Meowza! Arizona Wildcats Take Down The Oregon Ducks

Well, those big bad kitty cats did it again. It’s not so much stunning that Oregon lost to Arizona – a solid team by all accounts. It’s that it happened in Autzen Stadium. After a bye week. At the 100^th straight sellout crowd nonetheless, according to ESPN.com. If you’ll remember, Oregon (ranked No. 5 at the time) lost in horrendous fashion at Arizona 42-16 last November.

The first half was rather unmentionable; there were only ten points scored total (a 28-yard field goal by Arizona and a 26-yard Marcus Mariota TD pass to Royce Freeman). Once the third quarter began, that’s when things (depending on who you root for) began to unravel/get exciting. If you haven’t heard Anu Solomon’s name, you’ll be sure to hear it now. The redshirt freshman quarterback, who named Mariota as a huge inspiration, completed 20 of 31 pass attempts totaling 287 yards including a TD. True freshman Nick Wilson piled up 92 yards and three TDs (all in the third quarter; one that included a 34-yard pass from Solomon).

Between the gaping holes the defense left open and Marcus Mariota’s uncharacteristically “average” play (his numbers were on par with Solomon’s, but less than what he’s already shown to be capable of), it was no wonder the Ducks lost. He was also sacked five times, undoubtedly due to the injuries plaguing the Ducks’ offensive line. Leading 24 to 14 into the fourth quarter, Arizona threatened to score again, but Solomon was sacked downfield on third down with eight yards to go. Unfortunately, for the Ducks, linebacker Tony Washington was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct for bowing in celebration that gave Arizona a first down and soon another seven points. Scooby Wright III put the final nail in the coffin by forcing a fumble by Mariota during the Ducks’ last drive.

It’s still early in the season, but this leaves a lot of questions open about the Duck Dynasty and its future in the first ever college postseason playoffs. Was this just a fluke for the 24-point favored team? Or is this indicative of more problems to come against a stacked Pac-12 division? Either way, USC, UCLA and Stanford all stand to make Oregon’s divisional play anything but easy. The Ducks head to Pasadena next week to take on the Bruins at the Rose Bowl.