College Football Rankings, Week 6: ASU rising in Coaches' Poll

Arizona State moved closer to being ranked in the USA Today Coaches' Poll this week, nearly doubling their vote total from a week ago.

NCAA Football Rankings, Week 6: Arizona, Arizona State receive votes

The Arizona State Sun Devils and the Arizona Wildcats each received votes in the latest Associated Press poll.

Arizona vs. Oregon State: Wildcats facing adversity following tough loss

A look back on what was a frustrating, deflating weekend for the Arizona Wildcats.

Oregon State vs. Arizona 2012: Wildcats fall short against undefeated Beavers

Arizona mustered a strong charge in the second half, but would prove not enough on Saturday against the Oregon State Beavers.

Arizona vs Oregon State final score: Beavers rally in the 4th for 38-35 win over Wildcats

Arizona falls to 0-2 in conference play

Arizona vs. Oregon State update: Wildcats unable to contain Beavers QB Mannion, down 17-7 at half

The Wildcats of the University of Arizona are probably not big fans of anything Oregon related right now. Last weekend, 'Zona was pummeled by Oregon, 49-0. Things were looking to go down the same path as the Wildcats were down 17-0 to Oregon State with only a shade under three and a half minutes to go in the second quarter. A one yard Ka'Deem Carey run would finally put Arizona on the board 17-7 going into the half.

Oregon State quarterback Sean Mannion and his receiving corps are tearing up the Wildcats defense. After two quarters, Mannion had amassed 278 yards in the air. All OSU receivers are in double digits, lead by Markus Wheaton with 103 yards on seven catches.

Arizona quarterback Matt Scott is at an uncharacteristic negative-three yards rushing for the game. Aside from Scott, all other rushes have come from Carey for 53 yards on nine carries.

Arizona vs. Oregon State: A look at the Beaver offense

The Arizona Wildcats have a significant challenge in front of them on Saturday, not in the least because of Sean Mannion and the Oregon State Beaver offense. SB Nation's Arizona blog AZ Desert Swarm has taken a look at the Beaver offense in two separate posts, breaking down what to look for in the game.

In the first, they take a look at Sean Mannion:

"An experienced guy," and one who "can make all the throws," is how Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez describes Oregon State quarterback Sean Mannion. Rodriguez's assessment is right, as the OSU play maker ranks among the nation's elite passers headed into Saturday's Wildcat-Beaver tilt at Arizona Stadium.

Not bad for someone who wasn't supposed to be Oregon State's starting quarterback in 2011....Mannion struggled through the bumps in the road customary of a freshman quarterback. He threw 18 interceptions and the Beavers sputtered to a 3-9 finish, the worst since Riley's return in 2003 and the second sub-.500 campaign for the program. But Mannion did have some impressive flashes, too. He was near the top of the Pac-12 in passing yards, with over 3300, and completed nearly 65 percent of his attempts.

In the next post, they they detail what the Arizona defense is going to need to do to keep the Wildcats in the game, with discussion of Taimi Tutogi and De'Anthony Thomas highlighted. Head over and check out the full post for a complete breakdown.

Oregon State Vs. Arizona 2012: TV Schedule, Game Time, Spread And More

The Arizona Wildcats and Oregon St. Beavers meet for an intriguing Pac-12 matchup this weekend in Tucson.

Arizona Vs. Oregon State: Sophomore safeties receive praise

The young Arizona Wildcats safety corps is receiving praise from coach Rich Rodgriguez as the Wildcats take on the Oregon State Beavers, one of the better defenses in college football, on Saturday.

Sophomores Jared Tevis, Tra'Mayne Boundurant and Jourdon Grandon are the foundation of the backfield defense, and were quite the motley crew earlier this spring. Neither were considered much of a cog in the defensive machine as Tevis walked onto the team, Boundurant played only half of last year and Grandon was coming off of suspension.

Rodriguez told the Tuscon Citizen that Tevis impressed coaches in spring - and they made the right call. Tevis has 39 tackles, three forced fumbles and two interceptions in four games.

And he was playing as hard as he could from play 1 to play 90. He was wearing out wideouts. He was knocking helmets off. He's just a tough-ass kid who does everything we ask him to do. He plays with a chip on his shoulder.

Keeping the Wildcats in the game with their defense might be vital as the Arizona Wildcats offensive line has gone through quite a few injuries. But Rodriguez says the drive all three have keeps their focus and their natural talent for the position does the rest.

"A lot of the better players as you go through time, whether it's Ray Lewis or Ed Reed or Tedy Bruschi or Chuck Cecil, I bet all those guys had that one genetic gene that allowed them to trigger things in their mind a step quicker than the average guy," Rodriguez said.

With all three as sophomores, the Wildcats secondary should be pretty good for quite some time.

"Jared probably could have been our player of the week in every week so far," Rodriguez said. "He and Tra'Mayne, they just have a feel for the game."

Arizona vs. Oregon State: Wildcats facing key Pac-12 game this weekend

Arizona and Oregon State meet for an intriguing Pac-12 matchup in Tucson.

Arizona Wildcats injury report: Maiava, Nwoko out for year and three others questionable

The Arizona Wildcats will be without offensive lineman Lene Maiava and linebacker Greg Nwoko for the rest of the season, and three players are questionable against the Oregon State Beavers this week, the Arizona Daily Star reports.

Maiava, a right tackle, has a torn ACL. Nwoko, a former running back who moved to linebacker this season, has a hip injury. Meanwhile, offensive lineman Trace Biskin (toe), defensive end Reggie Gilbert (ankle) and receiver Terrence Miller (thigh) are questionable against the Beavers this Saturday.

The biggest hit is that to the offensive line, which now faces depth issues. Freshman Cayman Bundage can step in for Maiava in the rotation, but coach Rich Rodriguez will have to reach deep into his untested players to find more than a five- or six-man offensive line.

Gilbert's injury could mean full-time defensive duties for Taimi Tutogi, who has gotten fewer offensive snaps as the year has moved along.

And at receiver, Miller could be replaced again by freshman David Richards, who stood in for the senior last week while Miller was reportedly out with a shoulder issue. Richards led Arizona with seven catches for 50 yards against Oregon.

Arizona Vs. Oregon State: Freshman receiver David Richards shines with Terrence Miller out

When Arizona Wildcats receiver Terrence Miller went down with a shoulder injury against South Carolina State, freshman David Richards quietly stepped into his place. Lost in the 49-0 loss to the Oregon Ducks was the youngster leading the Wildcats with seven receptions and 50 yards.

He doesn't really care about the numbers though. The loss stings, he told Ryan Finley of the Arizona Daily Star.

"I didn't care about what I did or anything. I was just upset that we couldn't capitalize more on the offensive side," Richards told the Star. "I was more upset that we got the loss than anything I did."

Richards has sophomore receiver Austin Hill to speak to about a similar experience, when he replaced lead receiver Juron Criner in the lineup last season to break out against Oklahoma State. Now, Hill is one of Arizona's biggest offensive threats.

In one and a half games since finding himself in the regular rotation, the 6'4, 203 pound wideout has nine catches for 64 yards.

There is no word on how long Miller will be out.

Arizona vs. Oregon State: Sean Mannion limited in practice

The Arizona Wildcats don't have any serious injury news ahead of their game with the Oregon St. Beavers, at least none that's being reported. The big issue might be coming from the other side, particularly regarding the health status of Oregon State quarterback Sean Mannion.

Lindsay Schnell of the Oregonian files this report that has Mannion avoiding throwing the football too much in practice. Oregon State head coach Mike Riley attributes the issue to a sore arm. Riley would not go into specifics though, particularly regarding whether Mannion was having an MRI or not.

Mannion has had a solid start to the season, completing over 64% of his passes and averaging eight yards per pass attempt. If Mannion is unable to go, junior Cody Vaz might be called upon to produce and maybe give it a go at starting at QB. This would be a boon to an Arizona defense that has played fairly well (even despite a seven touchdown loss to Oregon), particularly with regards to forcing turnovers.

Arizona Vs. Oregon State: Matt Scott looks to recover against Beavers

Arizona Wildcats quarterback Matt Scott will eye a rebound that's both mental and physical against the Oregon State Beavers after suffering through several mistakes and a bruised hip in the loss to the Oregon Ducks last Saturday.

Scott threw three interceptions and only completed 50 percent of his passes against the Ducks in the 49-0 loss. In the first quarter, he suffered a hip bruise that required a numbing shot from the training staff, according to Ryan Finley of the Arizona Daily Star. While it helped his return, Scott was limited as a running threat from thereon out.

As for moving on after the ugly loss, Scott told the Star:

"I have to put that behind me. Football's a tough game. You're going to take hits. You're going to get hurt. I just gotta keep going and do everything I can to help this team."

Oregon State comes into Arizona Stadium with history on its side. The Beavers haven't lost in Tucson since 1997, with its last two meetings including the 2010 toppling of a top 10 Arizona squad preceded by a fourth-quarter thriller in 2008.

Check out Arizona Desert Swarm for more Arizona Wildcats news or hit up Building the Dam for more Oregon State coverage.

Arizona Vs. Oregon State Odds: Wildcats Favored Over No. 18 Beavers

The Arizona Wildcats are three-point favorites in Tucson against No. 18 Oregon State.