Foles throws for 415 yards in 43-38 win

TUCSON -- Football fans looking for a low-scoring, predictable defensive stand-off need to look elsewhere.

Last night’s 43-38 shootout between Arizona (4-2, 2-1 Pac-10) and Stanford (4-3, 3-2) featured gut-wrenching drama, numerous lead changes and some of the wildest plays we’ve seen in this young season.

“We’re obviously excited and proud of tonight’s win,” said Arizona head coach Mike Stoops. “Each win is special and very hard to come by. It’s not easy to play in a conference like ours.”

A game like this will wreak havoc on a team’s defensive statistics. The Wildcats and the Cardinal combined for 1,137 yards of total offense and 49 first downs.

Arizona came into this game ranked No. 16 in the nation in total defense at 281.1 yards per game. While that ranking is sure to plummet, the defense came up with three major stops in the fourth quarter after having next to no success slowing down Andrew Luck, Toby Gerhart and the Cardinal offense.

“It’s heartbreaking,” Luck said. “I’ve played sports for a long time and I’ve lost a lot of games in a lot of sports, but this one stinks the most.”

Stanford fans would probably have a tough time believing you if you told them that Luck (a redshirt freshman) would throw for a career-high 423 yards, while Gerhart would pick up 109 yards and two touchdowns and Arizona would come away with the win, but that’s exactly what happened.

“It was a very tough loss,” said Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh. “We’ll find a way to bounce back, but this hurts.”

Gerhart tweaked his ankle midway through the fourth quarter and was unable to run with the same vigor late in the game.

In a game that shared more than a passing resemblance to last week’s 36-33 Washington loss, Arizona found itself in the opposite position. Stanford owned a 12-minute time-of-possession advantage and probably feels like it played well enough to win the ballgame, but the Wildcats kept the game within striking distance and made enough big plays in crucial situations to steal the victory in front of 53,479 rowdy Cats fans in attendance.

Nick Foles continued his outstanding play, completing 40 of 51 passes (78 percent) for a career-high 415 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. With the running game stagnant for most of the game, Foles led the offense with a series of short passes and allowed his wide receivers to make big plays after the catch.

Juron Criner enjoyed his breakout game, hauling in 12 catches for 152 yards. Terrell Turner added nine catches for 101 yards and a touchdown. David Douglas, who is quickly becoming one of Foles’ favorite targets, tallied seven catches for 92 yards and two scores.

“Our wideouts played exceptionally tonight, and I’m very encouraged by Nick and his abilities to put the ball into some tight spots.”

Even though Stanford did an excellent job stuffing Arizona’s rushing attack for most of the night, the Cats were able to get a pair of huge plays from their ground game.

Early in the fourth quarter, redshirt freshman Greg Nwoko sprinted untouched for 43 yards to close Stanford’s lead to 38-36.

And in the play of the game (and perhaps the season), Nic Grigsby shook off a rough outing to break open a draw play on third-and-17 and take it 57 yards for the game-winning score. Grigsby has submitted some outstanding runs in his three-year career, but this might’ve been his most impressive play yet, given the circumstances. The Cats desperately needed a big play to keep the drive alive, and Grigsby darted out of harm’s way on no less than three occasions and ran into the end zone untouched.

Arizona opened the scoring with a 79-yard interception return for a touchdown from Robert Golden, but it would be the best play the defense would make until the fourth quarter. Stanford’s 38 points was the most anyone has scored against the Wildcats since 2001.

In addition, Luck set a single-game record in total offense, compiling 454 yards (423 passing, 20 rushing and even 11 receiving).

Wideout Chris Owusu had a career day, as well, hauling in five passes for 116 yards and a touchdown and submitting a standout day on kick-return duty, collecting 164 yards on six returns.

Special teams was a problem, once again, for the Wildcats. Alex Zendejas had an early extra-point blocked, which put the Wildcats at a serious disadvantage late in the game. In addition, he was pulled from kickoff duty after another short kick and replaced by John Bonano.

The kick-coverage unit didn’t do the Wildcats any favors, either, as Stanford consistently took over with excellent field position.

However, these problems weren’t enough to keep the Wildcats from reclaiming their momentum in this wacky Pac-10 race.

Arizona caught a big break at the 12:20 mark of the fourth quarter when Stanford kicker Nate Whitaker pulled his 36-yard field goal attempt left. That score would’ve put Stanford up two touchdowns, but the missed kick led to Nwoko’s aforementioned touchdown jaunt.

The Cats came up with another big defensive stand after Nwoko fumbled the exchange with Foles deep in Arizona territory. The Cardinal took over on the 27-yard line, but couldn’t convert on fourth-and-one, leading to the loudest cheer of the night.

“Toby [Gerhart] going down [with that ankle injury] changed the play,” Harbaugh said.

On the ensuing drive, Grigsby scored the go-ahead touchdown with 2:57 left, leaving the game in the hands of Arizona’s defense.

Luck connected with Doug Baldwin for a 36-yard completion to move the ball into Arizona territory. With Gerhart having such an immense impact on the game, Arizona was forced to play eight- and nine-man fronts, leaving Stanford’s wide receivers and tight ends facing single coverage all night.

However, Arizona’s defense stood tall, with Trevin Wade (Arizona’s defensive MVP through six games) coming up with the final stop, deflecting a fade pass intended for Owusu with less than 20 seconds on the clock.

With the win, Arizona moves into a four-way tie for third in the Pac-10 standings. Oregon is the conference’s lone undefeated team in Pac-10 play at 3-0.

The Wildcats will be back in action next week, when UCLA comes to Arizona Stadium for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff. TV coverage will be provided by Fox Sports Arizona.

Quick hits

* Arizona (553) and Stanford (584) combined for 1,137 yards of total offense.

* Stanford’s 38 points was the most Arizona’s defense had given up since 2001.

* Toby Gerhart picked up 109 yards for his fifth 100-yard game of the season, but an ankle injury in the fourth quarter limited his effectiveness in crunch time.

* Arizona hosts UCLA on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

* Former Baywatch star David Hasselhoff sang the national anthem.

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