Autzen Zoo
Fansided

Oregon’s Desert Destruction

By Kristi Rifenbark

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As a Duck fan, Saturday’s game against Arizona was a huge sigh of relief.  Yes, I know Oregon is fast and efficient, but they also hadn’t been thoroughly tested after LSU.  This was the result that we expected over at AutzenZoo, but there was also a feeling of “what-if” in the air leading up to kick-off.  Arizona may not be the powerhouse that LSU is, but they were a legitimate test for the Ducks.  It was an impressive victory on the road for Oregon.  The 56 – 31 victory has been described as a “statement,” but maybe that is just how Oregon’s offense will look for the rest of the year.  Considering that Nevada only lost to Texas Tech by one point over the weekend could be saying a lot for Oregon too.

The evening (especially the first half) was all about Oregon, and LaMichael James was the star of the show.  After it was all said and done James had the Oregon rushing record in a single game with 288 yards, and broke the record for career rushing touchdowns.  He was not going to be stopped.  The defense showed up in a big way for the Ducks too, ultimately cutting off Arizona’s passing game for most of the game.

Barner was also a show-stopper on Saturday showing up for three trips to the end zone.  Darron Thomas completed 11 for 20 passes, racking up 101 yards and two touchdowns.  Ultimately speed has been the word of the season, the Ducks have had 28 touchdown drives this season and 22 have taken less than three minutes.  This win marked the 13th consecutive conference win for the Ducks and was Arizona’s third loss to a top-rated team this season.

By halftime many of the Wildcat fans had left the building, and that was about the time Arizona’s quarterback Nick Foles led the Wildcats on an impressive streak with three consecutive touchdowns.  Ultimately Oregon’s offense just wasn’t going to be stopped and they pulled away even more, scoring two more in the 4th and ending the game 56 – 31.  For complete stats check out the box score at ESPN.

Thanks to everyone who participated in our first live blogging event during last weekend’s game, and we hope to see everyone back for the Cal game.  With a bye this weekend the Ducks will be facing Cal on Thursday, October 6th in Autzen Stadium.  Cal lost to Washington over the weekend 31 – 23.  Tomorrow morning Six will be giving his analysis of the five plays that win a football game.  GO DUCKS!!!