(11) Oregon 44, Arizona 41

12342OTT
#11ORE (9-2)770171344
ARIZ (6-4)0107141041

Final

8:00 PM ET, November 21, 2009
Arizona Stadium
TUCSON, AZ

Oregon slips by Arizona in 2OT, controls Rose Bowl destiny

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Top 25 Overview
It was over when... Oregon QB Jeremiah Masoli scored on a 1-yard run in double overtime to secure the 44-41 win.
Gameball goes to... Masoli. The Ducks QB threw for three scores and ran for three more as the Ducks rallied from a 24-14 fourth-quarter deficit.
Stat of the game... 40+. Oregon became just the third team in Pac-10 history to score at least 40 points in five straight league games.
Team Stat Comparison
 
1st Downs2222
Total Yards459441
Passing284314
Rushing175127
Penalties9-748-50
3rd Down Conversions7-178-17
4th Down Conversions1-20-0
Turnovers12
Possession27:5232:08
Air/Ground Leaders
Oregon Passing
 C/ATTYDSTDINT
Masoli26/4728431
Arizona Passing
 C/ATTYDSTDINT
Foles30/4631441
Team0/1000
Oregon Rushing
 CARYDSTDLG
James19117022
Masoli1661317
Arizona Rushing
 CARYDSTDLG
Nwoko1658011
Antolin346041
Oregon Receiving
 RECYDSTDLG
Maehl12114227
Dickson563123
Arizona Receiving
 RECYDSTDLG
Criner593371
Wright573134
Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTEROREARIZ
TD10:57Jeremiah Masoli 14 Yd Run. (Morgan Flint Kick) 70
SECOND QUARTEROREARIZ
TD10:10Jeff Maehl 9 Yd Pass From Jeremiah Masoli. (Morgan Flint Kick) 140
TD01:59Juron Criner 5 Yd Pass From Nick Foles. (Alex Zendejas Kick) 147
FG00:00Alex Zendejas 47 Yd 1410
THIRD QUARTEROREARIZ
TD10:39Nick Booth 8 Yd Run. (Alex Zendejas Kick) 1417
FOURTH QUARTEROREARIZ
TD13:57William Wright 5 Yd Pass From Nick Foles. (Alex Zendejas Kick) 1424
TD10:57Jeremiah Masoli 1 Yd Run. (Morgan Flint Kick) 2124
FG08:02Morgan Flint 43 Yd 2424
TD07:41Juron Criner 71 Yd Pass From Nick Foles. (Alex Zendejas Kick) 2431
TD00:06Ed Dickson 8 Yd Pass From Jeremiah Masoli. (Morgan Flint Kick) 3131
OVERTIMEOREARIZ
TDJeff Maehl 4 Yd Pass From Jeremiah Masoli. (Morgan Flint Kick) 3831
TDJuron Criner 3 Yd Pass From Nick Foles. (Alex Zendejas Kick) 3838
2ND OVERTIMEOREARIZ
FGAlex Zendejas 41 Yd 3841
TDJeremiah Masoli 1 Yd Run. 4441
Associated Press

TUCSON, Ariz. -- Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli watched as red-clad Arizona students ringed the sidelines as time ticked down, ready to rush the field.

"I saw it and I actually smirked," Masoli said. "It was kind of funny. I wasn't really worried about it."

The Ducks' gifted quarterback ruined the celebration in Arizona Stadium and started another one in Eugene.

Fast Facts

• Jeremiah Masoli was 9-of-13 for 77 yards and had three TDs on Oregon's last three drives (last drive of fourth quarter, both OT drives).

• Chip Kelly got his ninth win and tied Mike Bellotti for the most wins as a first-year head coach at Oregon.

• Arizona lost its first home game of the season and was eliminated from Rose Bowl contention.

• The Ducks are the third team to score 40 points in five straight Pac-10 games.

-- ESPN Stats & Information

Masoli tied it with a touchdown pass to Ed Dickson with six seconds left, then won it with a 1-yard run in the second overtime as No. 11 Oregon defeated Arizona 44-41 on Saturday night and took a big step toward the Pac-10 title.

The Ducks (9-2, 7-1 Pac-10) will earn a Pac-10 title and Rose Bowl berth with a victory over No. 20 Oregon State in a winner-take-all Civil War on Dec. 3 in Eugene.

Masoli threw for three scores and ran for three more as the Ducks rallied from a 24-14 deficit early in the fourth quarter.

"Our guys didn't flinch," Oregon coach Chip Kelly said.

Nick Foles threw four TD passes for Arizona (6-4, 4-3), which was eliminated from Rose Bowl contention.

"That was a real tough loss, especially for the kids," said Arizona coach Mike Stoops, whose team lost for the first time at home. "We did really well tonight with getting Oregon out of their comfort zone. They've got a very good quarterback, and that is definitely what makes the difference."

Facing relentless pressure from the Wildcats, Masoli struggled at times, fumbling twice and throwing an interception that led to Arizona's first score.

But Masoli was there when the Ducks needed him most. He was unstoppable late in the game, then took over in overtime.

After Masoli hit Jeff Maehl for a 4-yard score on Oregon's first overtime possession, Foles hit Juron Criner with a 3-yard strike to tie it at 38-38.

In the second OT, Oregon forced Arizona to settle for a 41-yard field goal by Alex Zendejas.

A touchdown would win it for Oregon, and Masoli quickly produced it.

He hit Dickson for 22 yards, and three plays later Masoli bulled over from a yard out.

"I was just resolved," Masoli said. "I'm just really happy with the result and really proud of our guys. They just played their hearts out the whole time."

Minutes early, Oregon tied it at 31-31 when Masoli hit Dickson in the back of the end zone for an 8-yard score.

That stunning strike came after another minor miracle for the Ducks. Oregon had tied it at 24-24 midway through the final quarter on a 43-yard field goal by Morgan Flint -- a line-drive kick that hit the crossbar and bounced through the uprights.

Arizona took a 31-24 lead midway through the fourth quarter on a 71-yard screen pass from Foles to Criner, who outraced the defense to the end zone, fighting off two defenders over the final 10 yards.

Arizona appeared ready to run the clock out on its next possession. But Oregon's Talmadge Jackson III picked off a pass in the end zone, giving the Ducks one last shot.

"That changed the whole perspective of the game," Oregon cornerback Cliff Harris said.

The Ducks took over at their own 20 with 3:11 to play. As students began to mass on the sidelines, Masoli guided the Ducks downfield in 15 plays and 3:05, scoring with six ticks to spare.

Masoli completed 7 of 11 passes for 54 yards on the drive and also ran for 13 yards.

"It [upsets] you for the most part because you let opportunities like that slip away," Arizona free safety Cam Nelson. "It's hard to know you could have won a game, or you were supposed to win a game, and then you end up losing."

On a 70-degree night in the desert, Wildcats faithful packed Arizona Stadium for one of the bigger games in school history. But this was a matchup few had circled in September.

The Wildcats were picked to finish eighth in a preseason poll of reporters regularly assigned to the conference. Oregon, meanwhile, seemed adrift after opening with a 19-8 defeat at Boise State -- a loss that made national news when tailback LeGarrette Blount punched a Broncos player after the game and was suspended for the season. He dressed Saturday night but did not play.

Oregon had scored at least 40 points in six of seven Pac-10 games, including its last four, and the Ducks looked unstoppable on the game's opening possession. They marched 74 yards in nine plays, with Masoli snaking 14 yards up the middle to give Oregon a 7-0 lead.

Masoli made it 14-0 with a 9-yard strike to Maehl early in the second quarter.

But the Wildcats cut the deficit in half on a Foles' first TD pass, a 5-yarder to Criner, who caught three touchdown passes.

Arizona scored 24 straight points before the Ducks awoke and rallied.

"We just have perseverance," Masoli said. "That's one of the characteristics of this team. Everybody on our team believed to the end."

College Football Scores

Other Scores:

Thursday, November 19th
Colorado 28 Final
12 Oklahoma State 31
Friday, November 20th
6 Boise State 52 Final
Utah State 21
Saturday, November 21st
FIU 3 Final
1 Florida 62
Chattanooga 0 Final
2 Alabama 45
Kansas 20 Final
3 Texas 51
4 TCU 45 Final
Wyoming 10
8 LSU 23 Final
Mississippi 25
10 Ohio State 21 Final
Michigan 10
11 Oregon 44 Final
Arizona 41 2OT
Minnesota 0 Final
13 Iowa 12
14 Penn State 42 Final
Michigan State 14
North Carolina State 10 Final
15 Virginia Tech 38
16 Wisconsin 31 Final
Northwestern 33
25 California 34 Final
17 Stanford 28
19 Oregon State 42 Final
Washington State 10
Duke 16 Final
20 Miami (FL) 34
San Diego State 7 Final
21 Utah 38
Air Force 21 Final
22 Brigham Young 38
Virginia 21 Final
23 Clemson 34
Memphis 14 Final
24 Houston 55
25 Rutgers 13 Final
Syracuse 31