GAME INFO

Who: Arizona (3-2, 1-1 Pac-12) vs Oregon (4-1, 2-0)

When: 6 p.m. MST

Where: Arizona Stadium | Tucson, Arizona

TV: Pac-12 Network

All-time series: Oregon leads 28-17 (last meeting: 41-19 Oregon win; Sep 25, 2021)

Jedd Fisch’s Wildcats aim for redemption, hosting No. 12 Oregon this Saturday night. Arizona had an underwhelming outing in Eugene, Ore., a season ago with Oregon defeating the Cats, 41-19. But, for what it's worth, the Wildcats have had success at home against the Ducks, beating them the last two meetings in Tucson -- (44-15 on 10/27/18 and 42-16 on 11/23/13.

Oregon comes into Arizona Stadium with the 16th-ranked rushing defense in the FBS, only allowing 94.6 YPG and putting pressure on Fisch and Brennan Carroll regarding their decision making offensively.

That said, the Ducks are far more vulnerable against the pass, ranking 119th out of 131 FBS teams in allowing 282.2 yards per game through the air, which actually plays right into the Wildcats' strength.

But Fisch said he's not focused on the statistics of the matchup.

“We really believe in our system of offense, which is trying to attack teams as often and in many different ways as possible,” he said. “We’re not gonna get wrapped up in numbers of what we need to call and when we need to call it. We need to find a way to be balanced enough to get it in our playmakers' hands.”

Turnovers have been the Achilles heel for the Cats in both of their two losses against Cal and Mississippi State in the early season. These costly turnovers were mostly committed when the Cats were down by multiple touchdowns late in the game, forcing deep shots in order to get back on track.

They will strive instead for a repeat their performance last week against Colorado that saw no turnovers and complete control offensively.

“We continue to talk about it, we can continue to protect the ball,” Fisch said. ”Regardless of the score of the game, we want to try to always make sure that we are in control of when that ball goes to the other team."

Arizona will host its first sellout crowd since September 26th, 2015 against UCLA. Fisch is thrilled about the expected turnout Saturday.

"We’re excited,” he said. “I hope our students come in masses, I want to make that stadium like a bunch of sardines and see how many we can squeeze in. As we’re building the program and as we get to where we one day want to be, we need these tight moments where our stadium gets full for a great game.”

The Wildcats will need to prepare accordingly to limit Oregon dual threat quarterback Bo Nix’s production this Saturday. Last week Nix rushed for 141 yards and two touchdowns, including an 80-yard scramble for a score. Nix’s rushing ability helps give his running backs more looks due to their run-pass-option scheme that they operate in their spread attack that rushes for 228.8 YPG (10th in the FBS).

"He’s certainly doing a really good job this year,” Fisch said. “His athleticism is showing up. When your quarterback can provide for you that much yardage … that’s how you become a top 10 rushing team.”

Tackling will be the key for the Cats, as struggling in open field tackling that cost them the game against Cal, allowing 354 yards on the ground. Fisch stressed the importance of being a better tackling team.

“The key is the tackle,” Fisch said. “So if he’s [Nix] out of the pocket, we have to tackle him, if he's in the pocket, we have to pressure him, and if they’re handing the ball off, we can’t let those turn into explosives.”

Defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen is also adamant about tackling, making sure his players know how to tackle correctly for Oregon as the rules of tackling have changed since the player’s high school days.

“That's why we preach it at meetings and in practice,” he said. “The game has changed in the last five years, the way you tackle, every little thing is called now so we got to do a great job on teaching our guys how to tackle.”

Hunter Echols has been a spark defensively for the Cats. The senior transfer defensive lineman has recorded three and a half sacks and two forced fumbles on the young season and has helped change the defense's mentality as the leader of the unit.

Nansen praised his interior defender and explained how he has turned the group around.

“I think he understands what the position has become,” he said. “He’s had so much game experience and it is showing, his preparation is a lot better than it was before. … He knows how we do things, how we prepare our guys, the verbiage that's happening in meetings.”

Kickoff for Oregon at Arizona is set for 6:00 p.m MST Saturday at Arizona Stadium and will air on Pac-12 Network.

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