The Oregon defense had been there before.
Arizona had possession at the Ducks’ 3-yard line on Saturday, poised to punch the ball into the end zone. Despite facing a fourth-and-two, six points seemed inevitable for the Wildcats, who had little trouble traveling the previous 73 yards of the drive.
In weeks past, Oregon would have folded. Duck opponents had made a habit of scoring touchdowns after penetrating the red zone.
Saturday, however, was different.
Arizona quarterback Kris Heavner rolled to his right and fired a pass intended for tight end Clarence McRae.
Earlier in the season, Heavner’s pass would have found a way into McRae’s mitts no
matter how many Oregon defenders were in the way.
But Saturday was a new day, and this wasn’t the same old Duck defense.
Middle linebacker Jerry Matson stepped in front of Heavner’s pass, knocking it to the Autzen Stadium FieldTurf and preserving a 7-0 Oregon lead.
Matson’s play set the tone early for an Oregon defense that did not allow a point until several of the starters were pulled late in the fourth quarter. Oregon’s 28-14 win has the Ducks at .500 (3-3) for the first time this season and 2-1 in Pacific-10 Conference play.
“It’s good to be on the other side of the coin,” Matson said. “We’ve had our fair share of bad bounces, and hopefully we can get back on the lucky side.”
Oregon’s red-zone defense was tested a second time late in the first half, when Arizona had the ball first-and-goal on the Ducks’ 5-yard line. Heavner again rolled to his right and again had his pass tipped by an Oregon defender. This time it was outside linebacker Anthony Trucks who tipped the pass into the air. A hustling Aaron Gipson sprinted over from his cornerback position to snag the loose ball out of the air with his left hand, halting the Wildcat drive at the 1-yard line.
A joking Gipson alluded to his days as a prep receiver after the game when asked how he was able to snag the interception.
“I was just showing off the one-hand grab,” Gipson said. “Running to the ball was key.
If I wasn’t running to the ball and I
was just slacking, I wouldn’t have gotten
the interception.”
Another Oregon corner who played a major role in shutting down the Arizona passing attack was true freshman Jackie Bates, who made his first collegiate start on Saturday. The De La Salle High School product intercepted a pass and exuded confidence from the game’s opening kickoff.
“It was good experience,” Bates said. “I just wanted to go out there and compete and show everyone what I could do.”
Bates’ interception came in the fourth quarter on a deep pass from Arizona backup quarterback Richard Kovalcheck near the Oregon sideline.
“We wanted to bait the quarterback,” Bates said. “I acted like I was guarding the inside receiver, and then I dropped back and the next thing I knew, the ball was in the air and I just made a play on it.”
In all, Oregon held Arizona to 266 yards of total offense, including a meager 156 through the air.
The only downer for the Oregon defense was its inability to hold onto a shutout. Many of the starters were pulled late in the fourth quarter, leading to a pair of Wildcat touchdowns during the game’s final two minutes.
“Our first defense felt good about ourselves,” safety Justin Phinisee said. “It was just a decision that the coaches made to get some young guys in there to get some experience and learn how to play. We need to get our younger guys to learn how to battle. It’s a pride thing to have that doughnut up there on that scoreboard and they need to
learn how to play for it as much as the first team wants them to play
for it.”
Other than a mere lack of statistical glamour, it appears the Oregon defense turned its season around on Saturday.