Watching My Ducks From The Stands In Tucson

Arizona vs. Oregon Final Score: Wildcats Gashed By LaMichael James, Ducks Cruise 56-31

There are few hardset rules in college football, but you'd be hard-pressed to find many football teams who give up 400 rushing yards and win football games.

The Arizona Wildcats could not stop Darron Thomas, Kenjon Barner, LaMichael James, LaMichael James again, and LaMichael James again, and some more LaMichael James for good measure. Oregon averaged 8.8 yards per carry, and James averaged over a first down a carry. Oregon punched in eight touchdowns on eleven drives, with all of their scoring drives taking less than 2:42 or less.

Nick Foles and Arizona did their best to make a game of it late, rallying from 35-3 down to make it 35-24 in the fourth quarter. Foles racked up 398 passing yards on 7.1 yards per attempt, with 34 completions from 56 attempts. But Arizona was in too deep a hole, and their offensive line let Foles get battered, sacked, and brutalized by the Oregon blitz.

Arizona now falls to 1-3 on the season, continues their long streak of futility against FBS opponents, and it doesn't get any easier with a road trip to USC on the other side.

For more on Arizona football, head to Arizona Desert Swarm. For more on Oregon football, head to Addicted to Quack.

Arizona vs. Oregon Score Update: Nick Foles, Wildcats Rallying, Cut Ducks Lead To 35-24

The Arizona Wildcats are getting flat out obliterated in Tucson. The Oregon Ducks have run all over Arizona early on thanks mostly due to the fleet feet of LaMichael James, who has piled up nearly 200 all-purpose yards in the first half. Oregon's defense has battered Nick Foles and has kept the Wildcats offense off the field.

Foles has rallied the Wildcats though with late second quarter and early third quarter scoring drives. Foles found David Douglas for 44 yards and Richard Morrison for a 34 yard strike to give Arizona their first touchdown of the game, although the extra point was blocked. Then at the start of the third quarter, a few successful Keola Antolin rushes set up Foles's passes to Morrison, Douglas and Juron Criner, and Arizona punched it in with an Antolin rushing score to cut the Oregon lead to 19.

After Oregon was forced to go three-and-out, Foles found Criner for 31 yards, then scrambled to get Douglas for 12 yards on 4th and 10. Foles then eventually found David Roberts on second-and-goal for the touchdown, and then converted the two pointer on a throw to Douglas.

For more on Arizona football, head to Arizona Desert Swarm. For more on Oregon football, head to Addicted to Quack.

Arizona vs. Oregon Score: Wildcats Defense Quacking Up, Down 21-3 In Second Quarter

The Arizona Wildcats are struggling to stay in this one early. The Ducks need only 2:42 to go eighty yards and eight plays. Darron Thomas rushed for 32 yards on four carries, and LaMichael James added 21 yards on the next two rushes to punch it in to put Oregon up 7-0. On Oregon's second drive, it was Kenjon Barner who punched it in after gaining 27 yards on three straight carries, helping to put Oregon up 14-0.

The Wildcats put points on the board after a decent drive by Nick Foles. The Arizona quarterback found Juron Criner for 19 yards and Richard Morrison for seven yards, then Ka'Deem Carey rushed for 24 yards on four carries, including a crucial 4th down conversion. Although the drive stalled in the red zone and the Wildcats had to settle for an Alex Zendejas field goal, it looked like Arizona was finally back on the right track.

Then Darron Thomas found James on a crucial third down conversion, and James exploded for a 42 yard gain to set Oregon up in the Wildcats red zone. Thomas found the tight end David Paulson to put the Ducks up 18. Arizona has a high hill to climb to get back in this one.

For more discussion of the Ducks, head to Addicted to Quack. For more discussion of the Wildcats, head to Arizona Desert Swarm.

Arizona vs. Oregon: Wildcats Safety Marquis Flowers Out

The Arizona Wildcats could be in big trouble tonight in their secondary. Anthony Gimino of the Wildcat Report has found out that strong safety Marquis Flowers has been ruled out for Saturday's game, which makes him the THIRD starting member of the Arizona defensive backs unit (behind safety Adam Hall and cornerback Jonathan McKnight) that will not be playing tonight. Junior Mark Watley will likely take his place.

If Ducks quarterback Darron Thomas is in peak form, Oregon could find some mismatches downfield and really burst this one open early. The Arizona pass defense has been shredded in their first two matchups against BCS opponents, and Oregon's pass offense has been clicking since their early season loss against LSU. This could become ugly fast if the Wildcats front seven can't win the line of scrimmage.

For more on Arizona football, head to Arizona Desert Swarm. For more on Oregon football, go to Addicted to Quack.

Arizona vs. Oregon: TV Schedule, Online Stream, Radio Coverage And More

For the third week in a row, the Arizona Wildcats will be featured in a primetime matchup on the ESPN Network for the entire nation to see. With both teams featuring high-power offenses and some serious star power at the skill positions, there's a good chance for some fireworks at Arizona Stadium this weekend. 

Here is everything you need to get prepared for the game:

Kickoff: 10:15 EDT / 7:15 PST

TV Coverage: ESPN2 will have the game in all markets.

Radio: 1290AM Tucson (local); Sirius and XM Satellite Radio

Online Stream: The game will be streamed live on ESPN3.com. Check with your Internet provider for access.

Previous Matchup: In a high-scoring affair at Autzen Stadium, the Ducks came away with a big 48-29 victory. Nick Foles shredded the UO defense for 448 passing yards, but the 'Cats defense had no answers for Darron Thomas or LaMichael James. The last matchup in Tucson was in 2009; in an instant classic, Oregon came away with a 44-41 victory in double overtime.

Stay tuned to SB Nation Arizona for complete coverage of the game. For more UA news, check out AZ Desert Swarm.

Arizona vs. Oregon: Breakdown, Predictions, What To Watch For And More

The Oregon Ducks are a very good team. They run the ball extremely well, quarterback Darron Thomas is capable of making plays happen through the air, and their defense, while inconsistent at times, has a ton of talent and covers the field sideline to sideline faster than just about anyone. That being said, there are a few key aspects to the game that the Wildcats will have to execute if they hope to win on Saturday evening.

No More Empty Trips:

OK, maybe this goes for every team in the nation, but with Arizona's terrible kicking game, converting on opportunities inside the 40-yard line is absolutely crucial to their success. To be honest, moving the ball down the field really hasn't been the problem for the 'Cats this year; it's the bad play calling, foolish penalties, and the execution of the play that have hampered the team. 

Arizona could have been leading Stanford last week if they executed inside the red zone and made their makable field goals. If they continue to stall and fail to score near the goal line, the Wildcats have no chance at beating Oregon this weekend. The Ducks offense is just too good.

Protect Nick Foles:

The offensive line has been terrible the first three games of the season. Heck, even Nick Foles was being rushed out of the pocket against the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks a few weeks ago. That cannot happen against Oregon.

The line needs to both keep Foles safe and open up holes for Keola Antolin and Ka'Deem Carey to run through. The skill-position players are not the problem with this unit; it's the o-line, and it needs to step up.

Blitz:

If Arizona does not get pressure on Darron Thomas and the backfield, they can kiss this game goodbye. If the talented quarterback has time to make the read, the 'Cats will continually get burnt down the field, just as they did against Stanford last weekend. Blitz early, blitz often and try to come away with a big play or two; it might be the defense's only chance.

Final Thoughts and Predictions:

I'm not too worried about Arizona moving the football down the field against Oregon. The problem for the 'Cats will be on the defensive side of the ball, and it's tough to imagine UA's battered defense slowing down the Ducks and their high-flying attack. Nick Foles makes a few plays happen early as the game remains close at halftime, but Oregon proves to be too much in the second half and they come away with a 45-24 victory in Tucson.

Arizona vs. Oregon: Ducks Feature 'Sexy' Offense, Sellout Crowd Expected

There is a reason the Oregon Ducks are able to bring in some of the best athletes in the country year after year to restock their program; it's the offense the team runs. Seldom will opposing defenses see a standard shotgun formation or I-Form under center. Instead, they see receivers running all over the field, tight ends lining up along the sidelines, and quarterbacks in the slot-formation.

It's not even close to being standard, safe, or boring, and as Greg Hansen of the Arizona Daily Star tells us, the offense is 'sexy' and puts people in the stands:

Arizona couldn't sell 8,000 seats last week to watch the nation's most acclaimed college quarterback and a top-10 team on a 15-1 streak. That's because Stanford is smart, not sexy.

But when UA director of athletics Greg Byrne left work Thursday, the Wildcats were 300 tickets shy of a sellout for Saturday's Oregon game. That's because the Ducks aren't just sexy, they're sizzling. They're a Tom Cruise-Cameron Diaz, driving-a-motorcycle-off-a-cliff movie.

All hollywood-to-football-field references aside, there is no denying Oregon runs a wild and wacky offense. Though as Hansen tell us, they do it in a way not everyone expects: 

When you buy a ticket to watch Oregon play football, you think you'll see (a) triple-reverses with a fullback throwing a 73-yard pass to a tight end; (b) fake punts, onside kicks and other football chicanery; and (c) an NCAA record for most passing yards, total yards and yards after the catch.

But do you know what Oregon does more (and better) than anyone in the Pac-12? This will come as a shock: It runs the football.

And they run the football well. The Ducks have led the conference in rushing the last four seasons and they are doing so once again. Oregon currently ranks sixth in the nation in rushing -- although two of their three games came against poor competition -- and they excel at making the correct reads to find the holes in the defense.

After being gashed by Stepfan Taylor (Stanford) and Joseph Randle (Oklahoma State) in the last two weeks, Arizona has to slow down the Ducks rushing attack if they hope to have any chance at pulling the upset on Saturday evening. It will be a tall task for the 'Cats young defense, but they might just be able to do it.

A Near Sellout:

As briefly mentioned above, the game will be sold out by the time of kickoff, but those looking for seats will need to act quickly. Athletic director Greg Byrne tweeted earlier today just 300 single-seat tickets remain. Also, if you will be in attendance for the game, be sure to check out Arizona Stadium's plan for the nationally televised event.

For more UA coverage, check out AZ Desert Swarm.

Arizona vs. Oregon: Arizona Stadium Planning Special Color Scheme For Primetime Matchup

After having an incredibly successful "White Out" for Arizona basketball on a nationally televised broadcast last February, it is now UA football's turn to try something new with their fans. The plan for Saturday night's game: color-coded seating sections. The idea is simple: one section of the stadium wears red, one wears white, and the other wears blue.

For reference, sections 1-9 is the ZonaZoo, so judge your seats accordingly. If done properly, the stadium should look pretty cool on a nationally televised ESPN broadcast and could draw the attention of both fans and recruits from all around the country. 

As for the game itself, the Wildcats will come in as underdogs once again. Back-to-back blowout losses to Oklahoma State and Stanford have placed a damper on the 'Cats season, but a big win over the top-10 ranked Ducks would be a huge boost for the program. 

Let's make Arizona Stadium a special place on Saturday night. Be there at 7:15.

Arizona vs. Oregon: 'Cats Face Another Tough Foe In Tucson

Another week, another top-10 opponent for the Arizona Wildcats. We have the breakdown, injury reports and more inside...