It was the worst possible outcome. The Wildcat football team played well for a quarter but were inept in the redzone and fell 49-0 to No. 3 Oregon.
Matt Scott had a rough outing against Oregon.
Arizona needed to play a near perfect game to have a chance to beat Oregon, but did just the opposite. They committed five turnovers, two that went for scores, and could do nothing with the three Oregon turnovers.
Arizona was 0-6 in the redzone. They dropped snaps, had kicks blocked and failed to convert on fourth downs.
Matt Scott was off and looked tight. He made bad decisions and bad throws. When he was making good decisions, he had passes dropped.
He was 22-44 for 210 yards and a trio of picks. He only rushed for nine yards, carrying just five times. It appeared as if Arizona refused to run the read option in fear that Scott might get hit.
The lack of a running game also killed the Wildcats. They averaged less than three yards rushing in the first half, with Wildcat running backs averaging less than 1.5 yards a carry.
Although they surrendered 49 points, the defensive game plan was solid. The Ducks had just 13 points in the first half and allowed just four offensive touchdowns. In typical Oregon fashion, the Ducks got hot in the second half and seemed to be running downhill over the final 30:00.
The sad thing for Wildcat fans, is that the team looked like the better squad during the first quarter. They got the ball at the Oregon 35 and karched down to the Oregon four. The Cats settled for a field goal and the snap was a touch inside and punter Kyle Dugandzic failed to reel it in and the field goal attempt was thwarted.
The next two Wildcat possessions were much of the same. Scott threw a pick in the endzone after the Cats got great field position thanks to an Oregon fumble. The next time the Wildcats faced fourth and goal at the two. Rich Rodriguez tried to call a timeout, but no one acknowledged the wish and Scott was stuffed on a quarterback keeper.
The Wildcats now have to rebound. The fanbase will likely sour a bit, but the Cats have to host 2-0 Oregon State next week and cannot spend time likcing their wounds. They traded punches with the Ducks for 20 minutes, now they need to deliver haymakers for 60.
The season is hardly lost, but they need to come back. They need to realize they blew opportunities against a top-3 team and need to learn from it.
- Brad Allis
- Arizona Insider - WildcatSportsReport