Cats lose heartbreaker, 44-41

TUCSON — It’ll be at least another year before the Arizona Wildcats take part in their first Rose Bowl.

It’ll be much longer before this 44-41 double-overtime loss to Oregon stops stinging.

The Wildcats (6-4, 4-3) hoped to use this nationally televised contest to showcase its resurgent football program and prove that it belonged in the Pac-10 title conversation.

For 57 minutes, it appeared as if the Cats were going to do just that.

However, potential Pac-10 Player of the Year Jeremiah Masoli put together a clutch performance for the ages, leading a last-second touchdown drive in regulation and dominating the overtime period. Masoli passed for 284 yards, rushed for 61 more and accounted for all six Oregon (9-2, 7-1) touchdowns.

Nick Foles finished 30-46 for 314 yards and four touchdowns (three to Juron Criner, who enjoyed his finest game as a Wildcat), but it wasn’t quite enough.

Oregon started the game with a statement drive -- an eight-play, 74-yard march aided by some missed UA tackles and a Devin Ross pass interference penalty. Masoli scampered in from 14 yards to put the Ducks ahead 7-0.

Arizona had a chance to answer, but David Douglas fumbled the ball on a curl route three yards short of the goal line. Oregon recovered the loose pigskin.

Despite two Masoli fumbles on the ensuing drive (both recovered by Oregon), the Ducks kept plugging away, leading to Jeff Maehl’s nine-yard touchdown reception to give Oregon a 14-0 lead.

Arizona couldn’t catch a break until Cam Nelson tipped a Masoli pass into Sterling Lewis’ hands deep in Oregon territory. The Wildcats pounced on the opportunity and scored five plays later. Juron Criner snagged a five-yard touchdown on a fade pattern where he out-muscled the overmatched Oregon corner.

The Cats put another score on the board just before halftime. Alex Zendejas booted through a 47-yard field goal (his career long) to make the score 14-10 Oregon at intermission.

Just 10 seconds into the third quarter, Oregon’s Brandon Bair drew a 15-yard hands to the face penalty, perhaps signaling a shift in the momentum. Arizona spent the third quarter playing virtually mistake-free football, while Oregon started shooting itself in the foot (penalties, missed tackles, shanked punts, questionable play calls).

Nick Booth scored the period’s only touchdown, an eight-yard plunge on a gutsy draw play that caught Oregon completely out of position.

Arizona had a chance to extend its lead after another extended drive, but Zendejas pulled a 24-yard chip shot wide left, keeping the score at 17-14. This was a missed opportunity the Wildcats would later deeply regret.

The Cats took a 24-14 lead early in the fourth quarter when Foles hit Bug Wright for a five-yard touchdown pass.

Oregon answered right back with a 79-yard drive, capped by Masoli’s one-yard touchdown plunge. At the 8:02 mark, Morgan Flint’s 43-yard field goal tied the game at 24.

That field goal is going to go down in Arizona lore. Flint’s field goal didn’t travel higher than 20 feet and it struck the crossbar, barely bouncing across. A millimeter in the other direction, and that kick is no good. Ouch.

Just 19 seconds later, Criner appeared to seal the game for the Cats with an explosive 71-yard run off a perfectly executed bubble screen. Criner split the defense and shook off a pair of Oregon defenders on his way to paydirt.

Oregon tied the game with a 15-play, 80-yard drive, led by (who else?) Jeremiah Masoli. He orchestrated a brilliant game-saving drive in an incredibly hostile environment.

In overtime, Masoli connected with Maehl for the first post-regulation score. Foles answered with a touchdown pass to Criner (aided by a facemasking penalty that gave UA a second life).

Should Stoops have gone for the two-point conversion there, considering

In the second overtime period, Zendejas made up for his earlier miscue by nailing a 41-yard field goal to put Arizona up 41-38. It would be up to Arizona’s exhausted defense to come up with another stand.

It could not.

Oregon is now in the driver’s seat for the Pac-10’s Rose Bowl berth.

After that gut-wrenching defeat, the Wildcats need to somehow rebound and take on their archrivals in Tempe, the Arizona State Sun Devils, at 1:30 p.m.

nprevenas@gvnews.com | 547-9747