In last week’s game against Oregon, the Wildcats brought the ball into the Ducks red zone on four straight possessions. It was much of the same for most of the first half against Oregon State, as the Beavers went into the locker room leading the UA by a score of 17-7.
It looked as though Arizona would continue its struggles in the red zone in the early going, as the Wildcats extended its 0-for-6 tally against Oregon with a failure to convert in the second quarter.
On the Wildcats last second to last possession of the half, they appeared to be threatening after a 47-yard catch from Ka’Deem Carey, which eventually led to a missed field goal from John Bonano.
In Arizona’s next drive, two catches from receiver Dan Buckner for a combined 55 yards brought Arizona into the red zone, and a pass interference penalty on the Beavers brought the ball to the 4-yard line. The Wildcats finally converted on a 1-yard touchdown run from Carey, bringing the score to 17-7, ending Arizona’s scoreless streak dating back to last week at 92:29.
A pass interference call, following a Buckner catch and Scott incompletion, by the Beavers gave the Wildcats the ball on the 4-yard line.
The defense looked like it was off to a solid start in the early going, until sophomore quarterback Sean Mannion started moving the ball down the field. By the end of the half, the Beavers already had six plays of 20-plus yards, including a 57-yard pass to receiver Brandin Cooks, 51-yards to Markus Wheaton and 38-yards to Kevin Cummings. All three of those big plays led to eventual scores by the Beavers.
The Beavers had a chance at the end of the second quarter to extend the lead, but failed to convert in the red zone and missed a 35-yard field goal.
Mannion entered the half 15-of-27 with 278 yards and one touchdown, while Scott is 11-of-21 for 168 yards and zero touchdowns. Carey had nine carries for 53 yards and a touchdown for the UA, while Storm Woods gained 86 yards on 17 carries for OSU.
The Beavers last two scoring drives took a combined seven minutes to move 161 yards.
Safety Jared Tevis had to be helped off the field in the first quarter after what appeared to be a serious knee injury. He returned with nine minutes remaining in the second quarter though.
Running back Ka’Deem Carey had a 25-yard rush on the second play of Arizona’s second drive, but the Wildcats offensive line failed to give quarterback Matt Scott any time on the next play and he was sacked for a 3-yard loss on the next play and fumbled the ball. Arizona recovered, but the Wildcats were forced to punt the ball on fourth down to end the first quarter trailing 7-0.
The offensive line is missing starter Trace Biskin with a toe injury and lost key backup Lene Maiava for the season with an ACL injury.
