awayTeamLogo Oregon 15 homeTeamLogo Arizona 44
Saturday, October 27, 2018 10:30 PM (ET)

Tate, Taylor help Arizona overpower No. 19 Oregon

Field Level Media
Oct 28, 2018

Arizona's defense limited Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert to 89 yards passing in the first three quarters as the Wildcats routed the 19th-ranked Ducks 44-15 on Saturday night in Tucson, Ariz.

Herbert completed 24 of 48 passes for 186 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.

Error-prone Oregon (5-3, 2-3 Pac-12) also had a punt blocked and lost the ball when an Arizona punt bounced off the leg of a Ducks player trying to block for a return.

The Wildcats (4-5, 3-3) cashed those miscues into 10 points.

Arizona running back J.J. Taylor finished with 212 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries. As a team, Oregon gained only 84 yards rushing on 23 carries.

Arizona's defense also held Oregon to 3 of 16 on third-down conversions while limiting the Ducks to 270 yards in total offense. Entering the game, Arizona's defense ranked No. 11 in the Pac-12, allowing 440.6 yards a game.

Arizona was dominant from the start behind the passing of Khalil Tate, who sat out last week's loss at UCLA with an ankle injury. He directed the Wildcats to a touchdown on the first possession.

Tate's 22-yard scoring pass to a wide-open Shawn Poindexter with 11:08 to go in the first quarter capped a seven-play, 75-yard drive that took only 2:03.

Tate completed 19 of 33 passes for 189 yards with three touchdowns and an interception.

Oregon's offense had three consecutive three-and-outs, and then freshman running back Travis Dye fumbled on the fourth possession, with Arizona cornerback Christian Young making the recovery at the Oregon 21.

The turnover resulted in a 34-yard field goal by Josh Pollack to give Arizona a 10-0 lead with 4:52 left in the first quarter.

A blocked punt by Arizona's Chacho Ulloa gave the Wildcats the ball at the Oregon 6. Pollack's third field goal, this one from 23 yards, increased Arizona's lead to 16-0 with 11:30 left in the first half.

Herbert engineered a 75-yard scoring drive in seven plays, including running 20 yards on a third-and-9 play. His 29-yard touchdown pass to Dillon Mitchell and subsequent two-point conversion run cut Arizona's lead to 16-8 with 9:17 left in the second quarter.

Arizona answered with an 18-play, 88-yard drive that lasted 7:30, capped by Taylor's 1-yard touchdown run that increased the lead to 23-8 with 1:39 left before halftime.

The Wildcats went 96 yards on seven plays in their first possession of the third quarter to widen the lead to 30-8. Tate capped that drive with an 8-yard scoring strike to Poindexter.

Tate's 27-yard touchdown pass to Shun Brown with 2:49 left in the third quarter increased the lead to 37-8.

--Field Level Media

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