Oregon Football: Preview, prediction, live stream vs. Arizona in Week 9

Arizona Stadium has been a house of horrors in the recent past for Oregon football. Can the Ducks rebound from a Week 8 loss on Saturday?

Oregon went on the road last weekend to face Washington State in a matchup of Top 25 teams. As Pullman celebrated its moment in the College GameDay sun, the Ducks failed to engineer a comeback bid and fell 34-20 to the Cougars. Now they stay on the road for another showdown in a hostile venue that has been the site of several nightmares in the recent past.

The Ducks will find it much harder to get back into the Pac-12 North race, though, with both their losses coming in divisional play. But Oregon is still a legitimate Top 25 team despite the pair of defeats on the record. Justin Herbert remains a legitimate first-round talent for next year’s NFL Draft, and the defensive backfield has been one of the top 10 ballhawking units in the FBS through the first half of the season.

Meanwhile, Arizona continues to struggle in Kevin Sumlin’s first season at the helm in Tucson. With Khalil Tate struggling through an ankle injury that has depleted the skills that made him one of the fun-to-watch breakout stars of 2017 and a preseason Heisman contender, the Wildcats have found it difficult to maintain any momentum.

Arizona faces the Ducks on a two-game losing streak, yet they still remain just one game off of the Pac-12 South pace. Whether Tate or backup (and son of the former head coach) Rhett Rodriguez starts for the Wildcats, though, it will come down to whether a defense that gives up 29 points and 440 yards per game can stop the Ducks.

That said, Arizona has surprised Oregon before, most recently when the Ducks were ranked No. 2 in the country back in 2014. Can the Wildcats pull off a major upset this time around? Here’s how you can watch the Saturday night #Pac12AfterDark matchup between No. 19 Oregon and Arizona:

Date: Saturday, Oct. 27
Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
Location: Tucson, Ariz.
Venue: Arizona Stadium
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN | FuboTV

Keys to Victory

If Arizona is going to have any chance at taking down visiting Oregon, they need whichever quarterback starts to have a career game. Neither Tate nor Rodriguez is completing even 55 percent of his passes, which won’t cut it against the Ducks. The Wildcats, currently 103rd in the FBS against the run, also need their front seven to step up against Oregon’s backfield and get critical stops.

For Oregon to avoid the trap in Tucson, they need to win the field position battle, especially on kickoffs. The Ducks allow an average of 25 yards per return when they kick the ball away, ranking 117th in that category. Mario Cristobal’s team cannot give Arizona short fields if they hope to walk away with their sixth win of the season.

Betting Odds

Odds courtesy of oddsshark.com

Point Spread: Oregon -9.5
Over/Under: 65

Prediction

Oregon is going to have their hands full in the first half against Arizona, but the Wildcats lack the firepower and the defensive strength of teams like Stanford and Washington State. Ultimately, time will work against the hosts as the Ducks run away with the contest in the second half. Take the Ducks not just outright but against the spread.

Final Score: Oregon 44, Arizona 28