Oregon Upset by Arizona a Second Season in a Row, What it Means For Both Pac-12 Teams
ByFor the second season in a row, the Arizona Wildcats upset the Oregon Ducks in another unforgettable Pac-12 clash.
According to the Associated Press, the Wildcats trounced the 9-1 Ducks last season, ending their hopes of reaching a BCS bowl game. Thursday night Arizona won a close game and Oregon still can hope to reach the first annual College Football Playoff.
What's more, quarterback Marcus Mariota did not do anything to have his Heisman Trophy hopes take a hit, as he threw for 276 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions and he even caught a touchdown pass on a trick play. Regardless, he was not his dominant self, and neither was his team.
CLICK HERE for photos from the game and HERE for highlights, like Mariota's "Heisman moment" TD catch.
"They're undefeated," he said of his opponents in his post game media address. "It's obviously a testament to our conference. If you're not prepared each week, if you're not ready to play, you'll lose."
Arizona's running back tandem of Terris Jones-Grigsby and Nick Wilson was a major factor in Arizona's stunner on the road. They ran for 207 yards together on 40 attempts, accounted for three touchdowns and averaged about five yards per carry.
Though quarterback Anu Solomon did not play his best, the running game kept the Oregon defense on the field and Mariota off it, helping the Wildcats win the time-of-possession game 33 minutes to 26 minutes.
Oregon appears due for a tumble in the AP Top 25 poll, the top of which has gone unchanged since the preseason. They are now tied with Stanford and a handful of other Pac-12 teams that have a 1-1 conference record. Oregon goes on the road next weekend to play UCLA and then will host Stanford on Nov. 1.
On the other side of the ball, Arizona looks due for a nice jump, but they are not out of the woods yet and still have home games scheduled against USC and Arizona State, as well as a road matchup with UCLA.
"Last year it was really heartwarming because it was the seniors' last home game and it was improbable, of course," Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez said after the win. "This one, I don't know if anybody picked us. I don't know how many people were talking about us, but I bet you most of them weren't thinking this was going to happen, not on the road."