Autzen Stadium was loud, as usual.
But please, don’t use the crowd noise as an excuse for Arizona’s loss.
“The crowd and the stadium had nothing to do with why we lost,” said Wildcat quarterback Ortege Jenkins, who completed 15-of-31 passes for 200 yards.
“I didn’t think the crowd was a factor,” head coach Dick Tomey said. “I think their team was the factor.”
It was evident throughout Arizona’s 14-10 loss to Oregon that the Wildcats were not bothered too much by the Autzen crowd. Arizona had practiced throughout the week with blaring speakers and prepared as if it wouldn’t be able to hear the offensive snap counts.
Wide receiver Brad Brennan, who pulled in a team-high six catches for 90 yards, said that he had no trouble hearing Jenkins’ calls during the game.
“I was surprised I could hear him,” Brennan said.
Tomey was more intent on venting his frustration toward the referees after the game. He was peeved that no pass interference was called on Jenkins’ first down pass to Brennan with 26 seconds left in the game.
Jenkins wasn’t too pleased either, but was still confident in his ability to put one in the end zone to give his team the last-second win. Standing poised in the pocket, Jenkins launched three straight bombs toward his receivers that all fell incomplete.
“I just couldn’t make it happen. [Oregon] wasn’t a super team. It was a beatable team,” Jenkins said.
The Wildcats (5-2, 3-1 Pacific-10 Conference) don’t believe they are out of the race for the roses and are already eying next week’s home game against UCLA.
“It hurts a lot,” cornerback Anthony Banks said. “But we have to stay focused.
“We have to show how bad we want to be in the Rose Bowl.