Wildcat Notebook: Cats and Ducks renew rivalry

Things were much different one year ago.

This time last year, the Arizona Wildcats were riding the momentum of a two-game winning streak, but it appeared unlikely that this squad could overcome a terrible start to the season to break the much-discussed bowl drought.

Meanwhile, the Oregon Ducks were the talk of the college football world, with hot-shot quarterback Dennis Dixon on a short-list for the Heisman Trophy.

Few people gave the Wildcats a chance against the powerful Ducks’ offense. Dixon was expected to slice and dice his way through Arizona’s defense and keep Oregon’s title hopes alive.

One wrong cut put an end to that.

Early in the first quarter, Dixon injured his left knee and the Wildcats took advantage, securing a surprising 34-24 victory. The ABC television cameras captured the mayhem when thousands of die-hard Arizona fans rushed the field after taking down the No. 2 team in the nation.

This year, the stakes are much different.

The Wildcats (6-3, 4-2 Pac-10) and Ducks (7-3, 4-2) have each experienced their fair share of success this season, but have also suffered a handful of setbacks in what has been a wild Pac-10 race.

“We don’t really think about last year at all anymore,” Oregon coach Mike Belotti said. “We haven’t had a lot of success against Arizona lately, but we’re really glad we’re playing at our place this year. Both teams are vying for the best possible bowl bid.”

The Wildcats are now almost assured of breaking that decade-long bowl drought after walloping the hapless Washington State Cougars 59-28 last week, but Mike Stoops’ squad isn’t content with simply crashing the post-season party.

“Our expectations are much different now,” Stoops said. “Now, we feel like we can compete with the best teams in the country.”

During his five-year tenure as Wildcat head coach, Stoops acknowledged that the rebuilding process hasn’t gone as quickly as he might’ve liked, but he feels great with the foundation his staff has helped build and with the attitude his players approach the game with.

“As a coach, you feel like you can change the world sometimes,” Stoops said. “Unfortunately, you can’t. We certainly have a long way to go still, but we’re continually showing progress.”

A big part of that progress was that exciting win over the Ducks last season. In fact, the Wildcats have defeated Oregon in each of the past two seasons.

Run defense

If that success is going to continue, the Wildcats will need to find a way to corral running backs Jeremiah Johnson and LeGarrette Blount.

In two of the Wildcats’ three losses this season, bruising tailbacks like New Mexico’s Rodney Ferguson and Stanford’s Toby Gerhart tore through the Arizona run defense. Johnson and Blount have combined for 1,566 yards and 25 touchdowns through 10 games.

“Those two are tremendous players,” Stoops said. “Jeremiah is quick and LeGarrette is physical. Both guys can go the distance at any time.”

On the flipside, Oregon’s run defense struggled mightily to contain Stanford’s attack during last Saturday’s 35-28 Ducks’ win. Anthony Kimble picked up 106 yards, breaking a number of Oregon tackles in the process.

Nic Grigsby is coming off a career day against Washington State, rushing for 189 yards. Stoops hopes to see the same type of production out of his sophomore tailback during this Pacific Northwest road trip.

The winner of this crucial tilt will have the pole position on third place in the Pac-10 race, with sights set on Oregon State for second.

“I think Oregon is the toughest place to play in the Pac-10,” Stoops said. “We’ll certainly have our work cut out for us, but we’re excited with the position we’re in.”

Kickoff at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore., is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. with television coverage provided by Fox Sports Arizona.

nprevenas@gvnews.com | 547-9747

Details

Who: Arizona (6-3, 4-2 Pac-10) at Oregon (7-3, 4-2)

Where: Autzen Stadium, Eugene, Ore.

When: 4:30 p.m., MST.

TV: Fox Sports Arizona.

Radio: 1290-AM, 107.5-FM, 990-AM (Spanish)