Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports
If the Arizona Wildcats want to shock the world again and defeat the Oregon Ducks for the third consecutive meeting and throw the College Football Playoffs into disarray, their focus needs to be on pressuring Marcus Mariota and forcing him into bad decisions and errant throws. Luckily for them, they have a player that is as good at doing just that as anyone else in the country. His name is Scooby Wright.
Wright was named this week as the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, the first underclassmen to win the award in the past 24 years. He finished the regular season with 139 total tackles, 14 sacks, 27 tackles for loss and six forced fumbles, the only player in the FBS who ranks in the top 25 in each of those categories. He is a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy (best defensive player in the NCAA), the Rotary Lombardi Award (best lineman or linebacker), and the Chuck Bednarik Award (College Defensive Player of the Year). He is also the only defensive player to make the final five in consideration to become the Walter Camp Player of the Year.
Not only is Wright a defensive stud, he has a history of success against the Ducks. Last season, he was one of two Wildcats who intercepted Mariota in Arizona’s 42-16 drubbing of Oregon and this season he sealed the Wildcats’ victory over the Ducks by sacking Mariota and stripping him of the ball with 2:11 remaining to preserve Arizona’s 31-24 victory.
Wright’s sack was one of five the Wildcats had in the game in addition to holding the elusive Mariota to only one rushing yard, his second-lowest total of the season. Getting to Mariota might be a little tougher with offensive lineman Jake Fisher back, who missed the team’s first meeting this season. However, if the Wildcats want to continue their success against the Ducks, Wright is going to have to find a way to make plays and keep Heisman frontrunner Mariota off the field and on the sidelines.
Phillip Jacques is a Pac-12 Football writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
