Editorβs note: Until Arizona resumes football activities later this fall, the Star will revisit Wildcats games that were significant for one reason or another.
Oct. 2, 2014: Scoobyβs strip and Eugene euphoria
What went down: The Cats couldnβt do it again, could they?
The last time they faced Oregon, in 2013, the Wildcats upset the fifth-ranked Ducks 42-16. The last time they played a game, the Cats stunned Cal with a monumental fourth-quarter comeback capped by a last-play Hail Marry (aka, the βHill Maryβ).
Arizona was a massive underdog β 23 points β entering a Thursday-night meeting with No. 2 Oregon at rowdy Autzen Stadium in Eugene. Never mind that the teams had identical 4-0 records. The Ducks, led by Heisman Trophy candidate Marcus Mariota, were expected to roll.
Thatβs not how it played out.
The Wildcats went toe to toe with the Ducks, nudged ahead late in the fourth quarter and put them away in dramatic fashion. Arizona silenced Autzen with a 31-24 shocker.
Tailback Terris Jones-Grigsby had a career-high 210 scrimmage yards and scored the winning touchdown on a 1-yard run with 2:54 remaining. Freshman back Nick Wilson had 126 scrimmage yards and three scores. Redshirt-freshman quarterback Anu Solomon passed for 287 yards and a TD.
But it was the UA defense that produced the signature moment of the night.
After Jones-Grigsbyβs touchdown, Mariota completed a pair of passes to advance the Ducks to their 35-yard line. On first-and-10, Mariota dropped back. Finding no one open, he stepped up in the pocket. Arizonaβs Scooby Wright, rushing from the left end, disengaged from a block to sack Mariota. But that wasnβt all.
In the process of tackling Mariota, Wright took the ball away. The takedown β one of five UA sacks β and takeaway gave the Wildcats possession with 2:11 remaining.
Oregon still had two timeouts. But on third-and-5, Jones-Grigsby broke off a 9-yard run. The Wildcats ran out the clock.
Arizona, which hadnβt been ranked, vaulted to No. 10 in the Associated Press Top 25. The win was the Wildcatsβ sixth in a row, dating to the previous season. They were 5-0 for the first time since 1998.
From the archives: Under the banner headline βThe Ducks stop here,β former Star reporter Daniel Berk chronicled the sights and sounds of a monumental upset in Eugene:
The scene was set for a Thursday-night Ducks party at Autzen Stadium.
Oregon fans roamed their city on a stunning fall day wearing Ducks gear at every turn.
Streets were blocked off eight hours before kickoff. Parking lots were full in the middle of the afternoon with weekday tailgaters. And just before 7:30 p.m., 56,032 fans packed the stadium for the 100th straight sellout.
Oregon vs. who, again?
It didnβt feel like it really mattered. Thursday was all about Oregon β until it wasnβt.
Terris Jones-Grigsby scored a 1-yard touchdown with 2:54 remaining to give Arizona a thrilling 31-24 win over the second-ranked Ducks.
Two years in a row, the Wildcats have faced a Ducks team ranked in the top five, and twice theyβve handed them a loss.
Thursday nightβs win may have even been sweeter than last yearβs 42-16 triumph at Arizona Stadium.
βLast year was heartwarming because it was the seniorsβ last home game and such a great feeling, but this one β lightning doesnβt strike twice,β Coach Rich Rodriguez said. βI donβt know if anyone β anyone β picked us.β
In the teamβs final meeting before Thursdayβs game, the last thing Rodriguez showed his team was a video of a man being struck by lightning twice in less a minute.
His message β it can happen.
βWe had some great practices before we came up here, and I just saw some focus and fire from our guys where I knew we had a good chance,β Rodriguez said.
In the end, the coach and his team had Oregon fans angrily walking out of Autzen Stadium yelling words not suitable for print. Meanwhile, the Wildcats belted out a version of βBear Down, Arizonaβ that could be heard for hundreds of yards in the silence of Autzen Stadium.
For one night at least, Eugene was Wildcat Country.
He said it: Senior offensive tackle Mickey Baucus said beating the Ducks the previous season emboldened the Wildcats in the rematch, even in a hostile venue.
βWhen we smacked them last year, we all kinda realized Oregon isnβt invincible like everybody says,β Baucus said after the game. βWe knew we could come out and compete, because weβve done it before. Coming in here to Autzen, people donβt win here. We had that belief because we beat them before. Itβs no different here or there.β
Defensive lineman Dan Pettinato (90) and UA scored a big upset on a Thursday night in 2014 over an Oregon team that wouldnβt lose again until the national championship game vs. Ohio State.
By the numbers: Arizona scored 28 points in the second half. For the season, Oregon allowed 23.6 points per game, which ranked second in the Pac-12 and 30th in the nation.
The Wildcats accumulated 323 of their 495 yards after halftime. Solomon completed 13 of 18 passes for 217 yards and a touchdown over the final two quarters.
The aftermath: Arizona couldnβt keep its streak going and lost two of its next three games. But those would be the Wildcatsβ only regular-season blemishes.
They clinched their first and only Pac-12 South Division title with a 42-35 victory over rival Arizona State, their fourth win in a row. That set up another meeting with Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship Game.
That one didnβt end well for the Wildcats.
Oregon dominated Arizona, nearly tripling the Wildcats in total yards in a 51-13 romp.
The result sent the Ducks to the Rose Bowl for the first-ever College Football Playoff semifinal. Oregon blasted Florida State 59-20 to reach the title game. Oregon lost to Ohio State 42-20 β the Ducksβ only other defeat all season. That Oregon team remains the only Pac-12 representative to advance to the CFP final.
Arizona finished the season with a 38-30 loss to Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. The game ended with Solomon taking a sack deep in Broncos territory. He was plagued by injuries and never quite the same after the 2014-15 season, in which he passed for 3,793 yards and 28 touchdowns.
Mariota did end up winning the Heisman that year. He finished the season with 42 touchdown passes and 15 rushing TDs. He was selected with the second pick in the 2015 NFL draft.
Wright had a sophomore season for the ages, winning just about every major national defensive award for which he was eligible. Wright accumulated 163 tackles, including 29 for losses (14 sacks), and six forced fumbles. He was a unanimous All-American.
Injuries limited Wright to three games the following season. He turned pro after his junior year. Wright wasnβt drafted until late in the seventh round by the Cleveland Browns. He appeared in 13 games with the Cardinals in 2016 and β17.
Although the season ended in disappointment for Arizona, the Wildcats reached double digits in wins for only the third time in program history. They would qualify for a bowl game for the fourth time in a row the following season under Rodriguez, whose tenure came to an end following the 2017 campaign.
