Oregon Overwhelms Arizona in Second Half to Remain Undefeated

EUGENE, Ore. -- Oregon is one win away from the national championship game.

All that's left now for the Ducks to claim their ticket to Glendale is next Saturday's game in Corvallis against Oregon State after they dispatched of another worthy Pac-10 challenger Friday, beating Arizona 48-29 at Autzen Stadium.

It was a familiar storyline for Oregon (11-0, 8-0), an overwhelming performance in the second half paving the way to a decisive final score. Oregon scored three touchdowns in the third quarter, added another early in the fourth and cruised to the finish. The Ducks outscored Arizona 34-10 to close out the game.

With the victory, Oregon clinched at least a tie for the Pac-10 championship.

Arizona (7-4, 4-4) was up 19-14 at halftime after Oregon turned the ball over twice deep in Wildcat territory.

But Oregon put the game away doing a little of everything -- busting out the big play, going on a sustained drive and riding the athleticism of quarterback Darron Thomas and running back LaMichael James.

The offensive breakout came two weeks after Cal held Oregon to a season-low 15 points.
Arizona, despite a defense that has been ranked near the top of the Pac-10 all season, couldn't match the Bears' stinginess.

Arizona has lost all three games in its toughest stretch of the season -- falling to Stanford, USC and Oregon. The Wildcats got an impressive passing performance from quarterback Nick Foles -- a 442-yard passing night -- but in the end, it was tough to keep up with an Oregon machine that has scored more points than any other in program history with still one game on the regular-season schedule.

Oregon opened the second half with a big score, an 85-yard run after the pitch from Thomas to Josh Huff. Huff's score gave the Ducks the lead back at 20-19 after a failed two-point try.

That explosive play was followed by a different kind of scoring drive, a 99-yard, 20-play marathon that was extended by a crucial offsides after Oregon kicker Rob Beard missed a 42-yard attempt. The penalty kept the drive alive and two plays later, Thomas scored from 20-yards out.

The Ducks scored for a third time in the third quarter on a 10-yard pass from Thomas, who threw across his body to D.J. Davis in the end zone to push Oregon's lead to 34-22.

It was a reversal of fortune after a tough half for Oregon.

Arizona led 19-14 at the half, after a 29-yard field-goal by Alex Zendejas.

Oregon was down at halftime for the second time this season -- both times at home -- and went much of the second quarter without James on the field. James, the nation's leading rusher, was injured on a second-and-four play at the Arizona 32, hit in the helmet by Arizona safety Adam Hall, who was flagged for a personal foul on the play. James returned to the game after halftime.

Oregon's defense gave Arizona room to operate in the passing game early. Foles had 231 passing yards by halftime, including an 85-yard strike from Foles to Juron Criner on a poor coverage by Ducks corner Cliff Harris.

The Ducks, meanwhile, hurt themselves with turnovers and mistakes.

Oregon's first drive of the game ended with Thomas throwing an interception to Hall at the Arizona 18.

Late in the half, Kenjon Barner fumbled at the Arizona 6, costing the Ducks another strong scoring chance. Arizona countered with an 80-yard drive that ended with Zendejas' field-goal.

And a snap out of the end zone on an Oregon punt gave the Cats a safety and a 16-14 lead after Oregon had tied the game on a 6-yard touchdown pass from Thomas to senior Jeff Maehl.