Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli punched in the ball from one yard out in the second overtime, beating Arizona 44-41 and placing the Ducks (9-2, 7-1 Pacific-10 Conference) in firm control of their Rose Bowl destiny.
Down 31-24 in the fourth quarter, with Arizona students lined up on the sidelines anticipating a rush of the field, Masoli hit tight end Ed Dickson for a six-yard touchdown catch to force overtime. The first overtime period resulted in touchdowns and PATs for each team, but Oregon held Arizona to one yard in the second overtime. Wildcats kicker Alex Zendejas made the 41-yard attempt to force the Ducks to score, and Masoli did just that.
The Ducks were up 14-0 off two early scores before the Wildcats stormed back, accounting for 24 unanswered points after Arizona’s Nick Foles hit wide receiver William Wright for a five-yard touchdown pass with 13:57 remaining in the fourth quarter.
In a battle between two of the conference’s top offenses, Oregon narrowly edged Arizona with 459 yards to the Wildcats’ 440. Masoli completed 26 of 46 passes for 284 yards with three touchdowns and an interception, while Foles completed 30 of 46 passes for 314 yards, four touchdowns and an interception that set up Oregon’s game-tying drive in the fourth quarter.
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