Arizona football has struggled in 2019. After a 4-1 start to the season, which included two in-conference victories against UCLA and Colorado, the Wildcats have suffered four straight losses to Pac-12 opponents in matchups with Washington, USC, Stanford and Oregon State. 

The Arizona defense has been porous, allowing all four of their last opponents to score over 40 points. The Wildcats parted ways with their defensive coordinator Marcel Yates just days after losing 41-31 to a struggling Stanford Cardinal team. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, their defensive woes would only continue, dropping the following week’s game to Oregon State 56-38. 

While the Wildcats have struggled greatly on defense, they certainly possess talent on the back end. At the cornerback position, they have two veteran defensive backs, Jace Whittaker and Lorenzo Burns.

Much like their talented duo in the secondary, the Wildcats have solid players at the linebacker position as well. Colin Schooler, brother of recent Oregon transfer Brenden Schooler, leads the team in tackles with 63 thus far in 2019. Close behind him is fellow linebacker Tony Fields II, who’s gathered 62 tackles and an interception on the season. 

Although their defense has struggled, the Wildcats’ offense hasn’t had too much trouble getting on the scoreboard. They sit at fifth in the Pac-12 with an average of 32.9 points per game. The Arizona offense ranks fourth and second within the conference in passing and rushing touchdowns, respectively. 

Leading the Arizona rushing game is junior running back J.J. Taylor. The Corona, California, native has rushed for 566 yards in 2019, 358 of which were against Pac-12 opponents. 

The Wildcats passing game, with quarterback Khalil Tate at the helm, has been more multifaceted than the rushing game, featuring a handful of skilled wideouts. Freshman Jamarye Joiner leads the pack in that regard, catching 24 passes for 366 yards at an average of 15.3 yards per catch and three touchdowns on the season. Trailing closely behind Joiner is wide receiver Brian Casteel. The junior wideout has tallied 34 receptions for 359 yards and three touchdowns in 2019, having his best game of the season against USC, when he caught five passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns. 

The Wildcats will face challenges on both sides of the ball upon traveling to Eugene to take on the Ducks this Saturday. Oregon ranks 10th nationally in scoring defense, allowing only 15.8 points per game. The Ducks also sit at 12th in the FBS in scoring offense, putting up an average of 38.2 points per game.