5 Things To Know: UO-Arizona

TUCSON, Ariz. — The No. 19 Oregon football team was scheduled to arrive Friday evening in the desert for a Pac-12 inter-divisional matchup with Arizona on Saturday in Arizona Stadium at 7:30 p.m.

Oregon enters the game 5-2 overall and 2-2 in the Pac-12, after seeing its second-half comeback at Washington State fall short the week before. The Wildcats are playing under first-year coach Kevin Sumlin, and are 3-5 overall with a 2-3 record in conference play.

The ESPN telecast will feature Clay Matvick on play by play with Dan Orlovsky providing analysis, and Paul Carcaterra with updates from the sidelines.

Here are five more things to watch Saturday night …

1. After being shutout 27-0 in the first half on the Palouse, the Ducks are looking for a better start at Arizona. That big hole for Oregon at WSU meant that even scoring 20 straight points coming out of halftime wasn't enough to give the Ducks a lead.

Since falling behind 10-0 to Bowling Green in their opener, the Ducks generally have started well in 2018. They led each of the proceeding nonconference games 14-0 after the opening quarter, led both Stanford and California after one period and were tied 10-10 with Washington.

Offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo said this week the UO staff has a number of analytics demonstrating the importance of scoring first on the outcome of a game, and has planned accordingly in practices and games, to help the offense hit the ground running. That's something Oregon intends to do Saturday night.

118362

2. This is the second week for the Oregon offensive line since the injury to starting left tackle Penei Sewell. Conventional wisdom would suggest the new alignment should be more comfortable together, with junior tackle Calvin Throckmorton shifting over to the left side, and junior Brady Aiello bookending the right side.

Not so fast, UO coach Mario Cristobal said this week. The Ducks have experimented with several lineups on the offensive line, to be prepared for more contingencies up front. In particular, Cristobal has been pleased with the development of true freshman Steven Jones in recent weeks, and he could merit some game reps at left tackle.

In practices this week, George Moore also played himself into the mix for more game reps, Cristobal said. And the Ducks are looking to exploit their depth at guard, too; Sam Poutasi and Alex Forsyth were mentioned by Cristobal in interviews this week, and true freshman Dawson Jaramillo was with the travel squad in Arizona. Jaramillo has yet to play this season but has proven remarkably versatile, playing center, guard and tackle in practices.

3. A year after shutting down the Heisman Trophy candidacy of Arizona quarterback Khalil Tate, just what will the Oregon defense see from the Wildcats at quarterback come Saturday night?

The first question mark is Tate's health; he didn't play in Arizona's most recent game, a loss to UCLA, due to an ankle injury. But even when healthy, Tate has turned into more of a pocket passer in 2018. Last fall he averaged 9.2 yards per carry and had six games with at least 137 rushing yards, the Arizona Daily Star reported. This season, he's averaging 2.5 yards per rush, with 113 total yards on the ground.

With Tate sidelined, sophomore Rhett Rodriguez started against UCLA. Either way, the Wildcats haven't been a prolific passing team; their 53.3 percent completion rate ranks last in the Pac-12, and ahead of only six other Power 5 schools, according to the Daily Star.

118363

4. But also, what will Arizona see from the Oregon defense? Lineman Austin Faoliu is "50/50" for the game due to a lingering ankle issue, Cristobal said. And linebacker Isaac Slade-Matautia won't play due to a shoulder injury suffered against Washington State.

Faoliu's absence would be blunted by the recent surge from defensive lineman Drayton Carlberg. The redshirt junior from Minneapolis has played extensively since Pac-12 play began this fall, and is tied for second among UO defenders with 2.5 sacks.

Slade-Matautia's absence is further complicated by the status of inside linebacker Kaulana Apelu, who was limited for practice this week but said he intends to play at Arizona. Sophomore Sampson Niu would be the next man up, and is a trusted member of the front seven despite recording just one tackle so far this season. Outside linebacker Keith Simms got some reps on the inside this week as a contingency, and freshman Adrian Jackson also could shift from outside to inside, leading to a trickle-down affect that would probably mean reps for Pou Peleti-Gore on the outside.

5. It's a simple thing, but as Oregon learned the hard way just a couple season ago, not to be taken for granted. With a victory Saturday, the Ducks would be bowl-eligible, having secured their sixth victory of the regular season.

The loss to Washington State made the path to a conference title extremely difficult. But it's the time of year when chaos reigns in college football, so numerous scenarios remain in play for Oregon's postseason hopes — which can get a big boost Saturday night.