PLAYERS TO WATCH
–QB Rhett Rodriguez, the son of former Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez, completed 15-of-34 passes for 231 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions, in his first start last week, a 31-30 loss at UCLA. He seemed to play better than the numbers indicated, however, as his decision-making and touch on the deep ball helped the Wildcats amass 520 yards. As of Monday, coach Kevin Sumlin had not indicated whether injured starter Khalil Tate would play this week. If not, Rodriguez will get the call vs. Oregon.
–RB JJ Taylor has a team-high 817 yards on 137 carries — an average of 6.0 — and he’s particularly effective on plays to the outside. His 158-yard outing against UCLA was tainted when he was caught from behind at the end of a long run by safety Darnay Holmes, who punched the ball out and through the end zone for a touchback.
–LB Colin Schooler has been Arizona’s best player all year, and he added three tackles for loss against UCLA. He has made 81 stops, including 14.5 for loss — one more than he had all of last season as a true freshman. In the past 10 seasons at Arizona, only linebacker Scooby Wright in 2014 had more tackles for loss (29).
–DT Dereck Boles has been a steady presence on the Arizona defensive line with 23 tackles while often taking on double teams. He bulled his way through the line against UCLA for a strip-sack and a fumble recovery.
SERIES HISTORY: Oregon leads Arizona 26-16, including two in a row. The Ducks won 48-28 in Eugene last season. The Wildcats beat the No. 2 Ducks 31-24 when the teams last met in Tucson, in 2014.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “There are positives. You can say that his play really gave us the opportunity at the end of the game to have a chance. That’s what you want when you have a backup quarterback playing a conference game on the road at night. It’s a tough situation for a guy who has not played a lot.” — Coach Kevin Sumlin, on QB Rhett Rodriguez making his first career start Saturday night at UCLA.
