Five Arizona players to know ahead of Oregon's Week 6 showdown in Tucson

Oregon will have a difficult matchup on its hands this weekend when it travels to Tucson to face the Arizona Wildcats (3-2, 1-1).

After a rocky 2021 campaign, the Wildcats have looked much improved under second-year head coach Jedd Fisch thanks to an influx of offensive talent. Through six games, they are averaging 340 passing yards per game, which ranks second in the Pac-12 behind only Washington.

Arizona features plenty of individual talent on both sides of the ball. Here are five players who could heavily influence the outcome of Saturday’s game.

WR Jacob Cowing

There aren’t many better receivers in the nation than Arizona’s Jacob Cowing. The 5-foot-11 junior transferred into the Wildcats’ program after three stellar seasons at UTEP and has hit the ground running.

Through six games, Cowing has racked up 566 yards and seven touchdowns on 40 receptions. He’s the fifth-leading receiver in the nation and his PFF rating of 86.1 is also the fifth-best in the nation among receivers.

Colorado found out the hard way last week just how explosive Cowing is when he went for 180 yards and one touchdown on 12 catches.

QB Jayden de Laura

In his first year under Jedd Fisch and offensive coordinator Brennan Carroll, Jayden de Laura has been exceptional at quarterback. After two solid seasons at Washington State, de Laura is flourishing in Tucson.

He ranks fifth in the nation with 1,627 passing yards and has thrown 14 touchdowns to six interceptions. With a stellar receiving corps at his disposal, de Laura has developed into one of the top signal-callers in the Pac-12.

“I think their quarterback really can play well,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said on Monday when asked about de Laura. “He throws lasers. He throws the ball in rhythm, on a dart, and he doesn’t need a big window to be able to attack. He’s able to extend plays with his feet. So this is a really good challenge for us.

“There haven’t been a lot of teams that have really slowed them down offensively.”

DL Hunter Echols

While Arizona’s defense isn’t quite as competent as its offense this season, Hunter Echols has been one of the most disruptive players in the Pac-12 this season.

He was the conference defensive lineman of the week after a stellar Week 3 showing against North Dakota State. On the season, Echols has 27 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks.

 “I think they just play a variety of fronts,” Lanning said. “There will be three down. There will be four down. They change their blitz packages a good amount. And obviously, they try to play to (Nichols’) skill sets and use his talents. He’s a good player. He’s disruptive and it shows up.”

WR Tetairoa McMillan

Oregon fans are plenty familiar with Arizona’s star freshman, Tetairoa McMillan. The former 4-star recruit committed to Mario Cristobal and the Ducks last year before flipping to Arizona last December. He’s the highest-rated recruit the Wildcats have ever signed and has been sensational as a true freshman.

In five games, he has 290 yards on 16 catches and is coming off a 90-yard performance against Colorado that earned him Pac-12 freshman of the week honors.

OL Jordan Morgan

Arizona’s junior left tackle, Jordan Morgan, has quietly been one of the best offensive linemen in the Pac-12 this season.

After starting every game for the WIldats last season, Morgan has taken a step forward in 2022. He has allowed just seven pressures and has yet to allow a sack this season. His PFF grade of 84.6 ranks seventh among offensive tackles in the nation this season.