Ducks Stunned at Autzen, Fall to Arizona 31-24

Thursday, October 2

Eugene, Ore.

7:30 PM

University of Oregon

4-1 , 1-1

Arizona

5-0 , 2-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Arizona

Oregon Ducks

Photo by: GoDucks.com

10/03/14 | Football

Box Score

By: GoDucks.com

EUGENE, Ore. — Oregon suffered its first home defeat at Autzen Stadium since 2012 as Arizona scored four touchdowns in the second half and forced a UO fumble in the final minutes to secure a 31-24 victory.

How it Happened: Arizona's Nick Wilson scored the first of his three third-quarter touchdowns on the Wildcats' opening drive after halftime, giving UA a 10-7 lead. The Ducks responded with a six-yard touchdown pass from Marcus Mariota to Devon Allen to reclaim the lead, but the Wildcats put together back-to-back scoring drives of 93 and 80 yards for a 24-14 edge heading into the final quarter. A Matt Wogan field goal and Keanon Lowe touchdown catch tied the game for Oregon with 8:21 to play before Arizona chewed up more than five minutes on a 15-play, 71-yard drive that ended in a 1-yard plunge by Teris Jones-Grigsby. Prior to what proved to be the eventual game-winning touchdown, Tony Washington sacked UA quarterback Anu Solomon for a 9-yard loss on third-and-goal from the 7-yard line, but the Ducks were flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct giving the Wildcats a fresh set of downs. Oregon picked up three quick first downs on its final drive before Mariota was sacked and stripped of the ball at the Ducks' 35-yard line with 2:11 to play.

Who Stood Out: Mariota was able to shake off a slow start throwing the ball to finish 20-of-32 passing for 276 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught the second touchdown of his career, bulling his way into the end zone on a 26-yard pass from Royce Freeman. The true freshman tailback also led the Ducks in rushing, toting the ball 19 times for 85 yards. Devon Allen found the end zone for the fourth straight game, giving him six touchdowns over that stretch. Dwayne Stanford had four receptions for a career-high 74 yards. Defensively, Reggie Daniels made six solo tackles and notched his first career interception on an acrobatic, diving play in the first quarter. Washington finished with a pair of tackles for loss and a forced fumble.

What it Means: The Ducks will surely drop from their No. 2 ranking as they leave the ranks of the unbeaten. Every team in the Pac-12 North Division now has at least one loss as the Ducks' record moves to 4-1 overall and 1-1 in conference play.

Odds and ends: The Ducks were flagged for 10 penalties for the second straight game - five directly resulting in Arizona first downs. ... Oregon failed to score a rushing touchdown for the second straight game. ... The game marked the 100th consecutive sellout at Autzen Stadium and only the 16th home defeat for the Ducks during that stretch, dating to 1999.

Next Up: The Ducks head to Pasadena for a top 20 road clash with UCLA on Oct. 11 (12:30 p.m. PT, FOX). Oregon has played in two Rose Bowl Games since last facing the Bruins in their home stadium in 2009.