Oregon Ducks Look to Hold Off the Arizona Wildcats: Keys To a Win For the Ducks

The No. 1-ranked Oregon Ducks take on the Arizona Wildcats this Friday at Autzen for what is to be one of many big games this weekend in college football. 

This weekend is a turning point in the season, and the Ducks know it.

A bye week helped to take things slow, take a look at the film against Cal and have some time for the injured players to get a rest. LaMichael James was not on the injury report at the start of the week and he has been in full pads and full speed all week.

Arizona brings in an overrated offense that is carried by their tough defense. 

Quarterback Nick Foles has only thrown for 13 touchdowns, which leads someone to take a look at their rushing game, but that only has produced 990 yards on the ground this season between two different backs. 

With that said, you need a great defense if you are going to win on the road in a tough environment, and Arizona does. Also, the Wildcats have a blueprint to use after evaluating the California defense that held Oregon to 15 points, but someone would have to know Chip Kelly has been up all night watching re-runs of that game over and over again.

Keys to the Game

Arizona

The only way Arizona wins this game is if they find a way take the crowd out of it in the first quarter. That being said, at Autzen, that is nearly impossible. And I say the first quarter mainly because Oregon has struggled coming out strong at Autzen this year. They were scoreless against a weak Washington team and had only three points against Stanford.

The Wildcats have to know that the Ducks will come out flying (no pun intended), with the crowd behind them and the swagger of the No. 1 team in the country. They have to keep the first quarter reasonable and in their favor.

They do so by winning the turnovers.

The Wildcats know that they can slow down Oregon's offense just as good as the Golden Bears did, but when the Ducks offense is down, the defense usually creates some turnovers that lead to multiple touchdowns and the game is out of reach. 

Lastly, they cannot give up 50-yard punt and kickoff returns by Cliff Harris and Josh Huff. Again, that is hard to do, but if they sleep on punts and kickoffs, they are making a critical mistake.

Oregon

Oregon comes out as a big favorite in this game, and I really do not see this one coming within two touchdowns. 

That being said, the Ducks cannot get carried away. The season is coming to a close; they have the national title game in their sight and they cannot overlook these two finishing games. 

The one thing that Oregon needs to do is limit turnovers, mainly by the quarterback. Darron Thomas needs to be patient, wait for those passing lanes to open up and keep great balance through all of his throws. If he is throwing off his heels, and trying to force passes that are not there just for a great show for the crowd, it could be a real disaster. 

Just like Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari has always said to his point guards, "Move fast, but think slow."  To me, a quarterback is a point guard on the football field. They run the show, and if Darron cannot slow his mind down, making him antsy with all of his decisions, that Arizona defense is going to eat him up. 

Conclusion

To me, this game is a 20-point-plus blowout. Oregon comes out scoring on its first drive, the defense steps up with a turnover on the Wildcat's first drive and the game is out of reach from there. But, Oregon cannot come out thinking lightly of this struggling Arizona team. They have lost their previous two games, one by a field goal at home against the Trojans, so they will be fired up and looking to spoil Oregon's shot at the national title. 

Go Ducks!

Prediction: Oregon 45, Arizona 10