Oregon Football: What Ducks Must Do to Avoid Being Upset by Arizona, Again

42 -16.

The Oregon Ducks have had to live with that final score in their heads for the past 313 days.

In order to avoid another upset at the hands of the Arizona Wildcats, the Ducks must do a better job of protecting quarterback Marcus Mariota, containing Arizona’s potent offense and winning the turnover battle.

The Ducks lost to Arizona last year in Tuscon for a plethora of reasons. While it’s obvious that Oregon was still torn up about a loss against Stanford two weeks prior and it’s easy to blame Mariota’s sprained MCL, those issues still should have been easy enough to overcome against a less-talented Arizona team.

However, Oregon was simply manhandled on both sides of the ball by the Wildcats. The Ducks quit on the game and didn’t even bother competing in the second half.

Let’s examine what the Ducks need to do better against Arizona this time around in order to keep their undefeated season alive.

Dean Hare/Associated Press

Protect Marcus Mariota

Despite the fact that Marcus Mariota passed for 308 yards and two touchdowns against the Wildcats last year, it was one of the worst performances of his Oregon career. Through 10 games last season, Mariota had yet to throw an interception; however, against Arizona he threw two picks. In fact, up until last year’s matchup against Arizona, Mariota had only thrown six interceptions as Oregon’s quarterback.

"It hurts," Mariota said of the loss at the time, according to The Associated Press. "I haven't been blown out like this in my life."

Of course, Mariota was playing on a sprained MCL, limiting his ability to make plays outside of the pocket. In order to avoid another upset to Arizona, Mariota is going to have to be protected by Oregon’s offensive line, something that didn’t happen in Oregon’s last game against Washington State.

We know Oregon’s offensive line has been decimated by injuries. It appears as though the Ducks will start the same front five as they did against the Cougars 12 days ago, which is cause for concern. The Ducks allowed Mariota to be sacked seven times on the night and committed numerous penalties along the way.

The Ducks need for Mariota to be at his best against a hungry Arizona team that will be looking to pounce on Oregon’s supposed weakness. The goal for the offensive line shouldn’t be to prevent Arizona’s aggressiveness, it should be to keep Mariota upright and give him enough time to make plays with both his arm and his legs, something he was not able to do last year against the Wildcats.

As long as Mariota is able to escape the pocket and make plays down the field, the Ducks should be able to take down Arizona and make a statement along the way.

Dean Hare/Associated Press

Contain Arizona’s Offense

While the Ducks actually out-gained Arizona last year 506-482, the Wildcats ran all over Oregon’s defense and controlled the time of possession. Yes, time of possession doesn’t matter to the Ducks; however, it was a factor as the Wildcats continually ran for first downs and didn’t give the Ducks an opportunity to launch a comeback.

Running back Ka’Deem Carey, now with the NFL’s Chicago Bears, gained 206 yards on 43 carries and scored four touchdowns. In total, the Wildcats ran for 308 yards against the Ducks. Oregon couldn’t contain the run game, and it cost them a shot at the Pac-12 conference title and an appearance in the Rose Bowl.

This year, the Wildcats offense has turned into an aerial attack akin to Washington State’s “Air Raid” offense. Redshirt freshman quarterback Anu Solomon has already attempted 175 passes this season, converting 111 of them for 1,454 yards and 13 touchdowns. While the running game is still in good hands with freshman Nick Wilson, who has gained 482 yards on 77 carries and scored four touchdowns, Arizona’s offense has lived and died by the pass this season.

Arizona offense is ranked No. 6 in the NCAA in terms of total offense. The Wildcats have gained 2,375 yards in four games this season—1,463 passing and 912 on the ground.

Meanwhile, Oregon’s defense is ranked No. 95 in the NCAA in terms of total defense, having yielded 1,744 yards this season. The Ducks have given up 1,261 yards through the air, which ranks No. 119 in the NCAA.

In order for the Ducks to avoid another loss to Arizona, Oregon’s defense is going to need to limit Arizona’s passing yards and force the Wildcats to make big plays on third downs, something they did very well against the Ducks last season when they converted 11 of 16 on third down.

What’s the solution to containing Arizona’s wildly successful passing game? Get pressure on the freshman quarterback Solomon and make him feel uncomfortable in the pocket. Oregon’s secondary, though they’ve struggled as a unit so far this season, has two of the best playmakers in the Pac-12 in cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu and safety Erick Dargan.

If Oregon is able to contain Arizona’s passing attack, the Ducks should be able to come away with a solid conference victory. Of course, it also would help to get the ball back to Marcus Mariota as much as possible. In other words, the Ducks defense needs to force some turnovers.

Steve Dykes/Getty Images

Win the Turnover Battle

Oregon rarely loses the turnover battle, especially with Marcus Mariota under center. However, against the Wildcats last season, the Ducks committed three turnovers, two of which were interceptions by Mariota, and the Ducks defense failed to force a turnover. You’re not going to win many college football games when you’re minus-three in the turnover battle. 

If the Ducks are to defeat the Wildcats on Thursday night, they’re going to need to have a positive turnover margin.

We know Mariota is going to protect the football. The Ducks junior quarterback has only thrown 10 interceptions on 818 pass attempt in his college career. Oregon’s offense has only committed one turnover so far this season, which ranks first in college football.

That means that, unless something out of the ordinary happens, it will be on the Ducks defense to force the issue and take the ball away from Arizona’s pass-happy offense.

If the Ducks can win the turnover battle, they will beat Arizona and avenge their loss to the Wildcats last season.

The Ducks will be ready to go come Thursday night. While they may not talk about the R-word (revenge), they’ll certainly be thinking about it before kickoff. This isn’t just about grabbing another conference win and moving on to next week’s game against UCLA. This game means something more. It is head coach Mark Helfrich’s first opportunity to avenge a loss. It’s bigger than just another Pac-12 game.

Plus, the Ducks will be styling in their new breast cancer awareness uniforms.

Is there a better way to exact revenge than to do it while wearing pink duds for a good cause?

Jason Gold is Bleacher Report’s lead Oregon writer. Follow Jason on Twitter @TheSportsGuy33.