Two perfect records will be put on the line Thursday night as the Arizona Wildcats face off against the Oregon Ducks for a Pac 12 conference matchup. Both teams are two of the remaining three unbeaten squads in the Pac 12 as UCLA also has a perfect record. This is a rivalry matchup of sorts considering Oregon was upset by the Wildcats last season after leading the series 9-1. Marcus Mariota intends on having a much better game than last season in hopes of keeping their No. 2 ranking.
Mariota is coming off a bye week after the team eased their way through some non-conference matchups. The quarterback tossed two interceptions in the loss to Arizona last year, something he does not intend to repeat. The Ducks are fresh off a 38-31 win over Washington State while winning their non-conference games by an average of 34.0 points. The Ducks have a sour taste in their mouths when it comes to Arizona. The Wildcats ruined their chances at making a BCS bowl appearance after getting the 42-16 win and stunning college football in the process.
Mariota returns as the frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy. He currently ranks second in football with 11.82 yards per play and a 218.0 passer rating. He was sacked a high seven times against Washington State which will be a focal point for Arizona in order to beat the quarterback. The Ducks have injuries that could play a major factor as offensive line starters Jake Fisher and Andre Yruretagoyena are expected to miss the matchup. Despite the shaky line, the offense is still managing 555.2 yards per game.
The defense could have their hands full as Arizona averaging 593.8 yards per game, ranking sixth in the country. The Ducks rank 10th in the conference in defense, allowing 443.5 yards per game including 436 yards to the Cougars. Anu Solomon leads the team with 1,454 yards and 13 touchdowns to being the year. He got the Wildcards a late 49-45 comeback-win over California at the end of September. It took a Hail Mary pass to Austin Hill to get the win in the final play. The quarterback finished with 520 passing yards, something he intends to repeat against the Ducks.