ARIZONA FOOTBALL

Huge weekend: Arizona tries to crash center stage against Oregon

Oct 1, 2014, 3:59 PM | Updated: Apr 28, 2015, 2:00 pm

Follow @doug987FM...

I’m spending my Sunday watching college football!

Obviously, that may sound confusing but I’ll be traveling to Southern California and watching ASU all day Saturday, so I’ll miss the games. Give me the third-greatest invention of all-time (the DVR), and I’ll be watching all these great games that I’ll miss.

Nationally, all eyes are on the SEC West this weekend. #6 Texas A&M at #12 Mississippi State, #3 Alabama at #11 Ole Miss, and #15 LSU is at #5 Auburn. That’s an amazing schedule for the entire country. In the SEC West, that’s just a normal gameday.

Locally, all three teams in this state have huge games against “ranked” opponents. Each game has a national stage feel to it but each team has a different role on the stage. Arizona is the opening act against Oregon on Thursday night so we’ll look at them first.

STAGE ENTRANCE

Arizona is not on the national stage. Arizona is standing outside looking at the door to welcome them to the stage. The goal is ripping the door open while Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota jams the door shut. If UA wants to be invited on to the stage, they must do three things:

1) Time out the delayed blitz

You can’t lose gap integrity rushing Mariota or he’ll gash you. You can’t sit back and let him throw it all over. The key to putting pressure on Mariota is rush four, keep one spy on Mariota and bring the spy. If you make Mariota think you’re not bringing pressure, his eyes go downfield, that’s when you bring the heat up the “A” gap. If you come early, he runs away and kills you throwing on the move.

2) Worry about the next play

I’ve been on the sideline for too many Oregon games. Their secret is simple. If they gash you, while your defense starts yelling at each other trying to diagnose what happened, Oregon runs a play. Normally, it’s the same play. Figure out your mistakes on the sideline after the drive. Don’t waste time on the field.

3) Stick to your offensive game plan

By now, the coaching staff should know what works. It doesn’t matter what the score is, play to your strengths. Far too often, teams try to play hurry-up to keep up (which isn’t a problem for UA) or they abandon the run thinking they must throw to score in a hurry. Almost every team that trails in a game to Oregon feels the sense of panic set in. Do what you do best on offense and look at the scoreboard at the end of the game.

Thursday ASU and USC get center stage. Friday is the grand finale with the Cardinals meeting Peyton Manning.

Arizona Football

Wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan #4 of the Arizona Wildcats celebrates with Noah Fifita #11 after ca...

Arizona Sports

ESPN’s Rittenberg: Arizona Wildcats’ QB room ranks 10th in nation

Led by the final Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Noah Fifita, the Arizona Wildcats' quarterback room was ranked 10th in the nation.

2 days ago

Grand Canyon forward Duke Brennan...

Vincent DeAngelis

Duke Brennan uses inspiration from family and high motor to propel GCU basketball

Grand Canyon's Duke Brennan has strong Arizona connections and comes from a family of athletes in Colt and Brent Brennan.

10 days ago

Jordan Morgan...

Arizona Sports

Arizona OL, potential 1st-round pick Jordan Morgan shows off speed at NFL Draft Combine

Arizona left tackle Jordan Morgan had the opportunity to show off his speed and athleticism at the NFL Combine on Sunday.

15 days ago

Jacob Cowing...

Arizona Sports

Arizona’s Jacob Cowing shows off elite speed at NFL Scouting Combine

NFL Draft prospect Jacob Cowing from Arizona put up one of the fastest 40-yard dash times among wide receivers at the combine.

16 days ago

An empty podium is seen at the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by...

David Veenstra

What to watch for: 2024 NFL Scouting Combine schedule, preview and more

The NFL Scouting Combine begins this week in Indianapolis. Here's a complete guide for college and professional fans across Arizona.

21 days ago

Quarterback Jayden de Laura #7 prepares for a game at Arizona Stadium on October 28, 2023 in Tucson...

Tom Kuebel

Former Arizona quarterback Jayden de Laura declares for NFL Draft

Jayden de Laura declared for the NFL Draft and will forego his fifth season of college football eligibility.

25 days ago

Huge weekend: Arizona tries to crash center stage against Oregon