The task is tall, but familiar for the Wildcats. Like all non-Stanford Pac-12 opponents, they have but one mission this week -- stop the Oregon offense, which is second in the country in yards per game and third in scoring average.
How to watch Oregon vs. Arizona: Preview, TV schedule, odds and more
Despite being nearly three touchdown underdogs, Arizona does have one thing going for them.
Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports
Luckily, they do have a weapon that can help in that regard. Stanford beat Oregon two weeks ago by hanging onto the ball and bludgeoning the Ducks behind Tyler Gaffney, a blueprint Arizona can replicate a far more talented running back -- Kadeem Carey has not been held to under a hundred yards yet this season. Carey is no stranger to heavy workloads either, having touched the ball 39 times in a win over Utah back in October.
Expect to see a huge dose of the Pac-12’s leading rusher in this one. Perhaps the question isn’t if Arizona can stop Oregon, but if the Ducks can do anything to Carey.
The numbers
Rankings and records: No. 5 Oregon has won five straight over the Wildcats and leads the all-time series 24-14.
Vegas: Oregon are 20.5 point favorites, with an over/under of 67.5 points.
Weather: Tucson will see a 40% chance of rain this weekend with winds of up to 13 miles per hour.
Three names to know
Tra'mayne Bondurant (Arizona safety) - No one has managed to interception Marcus Mariota yet this season, but if anyone stands a chance of accomplishing that on this Arizona roster, it's Bondurant, who leads the team with four on the year. He's thrown in eight passes defensed, 2.0 sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss, for good measure.
Terrance Mitchell (Oregon cornerback) - Although all of Oregon’s secondary players are dangerous, Mitchell is the one to avoid in particular, having already snared five interceptions to go along with 11 passes defensed this year.
Byron Marshall (Oregon running back) - There will be a lot made of the duel between Ka'deem Carey and De'Anthony Thomas, but Marshall has done most of the heavy lifting for Oregon this season. He should cross the thousand yard mark this weekend and has 14 rushing touchdowns in 2013, twice as many as his more highly hyped backfield counterpart.
Two things at stake
For Oregon, the answer is everything. Everything is at stake for the Ducks, who have been gifted a potential trip to the Rose Bowl, courtesy of USC’s upset victory last week. To lose now -- either this week or next -- would hand control of the Pac-12 North back over to Stanford.
The Wildcats are no longer a factor in the race for the Pac-12 South, but could make things interesting by beating Arizona State next week. For them, this game is about postseason positioning, mostly.
How to witness
TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2 and ABC
Online streaming: WatchESPN.com. XFinity subscribers can also stream here.
Further reading
Hit up Addicted to Quack for more on the Ducks. This week, they’re wondering what it would take to make it to the BCS Championship Game.
Arizona Desert Swarm has you covered for the Wildcats, including a look back at their loss to Washington State.
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