Pac-12 Championship Game: Bold Predictions for Arizona vs. Oregon
Before Friday, all we knew was the Oregon Ducks would represent the North in the Pac-12 championship game. However, after Stanford slaughtered UCLA, and Arizona held off Arizona State, the Wildcats earned a berth for a shot at the title as the South's representative.
This is arguably the most intriguing title game that could have come to fruition. The Ducks have been virtually unbeatable for the last two seasons—unless you happen to be Arizona. The Wildcats have knocked off Oregon in two consecutive years, most recently defeating the Ducks 31-24 on their own turf in October.
ESPN Stats & Info tweeted the end result of that contest:
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
There's plenty on the line for both teams, but Arizona can play spoiler for a couple reasons. Oregon is still in line to earn a berth in the inaugural College Football Playoff and Marcus Mariota is leading the Heisman race by a small margin. A big victory by the Wildcats could end both runs.
So, what can we expect from these teams this time around? Well, based on recent history, it's extremely tough to tell. For now, here's a couple of bold predictions for each squad as we await what could become one of the year's most memorable games.
Bold Predictions: Oregon
Marcus Mariota Totals Six Touchdowns
Mariota may be the Heisman front-runner right now, but scoring six total touchdowns in a game is something he hasn't achieved this season. In fact, earlier in the year, he only accounted for two scores against Arizona, tied for his lowest total of any game in 2014. So, what's changed?
Oregon's signal-caller is what lots of analysts love to call a "winner." While that term has been highly overused in the past (see: Tebow, Tim), there's something different about this quarterback. Before 2014, he never defeated Stanford. It was clear how badly he wanted to change that this season, as he racked up four touchdowns and well over 300 yards of offense. Expect him to have that same mentality against the Wildcats.
Arizona hasn't been good against the pass this season, ranking 113th out of 125 eligible teams and allowing an average of 275.9 passing yards per game along with a total of 21 touchdowns through the air this season. That's most certainly a weakness Mariota can exploit.
Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports tweeted Mariota's extremely efficient numbers over the last two seasons:
Combine that favorable matchup and Mariota's tenacity with his ability to run the football, and you get a player who's poised to accumulate a significant amount of touchdowns.
Royce Freeman Throws Another Touchdown Pass
The first time these teams met earlier this season, Mariota scored Oregon's first touchdown in a rather different manner than usual—he caught a pass. The play had Freeman alongside Mariota in shotgun, and the running back appeared to be getting a pitch to the right side. However, he stopped and threw back across the field to his quarterback, who went beast mode on the way to a score.
Here's a look back at the play:
Of course, Oregon will want to pull out all of the stops against an Arizona team that's given it fits over the last couple of years. This play worked once against the Wildcats, so who's to say it won't work again? Freeman showed he has decent accuracy, and getting Mariota into space with the ball in his hands is never a bad thing.
Oregon will make lightning strike twice against Arizona.
Bold Predictions: Arizona
Nick Wilson Rushes for 200 Yards, Three Touchdowns
Wilson was a thorn in Oregon's side when these teams met back in early October, and he'll be once again in the Pac-12 championship game. The freshman ball-carrier rushed 13 times for 92 yards and two scores, adding one 34-yard scoring reception.
He's continued to light it up on the ground since, eclipsing 100 rushing yards in each of his last four games. Wilson's highlight of the season came against the Utah defense. He rushed 20 times for 218 yards and three touchdowns in that contest. If he can achieve that feat against the 65th-ranked Utes, he certainly can against Oregon's 58th-ranked rushing defense.
This kind of tweet from SportsCenter during Arizona's game against Arizona State could be seen again in the near future:
Wilson was instrumental in Arizona's win over Arizona State to end the regular season. He carried 24 times for 178 yards, scoring three touchdowns. He was the team's only running back to receive a carry in that game, and he took full advantage.
With Wilson receiving the team's full workload out of the backfield, and riding some serious momentum heading into the Pac-12 championship game, expect him to do some major damage.
Wildcats Tally 600 Yards of Total Offense
Piggybacking off the prediction that Wilson will rush for 200 yards, that leaves Arizona 400 yards shy of the 600-yard mark. Well, quarterback Anu Solomon will go ahead and pick that up for the Wildcats.
The last time these teams played, Arizona tallied 495 yards of total offense, with 208 rushing yards and 287 passing yards. It's bold, but not too far-fetched, to think they can gain an extra 105 yards this time around. Solomon hasn't been putting up big numbers recently, but he hasn't exactly had the opportunity, as his passing attempts have been limited.
Solomon was even able to put up some decent numbers against the Sun Devils while playing through injury, according to Doug Haller of AZCentral.com:
However, due to Oregon's tendency to score quick points, Arizona will be looking to retaliate with some of their own. The Ducks have been susceptible to big plays through the air this season and rank 114th in the nation against the pass, allowing an average of 276.8 yards per game and 11.11 yards per completion.
Solomon has some talented wide receivers at his disposal, with Cayleb Jones, Samajie Grant and Austin Hill capable of producing big plays. The quarterback may not need to ramp up his passing attempts to gain 400 yards with these weapons against Oregon's porous secondary.
Wilson's prowess on the ground will only help matters, as Arizona will be able to take the top off the Ducks defense if they begin to sell out for the run. This versatile Wildcats offense is in for yet another big day against Oregon—this time in the Pac-12 championship game.
All team statistics and ranking courtesy of NCAA.com and current as of November 28 at 9 p.m. ET.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
