AP/Marcio Jose Sanchez
No. 6 Oregon (8-1, 6-0 Pac-12) vs. Arizona (4-5, 2-5 Pac-12)
When: Nov. 16 at 7:30 p.m. PT
Where: Autzen Stadium, Eugene, Ore.
Betting line: Oregon by 27
TV Channel: ESPN
On air: Radio on 1080 "The Fan" in Portland, KUGN-AM 590 in Eugene
How to watch live online: Stream live on Watch ESPN with your cable provider login
Arizona this season
After a loss at Hawaii came down to the last play, Arizona reeled off four straight wins and was in the thick of things in the Pac-12 South.
Then came four straight losses to Washington, USC, Stanford and even Oregon State.
Defensive coordinator Marcel Yates was fired and Chuck Cecil was promoted to interim DC.
Arizona's offense is still high-powered, though it's facing uncertainty at quarterback at Khalil Tate has been effective at times and erratic at others. Grant Gunnell is precise and the future signal caller for the Wildcats.
But track meets have gone against Arizona against better teams as of late.
AP/Ben Margot
Impact player: QB Khalil Tate
Tate's time as Arizona's starter is coming to an end in unceremonious fashion. He's completing 62 percent of his passes for 1,633 yards with 12 touchdowns and eight interceptions and has 312 rushing yards and three scores, but has split time with Grant Gunnell.
AP/Rick Scuteri
Impact player: QB Grant Gunnell
Gunnell is clearly the future of the position for the Wildcats. The only question is whether that is full-time starting now or to open the 2020 season. He's completed 66.4 percent of his passes for 1,061 yards with nine touchdowns and one interception.
AP/Rick Scuteri
Impact player: LB Colin Schooler
The junior linebacker leads the Wildcats with 72 tackles, though that's considerably off his pace of last season.
AP/Marcio Jose Sanchez
Impact player: RB J.J. Taylor
Taylor had 566 yards and five touchdowns this season but Oregon knows exactly what he's capable of. If not for Oregon State's putrid defense, Taylor's career-high would be the 212 yards on 30 carries he had against the Ducks last season.
AP/Marcio Jose Sanchez
Impact player: CB Jace Whittaker
Whittaker has 39 tackles with five pass breakups and a team-high three interceptions. If there's a defensive back to be concerned about in the U of A secondary, he's it.
AP/Rick Scuteri
Did you know?
- Arizona has beaten Oregon each of the past three matchups where the Wildcats enter unranked and the Ducks enter ranked.
- Arizona has had five plays go for 70 or more yards this season. Only Oklahoma State, Alabama, Colorado State and UCF have more.
AP/Elaine Thompson
- Over the last 12 matchups between Oregon and Arizona, Oregon is 7-0 when scoring more than 40 points per game and 0-5 when scoring less than 40
- Oregon is third nationally with a +12.78 scoring differential in the second half.
Threat level (1 lowest to 5 highest): 2
If Arizona's defense hadn't fallen off a cliff this would be a more formidable matchup. The Wildcats can score in bunches and clearly took the Ducks to the woodshed last season, but these teams have gone in opposite directions since.
Regardless of who starts at quarterback, it's hard to see Arizona's receivers posing a serious threat to Oregon's secondary on a consistent basis.
Ultimately, there's a reason the line is four scores in this game.
Early prediction: Oregon 55 Arizona 28
Pregame reading
- Oregon Ducks RBs CJ Verdell, Cyrus Habibi-Likio, RG Dallas Warmack full participants in practice
- What Mario Cristobal said as Oregon prepares to host Arizona
- Oregon Ducks open as 3-touchdown favorites against Arizona
- Statistically speaking: Oregon Ducks lead country in turnover margin after second bye week
- CJ Verdell's durability could determine how season ends for Oregon Ducks
Oregon athletics
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