Reasons to Worry

Okay, I’m a little worried.

The Ducks are stacked—they’re playing at home and ranked third in the nation.

VS.

Oregon racks up an average of 329 yards on the ground, and puts about 54 points on the scoreboard.

Team Nike has running back Kenjon Barner, all-purpose-man De'Anthony Thomas and breakout quarterback Marcus Mariota.

And let’s not forget about their ridiculously awesome jerseys and chrome helmets.

So you’re asking if there’s a light at the end of the tunnel?

Possibly.

The Cats are ranked eighth overall in passing yards, with an average of 358 yards a game.

Arizona comes in at eighteenth nationally in rushing yards with 247 yards per game. They too, understand how to put points on the board, scoring an average of 46 points in their three contests.   

The defense allows an average of 18 points a game, which—oddly enough—is better than Oregon’s 24 points allowed.

This is great news, considering Arizona had two tests to start the year—Toledo and Oklahoma State.

The Ducks, meanwhile, have played Arkansas State, Fresno State, and Tennessee Tech.

So here’s what this game will boil down to:

RichRod’s young team is playing its first away game in much cooler weather.

 And did I forget to mention that they’re playing at Autzen Stadium, one of the loudest stadiums in the country?

Also, this will be Oregon’s fourth game at home, and their Pac12 home-opener.

All those other games—the games against a ‘Tech’ and two ‘States’ (who knew Fresno was a state)—pale in comparison to the conference game.

And Oregon tends to score early. After letting Tech through with the first touchdown, the Ducks scored 49 straight points.

After allowing a Fresno State field goal in the first quarter, Barner scored two touchdowns, helping the Quacks to a 35-3 lead.

As for Arkansas State, well, the Ducks put up 29 points before the Red Wolves found a field goal.

So it’s easy to see that after halftime, Oregon takes its foot off the gas, and cruises.

And after that quick analysis, you see why this will be a daunting task.

Arizona needs to get down to business early, and recognize that this is just another football team.

The Cats will need to fight hard and not let Oregon amass an insurmountable halftime lead.

But mostly, Arizona will need to take the crowd out early, and make sure to keep them out.

RichRod’s crew has show a lot of poise through their first three games, but this is far outside the friendly confines of Arizona Stadium.

Good luck, Wildcats, and remember— it’s still business as usual… just a little louder.