Arizona Football: 7 Key Ducks To Prepare for Before Saturday's Game

No. 10 Oregon Ducks vs. Arizona Wildcats

Kickoff time: 7:15 PM

Tucson, AZ

These two Pac-12 teams start their conference play in a game with huge importance for both programs.

Oregon comes into this matchup as hot as any team in the country, ready to make a surge back into national championship contention.

Arizona, on the other hand, comes into Saturday’s matchup with back-to-back losses to top 10 teams (Oklahoma State & Stanford).

The Ducks are loaded with talent across the board, so I went ahead and made a list of seven Ducks that Wildcats should be aware of.

With so much talent from both teams, and so much on the line, expect this to be one of the best games of the college football weekend.

Darron Thomas: Quarterback

Oregon’s star quarterback, Darron Thomas, has put up some gaudy numbers this season (55-of-88, 741 yards with 10 TDs and only one interception). Part of Thomas’ success is because of Oregon’s weak schedule thus far.

Besides a tough defense in LSU opening week, the Ducks have gone up against a depleted Nevada squad and FCS Missouri State. In Oregon’s first two games, Thomas overthrew a lot of receivers and didn’t look as sharp as he was in the national championship game last season.

With that said, Thomas did play much better last week (albeit against FCS Missouri State) and appears to be more on target with his receivers.

We all know how good Arizona’s passing attack is (5^th in the country at 364 yards per game) so expect this to be a very high scoring game.

Bryan Bennett: Backup Quarterback

Not to reopen old wounds or accuse the Wildcats of anything malicious, but the Ducks have had a history of losing their starting quarterback whilst playing the Wildcats in Tucson.

In 2005, Oregon lost starting quarterback Kellen Clemens to a broken ankle. The Ducks were 6-1 and climbing college football’s top 25 when the injury occurred. In 2007, the Ducks were ranked No. 2 in the country and were led by Heisman trophy frontrunner, Dennis Dixon. Dixon went down with a season ending knee injury that ruined the Ducks’ season.

Again, I’m not accusing anybody of anything, but I know what history tells me. Oregon’s backup quarterback is a man by the name of Bryan Bennett. Bennett has seen limited time (7-of-13, 95 yards, two TDs) but has made the most of it.

He isn’t as skilled as Thomas, only being a redshirt freshman, and having to go with Bennett in a close game could be disastrous for Oregon.

LaMichael James: Running Back

Oregon’s offense is primarily known for two things: speed, and LaMichael James. James is arguably the best running back in college football, coming off of two stellar seasons and continuing that success into 2011.

While James did struggle against LSU in Oregon’s opening game, a lot of the difficulties should be chalked up to the offensive line’s failure to create running lanes. So far, James has 544 total yards on the season, and seven total touchdowns from rushes, pass receptions and a punt return for a score.

With how bad Arizona’s run defense is, James should easily get over 100 yards on the ground with a score or two.

De’Anthony Thomas: Running Back / Wide Receiver

Oregon’s offense so far has relied primarily on LaMichael James (previous slide) and true freshman De’Anthony Thomas. Thomas has 495 total yards on the young 2011 season, putting him in line to have the biggest season in Oregon history as true freshman.

Thomas has had a bad string of drops and fumbles, especially on special teams, thus far. Against LSU, Thomas coughed the ball on two critical fumbles that led to two touchdowns for the Tigers.

Arizona’s fast and smart defense should try and force Thomas into making more careless mistakes.

Ricky Heimuli: Defensive Tackle

Oregon’s main struggle in 2011 has been the defense’s inability to stop the run. The D-line has not been able to penetrate opposing offensive lines or put any pressure on the quarterback.

Oregon’s interior linemen, Taylor Hart and Ricky Heimuli, have been unable to stop or even slow the run game at all. Both defensive tackles are replacing last season’s starters (Brandon Bair, Zac Clark) and the lack of experience is proving costly.

Arizona has been horrid at running the ball in 2011 (116^th in the country), only averaging 55.7 yards per game on the ground. The question must be asked:

Which is worse, Oregon’s run defense or Arizona’s running attack? Both lines are equally terrible.

Kiko Alonso: Middle Linebacker

Alonso was supposed to be the starting linebacker for the Ducks, but an offseason incident landed Alonso an indefinite suspension that lasted for a game and a half.

Alonso has stepped up in his limited playing time and been the interior load the Ducks have needed at linebacker.

In order to help out against Arizona’s strong passing game, Alonso will likely drop into coverage and help bail out the secondary.

Alonso will need to have a big game for the Ducks' defense to slow down Arizona's offense.

Cliff Harris: Cornerback

Like Alonso (previous slide), Oregon lost its star cornerback, Cliff Harris, for a game and a half from a suspension handed out this offseason. Many analysts believe Harris is one of the best, if not the best, cornerback in the country.

Harris’ famous “Lock S@#& Down” mantra is part of what makes him such a great corner. In 2010, Harris totaled 17 PBUs and six interceptions and did it with swagger like no other.

What a lot of people don’t know, or chose to overlook, is that Harris gets beat more than any other defensive back for the Ducks. In last season’s matchup between the Ducks and Wildcats, Harris was the corner covering Arizona’s star wide receiver Juron Criner.

Criner put up 108 yards receiving and two touchdowns on Harris, who was beat all night by a number of receivers. Nick Foles passed for 448 yards on what is typically a stout secondary, and a lot of those yards were Harris’ fault.

Harris can be a lockdown corner, but sometimes pride and cockiness gets him turned around and beat deep.