Ka'Deem Carey refused to even discuss the possibility that Saturday would be his last game at Arizona, but if it ends up being his swan song, there will be no finer note to exit on.
Carey carried the ball a career-high 48 times for 206 yards and four touchdowns in a shocking 42-16 upset of Oregon, setting school records for career rushing yards (3,913) and career touchdowns (49) along the way.
Once regarded as a nimble speedster benefitting from head coach Rich Rodriguez's spread offense, Carey showed plenty of toughness as he sliced through the Ducks' defense.
Carey's 48 rushing attempts were the most by any FBS player this season, topping the 45 carries Stanford running back Tyler Gaffney piled up, also against UO, earlier this month.
It was Carey's 14th consecutive game with 100 rushing yards, including all 10 games the junior has played in this season.
But the difference-maker was redshirt senior quarterback B.J. Denker, who was 19-of-22 passing for 178 yards and two touchdowns and had 102 yards on 14 carries. Denker thoroughly outplayed one-time Heisman Trophy frontrunner Marcus Mariota, who threw his first interception of the season on Oregon's first play of the game and his second to end the game, taking a knee to the helmet as he tried to force cornerback Shaquille Richardson out of bounds.
With the Oregon loss and Stanford's win over California in the Big Game, the Cardinal secured the Pac-12 North and a berth in the Pac-12 championship game for the second consecutive season.
De'Anthony Thomas and Josh Huff, two of Oregon's top offensive playmakers, had spent the week bemoaning a possible return to the Rose Bowl. Carey made sure it would not be an issue.
Now the question becomes whether Carey returns for his senior season in hopes of taking UA to the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1 for the first time in school history. With all the other firsts Carey has accomplished at Arizona, who would doubt him delivering one unforgettable encore?
Follow Dan Greenspan on Twitter @DanGreenspan.
