No. 11 Oregon tops Arizona 44-41 in 2OT
November 22, 2009
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP)—Jeremiah Masoli carried Oregon one step closer to the RoseBowl.
The Ducks’ gifted quarterback tied it with a touchdown pass to Ed Dicksonwith six seconds left, then won it with a 1-yard run in the second overtime asNo. 11 Oregon defeated Arizona 44-41 on Saturday night and took a big steptoward the Pac-10 title.
Masoli threw for three scores and ran for three more as the Ducks ralliedfrom a 24-14 deficit early in the fourth quarter.
“Our guys didn’t flinch,” Oregon coach Chip Kelly said.
The Ducks (9-2, 7-1 Pac-10) will earn a Pac-10 title and Rose Bowl berthwith a victory over No. 20 Oregon State in a winner-take-all Civil War on Dec. 3in Eugene.
Nick Foles threw four TD passes for Arizona (6-4, 4-3), which was eliminatedfrom Rose Bowl contention.
“That was a real tough loss, especially for the kids,” Arizona coach MikeStoops said. “We did really well tonight with getting Oregon out of theircomfort zone. They’ve got a very good quarterback, and that is definitely whatmakes the difference.”
After Masoli hit Jeff Maehl for a 4-yard score on Oregon’s first overtimepossession, Foles hit Juron Criner with a 3-yard strike to tie it at 38-38.
Alex Zendejas kicked a 41-yard field goal to give Arizona a 41-38 lead inthe second overtime. But Oregon answered quickly.
Masoli hit Dickson for 22 yards, and three plays later the quarterbackbulled over from a yard out.
Oregon tied it at 31-31 when Masoli hit Dickson in the back of the end zonefor an 8-yard score.
That came after another minor miracle for the Ducks. Oregon had tied it at24-24 midway through the final quarter on a 43-yard field goal by Morgan Flint—a line-drive kick that hit the crossbar and bounced through the uprights.
Arizona took a 31-24 lead midway through the fourth quarter on a 71-yardscreen pass from Foles to Criner, who outraced the defense to the end zone,fighting off two defenders over the final 10 yards.
Arizona appeared ready to run the clock out on its next possession. ButOregon’s Talmadge Jackson III picked off a pass in the end zone, giving theDucks one last shot.
They took over at their own 20 with 3:11 to play. With red-clad Arizonastudents ringing the sidelines, Masoli guided the Ducks downfield in 15 playsand 3:05, scoring with six ticks to spare.
Under pressure all night, Masoli ran for two scores and threw for two morein regulation.
On a 70-degree night in the desert, Wildcats faithful packed Arizona Stadiumfor one of the bigger games in school history. But this was a matchup few hadcircled in September.
The Wildcats were picked to finish eighth in a preseason poll of reportersregularly assigned to the conference. Oregon, meanwhile, seemed adrift afteropening with a 19-8 defeat at Boise State—a loss that made national news whentailback LeGarrette Blount punched a Broncos player after the game and wassuspended for the season.
Blount was reinstated this month, but the Ducks’ ground attack didn’t miss abeat with freshman LaMichael James, who entered the game with an Oregonfreshman-record 1,193 yards.
Oregon had scored at least 40 points in six of seven Pac-10 games, includingits last four, and the Ducks looked unstoppable on the game’s openingpossession. They marched 74 yards in nine plays, with Masoli snaking 14 yards upthe middle to give Oregon a 7-0 lead.
Masoli made it 14-0 with another big play early in the second quarter.Masoli spun out of a sack, scrambled to his right and pegged the ball to Maehl,who caught it in the midst of three defenders and then dove into the end zonefor a 9-yard TD.
Early in the second quarter, Arizona’s defense came up with a play thatturned the momentum. Free safety Cam Nelson deflected Masoli’s pass, andlinebacker Sterling Lewis intercepted at Oregon’s 44.
Five plays later, Foles lobbed a 5-yard touchdown pass to Criner, whosnatched the ball away from cornerback Cliff Harris in the back corner of theend zone.
Arizona stuffed Oregon on its next possession, and the Wildcats went 37yards in 49 seconds, drawing within 14-10 on a career-long 47-yard field goal byAlex Zendejas as the first half ended.
Arizona took its first lead, 17-10, on an 8-yard run by fourth-stringtailback Nick Booth five minutes into the third quarter.
The Wildcats made it 24-14 early in the fourth quarter on a 5-yard strikefrom Foles to William Wright 1:03 into the final quarter.
The Ducks responded with a 10-play, 79-yard march that took only 2:54.Masoli walked in from a yard out to whittle the deficit to 24-21 with 10:57 toplay.