EUGENE — Oregon opens Pac-12 play this weekend against winless Arizona.
The No. 3 Ducks (3-0) host the Wildcats (0-3) at Autzen Stadium on Saturday (7:30 pm. PT, ESPN).
We reached out to Arizona reporter Justin Spears (@JustinESports) of the Arizona Daily Star to get some insight on the Wildcats.
Here are our five questions:
1) What do each of Arizona’s QBs bring to the table?
Spears: “Each one is different, but unfortunately for Arizona, the one with the most collegiate experience, Jordan McCloud, started the season third on the depth chart. McCloud, who’s more compact and capable of using his legs to extend plays, transferred from South Florida during the offseason, but couldn’t get on campus until the start of preseason training camp. So, he was always a step or two behind Gunner Cruz and Will Plummer. However, he appears to be in line to earn snaps against Oregon, whether it’s as the starter or certain packages. Cruz is a big-armed quarterback who looks every bit the part of a Power 5 starter, but his biggest crutch is holding onto the ball too long, which is problematic considering Arizona’s offensive line has collectively struggled this year. It was a concern during spring ball and preseason training camp at a time when quarterbacks aren’t allowed to get slammed into the ground by defenders. Cruz’s issues that stemmed several months back carried over into the season and Fisch made a change after two games to install Plummer, the only returning quarterback on roster, who had a wishy-washy outing against Northern Arizona. Fisch said earlier this week that Plummer is ‘a little dinged up’ from the loss to NAU, so Oregon should expect to see either McCloud or Cruz.”
2) If there’s an offensive threat outside of Stanley Berryhill III, who is it?
Spears: “Tayvian Cunningham, a speedster wide receiver who also runs track for the Wildcats. Cunningham is second on the team in receiving with 168 yards on 12 catches and one touchdown; he’s also a return specialist for the UA. Another name to keep an eye on Saturday night is Oregon native Jalen John, who had more rushing yards (37) in one drive last week than he had all season. Michael Wiley is Arizona’s starting running back, but Jalen John, along with Drake Anderson, have been nice additions to the UA’s backfield.”
3) What’s the biggest cause for the run game being an issue on each side of the ball?
Spears: “Offensive line not getting enough push and allowing defensive linemen to leak through and initiate contact at the line of scrimmage, and the Wildcats are falling behind early, so they’re playing catch-up the entire game. That was the case against BYU and it certainly was the case in the home opener versus San Diego State, when the Wildcats trailed 21-0 in the first quarter. Against NAU? No excuses. That’s a game Arizona should’ve imposed its will against a team with inferior talent, especially when the Wildcats led 13-0. Defensively, the players have no issues getting in position to make plays but missed tackles have been an issue since the season opener. Against BYU, UA had six missed tackles, with 16 missed tackles against San Diego State, according to Fisch and defensive coordinator Don Brown.”
4) Is the pass defense truly improved or have scores and opponents running more late skewed the numbers?
Spears: “The addition of Notre Dame transfer cornerback Isaiah Rutherford was one of the biggest signings of the offseason, especially with Christian Roland-Wallace as the other cornerback. Roland-Wallace could conceivably enter the NFL draft after this season, but it would be nice to see him and Rutherford together again in 2022. But Arizona ranking 20th in FBS in passing yards (160.7) allowed is more so teams running the ball. BYU ranks 54th in college football averaging 176.7 rushing yards per game, while San Diego State star Greg Bell is the fourth-leading rusher in college football. Let’s see if Arizona can maintain those pass-defense numbers during Pac-12 play.”
5) How do you see it playing out and what’s your score prediction?
Spears: “Fisch and his staff are currently trying to restock the cupboards at a time when Oregon is the flagship program of the conference. Arizona’s defense could keep the Wildcats competitive in the first half, but there’s no way the UA comes within 20 points of the Ducks in the fourth quarter. Let’s just call it what it is: Oregon, ranked third in college football and a team that has the makings of a College Football Playoff squad, taking on Arizona, which is riding a 15-game losing streak and just loss to NAU for the first time since 1932, when Herbert Hoover was the U.S. president and Arizona was only a state for 20 years. Ducks win, 42-7.”
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