Friday, December 5, 2014

Will the Wildcats eat the Ducks alive for the third time?

Posted By on Fri, Dec 5, 2014 at 1:33 PM

The Arizona football team is playing what is arguably their biggest game in school history when they take on Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship game tonight.

Game 13 » No. 8 Arizona (10-2, 7-2 Pac-12) vs. No. 3 Oregon (11-1, 8-1)
Date.......................................... Friday, Dec. 5
Time........................................... 6 p.m. (PST)
Location............................Santa Clara, Calif.
Stadium...................Levi’s Stadium (68,500)
Surface.................................................. Grass
Television.................................................FOX
All-Time Series.....................UO leads, 24-16
at Neutral Site..........................UA leads, 1-0
Last Meeting ....................UA 31, Oregon 24
................................. Oct. 2, 2014 (at Eugene)

Streak ......... UA has won last two meetings

The Pac-12 championship is on the line as the Wildcats and Ducks meet at Levi Stadium, the home of the San Francisco 49ers. If the Ducks win, they are assured a spot in the National Championship Playoffs. If the Wildcats win they are still alive for the playoff, though they would need help.

To pull the upset, the Wildcats need to play a “clean” game, meaning limiting turnovers, penalties and negative plays. They also need to keep the explosive Ducks from breaking off big plays. In their last two wins over the Ducks, the Wildcat defense has not allowed a scoring drive of less than seven plays.

The game is a match-up of two of the nation’s best player, Arizona LB Scooby Wright and Oregon QB Marcus Mariotta. It is also a game featuring the two best freshmen running backs in the Pac-12, Oregon’s Royce Freeman and Arizona’s Nick Wilson. 

News and Notes:
» Arizona has won 10+ games for the third time in program history (1993, 1998).
» The Wildcats captured their first Pac-12 South Division Championship.
» Arizona has never faced an opponent twice in the same season in the program’s modern history.
» The Wildcats have defeated top-5 Oregon teams in each of the last two seasons.
» Arizona is 3-1 against ranked teams this season, including wins in each of the last two weeks.

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