Arizona vs. Oregon: 5 Ways Mike Stoops' Wildcats Can Down Chip Kelly's Ducks

It's all gone so wrong so quickly.

The season is only heading into Week 4, but Arizona is already entering a potential death spiral, with a 37-10 beatdown by Andrew Luck's Stanford squad following up a 37-14 blowout at Oklahoma State.

Arizona was a heavy underdog entering both contests.

And it had no problem playing the role, falling behind by three touchdowns almost instantly in Stillwater, Okla., before early third-quarter gaffes (missed field goals, an offsides penalty on fourth down) cost Arizona any shot at an upset of the Cardinal.

Another hurting like the one endured in Weeks 2 and 3 could prove fatal to a team whose confidence is already teetering on shattered.

A shot at nationally-witnessed redemption remains, however, as Chip Kelly and the Oregon Ducks, one side of last year's BCS championship game, head to Tucson, Ariz., in a critical ESPN-showcased Pac-12 showdown.

Come inside to see five ways Arizona can pull off a massive upset and salvage the season, and perhaps Mike Stoops' job security in the process.

Match Aggression with Aggression

Arizona's season is on the brink. Now is not the time for timidity.

A stale playbook in the red zone must be replaced by aggressive new schemes that will push Arizona into the end zone and keep the sham that is the field-goal unit off the field.

Despite compiling a healthy amount of yardage, the offense is feeble within 20 yards of the goal line, a side effect of the spread offense which offensive coordinator Seth Littrell must solve right now. A certain running back, who will be named later in this slideshow, might be the key.

Defensively, nastiness is needed. 

Early on against Stanford, Arizona established a physical presence, coming through with jarring hits that shook several of the Cardinal's key players.

Stanford tight end Coby Fleener was blasted deep in Arizona territory by Robert Golden, left the game wobbly and never returned due to concussion-like symptoms.

Cardinal receiver Chris Owusu was slammed to the turf early in the first half and went out with a shoulder injury, though he was able to return to action.

This is not meant to praise injury-causing collisions, but it is proof positive that the defense was growing tired of the embarrassment and proved it by leveling several players when those opportunities arose.

That must continue for the duration against the finesse Ducks.

Rehab the Special Teams

The field-goal unit is a nationwide joke.

The combination of Jaime Salazar and Alex Zendejas have combined to go 1-for-4 on field goals, including two crucial misses when Arizona was still hanging with Stanford midway through the contest last Saturday.

Zendejas was officially named the starter for the Oregon contest earlier this week.

In a memorable flashback from last year's Oregon versus Arizona game which the Ducks won 48-29, Chip Kelly attempted to ice Zendejas by calling two timeouts at the end of the first half only to see the kicker drill a 29-yard field goal.

Zendejas then turned and pointed at Kelly as he ran off the field, a cocky move that may have added to Oregon's angry second-half outburst. 

The Cats haven't exactly been impressive on the return teams, either, offensively or defensively.

There has yet to be a notable kick (22.4-yard average) or punt return (6.0).

And against the opposition's kicks, Arizona has blundered several times, including allowing a long run on a fake punt against Oklahoma State, followed by jumping offsides on what would've been a fourth-down punt versus Stanford. The latter turned into a first down, and eventually a touchdown.

Those were both major turning points that crushed momentum. That can't happen again.

Ka'Deem Carey Needs the Football

Keola Antolin (pictured above) is a lively back, a shifty senior with a sure set of hands out of the backfield.

But at only 5'8" and 195 pounds, he is prone to getting laid out. Antolin cannot carry the load alone.

Insert Ka'Deem Carey. 

Though a true freshman, Carey is one of the most explosive players on the roster, perhaps only trailing senior star and future NFL wideout Juron Criner, in scoring potential.

Yes, Carey is very young and he's prone to making mistakes in the blocking schemes.

But he's also prone to inflicting serious damage on opposing defenses' yards allowed. And as one of the most physically-built backs in the current stable, he just might be the answer near the end zone.

He's the type of offensive talent that Oregon owns en masse, and he'll need to produce like the Ducks stars.

Use him liberally.

Keep Nick Foles on His Feet

Nick Foles is everything.

Without him and Juron Criner, Arizona is of the same caliber as Colorado or Oregon State, a blowout in waiting against just about anyone.

As the best quarterback in school history, the season is all his, with this crew's chances of a decent bowl berth living on his arm.

Foles got loose against Oregon last year, totaling 448 yards and three touchdowns, but that still wasn't enough to stave off a rout. As electric as Foles can be at times, his weakness is finding a means to consistently find the end zone.

In the last two games, Foles was sharp when given the time to throw.

But he has been forced to move around outside the pocket more often than seems comfortable, and every time he is touched by the opposition, the season flashes before the eyes of all Arizona followers.

Against Stanford, he hit his first 17 passes before Stanford began to toy with Arizona's inexperienced offensive line. The Cardinal ended up sacking him five times for a huge chunk of negative yardage.

The brand-new line must continue to grow in a hurry. 

If Foles were to get hurt, the consequences could possibly leak into future, as there is a possibility that Matt Scott, a junior who is expected to be the starter next year in his final season, would have to yank his redshirt.

After Scott, it's the inexperienced Bryson Beirne, a career backup at Arizona.

Speed Up the Defense by Loading Up on Defensive Backs

Arizona's glaring defensive weaknesses appear everywhere except the secondary (although Justin Blackmon may disagree).

Even with two starters out in the defensive backfield due to blown ACLs, there is a richness of depth that needs to be unleashed from that unit.

Arizona is extremely short at linebacker: Paul Vassallo and Derek Earls are solid, but besides those two, really only Rob Hankins, a true freshman, is a viable Pac-12 starter (projected starter Jake Fischer blew out his ACL in the spring).

The defensive line sent three players to the NFL draft last season (Brooks Reed, Ricky Elmore, D'Aundre Reed) and the current crew is having issues matching their production.

That leaves the secondary (which saw starters Adam Hall and Joe McKnight tear ACLs before the year started) as the only unit on the field with exceptional talent and depth.

Sophomore Shaquille Richardson, though going through growing pains, is expected to be a high-caliber player by the time he is done at Arizona.

Trevin Wade was a Jim Thorpe nominee before last season, then turned in a dud of a year, but he appears to be getting retracked.

Robert Golden is a vicious hitter and talker from his safety slot.

Marquis Flowers entered Arizona as one of the elite recruits of the Stoops era, and needs to start living up to that billing. He currently leads the team in tackles (29).

Add in freshmen Cortez Johnson, one of the angriest players on the roster, nickelback Jourdon Grandon and safety Mark Watley, and it appears Arizona owns the athletes in the backfield to equal Oregon's speed.

As Oregon is largely a running team, these guys will need to stay closer to the box, then play physical with receivers at the line of scrimmage when the Ducks do opt to pass.

Get them all on the field as often as possible.