EUGENE, Ore. -- Jeremiah Masoli threw for a career-high 298 yards and accounted for five Oregon touchdowns, leading the Ducks to a 55-45 victory against Arizona.
Masoli rushed for three touchdowns and threw for two more Saturday, all in the first half. The Ducks (8-3, 6-2 Pac-10 Conference) then withstood Arizona's second-half rally from a 48-17 deficit.
Masoli, a sophomore, completed 21 of 26 passes, including all 11 of his attempts in the second quarter against Arizona (4-2, 6-3).
But it was Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount who sealed the victory with a 40-yard touchdown run with 3:38 to play after the Wildcats had scored 28 straight points to cut the Ducks lead to 48-45.
Blount, who tied the single-season school record with his 15th touchdown of the season, finished with 75 yards on nine carries.
Arizona's Keola Antolin rushed for 87 yards and four touchdowns and tight end Rob Gronkowski had 12 catches for 143 yards and a touchdown.
Willie Tuitama had 328 yards passing, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
The Ducks debuted their new "lights out" all-black uniforms and helmet, and that was the way they performed in the first half. Masoli scored on the third play of the game, running 66 yards on an option-keeper to put Oregon up 7-0 just 42 seconds in.
Less than a minute later, Patrick Chung stepped in front of Tuitama's pass and returned the interception 31 yards for the score.
The Wildcats (4-2, 6-3) cut the Ducks' lead to 14-10 on a 29-yard field goal by Jason Bondzio and a 2-yard run by Antolin. But Masoli hit Terrence Scott with a 44-yard touchdown pass to give Oregon a 21-10 lead at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Masoli had scoring runs of 5 and 6 yards, Jeff Maehl scored on a 65-yard catch-and-run from Masoli and Morgan Flint added a 23-yard field goal to give the Ducks a 45-17 lead at the break.
Flint added a 39-yard field goal 2:14 into the second half to make it 48-17 before the Wildcats came to life and nearly came all the way back.
Tuitama and Gronkowski connected on a 7-yard touchdown at the 8:53 mark of the third quarter to make it 48-24, and Antolin followed with fourth-quarter touchdown runs of 3, 1 and 13 yards. The last came with 6:38 to play.
