By Craig Sanders
Arizona Daily Wildcat
The old adage that football is a game of inches was never more true than in Oregon's 17-13 victory over Arizona on Saturday.
Oregon stopped Arizona four straight times on the goal line, pushing the Wildcats' offensive linemen backward. The series may have decided the game in more ways than was apparent Ÿ it seemed to take the heart out of the Wildcats and give strength to the Ducks' line.
"The defense's ability to step up and hold them off, especially down on the goal-line stand, was a major turning point in the game," Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti said. "We gained confidence from that point on and started to play our game."
The turning point came with about five minutes left in the third quarter. The Wildcats had made it to the 2-yard line and had a first-and-goal with Oregon leading 17-13. The Ducks stacked everyone and his mother on the defensive line. Arizona ran the ball four consecutive times, used two timeouts and came up with one yard of total offense.
"I thought they did a good job with the play calling, but to our credit we came up with some big, big plays," said Oregon safety Brian Collins, who had two interceptions. "To not only stop them, but to come out and move the ball afterwards was key."
The game had been a battle of offensive lines against defensive lines up to that point, and the goal-line stand seemed to turn the tide. After that play an Oregon offensive lineman came to Bellotti on the sideline.
"Let us take this game over," he said. "(Arizona's) wearing down."
It was the first time all season Bellotti's offensive linemen had told him they could take over the game. The line had been dominated in the first half by Arizona's quick, strong defensive linemen, who were getting to running back Ricky Whittle seemingly before he had taken the handoff.
Still, Oregon's offensive line was getting stronger just as Arizona's seemed to be fading. The Ducks had rushed for over 50 yards in the third quarter. Bellotti decided to go with his big men. If they could run the ball, his team would likely win the game.
"The offensive line took over the game in the third quarter and gave Ricky Whittle a chance to run," Bellotti said. "They're a great defensive team and they give great energy and we wanted to limit their shots at our quarterback. I believed that we needed to run the ball to win and our guys made that come true."
In the second half, the Oregon running game came to life behind its offensive line. The Ducks produced 130 yards in the second half, compared to only 65 in the first. Whittle, who had only run for 36 yards in the first half, finished with 107. Backup tailback Kevin Parker, who ran for 22 yards in the first half, finished with 66.
"The offensive line did a great job," Whittle said. "In the first half their defense was coming so hard and fast that there wasn't any room to run. In the second half our offense gained strength and began dominating the game."