Seen and heard: Oregon racks up yards; teams' legends visit; UA honors slain professor

Ducks can fly

So, just how bad was Arizona’s defense in its 49-22 loss Saturday night to No. 12 Oregon at Arizona Stadium?

The Ducks’ balanced attack posted 580 yards — 306 of them rushing yards. Oregon averaged 8.3 yards per play.

The Wildcats defense' has surrendered 2,584 yards this season for an average of 107.6 yards per quarter.

Tanner Mc-Gronk-lan

Arizona tight end Tanner McLachlan caught two passes for 26 yards on Saturday, moving his season total to 242 yards, the most in a season by an Arizona tight end since Rob Gronkowski (672) in 2008.

Faces in the crowd

Arizona Stadium hosted notable ex-players for both teams on Saturday. Former Arizona cornerback Antoine Cason returned to Tucson and spoke to the current UA players on Friday for “Declare Your Major Day.” Cason, a Jim Thorpe Award winner and the Wildcats’ last first-round NFL draft pick, led the Wildcats to an upset of then No. 2 Oregon in 2007; Cason had a pick-six and a punt return for a touchdown in the Wildcats’ 34-24 win.

Ex-Ducks running back LeGarrette Blount, who famously punched a Boise State player after a game in 2009, was spotted on the sidelines during pregame warmups. He was sporting a green UO shirt.

The big number

2,569

Days since Arizona’s last sellout. Arizona’s announced crowd on Saturday marked the first sellout since the Wildcats’ loss to UCLA on Sept. 26, 2015. Announced attendance was 50,800, the most since the 2018 Territorial Cup game, which drew 51,805. Arizona Stadium has since shaved its capacity, making Saturday a sellout.

Arizona honors killed UA professor, Ducks tight end

Arizona held a moment of silence for Dr. Thomas Meixner, the UA professor who was shot and killed by a former student at the John W. Harshbarger Building on Wednesday.

Arizona also honored Oregon’s late tight end Spencer Webb, who died in a rock climbing accident in July. Hours before kickoff, the Wildcats placed a bouquet of flowers on the 4-yard line; Webb wore No. 4 at Oregon.

Tucson natives shine on Saturday

The last time Texas beat Oklahoma in football, Bijan Robinson was a standout junior and Ed Doherty Award winner at Salpointe Catholic.

Now a junior at Texas, Robinson rushed for 130 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Longhorns to a 49-0 win over rival Oklahoma in Saturday's Red River Showdown at the Cotton Bowl. It’s the first shutout victory for Texas in the storied rivalry since 1965; the last shutout by any team was Oklahoma’s 12-0 victory in 2004.

Fellow ex-Lancer Lathan Ransom, a junior at Ohio State, recorded his first-career interception in the first quarter of the Buckeyes’ win over Michigan State.

And former Marana quarterback Trenton Bourguet took over for the injured Emory Jones midway through Arizona State’s upset win over No. 21 Washington. Bourguet, a former walk-on who earned a scholarship last season, completed 15 of 21 passes for 182 yards, three touchdowns and an interception in ASU’s 45-38 win over the Huskies.

Gatos vs. Patos

Saturday was Hispanic Heritage Night at Arizona Stadium. Local mariachi bands welcomed fans into Arizona Stadium upon entry, and the scoreboards on each side of the stadium read “Los Gatos” and “Los Patos,” Spanish for Cats and Ducks.

UA players also wore red “Arizona Familia” shirts during pregame warmups. At halftime, local folklorico dancers and mariachi bands performed with the Pride of Arizona marching band.

"Celebrating the cultural diversity and heritage of Southern Arizona is an important component of who we are as Arizona Wildcats, ” said Arizona athletic director Dave Heeke. "Hispanic Heritage Night has become one of our marquee events on campus, and it has grown as a key collaboration with our campus partners”

He said it

“I messed up my toe in that game, and that was no fun. I’ll always remember that team just being a big team. I’m not really sure what it was — maybe the guys wore dark blue and looked big. But man, it was definitely a battle, and when we lost that game, I remember we were right there in the rankings with LSU, other SEC schools. There was a lot of talk going on. Dennis Dixon was going for the Heisman (Trophy). I just remembered leaving there pissed off.” — Former Oregon running back Jonathan Stewart on Arizona’s upset of the No. 2-ranked Ducks in 2007 (via ESPN Tucson).