GAME BREAKDOWN
KEY MATCHUP: Oregon run defense vs. Arizona run offense. You can expect Saturday’s game to be physical in the trenches with the way Arizona runs the ball and how Oregon stops it. The Ducks enters the game with Pac-12’s second-best rush defense (116.3 ypg) while the Wildcats have the conference’s second-best rushing offense (196.5 ypg).
Arizona running back JJ Taylor averages 102.1 yards per game, averaging 6.0 yards per carry. Not the biggest player at 5-foot-6, Taylor packs a punch with his 184-pound frame. He’s got great balance when running the ball, often staying low to the ground and bouncing off tackles, making him difficult to bring down. He is the majority of the Arizona offense, touching the ball an average of 18.5 times per game.
The Ducks’ run defense is a nasty bunch.
Oregon gives up just 3.23 yards per carry, the 14th-best mark in the nation. The defense has a combination of size and athleticism, able to stop the run in a multitude of ways as each player understands their role on every play.
Nose tackle Jordon Scott is the anchor, a 329-poung behemoth who plugs up both “A” gaps as well as anybody in college football. Jalen Jelks and Justin Hollins are the edge-setters, players who often take on pulling linemen yet still have the power to set the edge and force the ball carriers back to the middle. That’s where linebackers Troy Dye and Kaulana Apelu, the team’s leading tacklers, come into play. With the opposing offensive line dealing with Oregon’s defensive front, Dye and Apelu are free to dissect and attack.
Arizona’s struggles with health and consistency on the offensive line bode well for an Oregon defense that has made a living in the opponent’s backfield. The Ducks have average 5.6 tackles for loss per game, with Hollins leading the way with nine on the season.
“Their running backs will make you miss; they’re explosive, they’ll create big chunk plays as well — they’re running behind an offensive line that is long, athletic,” Cristobal said of Arizona. “So they present some challenges.”
This is a matchup that features strength against strength. If Arizona can find success running the ball, it might just pull off the upset. But if the Ducks can negate Taylor and the Wildcats running game, Oregon will fly high late in the desert.
DRAFT SLANT
–WR Dillon Mitchell had all the makings of being a No. 1 wide receiver and potential NFL prospect entering this season.
The junior finished last year on a high note, amassing 15 catches for 262 yards and two scores. That spike in production, combined with his natural talents, elevated the expectations for this year — expectations that he wasn’t living up to at the beginning of the season.
Through the first three games, Mitchell had six catches for 98 yards, showing a lack of involvement in the offense and no connection with star quarterback Justin Herbert.
That all changed when the Ducks faced Stanford and its vaunted defense.
Mitchell had one of the best receiving games in Oregon history, finishing with career-highs of 14 catches for 239 yards. He was unstoppable, showing off an array of movies combined with precise route running and strong hands.
He followed up that performance with 15 catches for 224 yards and two touchdowns in the next two games against Cal and Washington, two of the better pass defenses in country. His performance over that three-game span put to rest any sort of notion that Mitchell wasn’t one of the top wideouts in the Pac-12.
“Basically, the coordinators, and even Justin, weren’t showing everything in the first three games,” Mitchell said following the game against Stanford. “As a player like myself, it was definitely hard for the first three games, because I didn’t see the ball as much.”
“Coming into conference play, I knew they’d be coming for me more. I just wanted to put my mark on the game,” Mitchell added.
After a subpar performance last week, Mitchell needs another big game to show that he’s still on track for one of the best receiving seasons in recent Ducks history. On the season, he’s amassed 42 catches for 608 yards and three touchdowns, putting him on pace to finish with 1,000-plus receiving yards on the season — something no Ducks has done since Byron Marshall finished with 1,003 yards in 2014.
Mitchell (6-2, 189) isn’t a burner who takes the top off defenses. But he does show tremendous athleticism and body control, often able to out-jump defensive backs and come down with the ball. He’s also a gifted runner with the ball in his hands, capable of making defenders miss and turning short gains into long ones.
Where he’s improved this year is in press coverage, showing the burst and physicality needed to get off the line of scrimmage and separate downfield against long and athletic corners.
“I don’t think anybody can hold me in the country,” Mitchell said. “I feel the first couple of plays you play DB on me, you realize I might not be known or as hyped as some other guys, but you understand I’m not the guy to press.”
With how naturally gifted Mitchell is, he could face a difficult decision at the end of the year. Leave for a shot at the pros or return and refine his skill-set that could eventually make him a draft pick in the higher rounds.
“I think Dillon is a really special player,” Oregon offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo said.
ROSTER REPORT
–RB CJ Verdell suffered a hip flexor injury last week against Washington State but is still expected to play against Arizona.
–DL Austin Failou didn’t suffer any setbacks last week and is expected to go this week against the Wildcats.
–Backup QB Braxton Burmeister is full-go this week after having a minor knee procedure earlier in the season.
–LB Isaac Slade-Matautia is undergoing an MRI and X-rays after injuring his shoulder against Washington State. His status is unknown for this weekend.
–WR Bryan Addison, a freshman, is serving an in-team suspension for violating a team policy — he is expected to return in a few weeks if he complies with what he needs to do.
–S Ugochukwu Amadi has been named a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, giving to the nation’s best defensive back.
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