Arizona football trails the Oregon State Beavers by a score of 19-35 at halftime during UA’s annual Homecoming game. The first two quarters of action were an offensive shootout between the Wildcats and Beavers, with a combined two-team total of seven touchdowns and two field goals in the span of 30 fast-paced minutes.
Last year on Homecoming, the Wildcats led the Oregon Ducks by a score of 23-8 at halftime. This year, even while sporting the famous throwback Desert Swarm jerseys, Arizona’s defense could not live up to the history behind the jerseys and stop the Beavers’ offense in the first half of play.
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Oregon State junior and wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins had a total of 96 receiving yards and four receptions by halftime. The Beavers had a total of 244 receiving yards off 13 receptions and five receivers: Hodgins, Noah Togiai, Jesiah Irish, Champ Flemings and Teagan Quitoriano.
On the other side of play, Arizona’s Gary Brightwell and JJ Taylor led the offense for the Wildcats. After true freshman Grant Gunnell came in for senior Khalil Tate during the second quarter, he connected with Brightwell for a 38-yard touchdown on his opening drive. The freshman threw for 56 yards yards on 3-for-4 and Tate threw for 109 yards on 7-for-11 in the first half.
JJ Taylor tacked on Arizona’s second touchdown of the game with about six minutes remaining in the half with a three-yard touchdown run of a Gunnell handoff. Arizona’s offense has matched expectations coming into today’s game, but the defense is dragging the Wildcats down as the team looks to break its three-game losing streak.
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The Beavers had a total of 385 yards, including 244 passing yards and 141 rushing yards in the first half. If Arizona cannot stop the Beavers’ offense in the second half, then Wildcat fans can expect their Homecoming game to end in Arizona football’s fourth consecutive loss of the season.
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