Ducks Avenge Arizona Loss, 51-13, At Pac-12 Championship

Friday, December 5

Santa Clara, Calif.

6:00 PM

University of Oregon

12-1 , 8-1

Arizona

10-3 , 7-2

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Arizona

Oregon Ducks

Marcus Mariota - Pac-12 Championship Game

Photo by: GoDucks.com

Ducks Avenge Arizona Loss, 51-13, At Pac-12 Championship

12/06/14 | Football

Box Score

By: GoDucks.com

by Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Behind an inspired defensive effort and a balanced offense, Oregon brought home its first Pac-12 championship in three years and avenged consecutive losses to Arizona with a 51-13 win over the Wildcats in the conference title game Friday at Levi's Stadium. The victory all but assured the Ducks' place in the inaugural College Football Playoff field on New Year's Day.

How It Happened: The UO offense struggled with penalties and settled for field goals early, but Oregon's defense opened with what has to be considered one of the greatest halves of football in school history. The Ducks held Arizona to 25 yards in the first half, including minus-nine rushing. They took a 23-0 lead into halftime, the third straight game Oregon led at least 20-0. Marcus Mariota rushed for two touchdowns and Aidan Schneider was 3-of-4 on field-goal attempts, more than enough to back a defense that forced six straight three-and-outs to end the half, on which Arizona netted a total of minus-two yards.

Mariota extended his FBS record streak of 39 straight games with a TD pass to start his career early in the second half, hitting Devon Allen for the redshirt freshman's first receiving score since the Arizona game in the regular season. The UO defense lost its shutout on a busted coverage moments later, Arizona scoring on a long touchdown pass by backup quarterback Jesse Scroggins when the Ducks had a miscommunication that left a receiver wide open. But ultimately the Wildcats couldn't sustain anything on what was an impressive night for the Oregon defense. The Ducks, meanwhile, kept rolling, with another Mariota rushing touchdown and a TD reception by Darren Carrington in the third quarter for a 44-7 lead.

Who Stood Out: Arizona came into the game averaging nearly 500 yards of offense, but the Wildcats finished Friday with just 224, including 111 rushing. Mariota accounted for five touchdowns, rushing for three in a single game for the first time in his career. Royce Freeman exceeded 100 rushing yards for the third straight game and sixth time overall, and Charles Nelson had 199 all-purpose yards. Carrington started at wideout and led the Ducks with seven catches for 126 yards, with a touchdown.

What It Means: Oregon (12-1) extended its winning streak to eight games, and is a win away from establishing a school record of 13 victories. The Ducks entered the evening ranked No. 2 by the College Football Playoff selection committee, and will watch Saturday's SEC and ACC title games to see if they have a chance to enter the postseason at No. 1 in the country.

Odds and Ends: Mariota reached 12,000 yards of total offense, 10,000 career passing yards and 100 career passing touchdowns over the course of the evening. He extended his own school records in all three categories. … Carrington started in place of Dwayne Stanford at receiver. Stanford was in uniform but didn't see the field. … Matt Pierson made his first career start at guard. … Johnathan Loyd was the first-string punt returner. … The Ducks survived a rash of penalties, including at least one on each starting offensive lineman in the first half.

Up Next: The Ducks await the unveiling of the final College Football Playoff rankings Sunday to see if they'll play in a national semifinal hosted by either the Rose Bowl or the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day.