Sports
AN OLD PUEBLO UPSET SPECIAL: Wildcats pull off shocking win over No. 2 Oregon
 |
By Nick Prevenas, Green Valley News
Another national title hopeful bites the dust.
This time, it happened in Tucson.
The Oregon Ducks sauntered into Arizona Stadium as the No. 2 team in the BCS standings, but the upset-minded Arizona Wildcats burst Oregon’s title hopes with a rousing 34-24 victory—the biggest win in head coach Mike Stoops’ four-year tenure..
Heisman trophy front-runner Dennis Dixon left the game midway through the first quarter due to a sprained knee, giving the Wildcats a prime opportunity to become the next giant-killers in a season full of shocking upsets.
Antoine Cason stole the show with two touchdowns—an interception and punt return.
Cason, who is nominated for the Jim Thorpe award for the nation’s top cornerback, typically saves his biggest plays for the biggest stages.
Last night was no exception.
Mike Thomas hauled in six passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns.
Nicolas Grigsby rushed for 53 yards, giving him the Arizona freshman record with 675 yards rushing on the season.
Once the final whistle sounded, a sea of red flooded onto the field, as a jubilant student section rushed toward the 50-yard line.
The victory is Arizona’s first over a team ranked this high since the Wildcats took down the No. 2 UCLA Bruins on Nov. 1, 1980.
Oregon set the tone early when Dixon took a quarterback option play around the right end, turning a fourth-and-3 conversion into a 39-yard touchdown jaunt.
Every member of the Wildcat defense thought Stewart had the ball, but while Louis Holmes tackled him well behind the line of scrimmage, Dixon sprinted past a confused Spencer Larsen toward the end zone.
Dixon quickly converted a 2-point conversion to give the Ducks an 8-0 lead.
Two plays into Arizona’s first drive, Tuitama tried to find Mike Thomas on a bomb down the right sideline, but Jairus Bryd came down with the interception on the 43-yard line.
With Oregon driving and Arizona’s fans conspicuously silent, it appeared as if the rout was on.
Dixon hit Derrick Jones for what appeared to be another touchdown, but the ball bounced off Jones’ hands and into the welcoming arms of Mike Ness, who returned the interception to Oregon’s 45-yard line.
Tuitama marched his team toward the end zone, with the drive culminating in a 34-yard touchdown reception for Thomas.
At the 6:01 mark, Dixon left the game with a badly sprained knee—the same knee he injured on Nov. 3 against Arizona State.
Without their Heisman hopeful, the Ducks’ title hopes rested on the shoulders of Brady Leaf—younger brother of former Washington State star and NFL bust Ryan Leaf.
The squads traded field goals before Cason broke the game open with a 42-yard interception return for a touchdown, giving the Wildcats a 17-11 lead early in the second quarter.
Arizona kept the momentum going at the 11:34 mark, when Tuitama threaded the needle and hit Thomas for a remarkable 46-yard touchdown pass between three Oregon defenders.
Just when Oregon thought it had stemmed the tide, Cason electrifies the 50,387 in attendance with another monster play—a 56-yard punt return for a touchdown to give the Wildcats a 31-11 lead.
Oregon attempted to stop the bleeding with a drive before halftime, but the Ducks settled for a field goal to cut the lead to 31-14.
Both high-powered offenses struggled after intermission, but Oregon was given a gift at the 10:47 mark when Kenny Rowe hit Tuitama from behind, forcing a fumble deep in Arizona territory.
But the Wildcat defense held strong and limited the Ducks to another field goal.
Both sides traded punts for the rest of the third quarter until Oregon’s Kwame Agyeman broke free on a fake punt for a 40-yard scamper.
But Arizona’s Corey Hall never stopped hustling on the play, forcing and recovering an Agyeman fumble on the 20-yard line, stifling yet another Oregon comeback attempt.
However, the Ducks weren’t finished yet.
Leaf finally found a groove and led his squad on an epic 17-play, 71-yard drive that culminated in a 2-yard Andre Crenshaw plunge to cut Arizona’s lead to seven.
With their backs against the wall, the Wildcats needed a drive of their own to get back on track.
A completion to Gronkowski and a big fourth-down conversion by Grigsby highlighted a strong 11-play drive that culminated in a 46-yard field goal and a 34-24 advantage.
A botched handoff between Tuitama and Grigsby almost spoiled the drive, but it was determined later that Tuitama’s knee had already touched the ground, allowing Arizona to retain possession.
Oregon’s final drive was stopped by another Byrd interception, which occurred as the student section was getting ready to rush the field.
The Wildcats have another bye week next week, but they hope to ride the momentum of one of the biggest wins in program history when they travel to Tempe to take on their hated rivals from Arizona State on Dec. 1.
Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
nprevenas@gvnews.com | 547-9747
This time, it happened in Tucson.
The Oregon Ducks sauntered into Arizona Stadium as the No. 2 team in the BCS standings, but the upset-minded Arizona Wildcats burst Oregon’s title hopes with a rousing 34-24 victory—the biggest win in head coach Mike Stoops’ four-year tenure..
Heisman trophy front-runner Dennis Dixon left the game midway through the first quarter due to a sprained knee, giving the Wildcats a prime opportunity to become the next giant-killers in a season full of shocking upsets.
Antoine Cason stole the show with two touchdowns—an interception and punt return.
Cason, who is nominated for the Jim Thorpe award for the nation’s top cornerback, typically saves his biggest plays for the biggest stages.
Last night was no exception.
Mike Thomas hauled in six passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns.
Nicolas Grigsby rushed for 53 yards, giving him the Arizona freshman record with 675 yards rushing on the season.
Once the final whistle sounded, a sea of red flooded onto the field, as a jubilant student section rushed toward the 50-yard line.
The victory is Arizona’s first over a team ranked this high since the Wildcats took down the No. 2 UCLA Bruins on Nov. 1, 1980.
Oregon set the tone early when Dixon took a quarterback option play around the right end, turning a fourth-and-3 conversion into a 39-yard touchdown jaunt.
Every member of the Wildcat defense thought Stewart had the ball, but while Louis Holmes tackled him well behind the line of scrimmage, Dixon sprinted past a confused Spencer Larsen toward the end zone.
Dixon quickly converted a 2-point conversion to give the Ducks an 8-0 lead.
Two plays into Arizona’s first drive, Tuitama tried to find Mike Thomas on a bomb down the right sideline, but Jairus Bryd came down with the interception on the 43-yard line.
With Oregon driving and Arizona’s fans conspicuously silent, it appeared as if the rout was on.
Dixon hit Derrick Jones for what appeared to be another touchdown, but the ball bounced off Jones’ hands and into the welcoming arms of Mike Ness, who returned the interception to Oregon’s 45-yard line.
Tuitama marched his team toward the end zone, with the drive culminating in a 34-yard touchdown reception for Thomas.
At the 6:01 mark, Dixon left the game with a badly sprained knee—the same knee he injured on Nov. 3 against Arizona State.
Without their Heisman hopeful, the Ducks’ title hopes rested on the shoulders of Brady Leaf—younger brother of former Washington State star and NFL bust Ryan Leaf.
The squads traded field goals before Cason broke the game open with a 42-yard interception return for a touchdown, giving the Wildcats a 17-11 lead early in the second quarter.
Arizona kept the momentum going at the 11:34 mark, when Tuitama threaded the needle and hit Thomas for a remarkable 46-yard touchdown pass between three Oregon defenders.
Just when Oregon thought it had stemmed the tide, Cason electrifies the 50,387 in attendance with another monster play—a 56-yard punt return for a touchdown to give the Wildcats a 31-11 lead.
Oregon attempted to stop the bleeding with a drive before halftime, but the Ducks settled for a field goal to cut the lead to 31-14.
Both high-powered offenses struggled after intermission, but Oregon was given a gift at the 10:47 mark when Kenny Rowe hit Tuitama from behind, forcing a fumble deep in Arizona territory.
But the Wildcat defense held strong and limited the Ducks to another field goal.
Both sides traded punts for the rest of the third quarter until Oregon’s Kwame Agyeman broke free on a fake punt for a 40-yard scamper.
But Arizona’s Corey Hall never stopped hustling on the play, forcing and recovering an Agyeman fumble on the 20-yard line, stifling yet another Oregon comeback attempt.
However, the Ducks weren’t finished yet.
Leaf finally found a groove and led his squad on an epic 17-play, 71-yard drive that culminated in a 2-yard Andre Crenshaw plunge to cut Arizona’s lead to seven.
With their backs against the wall, the Wildcats needed a drive of their own to get back on track.
A completion to Gronkowski and a big fourth-down conversion by Grigsby highlighted a strong 11-play drive that culminated in a 46-yard field goal and a 34-24 advantage.
A botched handoff between Tuitama and Grigsby almost spoiled the drive, but it was determined later that Tuitama’s knee had already touched the ground, allowing Arizona to retain possession.
Oregon’s final drive was stopped by another Byrd interception, which occurred as the student section was getting ready to rush the field.
The Wildcats have another bye week next week, but they hope to ride the momentum of one of the biggest wins in program history when they travel to Tempe to take on their hated rivals from Arizona State on Dec. 1.
Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
nprevenas@gvnews.com | 547-9747
Copyright © 2009 - Green Valley News and Sun