ARIZONA’S REPORT CARD
FINAL SCORE: No. 18 Oregon State 38, Arizona 35
Quarterback: B. Matt Scott threw for a career-high 403 yards and three touchdowns on one leg, but committed two devastating turnovers. Rashaad Reynolds intercepted Scott’s pass with under 1 minute left in regulation, allowing Oregon State to leave Tucson with a three-point win.
Running back: B+. Ka’Deem Carey was stellar, posting 186 yards of total offense against a stout Oregon State defense. Carey’s 115 rushing yards were more than Wisconsin’s Montee Ball and UCLA’s Jonathan Franklin gained, combined, against the Beavers. Carey was the only UA back to carry the ball Saturday; Daniel Jnekins and Taimi Tutogi were shut out.
Wide receivers: B+. Dan Buckner played arguably his best game as a Wildcat, catching six passes for 119 yards and a score. Austin Hill caught eight passes for 74 yards and scored two touchdowns, and Tyler Slavin (5 catches, 73 yards) enjoyed a breakout performance: It just wasn’t enough for the upset.
Offensive line: B+. Arizona played Saturday without starting guard Trace Biskin, who was out with a toe injury, and center Kyle Quinn suffered a lower leg injury in the third quarter. All things considered, the Cats’ front-five played well: Arizona rushed for 142 yards, and Scott was sacked just twice for minus-12 yards. Fill-in center Addison Bachman even caught a tipped pass, helping the Wildcats extend a fourth-quarter drive.
Front-six: C. The Wildcats were dominated at the line of scrimmage, particularly Oregon State’s two fourth-quarter scoring drives. Linebacker Marquis Flowers finished with 11 tackles and a sack, and Jake Fischer (9 tackles) and Sir Thomas Jackson (7 tackles, 1 sack) were solid. But the Beavers rushed for 180 yards on 43 attempts, too much for Arizona to successfully bottle up a tough team.
Back-five: D+. OSU quarterback Sean Mannion went off, throwing for 433 yards and three touchdowns without turning the ball over. Arizona was all too happy to help him: Jourdon Grandon’s two personal foul penalties in the fourth quarter gave the Beavers 30 free yards, and cornerback Jonathan McKnight’s running-into-the-kicker call turned a missed OSU field goal into a Mannion touchdown. It’s hard to beat good teams when committing such silly penalties — or when the opposing quarterback plays like an All-American.
Special teams: C-. John Bonano missed another field goal, and McKnight’s penalty wiped out a UA stop. Punt returner Richard Morrison continues to muff half the kicks he touches, and the Wildcats insist on returning kickoffs when taking the ball at the 25 is a better play. At least the team has punter Kyle Dugandzic: He kicked 5 times for 234 total yards Saturday; all but one of his punts landed inside the Beavers’ 20.
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