The Arizona Wildcats lost to Oregon State 56-38 on Saturday at Arizona Stadium. Here are some pertinent notes, quotes and statistics:
NOTES
* Arizona lost its fourth straight game. It’s the Wildcats’ first in-season four-game losing streak since 2016. Since beating Oregon State on Nov. 11, 2017, to improve to 7-3, Arizona is 9-15.
* Arizona had won its two previous homecoming games and its two previous matchups with Oregon State.
* Oregon State won its third consecutive road game for the first time since the Beavers won four straight away from home in 2013. That was also the last time they surpassed 50 points in a game. Their 56 points set a school record for a conference road game and were OSU’s most against a Pac-12 foe since 2012.
* OSU’s 572 yards were the most Arizona has surrendered since the Wildcats yielded 595 yards to Hawaii in Week 0. The Beavers’ 244 rushing yards were the most the UA has allowed this year.
* Arizona amassed 526 yards of total offense, its third 500-plus-yard game of the season and first since NAU on Sept. 7.
* UA tailback J.J. Taylor had two rushing touchdowns, his fourth career multi-TD game on the ground. Taylor also set career highs in receptions (seven) and receiving yards (89).
* UA tailback Gary Brightwell also had a pair of touchdowns – one rushing and one receiving. The latter was the first of his career. The Wildcats have had 11 players catch at least one touchdown pass this season.
* Freshman quarterback Grant Gunnell threw two TD passes, giving him three multi-touchdown games in six career appearances. He has completed 66.4% of his passes and has a 9-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
* Arizona DT Myles Tapusoa recorded his first sack as a Wildcat. The UA had a season-high three sacks.
* OSU’s Hamilcar Rashed Jr. had three sacks, giving him 12 for the season – tying the school record shared by Maurice Porter (1982) and Victor Butler (2008).
QUOTES
Taylor on UA coach Kevin Sumlin’s message to the team: “We just need to pick it up and stay together as a team. Stuff like this happens. A lot of people like to point the finger, but we can’t do that.”
Sumlin on Arizona’s upcoming bye: “The first thing we can accomplish as a team is to try to get healthy the next two weeks. That's No. 1. … The mental part, it becomes important too, where you can practice and do some things schematically, make some decisions about where guys are.”
Sumlin on kicker Lucas Havrisik, who missed a PAT and a field goal: “He's been battling some things. The bye week comes at a good time for him too, to get him healthy, because he hasn't been 100% for the last couple weeks.”
Taylor on how the offensive line played after losing two starters to injury: “As if we never lost anybody. They performed like they were supposed to.”
WR Cedric Peterson on Gunnell’s performance: “He already showed us what he can do against UCLA. He showed great strides moving the ball down the field, which is something we needed to do in the second half. He got it done.”
OSU coach Jonathan Smith on his team getting to 4-4: “We’re excited about winning a game on the road. These guys play with some great energy and are coming out with the expectation that we can win every game. We’ve become more credible. I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t more confidence this year than last year.”
Beavers QB Jake Luton on leading a 92-yard TD drive in the last minute of the first half: “Momentum swing. So much of college football is about momentum. You see it every week, teams getting streaky when the momentum is right. So for us to put a (92)-yard drive together (with) less than a minute to go into the half was huge.”
STATS
* Arizona had 33 first downs; OSU had 31.
* OSU had 244 rushing yards; Arizona had 148.
* OSU averaged 5.8 yards per rush; Arizona averaged 3.1.
* OSU averaged 8.4 yards per play; Arizona averaged 6.0.
* OSU had 12 penalties for 120 yards; Arizona had five for 65.
* Arizona possessed the ball for 30 minutes, 25 seconds; OSU had it for 29:35.
* OSU converted 7 of 10 third downs; Arizona converted 12 of 20.
* OSU’s starting field position was its 27-yard line; Arizona’s was its 26.
* Luton completed 20 of 26 passes for 328 yards and three touchdowns.
* OSU RB Artavis Pierce carried 15 times for 114 yards and touchdown.
* OSU RB Jermar Jefferson carried 22 times for 105 yards and three TDs.
* OSU WR Isaiah Hodgins had seven catches for 150 yards and two scores.
* Arizona’s Kyle Ostendorp averaged 47.5 yards on two punts, dropping one inside the 20-yard line.
* OSU LB Omar Speights had 10 tackles, including one TFL.
* Arizona CB Lorenzo Burns had 10 tackles.
* Arizona LB Colin Schooler had nine tackles, including one TFL.
