at 3 p.m. at Hillenbrand Stadium.

(Here is a story from Gary Horowitz of the Salem (Ore.) Statesman Journal, one of our Gannett partners. For coverage of the Arizona’s opponent this week, check out the Statesman Journal’s Oregon State Beavers’ page.)

By Gary Horowitz

CORVALLIS — Oregon State is unbeaten, nationally ranked, and features the second-best run defense in college football.

The 18th-ranked Beavers have much to feel good about heading into Saturday’s game at Arizona. But there is no sense from players that this team has arrived.

“If we’re 18th in the nation, there’s still 17 teams better than us,” cornerback Jordan Poyer said. “We want to be that No. 1 team, so we’re gonna keep working to get our goals and dreams.”

That kind of attitude should keep the Beavers grounded. After all, this is a program that has endured back-to-back losing seasons, including last year’s 3-9 slide to the precipice of rock bottom.

While the 2011 season is in the past, Poyer said it has contributed to early success in 2012.

“We keep that in the back of our head as motivation,” Poyer said. “We wanna keep going, keep getting better.”

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Back in spring, the three players who now form the Arizona Wildcats group of starting safeties were a walk-on, a guy on suspension and somebody the former coaching staff kept on the bench for half a season.

All sophomores, Jared Tevis, Tra’Mayne Bondurant and Jourdon Grandon have been the cornerstone of the Cats’ new 3-3-5 defense.

“It’s probably the most productive part of our defense,” coach Rich Rodriguez said of the safeties.

Start with Tevis.

The walk-on from Canyon del Oro High School played last season on special teams and he impressed the new UA coaches in the spring, but it would have been impossible to predict his fast start to the season:

Thirty-nine tackles in four games, five pass break-ups, three forced fumbles and two interceptions.

“I had big goals coming into this season,” said Tevis, who was put on scholarship this summer. “I had a lot of goals in my mind that people wouldn’t have even been thinking of before the season.”

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I was rooting for Nick Foles to make his NFL debut last week when the Philadelphia Eagles were playing at Arizona.

On the other hand, considering how the Cardinals were punishing quarterback Michael Vick, maybe it was best that Foles stayed on the sideline.

Could this be the week Foles, the rookie who rewrote the Arizona Wildcats’ passing records, finally plays?

With increased dissatisfaction about Vick’s play — six interceptions and three lost fumbles through three games — Foles seems to be inching closer to a debut.

Philadelphia coach Andy Reid gave Vick less than a full endorsement Monday but walked back those statements through the week and is saying he has no intention of sending Vick to the bench.

Maybe not, but at this rate Vick isn’t going to hold up physically. Often injured, he has been knocked down 35 times through three weeks, the most of any quarterback in the league. One way or another, Foles might get his shot — and soon.

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The Arizona Wildcats have lost backup right tackle Lene Maiava to a season-ending ACL tear, according to the team’s injury report sent out Thursday afternoon.

Maiava suffered the injury during Saturday’s game at Oregon.

The redshirt freshman from American Samoa is a promising player who has been in the rotation behind starter Fabbians Ebbele.

This is the second season-ending ACL injury to one of Arizona’s young tackles. Redshirt freshman Jacob Arzouman tore his in fall camp; coach Rich Rodriguez said Arzouman was on pace to be in the playing rotation, too.

Another potential tackle, Jack Baucus, had to give up football this fall because of multiple injuries.

Maiava was still listed as second-string on this week’s depth chart. Shane Zink is the backup left tackle behind Mickey Baucus.

Also, senior Greg Nwoko, who missed last season because of ACL injury, has been declared out for this season. Nwoko, who switched from running back to linebacker in fall camp, has not played this year because of a hip injury suffered soon after his move to defense.

Elsewhere on the injury report, three players are listed as questionable for Saturday night’s game against Oregon State: Starting right guard Trace Biskin (toe), starting defensive end Reggie Gilbert (ankle) and starting wide receiver Terrence Miller (thigh).

Miller missed last week’s game at Oregon.

The Michigan Wolverines found themselves with schedule openings this week when Notre Dame opted out of the rivalry after the 2014 season.

That inspired AP national college football writer Ralph Russo to suggest six possibilities to fill Michigan’s schedule, and Javier Morales offered some differing choices at LindysSports.com.

Perhaps first-year Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez, who was booted from Michigan following the 2010 season after three years on the job, would be interested in helping fill the vacancies.

He does say he would he like to play one game against a BCS-conference opponent each year, so why not his old school?

Uh … no.

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