Daily Emerald sports editor Lucas Clark tracked down Tim Kosch of the Arizona Daily Wildcat to pick his brain about the talented Arizona squad.
Lucas Clark: No. 20 Arizona has dropped two consecutive Pac-10 games heading into arguably the toughest matchup of the year. How have the Wildcats been able to improve over the bye week to prepare for top-ranked Oregon?
Tim Kosch: To say that their struggles have come at a bad time would be an understatement. The Wildcats rode their defense to a 7-1 start, but in the last two games, the defense has disappeared.
The secondary is weak, and the linebackers have looked confused. Beating a team like Oregon would take two weeks of perfect preparation, but having to devote some of that time to fix itself before moving toward Oregon might hurt Arizona.
LC: Quarterback Nick Foles is having another standout season, throwing for over 2,000 yards already, and it seems like he’s a pretty level-headed signal caller having thrown only six interceptions this year. Is he capable of having the breakout performance in Autzen Stadium that Arizona will surely need?
TK: He certainly is. Foles is the rock of the offense, especially considering how absent the passing game has been. The only concern about Foles is his red zone inefficiency. Most, if not all, of his interceptions have come in the red zone and the Wildcats are one of the worst red zone offenses in the country. To make things worse, the receiving corps is banged up and their top slot receiver, Bug (William) Wright, has been suspended for reasons unknown.
LC: Keola Antolin and Nic Grigsby have provided a great one-two punch in the running game, but the Wildcat defense will have to contain Oregon’s LaMichael James and Kenjon Barner defensively. How will head coach Mike Stoops look to slow the deadly Oregon ground game?
TK: One thing the Wildcats do have going for them is their speed, especially defensively. They play very fast and very aggressively. The key will be the defensive line — if (defensive) ends Ricky Elmore and Brooks Reed can maintain the edge and the tackles can sure up the middle, then the Wildcats might be able to stop Oregon’s running game, but as you all have seen it takes a lot to stop that offense.
LC: The Pac-10 season is slowly winding down and nobody wants to drop a game on the road this late in the season. How much has the upset been talked about and what would it mean for this Arizona team moving forward?
TK: Obviously beating the No. 1 team in the country would be enormous no matter the situation. Arizona started the season 7-1 and there was a lot of talk about the Rose Bowl here in Tucson, but unfortunately these last two losses have knocked them out of the picture. The enthusiasm probably isn’t as high as it should be, but a win over Oregon would be enormous.
LC: Give me a quick prediction of the game. How do you honestly see it playing out? Who will have a big game on both sides, and, of course, a final score prediction.
TK: If this game was played a few weeks earlier I would say that Arizona has a legitimate shot, but as of right now I don’t think it will be close. Some people might say that Oregon is struggling after the Cal game, but I see them coming out even more motivated than they usually do. The Ducks have started slowly in a lot of games this year and this might be the case this time, but considering the game is at Autzen on the day after Thanksgiving (black uniforms for Black Friday?), I think the Ducks will win big. Oregon 45, Arizona 28.
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