The University of Arizona's motto is "Bear Down", as well as the name of the school's fight song. It is a mantra that Oregon's football team might do well to consider themselves, because focus and commitment seem to be scarce commodities on the Oregon sidelines these days.
Less than a month ago, Arizona Head Coach Mike Stoops was steering a team with a 3-5 record and road games at Pullman and Eugene and a home game against BCS contender Cal threatening to destroy the Wildcats' season. After a surprise win against Washington State and a shocking upset of Cal, Arizona showed heart, a surprising amount of heart.
On the other hand, Oregon was busy suffering a string of embarrassing road losses while demonstrating a disappointing lack of heart. And when an overachieving team with desire and momentum runs into an underachieving one without that same fire, the underachievers are in trouble.
And so it was this weekend in Eugene.
Opponent: Arizona
Result: Loss, 37-10
Location: (H) - Autzen Stadium, Eugene, Oregon
The Good
It is a short and mostly irrelevant list.
Backup RB Jeremiah Johnson was the lone standout for Oregon on either side of the ball. He ran for 103 yards on 10 carries (a 10.3 per carry average) and Oregon's only TD of the game.
The pass rush was also surprisingly effective. Oregon sacked Arizona OB's three times on only 17 pass plays. Unfortunately, when those same QB's were allowed to get a pass away, they completed 64% of them, and each completion went for an average of 14.8 yards.
Also, it was a minor thing under the circumstances, but Oregon's season-long trouble with penalties wasn't a problem. The Ducks were only called for a pair of infractions for 20 yards.
The Bad
The formula for ugly losses this season has remained the same: QB Dennis Dixon throwing a bunch of passes to the guys wearing different jerseys, and RB Jonathan Stewart doing an invisible man impersonation that would make Claude Rains proud.
Against Arizona, both players contributed mightily to that formula. Dixon had his worst game of the season, throwing for only 88 yards and three picks, and Stewart was stuffed for only 26 yards on 11 carries (a 2.4 per carry average). Without their star players acting the part, the offense was doomed.
By the time Dixon's backup, Brady Leaf, threw another interception and the Ducks lost a pair of fumbles, Oregon was looking at a minus-6 on the turnover ledger and the inevitable blow-out that they were caught in the middle of.
Unfortunately, the defense didn't play much better. It didn't seem to matter what Arizona's offense ran, because it all worked. Of the Wildcats' four TD's, all were from at least 15 yards, with two being big play back breakers of at least 35 yards.
On the ground, Arizona's big Chris Henry almost single-handedly ruined Oregon's defense. Even though Henry entered the game averaging only 2.9 yards per carry for the season, he was unstoppable against the Ducks, rumbling for 191 yards on 29 carries (a 6.6 per carry average) and two scores. So, it was fitting that he delivered the dagger in the game, a devastating 61-yard TD as time was running out in the 3rd quarter. The 6'0", 233-pound senior RB also snagged a 21-yard TD pass from erratic but talented Arizona QB Willie Tuitama.
Through the air, Arizona only threw a handful of passes but seemed to make each count while the game was still in doubt. Tuitama only attempted nine passes, completing eight (an 89% completion rate) for 120 yards and two scores.
Once again the coaching staff didn't make any effective adjustments in the second half. Not only was Oregon shut out on the second half, they couldn't slow down a running game that was averaging less than three yards per carry coming into the game and knowing that that was pretty much all the Arizona offense planned to do after halftime.
Top Duck
Johnson. With Jonathan Stewart a non-factor in the game, Johnson provided the lone offensive spark for the Ducks. His 8-yard TD run in the second quarter closed the score to 14-10 and marked the last time Oregon was even remotely in the game.
Injuries
Major - The following players are out for the season: CB Jackie Bates (broken bone in leg), LB Brent Haberly (broken arm), DL Cole Linehan (foot surgery), RB Chris Vincent (knee), and DL Micah Howeth (academically ineligible).
However, Haberly has been talking about defying the original prognosis and returning before the season is over.
Serious – TE Dan Kause (ankle) has been out since the USC game and is listed as questionable for the Oregon State game.
Minor – RB Andiel Brown, who had been out since the Washington game, returned to play against Arizona. Likewise, WR James Finley appears to be recovered from a knee injury that kept him out of the USC game.
Summary
After the 35-10 embarrassment against USC, Oregon was returning to the one place they had been able to redeem themselves this season after difficult road losses, Autzen Stadium. With an unranked team walking directly into the fire of one of the most intimidating football environments in the conference, Oregon had a chance to get some self-respect back against a beatable team like Arizona. They didn't.
Worse yet, the loss to the Wildcats wasn't a coin flip. Instead, it was a solid, old-fashioned ####-kicking of the highest order in front of a stadium full of their own fans. And if that kind of humiliating defeat doesn't wake the team up in time to give a credible effort in the biggest rivalry game of the season next week, I'm not sure there is much reason for optimism looking ahead to a possible bowl game and even into next season.
The Civil War game against Oregon State is the one game each season that can define success or utter failure for an Oregon team. How much either of those results means to this year's squad will likely show itself in the type of effort given this Friday in Corvallis.
Nooch is a lifelong sports fan who believes that Indianapolis ended up with a slightly better QB than San Diego in the 1998 NFL Draft, the Golden State Warriors may not make the NBA playoffs again in his lifetime (how was I supposed to know that Chris Mullin would make a coaching hire and a mid-season trade that would basically save the franchise?), and that Mike Ivie's pinch-hit, game winning grand slam for the Giants against the Dodgers in 1978 may have been the greatest moment in baseball history.
