Ask any Oregon fan what was most memorable about last year’s Oregon-Arizona matchup, and the reply would probably come in the form of two words: Jeremiah Masoli.
It was the hallmark performance of Masoli’s career, as he almost single-handedly brought Oregon back for a 44-41 victory in double overtime.
He may not be a member of the team now, but his teammates haven’t forgotten the performance.
Asked what he took out of last year’s game, running back Kenjon Barner’s answer was simple.
“I remember Jeremiah Masoli going off,” Barner said with a laugh.
This year, sophomore quarterback Darron Thomas will lead the Ducks (10-0, 7-0 Pacific-10 Conference) at home against No. 20 Arizona (7-3, 4-3 Pac-10). Yet, with both teams returning most of their starters from last year, the game could have a familiar feel to it.
“It’s going to be a similar game,” Thomas said. “They’re going to come out with a similar defense. They had a good plan against us last year, so it’s going to be a battle.”
The Wildcats may be coming off consecutive losses to Stanford and USC, but they still bring a distinct challenge to the table.
The passing offense, led by junior quarterback Nick Foles, ranks 10th in the nation with 300.6 yards per game, while running backs Keola Antolin and Nic Grigsby have combined for 18 touchdowns.
“They’re a good football team,” Oregon head coach Chip Kelly said. “I think they stubbed their toe a little bit in there, but Nick Foles was out for a little bit. I think he’s one of the really, really, really good quarterbacks in this country … Grigsby and Antolin are really good running backs. They complement their passing game really well.”
Arizona’s defense is nothing to sneeze at, either.
The Wildcats rank 12th in the nation in scoring defense, giving up just 18.1 points per game.
“Arizona’s defense is really good,” Kelly said. “They’re probably one of the top defenses in the conference … they really play tough, the play hard, they’re a lot like (head coach) Mike (Stoops) himself, real tough, hard competitor. They’ve been one of the top defenses ever since he’s been down there.”
Barner knows first hand what Arizona brings to the table.
Returning kickoffs in last year’s matchup, he saw a hungry team looking to end Oregon’s Rose Bowl dreams.
“Defensively, they’re a bunch of athletic guys who get after it,” Barner said. “So you know it’s going to be a battle.”
Kelly may hold a 2-1 advantage over Stoops since he arrived as a coordinator in 2007, but each game has been decided by no more than 10 points.
On Friday, he expects more of the same.
“Every year I’ve been here, our battles with Arizona had been knock down, drag outs,” Kelly said. “That’s what this thing’s going to be Friday.”
Of course, this year the Ducks will have one distinct advantage: the home crowd at Autzen Stadium.
“Coming and playing at home is going to be a good thing,” Thomas said. “We’re undefeated at home, and (we’ll) try to continue (that).”
Oregon also comes off of a much-needed bye week after a difficult 15-13 win over California.
Nagging injuries were treated, and the team was able to take a deep breath before the stretch run of the season.
Still, Kelly doesn’t agree with the notion that the bye week will translate into better performance on the field.
“I’ve said this before,” Kelly said. “If you win after your bye week, then it was a great time for a bye week. If you lose after a bye week, then it was a crappy time for a bye week. It really doesn’t matter.”
Indeed, with Arizona also enjoying a bye last week, both teams will take the field well rested on Friday.
Masoli won’t be providing any late-game heroics this time, but the Ducks are perfectly confident without him.
“Masoli brought us through last year, but this year it’s a different team, different guys,” Barner said. “Just gotta get out there and get after it.”
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