A red wave of Arizona fans spilled from the stands and onto the sidelines, preparing for a Tucson celebration that devolved into a desert mirage against Oregon.

While Wildcat fans crowded the periphery with just over one minute to play, Ducks quarterback Jeremiah Masoli moved the ball 46 yards in 60 seconds to tie the score at 31–31 with six seconds remaining in regulation.

"It was kind of funny," Masoli joked about the Arizona fans on the sideline. "I wasn't really worried about it."

That was just the beginning of Masoli’s magic, as the dual-threat star completed 9-of-13 passes for 77 yards and scored three touchdowns on UO’s final three drives of a 44–41 double-overtime victory.

Masoli completed 26-of-47 passes for 284 yards, three touchdowns and one interception through the air, while scrambling 16 times for 61 yards and three scores on the ground.

“They’ve got a very good quarterback, and that is definitely what makes the difference. We just couldn’t stop them in the fourth quarter,” said Arizona coach Mike Stoops.

“We definitely lost some momentum in the fourth quarter, and Oregon made some key plays down the stretch.”

After falling behind 14–0 early on, the Wildcats went on a 24–0 run — thanks largely to Zona quarterback Nick Foles, who completed 30-of-46 passes for four scoring strikes and one pick — before Masoli took over late in the game.

Oregon now heads into the Civil War against Oregon State (Dec. 3) with a shot at its first Rose Bowl berth since the 1994 season.

Meanwhile, Arizona lost its first home game of the season — having already defeated Central Michigan (19–6), Northern Arizona (34–17), Stanford (43–38), UCLA (27–13) and Washington State (48–7) — which may explain the code red reaction from the fans, who were forced to tear out their hair rather than tear down the goal posts.

“This was a real tough loss, especially for the kids,” said Stoops. “I wish that this wasn’t the outcome. But we have to move forward now, just turn the page and move on.”