A lot has been made of Oregon’s recent struggles against Arizona. As the two teams head into Levi’s Stadium tonight to face off in this year’s Pac-12 championship game, there are some statistics to keep in mind.
While the Ducks are favored by 14.5 points according to the most recent line in Las Vegas, there is a lot more that meets the eye.
Here is the Oregon-Arizona matchup by the numbers:
Cold streak
The Ducks have fallen to the Wildcats two consecutive times.
Its record against other teams? 22-1.
The Ducks have undoubtedly struggled to play their game against the red and blue. And according to ESPN College GameDay’s recent infographic, the Ducks are averaging just 20 points against the Wildcats as opposed to 48 points against other teams.
Their turnovers have also been a key area of concern. Against the Wildcats, the Ducks average 2.5 turnovers in comparison to their 0.9 average against the rest of the field.
Here is the full infographic:
Oregon’s struggles vs Arizona. pic.twitter.com/sp8ioWLz9J
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) December 1, 2014
Problems in the red zone
Oregon is ranked 11th in passing yards and 24th in rushing. Having said that, the Ducks have converted just 50 percent of their attempts in the red zone against the Wildcats to their 68 percent against other teams.
Marcus Mariota has 36 total touchdowns heading into this game and Royce Freeman has 16.
Question is: can the Ducks punch it in inside the 20-yard line?
Can Mariota seal the Heisman?
At 10-1 odds, Mariota currently boasts the best odds to win this year’s Heisman trophy. The Ducks (5-2 odds) also trail Alabama (5-4 odds) with the best odds to win the national championship.
Under this context, it’s safe to say that there is a lot riding for Mariota heading into the Pac-12 title game.
Mariota has averaged a 92 quarterback rating (QBR) up until this point. Against Arizona, he holds a 62 average quarterback rating (QBR). Presumably one game away from the inaugural College Football Playoff, Mariota is going to need to be himself, which by the numbers, may be a lot harder than it has been.
Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Levi’s Stadium.
Follow Hayden Kim on Twitter @HayDayKim
