Oregon Beats Arizona 51-13; Ducks are Pac 12 Champions

Picture Courtesy of Arizona Athletics

By Francisco Romero

Third time’s a charm for the Oregon Ducks.  Oregon beat Arizona for the first time in their last three games 51-13. 

With the win Oregon claims the Pac 12 championship.

Oregon had a tough time scoring a touchdown in the first quarter.  The Arizona defense limited the ducks to only 6 points (two field goals). 

Arizona did not score in the first half of the game.

With 7:27 to go in the second quarter, Oregon’s Heisman Trophy candidate Marcus Mariota ran 7 yards for his first touchdown, while giving the Ducks a 13-0 lead.

The half ended with a 17-0 Oregon lead.

Mariota finished the game with 313 passing yards on 25-of-38 passes and 2 touchdowns, he also ran for 3 touchdowns.

With the five touchdowns, Mariota extended his own Pac-12 single season record for total touchdowns to 53 (38 pass, 14 rush, 1 rec).

Arizona’s starting quarterback Anu Solomon had a tough time getting his offense into a rhythm.  Solomon was benched in the third quarter and replaced by Jesse Scroggins.

Solomon finished the game with 34 passing yard on 6-of-12 passes. 

Arizona’s first touchdown came in the third quarter, a 69-yard pass to Caleb Jones from Jesse Scroggins.

The Ducks avenged their only loss of the season.  The Wildcats beat the Ducks back on October 2^nd in Eugene 31-24.  It was the only loss for the Ducks this season.

Since losing to Arizona, the Ducks have now won eight games in a row.

The Ducks hare now 2-0 in Pac-12 championship games.

Oregon is headed to the first ever college football playoffs, although it has not been officially announced.

Despite the loss, the Arizona Wildcats season has been a memorable one and the Cats are expected to play in a major bowl game.