Pac-12 After Dark is getting weird as the No. 19 Oregon Ducks try to keep their season from spiraling when they head down to face the Arizona Wildcats.
This is the second week in a row that the Arizona Wildcats get to play in the weekly treasure that is Pac-12 After Dark. Last week, Arizona got to face a UCLA team that only had one win coming into the game and, well, things went sideways for the Wildcats. Arizona was facing a team that had nothing to lose and fell just short of beating the Bruins.
But now the Wildcats have a chance to embrace that same role! Arizona is going to host the No. 19 Oregon Ducks later this evening.
As you know by now, things didn’t go so well for Oregon last week. The Ducks tried to go into Pullman, Washington, and the Cougars stole Oregon’s chances at winning the Pac-12 North.
When you ride the emotional roller coaster that Oregon has been strapped into for the past few weeks, there’s a chance that you’re going puke everywhere. That’s what this week is going to be. Arizona’s hopes for this season have been effectively thrown out the window. Oregon’s hopes for this season were elevated beyond belief when the Ducks beat Washington two weeks ago and then came crashing back to reality against Washington State.
There’s no better set up for some possible Pac-12 After Dark chaos than this. The Ducks need to win as many games as possible to make this season a presentable one. Arizona gets the chance to do what UCLA did last week; the Wildcats can do whatever it is that they wants here.
Is not having Khalil Tate a good thing for Arizona?
No, no it’s not.
Khalil Tate is the guy that gives the Arizona Wildcats their best chance at winning. Still, if you’re looking for a storyline that could lead to some chaos, this is a great one. Right now, Oregon is having to prepare for two different quarterbacks. What makes this storyline not such a great one is that both Tate and his replacement, Rhett Rodriguez, have struggled mightily this season.
Tate, a phenomenal athlete and great duel threat quarterback, has been struggling to adapt to the new offensive schemes that Kevin Sumlin’s coaching staff have brought to town. This season, Tate has thrown for 1415 yards, 11 touchdowns, and four interceptions while completing just 53.4 percent of his passes.
While Tate is already close to eclipsing the passing yards and touchdowns that he had a season ago, his completion percentage is down significantly and he’s not the same as a runner this year. Last season, Tate grabbed everyone’s attention by running for 1411 yards and 12 touchdowns to go with his 1591 passing yards and 14 touchdowns. This year, he has only run for 113 yards and two touchdowns.
He’s not the same player that he once was, but he’s still the quarterback that gives Arizona the best shot at winning this year. While Tate hasn’t been the best passer, he’s a better option than Rodriguez, who is completing just 51.9 percent of his passes.
What’s going to come of this game?
Heartbreak, mostly. Probably some disappointment and ugly offense from one team or the other. Oregon is the better team and is rightfully favored here. If Arizona is going to win, it’s going to take something of a miracle and for the Wildcats to play at a level that they haven’t up to this point. Or, you know, Oregon could just play horribly after two weeks of emotions that are vastly different from each other.
At least one of these teams is going to be disappointed with how it plays in this game. There’s still a pretty good chance that both teams will walk off the field upset with how they executed and knowing that they could have played better.
Arizona is looking for an upset here and a win might just make bowl eligibility a realistic possibility for the Wildcats. A loss for Kevin Sumlin and his team would just continue to make an already difficult season even more upsetting. For Oregon, the Ducks have to be angry with how they played last weekend. They’re looking to prove that they can still get to 10 wins this season and a win here would help them along that path. But, should Oregon lose, this season could start to sour in a hurry.