Arizona Blog

July 25, 2012

Playing downhill defense
By Gary Randazzo

During Pac-12 Media Day, Arizona linebacker Jake Fischer talked about the need to play downhill in Jeff Casteel’s 3-3-5 “stack” defense. Fischer talked about the newness of the defense, but also admitted that the bottom line is that all defenses are basically the same.

“At first you think (the 3-3-5) is a little different,” Fischer said. But, I mean, all defenses are basically the same. We have more ways to dial in blitzes. We don’t have a fourth down lineman so you’ve got to go downhill extremely hard.”

The downhill part of Fischer’s quote is most interesting.

Similarity within defensive schemes is regardless of 3-3-5, a 3-4, a 4-3 or even a 6-2 stack monster, individual players have individual assignments on each and every play. There are A and B gaps to stuff, there are intermediary and deep zones that must be accounted for, and on and on. Playing downhill does give Arizona’s defense some advantages. However, those opportunities only become advantages when the Wildcat defense makes the correct pre-snap reads. To this end there might not be a more important defender for Arizona this season than Fischer.

Since the surprising departure of fifth-year senior linebacker Brian Wagner, who left football entirely, the onus falls on Fischer to get the defense in the right reads based on the offensive set and pre-snap motion. Difficult is the fact that although Fischer is an intelligent player who has put in the work during voluntary and mandatory film study, he hasn’t played a down in over a year.

Fischer was injured last summer and missed all of the 2011 season due to an ACL tear. He is now healthy, but overcoming his own layoff along with an incredibly young linebacker corps learning an entirely new system will be a noteworthy challenge that must be overcome in order for Arizona’s defense to experience success.

Although Arizona’s 3-3-5 look will oftentimes see a linebacker creep up and into the traditional defensive end position, the fact that the player won’t be a prototypical down lineman (i.e. 6’4, 250) means that the Wildcats aren’t going to win too many one-on-one battles with hefty offensive guards or tackles. Hence, the term downhill holds merit in that the Wildcats will rely on speed and anticipation to fend off would-be blockers at the point of attack. If Fischer is able to position Arizona’s front six defenders appropriately all will be fine. However, all it takes is one defender making the wrong pre-snap read in run support and the opposing offense has the potential of snapping off a big gainer if Arizona is playing downhill but in the wrong direction.

While most defenses rely on their linebackers reading and reacting, Arizona will need its linebackers to read and react while pressing forward prior to and during the snap. This means one tiny little misread and a linebacker could be completely taken out of the play within milliseconds, something the defense can ill afford.

Difficult for Arizona is the fact that while Oregon garners attention for the Pac-12 has a spread option, speed league, the reality is that the majority of conference offenses target their running games between the tackles. New coaching staffs at UCLA and Arizona State plan to run between-the-tackles ground attacks. They’ll join juggernauts USC and Stanford in that endeavor, along with California and Washington. Thanks to an un-balanced league schedule, Arizona won’t play the Cal Bears this season. However, they will play the other five schools that feature a rushing game counterproductive to Arizona’s spread it wide and chase down defensive scheme.

Casteel will be calling the defensive plays from the sidelines, but it’ll be Fischer, positioned in the middle of Arizona’s defense, to call audibles on the fly and get the Wildcats into a formation that best positions them to make a stop while playing downhill.

It’s a big shoe to fill, or should I say hole.

Follow me on twitter @garyrandazzo, and follow the site @WSRArizona.

 

July 2, 2012

A gift from Stoops To Rich Rod
By Gary Randazzo

Rich Rodriguez has a lot to be thankful for. He inherits a program where he can sell an in the making, state of the art football facility; a quarterback that fits his offense; proven wide receivers and at least one potential star in Dan Buckner; a full-returning offensive line; and an H-back that could prove to be the best fullback in college football this season.

Taimi Tutogi has put in the work under Mike Stoops and the former Arizona coaching staff. Each offseason he was promised “more touches”, and worked hard during involuntary workouts, spring and fall camps, and every day in game-week preparation to do something with the football in his hands when he got those touches.

Unfortunately, the promised touches, the promise of being utilized more greatly came and went the past three seasons in which he never surpassed 250 yards of total offense.

In step Rodriguez and his wide open offense that does use the fullback/H-back, effectively.

In Tutogi, Rodriguez gets from stoops a 6-foot-1, 260-pound bulldozer made of iron steel (and muscle). Further, he gets a top 10 player at his position in the nation, and the odds on best in the Pac-12. Tutogi likely won’t make first or second team all-conference by season’s end, but that’s only because voters prefer to place two running backs and the traditional tight end on their ballots. Still, as Arizona’s season unfolds, expect to see Tutogi doing damage on the gridiron as both a blocker and a misdirection runner and pass catcher out of the backfield.

The one bugaboo with Stoops and his numerous attempts at overhauling the entire offensive game plan each season was the simple fact that every time there was a major program change, it always seem to come after 2-3 recruiting classes in which players were recruited for the previous offensive scheme. As a result, a player like Tutogi that possesses all the skills to excel as a second or third option in the backfield became the proverbial fish out of water.

Under Rodriguez, that won’t happen.

Tutogi has the opportunity to shine as a senior at Arizona, and will. He has already proven to be a devastating lead blocker. Additionally, once Tim Kish was named interim coach and Arizona went to its Pull Out All The Stops game plan, Tutogi proved to be a beast to tackle as a ball carrier.

The thing, though, is Tutogi is more of an all-around football player than Wildcat fans realize. In Arizona’s final four games last year, Tutogi returned his fair share of kicks. He ran pass patterns out of the backfield and in this writer’s opinion wasn’t thrown the ball to enough.

Rodriguez, unlike Stoops (and pick any of his offensive coordinators), won’t make that same mistake.

Stoops and his staff may have underutilized Tutogi in seasons past, but Rodriguez won’t make that same mistake in 2012. Expect to see Tutogi have a truly special breakout year and climb the NFL Draft Board in the process.

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October 28, 2011

Free Preview: Arizona @ Washington
By Gary Randazzo

Arizona has won three of the last four meetings and all four games have provided some incredible highs and lows for the Wildcats. Arizona has routed Washington in Tucson, winning 44-14 last season and 48-14 in 2008. In 2007 the Wildcats erased a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win in resounding fashion, 48-41, up in Seattle. Victories aside, the lone loss in 2009 made the biggest headlines. In Seattle, Arizona was protecting a tenuous four point lead late in the fourth quarter. Nick Foles audibled out of the run and into a quick pass which was deflected off the foot of his receiver Delashaun Dean and into the hands of a Husky who returned the interception 37 yards for the game-winning touchdown. Despite Arizona’s recent success, Washington owns the series with a record of 17-9-1.

Game Data
Arizona Wildcats (2-5, 1-4 Pac-12) @ Washington (5-2, 3-1 Pac-12)
Date: Oct. 29, 2011
Time: 7:30 p.m. MST
Location: Seattle, Wash. (Husky Stadium – 72,500)
TV: FSN (Craig Bolerjack, Joel Klatt, Petros Papadakis)
UA Radio: Arizona Radio Network, 1290 AM Tucson (Brian Jeffries and Lamont Lovett)
*Listen to John Schuster and WSR’s Brad Allis on 1290AM for as many as six hours Saturday as part of 1290AM’s radio game day broadcast.[/b]

The leap by the lake, the immaculate interception, Arizona’s upset over No. 1 Washington in 1992; the list goes on in a series defined by wild football moments that at the time changed the national landscape. Both programs are undergoing significant change as we speak so Saturday should be nothing new for Arizona and Washington when they meet in a late night tilt in Husky Stadium.

Washington is showing early signs of returning to national prominence. Steve Sarkisian is in his third year as head coach and owns 17-15 career record. A Holiday Bowl victory over No. 17 Nebraska helped pave the way for a red hot start to 2011 as the Huskies jumped out to a 5-1 record. However, Washington ran into a buzz saw last weekend in Stanford, falling to the Cardinal 65-21. Sarkisian’s club has some defensive weaknesses that are still being ironed out and is hopeful the setback was temporary.

Arizona fired its coach Mike Stoops on Oct. 10 during a bye week and then chased UCLA out of its stadium last Thursday with a monster 48-12 victory. The win snapped an eight game conference losing streak as well as 10 straight against FBS schools. Under the leadership of interim coach Tim Kish, the Wildcats looked and played dramatically different against the Bruins. Case in point, the Wildcats entered the game averaging 71.8 yards on the ground. Against the Bruins the Wildcats racked up 254 yards out of its power set looks. Defensively, Arizona entered the game as one of the nation’s worst defenses yet limited the Bruins to less than 380 yards of offense and a measly 10 points (two points were scored on a safety in the closing minutes).

Each enters Saturday’s game with a lot to lose. For Washington, a difficult schedule stretch lies beyond the Arizona game and getting to bowl eligibility with a victory this weekend is critical. The Huskies will host Oregon next weekend, and then must play consecutive road games at USC (Nov. 12) and Oregon State (Nov. 19) before ending the season against rival Washington State. The challenge for Washington will be figuring out a way to improve its rush defense quickly (gave up 464 rush yards to Stanford last weekend) while avoiding the natural tendency of looking past a 2-5 Arizona team in anticipation for more prominent Pac-12 games ahead on the schedule.

As for Arizona, the Wildcats are looking to sustain momentum, something the program hasn’t had since September of last year when Arizona jumped out to a 7-1 start and rose to as high as ninth in the national polls. It’s been all downhill since, but signs of a better future began to show in the win over UCLA. Unlike Washington, Arizona’s closing schedule holds promise. The Wildcats host Utah for homecoming on Nov. 5, and then travel to Colorado on Nov. 12. Both clubs are currently winless in conference. Arizona’s biggest game (besides Washington) will occur in Tempe on Nov. 19 when Arizona attempts to seek revenge for the double-overtime loss to rival Arizona State last season. Finally, the program concludes its campaign at home against Louisiana. Similar to Washington, Arizona must avoid looking beyond the Huskies as they lick their chops at the prospect of winning those final four games. The good news is it will be easier for Arizona to focus on Washington because a victory over the Huskies positions the Wildcats to make a late-season charge toward bowl eligibility, something few even imagined possible after a disappointing 37-27 loss to Oregon State on Oct. 8.

Will Arizona pay the Price
The Wildcats historically have not performed well defensively against mobile quarterbacks. However, things may be slightly different now that Kish is “truly” running his Wildcat defense. Kish re-introduced his own version of Arizona’s famous double-eagle flex defense last week against UCLA, which helped to completely disrupt UCLA’s pistol offense that had been averaging 195 yards on the ground. Against Arizona the Bruins gained just 37 rush yards. Washington QB Keith Price is a fast, mobile, athletic signal caller with a monster arm. Arizona used a defensive player to cover every UCLA Bruin at the line of scrimmage to create more freedom for its linebackers and corner robbers and safeties to make plays in the Bruin backfield. They did! That same strategy may serve to contain Price in the pocket and prevent the big gain by scrambling and keeping the play alive. In a way, that will be a major key in containing the Husky offense. Price isn’t a Jake Locker type runner by any stretch of the imagination (31 carries, 6 yards). However, his mobility has enabled him to move the pocket, keep plays alive with his legs and buy time to throw deep down the field. On the season, Price has thrown for 1,713 yards, 22 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions.

Red Zone Efficiency…and Deficiency
There could be a lot of scoring in Seattle this weekend. Both teams convert drives into points over 80% of the time once inside the red zone. Arizona has improved from 73% just three weeks ago to 83% (24-of-29) while Washington remains solid scoring 89% of the time (24-of-27). The good news for each of the offenses is both defenses have allowed opponents an 86% success rate (Arizona opponents 31/36; Washington opponents 30/35) in the red zone. Arizona’s defense did have an impressive goal line stand against UCLA last weekend and may need another one Saturday in order to win the game.

Big Play Receivers
Arizona’s Nick Foles is spreading the wealth better than almost every other quarterback in the country (more on Foles later). One of his primary targets is Juron Criner who has 27 career touchdowns, which has him high up on active career leaders list, nationally. Washington receiver Jerome Kearse is not too shabby either, pulling down 28 career touchdowns. Arizona’s passing game is tops in the Pac-12 and sixth-best in the nation at 373.9 so the Wildcats will likely be the more difficult cover Saturday. Still, Washington is no slouch in this department at 248 passing yards per game, made more effective by UW’s 175 rush yards per game.

Can Arizona Find Balance Again
Arizona’s defense played great and kept UCLA off the scoreboard. However, its offense won the day because for the first time this season the Wildcats showed effective offensive balance for a full four quarters. Arizona’s 254 rush yards completely befuddled the Bruin defense and paved the way for gaping passing lanes that allowed Foles to pick apart the UCLA secondary at will last Thursday. Even though Foles finished the game completing 26-of-39 (considered a poor completion percentage for Foles), the senior was a nifty 22-of-27 for 242 yards and three touchdowns by halftime as Arizona built its 42-7 lead. Against Stanford, the Cardinal rushed for 464 yards to stun the Huskies. If Arizona were to gain anywhere near 200 yards on the ground Saturday the Wildcats would likely hold a significant advantage. Wildcat fans should expect some more tweaks and an additional play or two out of the team’s 3-back set and if they experience success on the ground again, an upset is likely.

Erasing Memories
Arizona’s 36-33 loss at Washington in 2009 had a horror show ending for the Wildcats. The pick six off the foot of Arizona’s Dean to win the game for the Huskies was a moment Washington fans won’t soon forget. For Arizona fans, all they can do is hope that Foles has forgotten that play. In press conferences since, Foles has openly indicated that he was actually trying to throw the ball away on that play. Sometimes simply throwing an interception on a pass you intended to complete is easier to forget than the “black magic” that occurred on that October night in Seattle. Foles is having a fantastic season despite the team’s overall record. Thus far Foles has thrown for 2,546 yards while completing 70.9% of his passes. He’s not been deterred by 14 sacks, tossing 18 touchdowns against 5 interceptions. Career-wise, Foles ranks second on the Arizona all-time passing list with 8,223 yards in just 30 games. He’s also second in career touchdowns (57) behind Willie Tuitama (67), who’s also the career passing leader (9,221). Foles is on pace to eclipse 3,000 yards passing for the second straight season, and carried a streak of 208 pass attempts without an interception that included his first 193 attempts this season.

Will Arizona Win
The Wildcats have had no problems scoring points against the Huskies in recent seasons (48, 48, 33, 44) and there’s little reason to suspect the team will struggle in Seattle this weekend. Still, football is more than just offense and Wildcat fans have witnessed plenty of high offensive outputs by Arizona in the past 12 months that still resulted in blowout losses. Washington, despite its loss to Stanford, is a solid football team that still hasn’t reached its full potential. There’s a chance Arizona is catching UW at the perfect time as both programs had wildly different results in Week 8. However, there’s also a chance the Wildcats catch a Husky team miffed and ready to restore itself.

Washington’s defense got exposed by Stanford, but the Cardinal also routed the Wildcats earlier this season. Saturday’s game represents a fresh start for Washington while Arizona got its own reprieve on Oct. 10. Both teams have much to play for, which should bring out the best in each. Arizona must find success on the ground, especially in the hostile Husky Stadium where a deafening crowd could adversely affect Arizona’s passing attack as communication between Foles and his receivers at the line of scrimmage may prove difficult. The best way to silence the home crowd is to run over its defense, and Arizona showed signs of an improved rush attack against UCLA. Arizona will undoubtedly test Washington’s run defense Saturday night and if the Cats can find enough holes to pile up yards a victory may actually come easier than conventional wisdom suggests.

The flip side is if Washington’s defense plugs the holes and forces Arizona to become a one-dimensional passing team. Even if it doesn’t rain, a late evening game (7:30 p.m. PDT) in Seattle will bring with it heavy, moist air that could make things slippery. Foles will have to be on his spot-on best if he’s forced to throw the football more than 40 times. The good news for Arizona is Washington’s QB Prince will face the same challenges. However, working in UW’s favor is the fact that four members of the Wildcat secondary will be sidelined due to player suspensions. Arizona will get two back by halftime, but whether they actually play or not is debatable.

Defensively, Arizona needs to show the same fight it did against UCLA. Washington’s defense is more diverse than UCLA’s, but will enter Saturday’s game with similar offensive statistics to the Bruins. Like Washington’s defense, Arizona needs to figure out a way to stop Husky RB Chris Polk and turn Prince’s attention to the aerial attack. If they can, Arizona’s more aggressive front seven may wreak enough havoc behind the line of scrimmage to keep Prince contained, off balanced and into “bad decision” mode.

Despite Washington being a nine-point favorite, the teams are fairly even on both sides of the ball. While each has a strong offense, the defenses are skeptically good at best. For this reason alone, Saturday should be another unpredictable game between two young and hungry teams.

Please visit www.WildcatSportsReport.com daily for continued coverage of Arizona Wildcats football and recruiting news and notes. “Like” us at www.facebook.com/WSRArizona and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WSRArizona.

 

October 21, 2011

Instant Analysis: Arizona 48-12
By Gary Randazzo

The Wildcats only scored six points in the second half, but that did not matter as Arizona took a whopping 42-7 lead into the locker room Thursday in Tucson. The Wildcats scored touchdowns on its first six possessions to produce the rout. UCLA was mystified by what was transpiring as Arizona outgained the Bruins 573-323 on a night that saw Juron Criner tie a school record with three touchdown receptions.

Turning Point

In all seriousness, the turning point began last Monday when Mike Stoops was terminated. No disrespect toward Stoops, but the program needed a fresh start and got one in his firing. Fans and other critics have [i]suggested[/i] that this Arizona roster has “no talent.” Well, tonight proved that Arizona is talented and just needed some tweaking to get things right. Arizona won the game’s coin flip and selected to receive the ball. The Wildcats marched 80 yards for a touchdown and its first lead in a game in the last 302 minutes and 17 seconds of live action. Arizona never looked back.

How Game Was Won

Arizona beat an FBS-caliber opponent for the first time in 355 days. Make no mistake about it Thursday’s victory started on the practice field this week. After the initial shock of the Stoops firing wore off, interim coach Tim Kish wisely recruited resources and figureheads within the Arizona Athletics Department to address his players and remind them all why they put on the uniform. While loyalty to a head coach is extremely important, loyalty to their University and the players themselves trumps all. Thursday, the players played for themselves and produced a romp not seen in these parts since arguably Arizona’s 52-7 win in 2005 over these same Bruins.

Arizona (2-5, 1-4 Pac-12) extended its winning streak over UCLA to five games in the process snapping a 10-game losing streak to FBS schools. The losing streak included five straight games this season, as well as eight-straight to Pac-12 teams.

The Wildcats took the opening kickoff and drove 80 yards for a touchdown on a 4-yard pass from Nick Foles to Criner. After stopping UCLA on downs, the Wildcats wasted no time in scoring again this time on an 18-yard scamper by Ka’Deem Carey. Arizona, a team that entered the game being outscored 52-17 by opponents in the first quarter not only held a lead but a comfortable lead for the first time since beating NAU in its season opener.

The Bruins (3-3, 2-2 Pac-12) got on the scoreboard with just under three minutes to play in the opening quarter on a nifty throw back pass from Kevin Prince to Jonathan Franklin that went for 16 yards and a touchdown to close the gap to 14-7. However, it was all Arizona from that point forward as the Wildcats would cross the goal line four more times before halftime to lead 42-7.

Foles completed 22-of-27 passes for 242 yards and three touchdowns in the first two quarters. He would finish with 291 throwing yards before turning the game over to back up Bryson Beirne in the final period. Arizona would possess the ball for nearly 36 minutes Thursday while racking up 31 first downs in 91 plays. Comparatively, UCLA struggled all night on offense. Prince completed just 17-of-35 passes, but did make the most of his completions by throwing for 286 yards. UCLA though converted just 15 first downs against an Arizona defense that had been allowing its opponents 23.7 first downs per game and well over 450 yards of offense. Thursday, UCLA gained just 323 total yards that included a lowly 37 markers on the ground.

Arizona, on the other hand, turned in its strongest rushing performance of the season as the team combined to carry the ball 46 times for 254 yards and three rushing touchdowns. Senior Keola Antolin averaged 10 yards per carry for 77 yards while Carey added 67 rush yards on just eight carries.

Arizona’s balanced offense saw Foles connect with seven different receivers, two of which had over 100 receiving yards. Gino Crump caught a career high nine passes for 104 yards while Criner had 10 grabs for 101 yards and three touchdowns to earn player of the game honors.

While Arizona played near flawless football, UCLA had two turnovers in addition to 11 penalties for 105 yards. The Wildcats forced and recovered two fumbles (only two fumble recoveries of the season) while sacking Prince several times. In fact, the Wildcats had two sacks in the second quarter alone falling one shy of its season total to that point (3). Arizona’s perfection also included long kicking specialist John Bonano successfully executing all six point after attempts as well as converting two field goals with a long of 41 yards.

Stat of the Game

It’s worth mentioning that John Bonano was a perfect 6-for-6 on PATs and 2-for-2 on field goal tries. His long of 41 yards brought tears to the eyes of Wildcat fans who’ve been troubled by Arizona’s kicking woes on the legs of previous kickers Alex Zendejas and Jaime Salazar.

The big stats of the game include:

Player of the Game

Juron Criner earned official player of the game honors so that’s good enough for me. On the night Criner had 10 receptions for 101 yards and three touchdowns, including an incredible touchdown grab where he literally reached over the defender and snatched the ball off the back of his opponent while being pushed out of bounds.

Second Guessing

Again, no disrespect but perhaps change should have come sooner in Tucson. It’s difficult to imagine Arizona losing all five of its previous games using the schemes it employed tonight even though UCLA is a pretty awful football team. Without exaggerating, at a minimum, Arizona would have beaten Oregon State.

What it Means

What it means is Arizona is still alive in the Pac-12. Honestly, you’ve gotta love this divisional stuff. Had this been last year, a 0-4 start in league play would have the team thinking about “next” season. However, Arizona is still not mathematically eliminated from representing the South Division in the first ever Pac-12 title game on Dec. 2. If the Wildcats can win out, they’ll eliminate UCLA, Utah and Colorado from division crown contention. USC is already eliminated because of its postseason ban. That leaves just Arizona State, which currently sits atop the division at 3-1. Arizona will need some help as the Sun Devils must drop two games in addition to losing to Arizona in the Territorial Cup. Before you dismiss this idea and call me crazy, don’t forget that Arizona was No. 9 in the country at about this time of the season last year before its total collapse. Further, since it’s still baseball season, lest not forget that both the Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox each dropped 10-game leads in the final month of the regular season to miss the playoffs.

Please visit www.WildcatSportsReport.com daily for continued coverage of Arizona Wildcats football and recruiting news and notes. “Like” us at www.facebook.com/WSRArizona and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WSRArizona.

October 18, 2011

Free Preview: UCLA @ Arizona
By Gary Randazzo

It’s all about snapping losing streaks Saturday. Arizona has dropped seven-straight conference games and nine overall to FBS opponents while Oregon State has lost six in a row, including a stunning loss to FCS foe Sacramento State. Each team is fighting injuries, penalties, turnovers and more during their slumps but the excuses are out the window in Corvallis as one of these schools will walk out of Reser Stadium victorious.

Game Data
UCLA Bruins (3-3, 2-1 Pac-12) @ Arizona Wildcats (1-5, 0-4 Pac-12)
Date: Oct. 20, 2011 (Thursday)
Time: 6:00 p.m. MST
Location: Tucson, Ariz. (Arizona Stadium – 57,400)
TV: ESPN, ESPN 3D, ESPN3 (Rece Davis, Craig James and Jesse Palmer)
UA Radio: Arizona Radio Network, 1290 AM Tucson (Brian Jeffries and Lamont Lovett)
*Listen to John Schuster and WSR’s Brad Allis on 1290AM for as many as six hours Saturday as part of 1290AM’s radio game day broadcast.[/b]

Amazing sometimes how things come full circle. Embroiled in one its worst losing streaks in decades, the Wildcats get a chance to snap a 10-game futility streak against FBS foes by beating the last BCS team it was victorious against in UCLA. Arizona did beat FCS school Northern Arizona to open the season. However, it was a 29-21 victory over UCLA on Oct. 30, 2010 that was immediately followed by Arizona’s downward spiral that would entail dropping eight consecutive conference games, 10-straight to FBS schools, and five straight setbacks since beating NAU. Interestingly, UCLA owns the all-time series 19-14-2, but the Wildcats have won the last four meetings.

Change is upon us
Arizona terminated its head coach Mike Stoops on Oct. 10 and bumped up defensive coordinator and associate head coach Tim Kish to the leading role on an interim basis. Since, it’s been all about change within the program. The guest speaker tour started almost immediately as Kish thought it wise to bring in several figure heads, including men’s basketball coach Sean Miller, to address the team. According to Kish, he’ll continue to recruit others inside and outside of the Athletics Department to speak with his club. In a surprising move, as reported by the Arizona Daily Star, even Mike Stoops himself addressed the team last Friday, offering closure to his eight-year tenure as Wildcat coach. Managing the emotional side of the staff shake up is just the half of it though. Immediately, rumblings began of a more loosey-goosey approach to the game, ensuring that the players and coaches return to having fun again while yes, trying to improve and perform better on the field.

Fun and speeches aside, the biggest news is what Kish is doing to actually change Arizona’s approach to the game. Credible sources, as well as Kish himself in statements made to the Tucson media suggests Arizona’s defense will try and mix things up by playing more aggressively and deploying its blitz packages while also placing its corners closer to the line of scrimmage to press UCLA’s receivers and get them out of their routes quicker. Lastly, Kish announced that he’s moving special teams coach Jeff Hammerschmidt to the coaching box to give him a bird’s eye view of the field while also name John Bonano as the team’s placekicker. 

Rushing game is non-existent
Keep in mind, Nick Foles has been sacked more than any other Pac-12 quarterback and that’s hurting the Wildcats’ ground attack. Still, even without the sack yardage, no stretch of the imagination could convince anyone that Arizona is a solid rushing team. Officially, Arizona ranks last in the Pac-12 and 119th nationally in rushing yards per game (71.8). Generally, a common side effect of a spread passing attack is the gaping holes available to running backs on the delayed draws. Unfortunately, Arizona is the “exception to the rule” in this category as the Wildcats have been anemic on the ground the past two seasons and coincidentally have struggled in the red zone as a result. It shouldn’t come as a shock that Arizona’s 5-for-5 touchdowns in the red zone against USC occurred in the only game this year where Arizona employed its power sets consistently throughout the game. The lesson here; use the power formations Thursday and give your offense a chance to not only score touchdowns, but eat some clock and keep Arizona’s young defense off the field for long durations.

Red Zone improving, but not by much
Arizona converted points on 72% of its red zone trips a year ago. This season, the team has improved to 78% (18-of-23). A positive beyond the obvious is Arizona has scored touchdown on 16 of those trips. Defensively, the numbers aren’t as positive as Wildcat opponents are scoring inside the red zone 91% percent of the time. However, opponents have only scored 22 touchdowns translating to a 69% TD conversion rate. UCLA is not a team one would refer to as a high-powered offense. Arizona must be mindful of receiver Nelson Rosario when defending the Bruins near the goal line as well as the power runs of Johnathan Franklin. If they can and limit UCLA to more field goals than touchdowns the Cats could not only win Thursday but win by a comfortable margin.

Arizona favored?
When was the last time a team on an 8-game conference losing streak that just fired its head coach was favored in a football game against a school with a winning record in league play? I don’t have an answer for that one, let alone an answer for why Arizona is better than a field goal favorite over UCLA. I suppose the old adage “Vegas knows best” applies.

Is it all up to the defense?
Arizona’s defense ranks at or near the bottom of the Pac-12 in every defensive statistical category. Further, its numbers nationally are equally poor: Rushing Defense (last in Pac-12, 100th nationally); Pass Defense (11th in conference, 110th nationally); Total Defense (last, 116th); Scoring Defense (last, 117th) and Sacks (last, 120th). Honestly, there’s no way to spin these stats as they’re truly awful. The hope is for dramatic improvement over the next six weeks of the season. UCLA may help on this front as the Bruins are averaging just 198.7 passing yards per game and 25.8 points scored per contest.

Six more games, really?
Is it just me or has this season already felt like an eternity. Every time I think of Arizona’s remaining schedule I have to do a double take and ask myself, “Really, there are six more games left.” Theoretically, Arizona is still eligible for a bowl game, but it will likely require the Wildcats winning out considering they’ve already dropped four conference games and probably can’t afford a fifth. Still, the fact that coach Kish isn’t simply taking over for 2-3 weeks will actually make this trial period a lot of fun for the coaches, the players and even the fans.

Arizona’s not alone
As crazy and as wild as Arizona’s season has been when it comes to executing something as simple as a point after attempt (they’ve missed 5 PATs), the Bruins are in the same boat having already missed four PATs this season. Arizona hopes to correct its problems by turning to kickoff specialist John Bonano to execute all field goals Thursday. He did kick PATs in the loss to Oregon State after Alex Zendejas again erred, and has officially won the job for now.

Will Arizona Win
Let’s just say they “can” win and leave it at that. However, they should have won in Corvallis and Wildcat fans know how that mess turned out. The problems on defense are glaring and there’s a HUGE statistic I left out above when outlining Arizona’s defensive woes this season. To date, Arizona ranks last in the nation in forcing sacks as the Wildcats have only brought down opposing quarterbacks three times this season. Yes, three total sacks in six games! That is staggering especially since its own quarterback Nick Foles has been abused in his own pocket all season, at one point being sacked 12 times in just three games. Another glaring problem for Arizona is its top two field goal kickers (Zendejas, Jaime Salazar) are a combined 2-for-6 this season, which has basically eliminated the option of even attempting a field goal for Arizona in recent games. The additional burden on an Arizona offense that already ranks eighth in conference in points scored (27.3) is brutal because defenses know that Arizona must gamble on third down situations inside the 35-yard line by taking unnecessary risks rather than simply trying to gain a few extra yards to make a field goal try that much easier.

To win Saturday, first and foremost, Arizona needs to tackle better. Unfortunately, that’s asking a lot of a defense that hasn’t tackled consistently since a win over Iowa last September. As one shrewd Wildcat Sports Report VIP subscriber (rickyk) recently penned, sound tackling is something a team develops in the off season through repetition and not something that is learned during game week. However, that’s the challenge facing Arizona this week and last as they prepare for the Bruins. Problematic is even though UCLA is just 3-3 on the season, the Bruins actually do play a physical brand of football on the offensive side of the ball (UCLA’s defense shares many of Arizona’s problems). Running back Franklin is a very strong and capable ball carrier, as is fullback Anthony Barr who coincidentally graduated from my same elementary school albeit decades apart. The exploits of 6-foot-5, 220 pound receiver Rosario are well documented and he’s not alone in the wide receiver department for UCLA. Kish promises more blitzing from Arizona and the Bruins are a team that doesn’t handle the blitz well. Its quarterback corps has literally been a M.A.S.H. unit for three straight seasons to the point that Richard Brehaut has been lost for the season and Thursday starter Kevin Prince has already missed three games this season due to his own rash of injuries. Prince is a bruising type of signal caller so if the Arizona blitz does get to him they will need to wrap up and actually bring him down. Still, even the harassment of Prince in the pocket could lead to Bruin miscues as UCLA already has 10 turnovers this season.

Offensively, there’s some good news. Even though Arizona’s defense has struggled mightily in defending the red zone, UCLA’s is no better in allowing opponents to score 92% of the time once inside its 25-yard line. Arizona is expected to go back to more of its 3-back and I-back formations to embolden its rushing attack while affording Foles more protection in the pocket. If they do, AND THEY BETTER, the Wildcats will likely find a lot of success Thursday when they have the ball.

Despite the records, there is a lot on the line Thursday. Arizona would love to get its first victory over an FBS school in what will be its 11th attempt especially considering Kish is now the one leading the Wildcats onto the field. However, UCLA is in a very similar situation with its own coach Rick Neuheisel sitting squarely on the hot seat. The Bruins need this victory over Arizona to improve its overall record to 4-3 and move two games over .500 in league play. Reports out of Los Angeles indicate that reaching a bowl game is a must for Neuheisel to keep his job after the season and that might prove impossible if the Bruins fall to one of the conference’s bottom feeders.

What this means is Thursday could prove to be a lively game between two desperate teams. The game will be televised nationally by ESPN and will actually be broadcast in ESPN 3D. While some fans may cringe at seeing a 1-5 Arizona team up close and personal in three dimensions, controlled rage swirling around the practice field has Wildcats seething at the opportunity to play well, win, and silence its critics.

Please visit www.WildcatSportsReport.com daily for continued coverage of Arizona Wildcats football and recruiting news and notes. “Like” us at www.facebook.com/WSRArizona and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WSRArizona.

 

October 18, 2011

Things to Consider-Coaching Search
By Canyon Allis

When it comes to the firing of Mike Stoops and the now open position for the head coaching job at the U of A there are many things to consider. It is easy to get excited and start fantasizing about big name coaches and comparing their current situations with other potential candidates from nowhere programs.

Immediately you start thinking about the big names in college football. Urban Meyer would do great at U of A but unfortunately Arizona is closer to Utah’s program in the eyes of Meyer, not Florida’s. So you would have to assume that it would be a major jump backwards in his career. If not program wise but contract wise. At Florida Urb’ made $4 million a year, at Arizona he’ll make a little more than half that.

One big thing to consider is the fact that Greg Byrne, not the average fan, will be doing the hiring. It is easy to look at all the sexy things about a coach and not the baggage. Hiring this person means many things for Greg Byrne. The football program brings in the most money. It supports almost all the other athletic teams at Arizona and as such when you are the athletic director it is pretty important who you put in charge of your most valuable asset.

With this job comes a lot of public exposure, so this is not your usual hire. People will be judging this person more so than when Greg Byrne hires an administrator or just about any other position within his department, including head coaches in the other sports. With the exception of Sean Miller, there is no other coach in any other sport that will get as much local and national exposure than Byrne’s pending football hire. People attribute the actions of the football coach and his demeanor and associate them with the program. Whether it’s their sideline tirades, or the way they do endorsement commercials everyone is usually watching and it only takes one major gaffe to end up in the national news cycle.

More extreme would be like Jim Tressel and the reputation of Ohio State and the current players which are his. Buckeye players are still being suspended left and right, and the image of Ohio State has definitely been tarnished because of Tressel’s actions and those of his former players.

All that and more will come up if Greg Byrne did decide to interview the sweater-vest. Not only does it not make sense from a boss’ standpoint to hire someone who got fired for lying to his AD and compliance department, but there would be a constant watch over the program by the NCAA because of what happened at Ohio State under the Tressell regime. Interestingly, I have been hearing fans remark for years how they would trade a major NCAA sanction for a spot in the Rose Bowl as the conference champion. While that may ring true now, those same fans would crying foul and cursing the guilty party after the NCAA finished gutting the program.  

Here are some other big names and some things to consider:

Mike Leach: Say what you will about Mike Leach being a good coach but you can say more about what a handful he can be. He at times can be so outspoken that he rubs a lot of people the wrong way. Mike Stoops was criticized for being wildly animated on the sidelines but aloof in the press room. Leach was not only fiery on the sidelines he was fiery just about everywhere. Remember, he also was terminated for putting a high profile player (Son of ESPN analyst Craig James) in a closet after he had a concussion because he needed to be taken out of the light. He has also lashed out publicly about referees and other programs. Coming from Byrne’s perspective, is it really worth hiring Leach and getting a coach that at times is also blatantly defiant?

Butch Davis:There is a lot of questions that still loom in Chapel Hill. Davis left after many North Carolina players were suspended for mostly improper benefits. Really though, Butch took the heat for many people that were at fault and to be truthful most of which weren’t his fault. Sure he was the head coach, and it happened under his watch, and that is something that Byrne would have to really look at. Butch can flat out coach. He won eight games with a completely decimated North Carolina roster and then was fired.

Rich Rodriguez: “RichRod” reminds me more of a used car dealer than a football coach. Where ever he has been controversy has followed. At West Virginia he left on very bad terms. It took several lawsuits to get him to pay his buyout back from his contract. He has had countless players transfer and repeatedly complain about what a bad person he is and that he has “No family values” which was the quote used by Justin Boren, who left Michigan and transferred to Ohio State and then was a first team all Big Ten in 2009. Also, there was some controversy about Rodriguez destroying school property and documents, many of which are believed to be incriminating, before he left. Not to mention his record at Michigan was 15-22.

It is easy to think about the good things these guys did rather than the ugly but Greg Byrne is going leave nothing to chance. This decision affects millions and millions of dollars and a city full of fans as well as Byrne’s critics.

There are a lot of other people who are more than qualified for the job who haven’t yet made headlines across the country. Finding an up and coming assistant can be an inexpensive way to get a great coach that also doesn’t have the baggage that a big name coach has, especially the ones that are currently available (not coaching today). Getting a great assistant at a program like Arizona can be like catching lightning in a bottle but here is a list of the top offensive and defensive coordinators across the country. Names on this list are just the top coordinators and not all of them are candidates for the job:

 -Kirby Smart, Alabama D-Coordinator
-Brent Venables, Oklahoma Defensive Coordinator
-Bud Foster, Virginia Tech Defensive Coordinator
-Norm Chow, Utah Offensive Coordinator
-Kevin Steele, Clemson Defensive Coordinator
-John Chavis LSU Defensive Coordinator
-Charlie Weis, Florida Offensive Coordinator
-Manny Diaz, Texas Defensive Coordinator
-Gus Malzahn, Auburn offensive Coordinator
-Tom Bradley, Penn St Defensive Coordinator
-Calvin Magee, Pitt offensive Coordinator
-Frank Cignetti, Rutgers Offensive Coordinator
-Monte Kiffin, USC Defensive Coordinator
-Ellis Johnson, South Carolina Defensive Coordinator
- Nick Holt, Washington Defensive Coordinator
-Tony Franklin, Louisiana Tech offensive Coordinator
-Jim Heacock, Ohio St Defensive Coordinator
-Jeff Casteel, West Virginia Defensive Coordinator
-Todd Grantham, Georgia Defensive Coordinator
-Paul Chryst, Wisconsin Offensive Coordinator

There are some other names and not everyone is interested or wanted for the job. There is a lot of young and talented coordinators, and a few old (cough Monte Kiffin) and talented coordinators.  I’m sure you will start hearing some of these names floating around the rumor mills as Arizona’s coaching search grows in strength throughout the remainder of the season.

Of course, there is another coach whose name has been thrust into the mix of potential candidates, Chris Peterson. There are many things to consider about this particular candidate. Can Petersen do for Arizona what he has done at Boise State? The Broncos’ record in recent seasons has been 13-0, 10-3, 12-1, 14-0, 12-1, and thus far this season 5-0. He has made the Boise State football program a brand name, and made football a more significant storyline than Boise’s blue field. The iconic blue turf speaks for itself, but Petersen has brought BCS games and wins, the trick plays against Oklahoma and regular season upsets over power schools like Virginia Tech, et al.

Can he have the success in Tucson?  Boise State plays on ESPN all the time. They were on the cover of Sports Illustrated twice last year. They also have an expansion of facilities planned just like the U of A. In Boise he is the man. In Tucson he runs the risk of being second fiddle basketball’s Sean Miller. How much will they have to pay Petersen who makes just under 2 million dollars (1.7 to be exact) after bonuses? If Arizona does have to lure him to Tucson using the almighty dollar, how will that affect the other coaches within the Athletics Department?

Also would Petersen really bolt a sure thing for Arizona? He did not take the Stanford job, which almost guarantees instant success following in the footsteps of Jim Harbaugh. Also the UCLA and Washington State jobs could become available and even worse what happens if Mark Richt gets fired in Athens and the Georgia job opens up?

Does Byrne have that much pull and that much leverage with the Arizona Board of Regents to play hardball with a major SEC program in Georgia? Also this coaching situation hashed a lot of negative light on the lack of facilities at Arizona. Granted, Byrne has added a new scoreboard to the stadium and the North End Zone Project is underway, but I’m sure Byrne wishes the expansion was already done. Without the stadium complete, Arizona does become somewhat a harder sell.

Please visit www.WildcatSportsReport.com daily for continued coverage of Arizona Wildcats football and recruiting news and notes. “Like” us at www.facebook.com/WSRArizona and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WSRArizona.

 

October 11, 2011

End of an era
By Gary Randazzo

Mike Stoops is out at Arizona. The decision came as somewhat of a surprise Monday afternoon as the Wildcat football program entered its first bye week of a 12-game season. Typically, the usual Monday football press conference is cancelled during a bye week as was the case today when no official presser was on the books. However, news began to swirl late this afternoon, followed by Wildcat Sports Report’s Chris Bonney and the Tucson Citizen’s Anthony Gimino being the first to officially report the news that Stoops had indeed been fired.

Athletics Director Greg Byrne soon after publicly made the announcement via his Wildcat Wednesday newsletter saying:

“Today I write to you to announce that Mike Stoops has been relieved of his duties and will no longer be the head coach of the Arizona football program. Coach Stoops did many things to improve our program and we are appreciative of his efforts.”

According to Byrne, a national coaching search will begin immediately with a decision not being made, or at least announced, until after the close of the football season. While fans will begin to play the “Who’s Next” game on Internet message boards and at local eateries and pubs, the program still faces six more games in its 2011 campaign.

During the emergency presser hosted by Byrne Monday at 6 p.m. in Arizona’s McKale Center, current defensive coordinator and associate head coach Tim Kish was named interim coach. Kish replaces Stoops who ends his eight-year tenure at Arizona with a 41-50 record in seven plus seasons. Stoops exits abruptly following a 1-5 record this season and winless in the newly organized Pac-12 Conference (0-4).

The Cats opened the season with a 41-10 victory over FCS school Northern Arizona. However, the season quickly took a turn for the worst as the Wildcats dropped back-to-back games to Oklahoma State and Stanford by a combined scoring margin of 74-24. The Oregon Ducks then polished off the Wildcats in Tucson 56-31 before a stadium that was half empty by halftime. The losses to three consecutive Top 10 opponents were, in a way, forgivable as a young and injury-plagued Wildcat team was double-digit underdogs by kickoff in all three games. Arizona tried to right the ship as its schedule softened, but Arizona fell behind by large margins to both USC and Oregon State by halftime in each game.

Questions about the state of the program began to mount and angst among a worn out fan base grew. The Wildcats came back in both its games against USC and Oregon State, but could not pull off the victories. As a result, Arizona found itself embroiled in a 10-game losing streak to FBS-caliber schools dating back to last October, nearly 12 months to the day.

Apparently, the 37-27 loss to previously winless Oregon State proved too much for Byrne.

On the field, Stoops was a fiery coach that wore his emotions on his sleeve. He inherited a program facing total collapse and resurrected Arizona football on the national stage. The Wildcats were televised on the ESPN network under Stoops’ watch more than all other Arizona coaches combined. His staff opened up new recruiting pipelines in previously unchartered markets such as those throughout the Midwest and in the deep South like Louisiana. The Wildcats also further strengthened the school’s Polynesian Pipeline while scouring the entire state of Texas to bring to Arizona a slew of speedy skill players.

Stoops tied a school record by coaching Arizona to three-consecutive bowl games, a feat matched only by Dick Tomey in the 1990’s. His teams also posted consecutive 8-win seasons in 2008 and 2009.

Stoops leaves Arizona on a sour note, but the program is in much better shape today than the one he inherited eight years ago. Arizona’s next head coach will have a plethora of youthful and experienced talent to work with. The next coach will inherit three different types of quarterbacks in Matt Scott (read option); Tom Savage (Pro-style) and Daxx Garman (dual-threat). This will give the new coach and his staff plenty of directions to take the offense with capable quarterbacks ready to execute whichever style the team settles on. The team will also return an entire offensive line of big, talented, and young, but now experienced players who are still youthful enough to be molded into a new scheme. They’ll get a rich and young crop of running backs led by the uber-talented Ka’Deem Carey. Most importantly, the new coach will inherit a stable of talented, diverse and proven wide receivers.

Defensively, the roster is equally young and talented. While major work must be done along the front four, Arizona will return a ton of skilled players at the linebacker spot and in the secondary. Theoretically, a new coach with the right attitude, scheme and philosophy could turn around Arizona football “next year” and arguably post a 8, 9, or even 10-win season if they can get buy-in from the players.

Stoops inherited the complete opposite.

Upon his hire in December 2003, Arizona was finishing a 2-10 season that witnessed the mid-year firing of John Mackovic. Unlike with Stoops’ firing, the program literally had a mutiny on its hands as nearly 40 players left the program, some during the season. The program was in complete and utter chaos. Less than 25% of the roster players attended voluntary summer workouts under Mackovic, and some insiders questioned the program’s commitment to strength and conditioning. Stoops turned that around within months as over 85% of returning players willingly participated in summer drills. In later seasons, those numbers topped 90% as the Wildcats built themselves into an annual bowl contender.

The program reached its pinnacle in the Stoops Era during the 2009 season as the Wildcats entered a critical November showdown with then-No.11 Oregon. The game was televised nationally on ESPN and the winner would have the inside track to the Rose Bowl. Arizona led by seven points with under two minutes to play in regulation, only to see Oregon score the game-tying touchdown and extra point with just eight seconds remaining. Arizona would ultimately fall to the Ducks 44-41 in double overtime, a tilt most experts called the game of the year in college football. While Arizona didn’t reach its first ever Rose Bowl, Stoops’ Wildcats did go on to beat rival Arizona State and No. 20 USC to close out the season and finish second place in the conference standings.

However, a wakeup call occurred in Arizona’s 2009 bowl game. In the Holiday Bowl, a lethargic Wildcat squad set several bowl records in futility as they fell to Nebraska 33-0.

In 2010, Arizona jumped out to a 7-1 start, highlighted by a 34-27 home win over ninth-ranked Iowa. Arizona climbed to as high as No. 9 in the national polls that season, but all came crashing down with five-straight losses to end the year. The most notable losses were a 30-29 overtime defeat to rival Arizona State, followed by a 36-10 beat down at the hands of Oklahoma State in the Valero Alamo Bowl.

Arizona began 2011 as it ended 2010, dropping its first five games to FBS opponents. The streak of 10 straight losses made it nearly impossible for anyone to look beyond the obvious and Monday the obvious came to fruition as the school announced the termination of Stoops as head coach.

Please visit www.WildcatSportsReport.com as we continue to follow and report on this developing story.

 

October 7, 2011

Free Preview: Arizona @ Oregon State
By Gary Randazzo

It’s all about snapping losing streaks Saturday. Arizona has dropped seven-straight conference games and nine overall to FBS opponents while Oregon State has lost six in a row, including a stunning loss to FCS foe Sacramento State. Each team is fighting injuries, penalties, turnovers and more during their slumps but the excuses are out the window in Corvallis as one of these schools will walk out of Reser Stadium victorious.

Game Data
Arizona (1-4, 0-3 Pac-12) @ USC (0-4, 0-2 Pac-12)
Date: Oct. 8, 2011
Time: 12:30 p.m. MST
Location: Corvallis, Ore. (Reser Stadium – 45,674)
TV: Fox College Sports Pacific (Steve Physioc and Yogi Roth)
UA Radio: Arizona Radio Network, 1290 AM Tucson (Brian Jeffries and Lamont Lovett)
*Listen to John Schuster and WSR’s Brad Allis on 1290AM for as many as six hours Saturday as part of 1290AM’s radio game day broadcast.

Anytime a game is being played in Corvallis weather could be a factor. Fortunately for Arizona, as of now the forecast for Saturday’s game is 70 degrees and partly cloudy. Showing how quickly fortunes can change though, rain is in Sunday’s forecast. For Arizona, a team with about as much luck as a black cat standing on a broken mirror under a ladder, you can all but bet whatever storm system that’s looming out over the Pacific Ocean will arrive a day earlier than forecasted.

Happy Memories
Arizona’s trip to Oregon State in 2009 was filled with many happy memories. The game saw Arizona debut Nick Foles as starter after Matt Scott struggled in the first three games of the season. Foles was electric that night, helping the Wildcats beat the Beavers 37-32. The victory gave Arizona the momentum it needed to win three of its next four games as well, which positioned them for an opportunity to reach its first Rose Bowl in school history if they could beat No. 11 Oregon at home. Of course, the Ducks won 44-41 in double overtime, but the Wildcats rebounded to close out an eight-win regular season by beating USC and rival Arizona State. Arizona’s 2009 run started in Corvallis and the Wildcats are hoping for a similar fate with a win Saturday.

In a way, Arizona is hoping for the same kind of victory and subsequent resurgence this weekend. No one is pretending the 1-4 start to the season is a good thing. Despite facing three consecutive teams ranked in the Top 10 nationally, plus a road game at Southern California, the Wildcat coaches and players had higher hopes for its early-season slate. Arizona showed a lot of resiliency last weekend, coming back from a 34-12 deficit to lose to the Trojans 48-41 on the road. While the defense remained an enigma, the offense most certainly had things clicking. If Arizona can sustain its effort on the offensive side of the ball while showing improvement on defense, the Cats should indeed fly home happy this weekend.

Penalties are killers
No two teams understand this better than Arizona and Oregon State. Last weekend, the Wildcats drove the ball across midfield on its first three possessions. However, penalties on second down in all three drives put the Wildcats behind the chains and the end results were a punt and two interceptions. The interceptions were the first and only two picks Foles has thrown this season. The first snapped a streak of 208 (Arizona school record) consecutive completions without throwing an interception, a streak made more impressive considering Arizona had no running game early in the season and Foles had been treated like a punching bag in the pocket (12 sacks entering the USC game this season). Arizona is averaging 8.6 penalties per game this season, which is good enough to rank 113th in the country.

As for OSU, the Beavers committed 13 penalties for 139 yards last week in a 35-20 loss to Arizona State. Talk about a mess, that’s just plain old sloppy.

Red Zone Improving for Arizona
Don’t look now but thanks to a 5-for-5 effort (all touchdowns) against USC last weekend in the red zone, Arizona is now converting 80% of its scoring opportunities (16/20) once inside the opponent’s 25-yard line. The Wildcats finished its 2010 campaign with a 72% success rate so things are looking up. Better yet is the simple fact that Arizona scored touchdowns, and never once was forced to settle for a field goal when the end zone was in sight. As for OSU, the Beavers are having a difficult time even reaching the red zone (13 trips). Worse, once there, the Beavers have only scored nine times (69%).

Troubling for both schools though is how well, or should I say poor each is defending inside the red zone. Arizona opponents have scored 92% of the time inside the red zone (24/26) while OSU’s opponents have an 82% conversion rate (14/17). As simple as it sounds, whichever of these two struggling defenses can limit scoring opportunities, or even just force the other to settle for a field goal, will likely win the game.

Just How Bad is Arizona’s Defense
Without looking, trust me, it’s “that” bad. Here’s the numbers:

 

The Wildcats need to make better decisions on the field. Once they make the wiser decision, they then need to finish off tackles. So far this season, Arizona’s problem hasn’t been getting to the spot, but it has been securing the tackle. Another glaring problem is the defense is not flying to the football, which is leaving would-be tacklers in a lot of one-on-one situations. Even if the tackler gets a piece of the runner to slow them down, no one is there to pour on the second or third hit until the ball carrier has already regained their footing and gained positive yardage after the initial contact. The reason Dick Tomey’s defenses used to be called “Desert Swarm” is because they used to swarm the ball carrier. Today’s Wildcats aren’t even close to swarming right now and it’s been problematic. For example, Arizona has yet to force a fumble this season.

Early Signs of a Running Game
In Arizona’s last three outings, running backs Keola Antolin and Ka’Deem Carey are averaging 4.6 yards per carry (combined average). This is excellent news and a byproduct of Arizona’s new commitment to a more loaded backfield that provides lead blockers or added pass protection. Antolin rushed for 90 yards against USC while Carey scored the first three touchdowns of his young career. Even though Arizona’s numbers on the ground still aren’t groundbreaking (no pun intended) the improvement is obvious and the offense is looking much better (72 points in last two games). The Beavers are as banged up as Arizona on the defensive side of the ball. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of rushing success the Wildcats have Saturday. If they exceed 200 yards, Saturday’s result could be a Wildcat rout.

Mannion or Katz
Sean Mannion has replaced the struggling Ryan Katz as starter, but after the redshirt freshman tossed five interceptions last weekend against ASU, will Mike Riley make a move here and reinsert Katz at some point Saturday? After all, Katz’s last “great” game came against Arizona last season when he threw for 393 yards in a 29-27 upset win over the Wildcats.

Beavers are tough at Reser
Oregon State is 16-6 in conference games played at Reser Stadium. In the last 10 seasons, the Beavers are 45-16 at home overall. This poses a serious challenge for an Arizona team that is playing terrible football on the road. Aside from a few bright spots, the Wildcats are 14-24 on the road under Mike Stoops and have lost four straight dating back to at Stanford last season.

More Signs of Improvement on Offense
Foles completed passes to 12 different receivers against USC. Even more impressive, 10 of those receivers had at least one catch that went for 10 or more yards against the Trojans. He’s also thrown touchdown passes to nine different receivers this season. Entering the USC game, he had been sacked 12 times in Arizona’s last three games, but against the Trojans the play action and an improved running game only saw Foles get sacked once. Unfortunately, the sack on a first down and Arizona near midfield in the fourth quarter was a killer blow the Wildcats could least afford.

Arizona’s I-back formation along with its 3-back set has made the Wildcats more versatile on offense and has actually served to open up larger pockets in the secondary. As noted above, Arizona struck for 10 or more yards to 10 different receivers last weekend and that’s the kind of deep passing game that could help the Wildcats turn the season around by keeping defenses honest.

One Game at a Time
Even though Wildcat fans have basically mailed in the season, heads could turn if the Wildcats start winning. Believe it or not there are still SEVEN games remaining on the schedule. Mathematically, an eight-win regular season is still in reach. Further, with three conference losses already on the books, if the Wildcats were to win out they’d likely go to a second-tier bowl game that would pit them against an opponent of equal caliber.

Could Arizona really finish 2011 with nine victories? Sure, why not.

If Arizona can get by OSU, they’ll have a bye week to get healthy and possibly even see some players that have sat out thus far (due to injury) return to the lineup. They’ll then close out the season with home games against UCLA, Utah and Louisiana Lafayette. They’ll be on the road against Washington, Colorado and Arizona State. I’m not suggesting that all of these opponents are beatable (far from it), but they’re not exactly a murderer’s row either. It’s very important to remember that Arizona’s current nine-game losing streak has come to only five different opponents (Oklahoma State, Stanford, Oregon, USC – all twice – and ASU). What this means is Arizona has beaten every former Pac-10 team left on this year’s schedule at least once in the past two seasons. Lest we forget that these same Wildcats opened last year 7-1 against the “easy portion of the schedule” while fading once they began to face the stiffer competition. Well, they’ve faced the stiff competition already (and failed), and now it’s off to the easier part of the schedule. If they find success, the big question is will Arizona fans being singing a different tune, or still demanding change?

Please visit www.WildcatSportsReport.com daily for continued coverage of Arizona Wildcats football and recruiting news and notes. “Like” us at www.facebook.com/WSRArizona and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WSRArizona.

 

October 3, 2011

From the Press Box: USC
Gary Randazzo

Following Arizona’s 48-41 loss, Mike Stoops said he’s “always involved” with the Arizona defense. This says a lot, and perhaps lends itself to a new element within the why is Arizona struggling to stop people question. If there was any hope, in this writer’s opinion, is it would be found in the fact that perhaps Stoops didn’t have that heavy a hand in Arizona’s defense and maybe his stepping in during the weeks ahead and lending his expertise would result in the Wildcats beginning to turn things around. That “hope” is out the window though, meaning if all hands are already on deck then there appears to be little hope for the Wildcat defense improving beyond the possibility of perhaps a natural evolution based solely on the fact that future opponents lack offenses as good as those Arizona just played.

Here are just a few things I saw from the press box, which offers a perfect view of the entire field and how plays are unfolding. I’ll go defense first, then offense, then provide you with some key stats from Saturday’s game.

Arizona’s Defense

• Arizona did an excellent job game planning for USC’s offense, or so it appeared. The truth is Lane Kiffin’s offense did an even better job dictating how Arizona would line up to defend his Trojans. Case in point, leading up to the game it was obvious that for Arizona to slow USC’s wide receiver Robert Woods, the Cats would need to match Trevin Wade with Woods all game. Well, Arizona “tried” to do just that. However, USC proved smarter and here’s how: On multiple occasions, Wade would be over Woods with Woods lined up on the outside. USC would then motion a receiver to the outside shoulder of Woods. Wade would then switch to the outside receiver, leaving Woods either defended by a safety or an outside linebacker. The end result was Woods rarely being defended by Arizona’s best cornerback and going on to have a career 14-catch, 255 receiving yard day. What will make even a billy goat sick though is the fact that the “receiver” USC was motioning into Woods’ space was actually the fullback Rhet Ellison. Hence, for some reason, Arizona’s secondary found it more important to defend a full back rather than the BEST RECEIVER IN THE PAC-12 on both of Woods’ touchdowns Saturday.
• Arizona’s secondary looked lost today. So lost it was difficult deciphering what exactly their assignments were on multiple plays. Case in point, on USC’s 82-yard TD strike from Matt Barkley to Woods on the second play of USC’s first possession, the Wildcats had three Cats lined up to cover that side of the field. USC had two receivers outside the hash marks and then motioned Woods across the play set in that direction. The first receiver easily blocked Arizona’s nickel Jourdon Grandon (taking him out of the play – looked way too easy) while Robert Golden initiated contact with USC’s second receiver (why?). Meanwhile, the unblocked Shaq Richardson seemed more concerned with giving up the sideline and subsequently never even got a hand on Woods as he ran right by  and to the inside of Richardson. The bubble screen is a “key play” in USC’s playbook and the three Wildcats defended that play as if they’d never even seen it before. On USC’s second first quarter touchdown (38 yard TD pass to Marqise Lee), the safety Golden went to shadow the slot receiver that was well covered by the nickel. Meanwhile, on the other side of the field LB Hank Hobson was defending the short field while Wade (and the safety that wasn’t there) had the deep routes. As Wade defended the outside receiver perfectly, the slot receiver (Lee) streaked right past Hobson and was wide open to the tune of 15 yards as he waltzed into the end zone untouched (Arizona was literally defending two receivers with just one player – talk about a missed assignment). This play specifically lends itself to the absolute confusion going on right now with Arizona’s back seven, and is something opponents have used to score passing touchdowns against the Wildcats (see last two games against Oklahoma State).
• Arizona isn’t even close to getting pressure on opposing QBs this season. Granted, in the past three weeks they’ve faced two play action teams (Stanford and USC) and one zone read option club (Oregon) so getting to the QB isn’t exactly easy. Still, watching Arizona’s defensive line push from the press box, it’s abundantly clear that there is no push. Worse, it’s clear that Arizona, scheme wise, is doing next to nothing to try and improve its push. There’s almost no stunting going on, there’s zero slanting or tilt, and hence it’s no wonder why the Wildcats are giving opposing QBs all the time in the world to throw. How Arizona expects to bull rush its front four on nearly every play and make something happen is beyond me at this point. Someone needs to remind the coaching staff that none of these current Wildcats are experienced enough to beat the OL one-on-one with a straight rush. These guys need help and instead the coaches have their DL running into a literal wall on every possession.
• Arizona is doing this thing this year where the bring one of the safeties so far up to the line of scrimmage that they are basically in a four-four front. While this look may appear intimidating to the offense during pre-snap, the look has done nothing to help the Arizona defense. Today, I watched as Marquis Flower was taken out of the play by a blocker within two seconds. Either Flowers has to play tougher, or the scheme just isn’t that smart to begin with. On three of these five occasions, all USC did was run the football opposite where the strong safety was lined up which all but took Flowers out of the play without even having to account for him. I’m just seeing the strategy here.
• Finally, and most importantly, Arizona just isn’t a physical football team right now on defense and I’m talking on all three levels. Today, USC used its bunched receiver looks to “chip” Arizona’s cornerbacks or outside linebackers and it worked all game long. Again, for a Trojans team that relies as much on the short passing game as Arizona does, I was amazed to see how EASY it was for an Arizona cornerback, safety or outside linebacker to get completely taken out of the play after a simple “chip,” not even a legitimate block. Arizona needs to start driving through blockers and completely taking them out or at least using their hands and shoulders to knock the receiver off his initial route rather than them being knocked out of position. The whole thing just looked “soft” from the Press Box and speaks volumes toward why Arizona is such a poor tackling team (they tackles as soft as they shed blockers).

 

Following the game, Stoops discussed how the offenses of today are difficult to defend and how points are everything. While there’s some truth to that, there are still plenty of defenses out there in the country not giving up 30-plus points per game. In fact, there are plenty giving up less than 15 points a game. Stoops said execution is playing a role, as well as not “having enough playmakers” on the defensive side of the ball right now. Again, there’s some truth to that. Aside from Trevin Wade and Robert Golden, few other Cats seem to show an ability to rise up and play above their pay grade for even a single play. To date, Arizona’s defense has only forced three turnovers and that’s pathetic.

Arizona’s Offense

On the offensive side of the ball all the chatter about Arizona being a vanilla offense is simply a shortsighted opinion that ignores reality. What Arizona is doing is fantastic right now. For the second straight game, the opposing defense has not had an answer for Arizona’s offense. Much like in the Oregon game, today only the Arizona offense “stopped” the Arizona offense.

• The Wildcats crossed midfield on each of its first three possessions, something Stoops alluded to in his post game presser. However, they failed to produce points all three times. Yes, Foles threw two interceptions, however the drives were lost all three times on these little things called penalties. Arizona had nine penalties for 68 yards Saturday, but on these three early possessions, a false start forced the Wildcats in a second-and-12 or more instead of being on schedule at second-and-7. As a result, the third-and-long situations that ensued put Foles in a position to try and make something happen and what happened was throwing two passes into the teeth of USC’s Cover 2 with receivers bracketed perfectly (not exactly an ideal situation).
• Arizona officially has a running game thanks to the 3-back Pistol set, inverted wishbone, or whatever nifty name you want to call it. They also utilized more of a true I-formation today that also produced results. The reason both sets produced results though was because Arizona showed today that it was willing to play action out of those sets as much as they would run. “We ran at least 8-9 play actions today,” said Foles. “That’s easily the most since I’ve been here.” The strategy was smart football and the Cats put up 41 points on the road. That’s promising.
• Arizona also has a better running game now because Taimi Tutogi (lined up out of Pistol) is finally bowling over would-be defenders like everyone “knew he could,” said Garret Chachere. Tutogi literally destroyed USC’s #27 on Arizona’s first score. As No. 27 went low, Tutogi all but pile-drove the defender into the ground while falling over his crumpled body and into the end zone. Later in the first half, Tutogi didn’t just slip three tacklers, he did so while running over two Trojans and dragging three others after gaining about 15 yards. Why this is good is Arizona finally has a little bit of that “Thunder and Lightning” thing going on. Tutogi’s power has helped pave the way for Arizona’s speedier backs like Carey and Daniel Jenkins to gain positive yards because of the change of pace. Heck, even Keola Antolin gained 90 yards on the ground while producing 29 more yards on receptions.
• Speaking of Antolin, say what you will about the senior but teammate Carey said something incredibly positive about Antolin that defines what it truly means to be a senior: “He tells me everything when the D is on the field. He tells me what he’s seeing so when I get in the game it feels like I’ve already been playing and carrying the ball.” Today, Carey scored three touchdowns (the first of his career). He rushed for 34 net yards and two scores, and also caught a touchdown pass on 45 receiving yards. Honestly, what’s not to like of Carey, and as for those touchdowns, “I’m truly blessed,” said Carey. “Every touch I’m getting more confident and seeing the field better. Praise God.”
• This is the second straight game where Foles has started slowly. In fact, Foles looked “off” again in the early going. However, what I noticed today is something that has bugged me time and again with Arizona’s offensive philosophy. Early in the game (specifically those first three possessions where Arizona took the ball near its own 20 and crossed midfield) the Wildcats did so by running the football. Yet, every single time Arizona tried to pass and basically “force things” they got into trouble. USC was clearly lined up to stop the pass early in the game and was a bit shell shocked to see the Wildcats running so much. In short, the Trojans had no answer for Arizona’s running game. However, rather than take further advantage of the situation, Arizona decided to GIVE THE ANSWER TO USC FOR THEM by trying to pass when they clearly didn’t have to. The point here is for some godforsaken reason, the Wildcats continue to move away from what’s working rather than forcing the opponent to adjust and STOP what’s working for the Cats.

 

 After the game, inside receivers coach Chachere talked in great detail about Arizona’s running game and how his slot receivers are helping to create better holes. He said he was “happy to see Jenkins” get real touches, but admitted it’s a challenge spreading the ball around to all the backs when there are so many weapons on the field. Makes sense to me. He did say though that running the football is in Arizona’s future and finding ways to be more creative out of the 3-back set is the goal.

Here’s one major problem I have with the 3-back set though. Arizona practiced this look all fall camp. Specifically, they ran the 3-back during “closed practices” more than at any other time. According to sources, the running set looked solid and produced yards in these closed practices. Hence, the question becomes why on earth did Arizona “save” this look for the Oregon game? It clearly works and Lane Kiffin said today that USC spent the week preparing for it. Again, it obviously works if a defensive mind like Monty Kiffin was preparing to stop it and couldn’t. It’s yet another example of how this coaching staff continues to pound its fists into the sand when it arguably doesn’t have to. Seriously, what was Arizona saving this formation for, a 1-2 start? Evidence clearly suggests yes.

Key Statistics from Saturday
As in any loss, there were some really good stats and some really bad stats for Arizona. First, the good:

• Foles was 32-of-37 passing with four touchdowns after finishing the first quarter 9-for-16 with two picks and just 76 yards throwing (talk about resiliency).
• Arizona erased a 34-12 deficit to trail 34-27 with a full quarter remaining (again, resiliency).
• Arizona outgained USC 129-114 on the ground. It’s not exactly setting the rushing game world on fire, but when you’re QB throws for 425 yards simply having a presence on the ground is good enough.
• Arizona scored 41 points in the loss, its highest scoring output since beating Washington 44-14 almost a year ago.
• Punter Kyle Dugandzic pinned the Trojans inside the 10-yard line on one of his two kicks (all you can ask from a punter). His second punt went for 53 yards (kid is excellent).
• Arizona won the game’s time of possession 33:50-26:10 and had one scoring drive that took 8:53 off the clock on 12 plays for 85 yards. Imagine doing that with the lead. Would be nice, wouldn’t it.
• After giving up 12 sacks in the last three weeks, USC only got to Foles once. Unfortunately, the single sack was arguably the biggest defensive play of the game by either team.
• Arizona was 5-for-5 in the red zone against USC, a far cry from its 73% success rate entering the game this season.
• Arizona didn’t miss a field goal Saturday. [i]They didn’t even attempt one.[/i]
• Arizona had a whopping 37 first downs!
• Foles completed 10 receptions of at least 10 yards to 10 different Arizona receivers (that’s amazing)
• Foles averaged 10.4 yards per completion, a dramatic improvement from career stats
• Foles threw TD passes to four different receivers (Carey, Criner, Hill and Tutogi)
• Carey led Arizona in all purpose yards with 170 (not bad for a true freshman)
• DL Kirifi Taula had two tackles for loss. The only problem is the entire Arizona team had two tackles for loss (both from Kirifi). On the day Taula had five tackles (4 solo).

 

Now, the bad:

• USC outgained Arizona 582-554
• Barkley set a USC single game passing record, throwing for 468 yards on 32 completions.
• Arizona’s Alex Zendejas was 3-for-5 on PATs. Not all bad news though as Zendejas converted his final four attempts and looked good in the process (personally, I think he finally figured it out as he moved a bit slower through his approach and kick on those final four).
• While Arizona was perfect in the red zone (all touchdowns), USC was also perfect going 4-for-4 (2 TDs, 2 FGs).
• Matt Barkley averaged 14.6 yards per completion.
• Arizona committed 9 penalties for 68 yards (USC only had 3 penalties).
• Foles not only threw his first INT of the season, he threw two of them.
• USC’s Robert Woods had a career high 255 receiving yards (six shy of the school single game receiving record).
• USC converted 7-of-10 third down opportunities.
• USC averaged 9.1 yards per play (Arizona averaged 6.4)
• USC never punted (not one single time)!

 

Please visit www.WildcatSportsReport.com daily for continued coverage of Arizona Wildcats football and recruiting news and notes. “Like” us at www.facebook.com/WSRArizona and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WSRArizona.

 

October 1, 2011

Free Preview: Arizona @ USC
By Gary Randazzo

Arizona carries an eight-game losing streak to FBS opponents into Saturday’s game against the USC Trojans. The Wildcats, who have lost three consecutive games by a combined scoring margin of 25 points, are in a state of disarray and the only thing that could sway momentum back into favor is a victory over USC. Arizona has won its last three games played in the city of lights, however, beating UCLA in 2008 and 2010 and winning at USC 21-17 in 2009.

Game Data
Arizona (1-3, 0-2 Pac-12) @ USC (3-1, 1-1 Pac-12)
Date: Oct. 1, 2011
Time: 12:30 p.m. MST
Location: Los Angeles, Calif. (L.A. Memorial Colisum – 93,607)
TV: FSN (Craig Bolerjack and Joel Klatt)
UA Radio: Arizona Radio Network, 1290 AM Tucson (Brian Jeffries and Lamont Lovett)
*Listen to John Schuster and WSR’s Brad Allis on 1290AM from 3:45 p.m. to 6:45 .pm. as part of 1290AM’s radio game day broadcast.

If there’s a bright spot for Arizona it’s been the play of senior signal caller Nick Foles. The 6-foot-5 quarterback has thrown 10 touchdowns this season with zero interceptions. In fact, Foles has now completed 200 consecutive passes without throwing a pick. Unfortunately, the play of Foles isn’t quite enough for the Wildcats to earn any victories as Arizona hasn’t beaten an FBS-caliber opponent since Foles returned to the starting lineup against Stanford last October (following an injury). Since, Arizona has lost to the Cardinal twice, Oklahoma State twice, and Oregon twice. Even the Trojans, in a down year, upset Arizona 24-21 in Tucson last season. If the Wildcats fail to win Saturday in Los Angeles, the team will still have lost a total of nine games to only five opponents in nearly 12 months (ASU also beat Arizona 30-29 last season).

USC enters this weekend’s showdown limping as well. The Trojans committed four turnovers in a 43-22 loss to No. 25 ASU last Saturday. The loss, USC’s first of the season, demonstrated the same warts that were present in the Trojans’ first three games of the season, all wins. Against ASU though, the defensive breakdowns, turnovers (4) and penalties (10) proved too much to overcome. Like Arizona, USC right now is a team that either finds a way to beat itself, or at least finds ways to look bad even in victory. Junior quarterback Matt Barkley is making the same mistakes he was as a true freshman. USC’s offensive line is young and mistake prone while its defense is still adjusting to coordinator Monty Kiffin’s complex schemes.

Run or bust for Arizona
Arizona actually did a decent job running the football against Oregon if this were the NFL and not the NCAA. The Wildcats, as a team, only rushed for 83 yards against the Ducks but the figure includes negative 42 rushing yards from Foles. Strip away the sacks and scramble yardage and Keola Antolin and Ka’Deem Carey finally gave Arizona some much needed balance with the run. Still, despite the effort, Arizona enters this weekend’s game ranked second to last in the country with a 62.2 rushing yards per game average. USC outgains the Wildcats by 80 more yards per game (142.2) and if this holds true Saturday it will be difficult for Arizona to win on the road.

A defensive-minded coach, really?
After giving up 56 points to Oregon, the Wildcats enter the fifth week of the college football season ranked 114th among 120 major college teams in rush defense (233.5 ypg), 112th in total defense (484 ypg) and 106th in scoring defense (35 ppg). Honestly, what happened? Wasn’t Mike Stoops the game-changing defensive coordinator that propelled Kansas State into the national spotlight before heading to Oklahoma and making the Sooners one of the top defenses in the country? Isn’t this the same Stoops who’s early and vastly less talented Arizona teams were known around the conference as the one defense opponents hated facing? To Arizona’s credit, all of its most critical season-ending injuries have come on the defensive side of the ball. Notably, projected starters Willie Mobley, Jake Fischer, Jonathan McKnight, and unquestionably the biggest loss, Adam Hall, all tore ACL’s in the off season. That’s five likely starters on a team that was only returning five starters from a season ago already, two of which were Hall and Fischer. Despite these significant losses, the simple truth is the Wildcats are tackling poorly. Like Arizona’s running game, if the Wildcats don’t become better tacklers overnight it’s difficult to imagine wins in the near future. Unless…

Arizona’s offense goes bonkers!
Foles continues to lead the country in total offense, and actually improved upon his 335 average entering last weekend’s game by throwing for 398 against the Ducks (he did lose 42 yards on the ground). If not for two key drops by his receivers last Saturday, Foles would have thrown for over 500 yards as David Roberts dropped a sure touchdown at midfield and Juron Criner failed to secure a 50-yard bomb while crossing the goal line. Arizona will be without Austin Hill, who was beginning to emerge as one of Foles’ key targets before he was struck in the head in the loss to Oregon. All that means is another Wildcat receiver like Dan Buckner or Robert Morrison will get a chance to be a difference maker against USC. As mentioned, Foles has yet to throw an interception this year and USC’s secondary is vulnerable. ASU’s Brock Osweiler threw for 223 yards and two touchdowns against the Trojans, numbers that could easily have been bigger had the Sun Devils needed to pass more to score. To do so, Arizona will need to pick up the blitz better than it has in its last two outings as the Trojans rely on the blitz out of its Cover 2 concept to put pressure on the QB.

USC will push up front
Don’t be fooled by Lane Kiffin’s youthful appearance. He’s an old school coach that understands a team must run the football and “stop” the opponent’s ground game to win football games. His father and DC Monty will put seven and sometimes eight in the box to force opponents to throw the football and make mistakes under intense pocket pressure. On the offensive side of the ball, Kiffin is the type of coach who will run the football eight consecutive times if it’s working. USC, in a way, is much like Stanford minus the 4,875 tight end looks the Cardinal use to stifle defenses. USC utilizes the play action well. In fact, nearly every pass comes off a hand fake first. This will challenge the Arizona defense and the more players the Wildcats need to commit to simply stop the USC running game the more they’ll be susceptible to the play action pass. In last season’s 24-21 win over Arizona, the Trojans rushed the ball for 205 yards. Arizona’s Foles threw for 353 yards but the Wildcat ground attack could only muster 49 yards. The loss stung Arizona, but looking at the numbers it’s not difficult to see how Arizona lost. The fear is a dominating repeat performance in the trenches by USC.

How Arizona Can Win
If Arizona wins the coin flip, Stoops breaks tendency and elects to receive the football. Arizona has won 18 of its last 19 games when leading after the first quarter. Considering Stoops’ career record of 41-48, it means that Arizona has basically lost every other game during the 18-of-19 streak when not leading after one. Hence, why on earth does Arizona continue to defer? Take the ball, get a score, and lead in a game against an opponent not named Northern Arizona since an early third quarter lead against Arizona State last year! Seriously folks, this isn’t brain science. Further, Arizona’s defense isn’t exactly lighting the world on fire with stops so why play the poorest odds and willingly put your weakest unit on the field to start a game.

Second, whatever pregame preparations the team has been doing to this point, my advice is go opposite and do something else. I’m not talking about putting your left shoe on first instead of your right, I’m actually being serious. Arizona is not starting football games well. There’s a reason why the Cats don’t seem to fasten their chinstraps until they’re down by double digits. The point is whatever Arizona is currently doing it’s proven ineffective in adequately preparing the team to take the field and execute from the opening kickoff.

Third, Saturday’s game is going to be a slugfest if USC has anything to do with it. The Trojans are going to try and run the football down Arizona’s throat. If the offense is having success on the ground, Kiffin will have no problem calling 50 running plays, eating clock and beating Arizona to a slow death over four quarters. To combat this, Arizona needs to play disciplined, assignment football and enter the stadium ready to hit and hit some more. When the Trojans routed Arizona 49-9 in Stoops’ first year at Arizona, later that season Pete Carroll said no team hit USC harder than Arizona. Someone on USC needs to get decked and decked hard to help Arizona set the tone early on. Against Stanford, a Wildcat special team player took a monster cheap shot from a Cardinal on the game’s opening kickoff. Not only did the officials not throw a flag, no single Wildcat stood up for their teammate. Granted, perhaps no one saw the hit because it was behind the action, but Arizona needs to be the “hitting” team on Saturday because if they don’t the Trojans will walk all over them.

Fourth, Stoops needs to start coaching more in games. The guy works as tirelessly as anyone during game week and nothing gets by Stoops on film or in games. However, with his team losing eight straight, it’s time for Stoops to become the team’s biggest cheerleader and set the example from the top. Arizona can’t simply slip into uniform and start winning. When you’re in a losing streak it’s time to go back to the basics, focus on fundamentals, and find little victories throughout the game to celebrate. There was a time when Stoops was the first coach to congratulate a player for a big play. Although still excitable, he looked like he was having fun being head coach in his first five seasons. It’s time for Stoops to start having fun again, take the pressure off the program and its players, and get guys smiling on the sideline and celebrating victories after each mini battle. If they do, perhaps they can win the war when the game’s all said and done.

Lastly, on a more quantifiable note, Arizona needs to defend USC’s Robert Woods with Trevin Wade. They need to move their linebackers around a lot and try to confuse an easily confusable Barkley before the snap. Most importantly, the Cats need to gang tackle on defense until multiple guys prove that they can bring down someone alone without having to take out the ball carriers knees. Offensively, Arizona needs to continue to utilize the Pistol 3 look to establish a running game, but this time they need to throw the ball more out of that same formation to keep USC’s defense guessing. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if beginning every play out of that 3-back formation produces a victory.

Please visit www.WildcatSportsReport.com daily for continued coverage of Arizona Wildcats football and recruiting news and notes. “Like” us at www.facebook.com/WSRArizona and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WSRArizona.

 

October 1, 2011

Four Downs: USC
By Gary Randazzo

USC owns the all-time series 27-7, which means Mike Stoops’ 1-6 record against the Trojans shouldn’t be all that shocking when put into perspective. History aside, for Stoops and his Wildcats the only thing that matter to them is Arizona beat USC during its last visit to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in 2009. In fact, Arizona is a perfect 3-0 in its last three trips to the city of lights (beat UCLA in 2008 and 2010), justifying a 2009 recruiting newsletter to area recruits titled, “L.A. City Champions: Arizona.” The Trojans will enter the game nearly two touchdown favorites and if there’s anything shocking it’s that. USC shares many of the same problems as Arizona does, namely penalties, confusion on defense and something Arizona doesn’t do and that’s turn over the football. USC had four turnovers against ASU last weekend, turning an otherwise competitive game into a fourth quarter blowout. Meanwhile, Arizona neither turns the ball over, or forces turnovers. On the season, Arizona has yet to cause or recover a fumble while producing just two picks. Arizona also fumbled the ball away once after a pass reception.

Saturday is a huge game for both teams. The Trojans already hold a conference divisional win over Utah and by beating Arizona would improve to 4-1 overall and 2-1 in the Pac-12 South. Arizona (1-3, 0-2 Pac-12) must win this game if it has any hopes of winning the South Division (which admittedly is already feeling like a hopeless cause). Still, considering the opponents Arizona has already faced, it’s tough to argue against the fact that the Wildcats are as battle-tested as any team in the country. Further, when you look how Arizona erased a 35-3 first half deficit against Oregon to narrow the margin to 35-24 midway through the third quarter, Arizona’s resiliency as a team is still shining through.

Will a resilient bunch of Wildcats bear down Saturday and snap its losing streak, or will things continue to go south for a program riddled by injuries, youth, miscues, and uncertainty? 

First Down & 10
Arizona has been outscored 38-17 in the first quarter this season. Before you try to convince yourself that such a disparity isn’t so bad considering the Cats have just played three straight Top 10 schools, think again. Of its 17 first quarter points, 14 were against FCS school Northern Arizona, which means the Wildcats have produced nothing more than a field goal against FBS opponents in its last three opening quarters. Against USC, a team that is also still searching for an identity, another slow start simply cannot happen. If it does the entire program may topple like a tent with no poles. Arizona needs a quick start to Saturday’s game and the best way to do that is to strike early in each possession. USC is vulnerable against the pass as their linebackers are still adjusting to the demands of a Monty Kiffin defense. Communication is not entirely there yet and the backers are reactive than proactive. Arizona can further confuse the Trojans by using more of the lead blocker sets the team used against Oregon to establish both the running game and the passing game through play action. If Arizona opens with these sets and actually throws out of them this time, Seth Litrell will have won the first battle of the war and for a change the Wildcats could play from ahead rather than always trailing from behind. After all, the Cats have won 18 of their last 19 games when leading after the first quarter.

Second Down & 10
USC’s Marc Tyler is already preparing his body for a bruising game on Saturday. A year ago, Tyler rushed for 160 yards against Arizona on 31 carries and said his body had never felt so sore. Arizona can’t send the farm to stop the run, but they better be ready for a steady dose of USC’s student body left and student body right for four quarters. The Trojans want third-and-short situations and they’ll get them in steady doses if Tyler is able to roam free out of the backfield. He may too if past performances are any indication. USC rushed for 205 in last year’s game, but that pales in comparison to the hurt Stanford and Oregon have given Arizona on the ground the past two weeks. Even Oklahoma State had no problems running on the Cats. Arizona needs to get tougher up front quick, but stopping the run isn’t all about muscle. Arizona could help itself by slanting the D-line on the attack and then using its linebackers to cover the vacated gaps and prevent any cut back action by the runner. Will they though? History says no. I’ll say this, Arizona better be ready to defend runs to the left side of the offense. The Trojans have had some struggles on the right side this season to the point that Lane Kiffin is moving freshman offensive lineman Aundrey Walker to right tackle to challenge starter Kevin Graff after Graf underperformed against Arizona State in both the running game and protecting the passer.

Third Down & 3
If either offense can get into this situation they’re nearly unstoppable. Both teams have outstanding possession receivers, perhaps none bigger than Arizona’s Juron Criner and USC’s Robert Woods. Where USC has the advantage is they are a more proven running team while Arizona’s been reduced to gimmick looks to try and gain a measly three or four yards. Arizona is averaging just 62.5 yards per game this season, which positions them in the bottom 20 of 120 Division I programs. USC is gaining 142.5 yards on the ground per game. However, the short down actually favors the Wildcats a bit more because of its new gimmicky, three-back set out of a shotgun pistol formation. This, in my opinion, is Arizona’s trump card. The Cats can play action out of this look, they can obviously run, or they can even send five receivers straight into routes by flashing and flaring all three backs that are all proven pass catchers. The key though is how Arizona utilizes this look. Do they go vanilla like they did against Oregon and run out of the set on every occasion except one, or do they get creative this week (after seeing that they actually can run out of this formation against Oregon)? It’s a big question and victory could literally hinge on whether Arizona goes conservative, passive aggressive, or straight up aggressive.

Fourth Down & 1
Fourth down is starting to make Wildcat fans sick. On one hand, for a fan base that’s been begging the coaching staff to get aggressive, “going for it” on fourth down is kind of a nice change of pace for the program. Heck, it’s even worked out pretty well as Arizona has converted 7-of-13 fourth down attempts this season, and 5-for-7 against Oregon last week. Here’s the problem though, and it has nothing to do with the fact that Arizona has been playing from behind in every game but one this season. Part of the quagmire Mike Stoops faces in every fourth down attempt in opponent territory is the fact that he has zero kicking game. The Wildcats are 2-of-5 on field goals this season and the three misses weren’t even close. Against USC, a game that could literally come down to the wire unless one of these two teams figures out a way to erase their problems (while the other doesn’t), what if Arizona is at the USC 32 with 1:05 left in the fourth quarter, down 23-21, and his Cats facing a fourth-and-seven? Does Stoops put the game and perhaps his coaching career at Arizona on the line for Alex Zendejas or Jaime Salazar?

If he does and either misses he’s made a bad decision. If he doesn’t and the team doesn’t convert the first down he’s also made a bad decision. In short, it’s difficult for the coaching staff to win in this situation. The point here is Arizona’s kicking game, or lack thereof is really hurting Arizona these days, and particularly during its current eight-game losing streak to FBS foes. As insignificant as three points sounds when Arizona has lost by an average scoring margin of 25 points the last three weeks, Arizona’s problem is they can’t even count on three points right now in situations when they should be able to. I have a gut feeling Saturday’s game is going to come down to a field goal situation and what decisions are made and how the moment unfolds could very well determine if Arizona gets back into the Pac-12 race or withers a way and isn’t heard from again this season.

Please visit www.WildcatSportsReport.com daily for continued coverage of Arizona Wildcats football and recruiting news and notes. “Like” us at www.facebook.com/WSRArizona and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WSRArizona.

September 25, 2011

Instant Analysis: Oregon 56-31
By Gary Randazzo

Another game for Arizona, another loss for Arizona; that’s the way things are going in Tucson these days. Saturday, the Wildcats (1-3) feel to Oregon 56-21 before a sellout crowd. By halftime, the stadium was half empty. Oregon jumped out to a 35-3 lead, reminiscent of Oregon’s 55-45 victory over Arizona in 2008. The Wildcats did score 21 unanswered to trim the Duck lead to 35-24, but this time fizzled out as Oregon ran away in a laugher. The loss is Arizona’s third-straight to a Top 10 opponent, and third in a row overall. The Wildcats remain winless in the newly formed Pac-12 Conference and can only hope the competition gets easier for the remainder of the season.

Turning Point

An initial turning point occurred with 11:55 to play in the third quarter when Oregon’s safety cheap-shot Arizona’s Austin Hill. On an incompletion, Hill suffered a direct blow to the head that knocked him out. No flag was thrown and although the Duck did not lead with his helmet, Hill was clearly a defensive player at that point and was struck squarely in the helmet, viscously. Mike Stoops raced onto the field and was rightfully screaming at the officials while trying to protect his player. The Wildcats seemed to rally around Hill (walked gingerly off the field after lying still for minutes) and their coach. The Cats scored back-to-back touchdowns to pull within 35-24. However, Oregon would respond after Arizona’s second touchdown of the quarter, driving 75 yards in eight plays to rebuild its lead to 42-24 with 3:19 remaining in the third. The Ducks would tack on another touchdown after Arizona failed to score from first-and-goal at the Oregon 9. At the snap of a finger, the score was 49-24 and that was that.

How Game Was Won

Plain and simple, Arizona’s defense is terrible right now. In fact, this is the worst tackling defense in the Stoops Era, and arguably the worst since the team quit and conducted a mutiny on exiting coach John Mackovic in 2003. Coincidentally, tonight’s 56 points by the Ducks were the most by any team in Arizona Stadium since LSU dropped 59 on Mackovic’s club in 2003.

Oregon’s a very good football team, but Arizona made the Ducks look great Saturday by committing just about every mistake a team could have while falling behind 35-3. The Wildcats committed eight penalties for 76 yards in the first half alone; dropped two surefire touchdown passes (David Roberts and Juron Criner); saw Nick Foles overthrow Dan Buckner for what could have easily been another score; missed 12 tackles on Oregon first scoring drive of the game; and missed yet another point after attempt (Alex Zendejas) after cutting the lead to 35-9. The performance from Arizona was absolutely shameful in the first half and one can only imagine was Stoops said to his troops in that locker room.

Amazingly, when Arizona scored a fourth quarter touchdown on a 5-yard pass from Foles to David Roberts to make the score 49-31, the game could easily have been 49-46 with over six minutes to play had the Wildcats not dropped the two touchdown passes in the first quarter and Zendejas not missed his first PAT attempt. That’s how far and how close Arizona is from being a good football team. Instead, they’re a bad football team because only good and great teams play consistently well for four full quarters.

Arizona’s shoddy play should take nothing away from Oregon though. The Ducks (3-1, 1-0 Pac-12) outgained Arizona 516-480. Adding insult to injury, 415 of those yards came on the ground. LaMichael James officially catapulted himself back into the Heisman race with 353 total yards of offense. James rushed for 288 yards on just 23 carries (12.5 avg), caught two passes for 15 yards and returned three punts for 60 yards. He scored two touchdowns. Oregon’s quarterback Darron Thomas threw for 101 yards and two touchdowns while adding two more scores with his legs.

Oregon scored on its first two possessions of the game to lead 14-0. Arizona drove 61 yards on 13 plays, but failed to get into the end zone and instead settled for a 28-yard field goal from Alex Zendejas to trail 14-3. It was all Oregon from there as the Ducks took advantage of every Wildcat miscue imaginable to lead 35-3 with 2:45 to play before halftime. Arizona rallied to score a touchdown, but Zendejas’ extra point attempt was blocked. With 1:04 remaining in the half, the Wildcats successfully executed an onside kick. The Ducks would hold though, sacking Foles on the final play to take a 26 point lead into the locker room.

Arizona showed some fight in the third quarter, mounting a serious comeback to trail 35-24 after consecutive touchdowns and a two-point conversion. However, the Wildcats couldn’t keep pace from there as Oregon outscored the Wildcats 21-7 the rest of the way to win going away.

Arizona (0-2 Pac-12) committed nine penalties for 91 yards. Eight of those penalties came in a dysfunctional opening half.

Foles had a strong game, completing 34-of-56 passes for 398 yards and three touchdowns. Unfortunately, it’s the two touchdown passes he didn’t complete that really set the Wildcats on the wrong course. Trailing 14-0, Foles found David Roberts near midfield with nothing but green turf in front of him. Roberts dropped the pass. In the second quarter, Foles threw a perfect 50-yard strike to Juron Criner who got behind the Oregon defense. However, Criner dropped the bread-basket catch.

Arizona failed to reach the 100-yard rushing mark for the third straight game, finishing with 82 yards on 35 carries (2.3 avg). However, the low rushing total was due to Foles rushing for minus 42 yards. As for Arizona’s tailbacks, all showed promise. Keola Antolin gained 55 yards on 13 carries (5.2), Ka’Deem Carey gained 48 yards on 12 carries, and Taimi Tutogi rushed for 11.

Arizona’s Austin Hill left the game at the 11:55 mark of the third quarter after being struck in the head while being tackled. His injury seemed to spark the Wildcats, briefly, but Oregon proved too much.

Stat of the Game

Oregon gained 415 yards on the ground. It’s difficult to win football games when a defense can’t stop the run.

Player of the Game

Oregon’s LaMichael James was Heisman-like. James had 288 rushing yards, 60 punt return yards and 15 receiving yards. He scored two touchdowns, but his impact on the game was much bigger than the 14 points he delivered for the Ducks.

Second Guessing

Trailing 42-24 early in the fourth quarter, Arizona moves into a first-and-goal situation. Arizona runs the ball on first and second down for a total of five yards, and then fails to score. Game over. The second guess is pretty obvious as Arizona took the ball out of its best player’s hands (Nick Foles) and instead gave it to a true freshman. No knock on Ka’Deem Carey here, but fans wonder why Arizona can’t score once inside the Red Zone. This is why, because the offense continues to abandon what works and that’s throwing the football to its playmakers.

What it Means

Well, for starters, if LaMichael James ends up winning the Heisman Trophy in December you can bet he’ll be sending a thank you card to Tim Kish and the Arizona defense. Second, this is the worst tackling team I’ve seen at Arizona in recent history. It might be the worst tackling team in the country this year. Players not wrapping up, trying to arm tackle rather than squaring up and pouncing, diving at the runner’s legs and just flat out being out of position has become the norm this season at Arizona and there’s simply no excuse for that.

Debates will rage on whether all of this is Stoops’ fault or not, but the simple truth is this cannot continue. If changes need to be made, then change them and if it’s simpler to replace one man than an entire team then it must be done. Arizona is officially out of excuses. Injuries, whatever, nothing excuses getting routed week in and week out as a result of poor execution by the players and another game of questionable play calling by the staff. Add in a fan base that’s leaving in droves at the halftime of games and the days of trying to explain away losses are officially falling on deaf ears.

If there’s a positive, Arizona proved yet again how close they are to being a winning football team. However, it boils down to concentration and discipline, which traditionally translates to execution. The Cats need to figure out how to do all the little things during games, and do them well. If they do they showed tonight that there’s life in these Wildcats. Honestly, to think that a team is trailing 35-3 and literally looks left for dead, only to see that same team start executing and cutting the deficit to 35-24 with over 25 minutes of football to play is impressive. Unfortunately, its rally fell short because the miscues reappeared as quickly as they disappeared and Oregon took advantage of the mistakes to win big, again.

Arizona travels to Los Angeles to face a USC team that’s scratching its heads as much as the Wildcats are tonight. The Trojans made all types of mistakes in a 44-22 loss to Arizona State in Tempe. USC committed 10 penalties and turned the ball over four times, including a pick six that iced the game for the Sun Devils.

Please visit www.WildcatSportsReport.com daily for continued coverage of Arizona Wildcats football and recruiting news and notes. “Like” us at www.facebook.com/WSRArizona and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WSRArizona.

 

September 23, 2011

Free Preview: Oregon @ Arizona
By Gary Randazzo

Are things unraveling, or was this was to be expected? This is the question being asked around the Old Pueblo as Wildcat fans try to understand what they’ve seen from the Arizona football program in the past two weeks. After an easy 41-10 victory over Northern Arizona, the Wildcats have been outscored by 50 points in consecutive loss to No. 9 Oklahoma State and No. 6 Stanford. Losing to the highly ranked Cowboys and Cardinal is one thing, but with No. 10 Oregon visiting this weekend and Arizona being embroiled in the midst of a seven game losing streak to FBS opponents, suddenly a once emerging program appears to be moving in the wrong direction. Is the downturn perception or reality?

Game Data
No. 10 Stanford (2-1, 0-0 Pac-12) @ Arizona (1-2, 1-1 home)
Date: Sep. 24, 2011
Time: 7:15 p.m. MST
Location: Tucson, Ariz. (Arizona Stadium – 57,400)
TV: ESPN2 and ESPN3 (Carter Blackburn and Brock Huard)
UA Radio: Arizona Radio Network, 1290 AM Tucson (Brian Jeffries and Lamont Lovett)
*Listen to John Schuster and WSR’s Brad Allis on 1290AM from 3:45 p.m. to 6:45 .pm. as part of 1290AM’s radio game day broadcast.

It’s Family Weekend at Arizona this weekend and the fear from recent losses is parents may have to hide the children from the horror happening on the gridiron. Arizona has already faced the second best offense in the land (Oklahoma State), as well as the fifth-best scoring offense in the country (Stanford). Narrow, Oregon’s sixth-ranked offense (539 yards per game) will try to have its way with a young Wildcat defense still going through the maturation process. The Ducks, like Stanford, enter its matchup against Arizona averaging better than 50 points a game. Arizona, on the other hand, is now averaging just 22 points per contest thanks to low scoring outputs the previous two weekends.

Is it time for a change?
Young offensive line or not, there’s no excuse for Arizona’s inability to produce points out of the spread offense. The Wildcats had a veteran OL a season ago and still placed 10th in conference in Red Zone scoring efficiency. It begs the question, does the Arizona offense need to be entirely overhauled or is it a matter of making two to three tweaks to get Wildcats into the end zone once inside the opponents 25? If it’s just tweaks, then why haven’t they been made in the last two years? Arizona football is the equivalent of a basketball team that can beat any opponent off the dribble but their purpose is defeated by its inability to make a layup. Aside from last weekend’s loss when the Cardinal held the Arizona offense to just 333 yards, Arizona had been keeping up with its opponents in terms of total yards gained despite falling woefully short on the scoreboard. I argue though, what’s the point of gaining 450-plus yards per game, sometimes going over the 500 yard mark yet only scoring 10-20 points. This has been a glaring problem for the Wildcats and if not solved in the next few games one has to wonder why the team is willing to continue to bang its head against the wall with plays that aren’t working inside the red zone.

Murphy’s Law
Believe it or not, Arizona’s cornerbacks, including Shaquille Richardson, actually improved against the Cardinal. However, as they improved Murphy’s Law mandated that Arizona’s linebackers and safeties were in turn to go south. The Wildcat linebackers appeared confused all game against Stanford’s play action. On one play, a 30-plus yard passing play to a tight end, the receiver literally slipped past and within a yard of Paul Vassallo whose eyes never left the backfield. That can’t happen, especially against a team like Oregon that has pure speed at all positions, including tight end. Arizona’s backers will be similarly challenged by a Ducks offense that utilizes zone read option on every snap. If the backers are solely focused on the backfield and not what’s happening downfield then look out. Part of that communication though is between the linebackers and the safeties. Arizona fans saw this kind of miscommunication last season in which the hand off of receivers from backers to safeties and from corners to safeties was poor, at best, against the pass-heavy offenses. How else can you explain receivers streaking downfield untouched and uncovered.

What’s the solution?
Probably nothing that gets resolved in a week, but nothing that can’t be solved sooner rather than later. Most importantly, and at least in the short term, Arizona needs to take a step back on both sides of the ball and simplify things. In short, the Cats need to identify the things they do well and do them over and over again. This ties into the second “fix,” which specifically relates to Arizona’s offense. From this writer’s perspective, Arizona does more to slow itself down that its opponents do. For me, it’s a matter of the Wildcat coaching staff outthinking itself in trying to predict what the defense is going to do next. Well, guess what. Let the defense do whatever it wants and for now, first make the defense stop you before you stop doing what works. Nick Foles completed his first 17 passes against Stanford and finished the first half 18-of-21 for 196 yards. Worth noting is his two failed attempts were clearly balls being thrown away while the third was a deep ball attempt with less than 15 seconds on the game clock. In short, Foles was basically perfect and Arizona was only trailing 16-10. So what does Arizona do? They begin to emphasize the running game in the second half and Foles was completely taken out of his rhythm. Granted, Keola Antolin broke off some decent wins but the entire world knows right now that Arizona isn’t going to beat anyone by pounding the football between the tackles.

All during fall camp the fans were told that if Arizona had to throw 60 times in a game they would to win. Everyone who knows football understands that winning teams can run the football. In fact, great coaches understand more than anybody that the key to “winning on the road” is stopping the run on defense and running the ball on offense. Unfortunately, Arizona doesn’t have that luxury right now. What they do have though is a future NFL quarterback that actually outplayed Andrew Luck until Arizona decided to contain its star signal caller, as well as the deepest receiving corps in not only the Pac-12 but arguably the entire country.

Defensively, Arizona needs to stop putting its defense in vulnerable positions. Why are you running looks that put Paul Vassallo with edge and sideline responsibility when he’s a natural at middle linebacker? Why are you bunching your defense to take away the A-gaps while making yourself vulnerable to giving up the edge? Again, it’s understandable to want to bounce a running back out of each gap and pushing them laterally along the line of scrimmage, but when Arizona has all 11 defenders bunched between the hash marks who are you pushing the running back to? Stanford, with its overload sets had no trouble sealing the edge on either side of the line because they were literally tasked with trapping the defensive end an then chipping the outside linebacker. Not difficult when you’ve got three 260-pound tight ends on the field.

Until Arizona can get all the pieces of the puzzle put together, the team needs to keep things simple and maximize the talent it does have on the field by putting that talent in executable situations.

Get the ball and grab the lead
Arizona is 27-6 under Mike Stoops when leading after the first quarter. In fact, Arizona has won 18 of its last 19 games when leading after the opening period. Unfortunately, the one thing Arizona hasn’t done during its current 7-game losing streak to FBS opponents is lead after the first quarter. In fact, in most of the losses the Wildcats were out of the game after 15 minutes. Arizona has been outscored 24-0 in his last two games after one quarter, and that’s not good. Perhaps it’s due to Stoops’ penchant to win the coin flip and defer the ball to the second half. Perhaps it’s Arizona being cautious on opening drives while trying to get a feel for the defense. Perhaps it’s both.

Key Players
Arizona
Arizona’s Nick Foles continues to lead the country in total offense. Arizona’s wide receivers continue to make plays and demonstrate incredible depth (and talent) at the position. Dan Buckner has evolved into a second deep threat opposite Juron “Big Play” Criner. Similarly, other pass catchers like Gino Crump, Richard Morrison and David Roberts are getting things done. The Wildcats need a pick-me-up from its running backs. Keola Antolin finally found some daylight against Stanford last week, but not enough to help Arizona sustain a true ground attack and give Arizona a viable scoring option on the ground inside the red zone. True freshman Ka’Deem Carey continues to show an impressive level of physical toughness, but has yet to prove he’s the answer for Arizona on the ground. Against Oregon, Wildcat fans may get their first glimpse of Daniel Jenkins who’s been recovering from an ankle injury.

Defensively, Trevin Wade looked very solid against Stanford, doing the things that have helped him compile 11 career interceptions like playing aggressive at the line of scrimmage and jumping routes. Shaq Richardson showed some improvement as well, but still needs to grow as a player and get more hands on with the receivers. Arizona needs both to play well Saturday, but it would help if the Cats could get some pressure and play on Oregon’s side of the ball with its front four rushers. The biggest key though is getting better play from senior leaders Derek Earls and Paul Vassallo. By any measure, each is capable of playing much better than they did against Stanford.

Oregon
For the Ducks, and as it specifically relates to the Arizona game it’s all about the offense. Oregon has only allowed one sack all season. Darron Thomas is finally feeling a groove after leading OU to two-straight victories and tailbacks LaMichael James and De’Anthony Thomas have been red hot since the loss to LSU. Arizona’s defense is a far cry from LSU’s so Oregon won’t be afraid to do what it does best and use its speed and ingenuity to trick up Arizona with misdirection while one of its burners takes the ball and uses cut-back lanes to produce big gains. The Ducks are averaging 280 yards through the air and 261 on the ground (8th in nation). If those stats sound familiar, they should because that kind of balance is what Oregon has achieved in recent seasons.

Saturday Notes
Oregon is outscoring Arizona by an average of 34 points per game this season. Granted, Arizona has faced the more difficult, but the Wildcats averaging just 21.7 points per game using as spread-passing offense is mindboggling. The biggest problem is Arizona is a one-dimensional offense, gaining just 55 yards per outing on the ground which ranks the Wildcat ground game 116th in the country. Oregon is the complete opposite as they rush for almost as many yards as they pass. What’s sending chills up the spine of Arizona’s defensive coaches this week in film is the fact that Oregon rushed for 384 yards last year against the Wildcats in a 48-29 win. Oregon runs the football like most teams pass as the Ducks averaged six yards per carry a year ago.

Arizona and Oregon have been involved in some wild scoring affairs in recent games. In fact, in the last five meetings the teams have combined to score 367 points. Last year Arizona actually led 19-14 at halftime, a lead that could have been three points better had Alex Zendejas converted a field goal try before the break. His miss was similar to Jaime Salazar’s 48-yard miss with no time on the clock last weekend. Both misses seemed to motivate the opponent more than it inspired the Wildcats as Stanford outscored Arizona 21-0 after halftime. Last year, Oregon outscored Arizona 29-15 after the break.

Oregon’s last trip to Tucson was arguably the best game of the entire college football regular season in 2009. Arizona had a 10-point fourth quarter lead but saw Oregon march down the field and scored a game-tying touchdown with six seconds remaining in regulation. The Ducks would win 44-41 in double overtime and Arizona hasn’t really been the same team since. In 2007, Oregon’s trip to the Old Pueblo didn’t fare as well as the Wildcats upended the then-second-ranked Ducks 34-24. Oregon led early but lost its quarterback Dennis Dixon to injury in the first quarter and Arizona’s defense wreaked havoc on Oregon’s backups the rest of the way, including a pick six by star corner Antoine Cason.

Oregon leads the all time series 21-14, and has gone 14-3 against Arizona since 1994. Oregon’s current winning streak over Arizona stands at three games entering Saturday’s game.

How Arizona Can Win
Arizona can win by shutting down Oregon’s running game and making Thomas beat the Cats with the pass. Easier said than done though, considering Oregon’s dominant rushing performance in last year’s victory over Arizona. Chip Kelly is one of the game’s offensive masterminds and I wouldn’t hold it past him to use the run as a decoy early to catch Arizona’s secondary napping early in the game. If the past has proven anything, once Arizona’s master game plan is broken the Wildcats have not been able to answer the bell with enough adjustments to turn things around. If Oregon is putting up touchdowns early and Arizona’s offense is not producing points to match, then this game could be over by halftime.

However, if Arizona can indeed stop the run and avoid getting beat deep for easy passing scores, a frustrated and borderline angry Wildcat team (and fan base) could very easily rally and give the Ducks fits in Tucson. The Wildcat coaching staff turned away all high school visitors for the Oregon game and seems content on giving this game 100% of its attention with zero distractions.

Offensively, Arizona needs to score, score and score some more. As obvious as that sounds, even if Arizona’s defense plays an absolutely great game, the Oregon offense can score 24 points in its sleep. As of today, that’s still 10 more points than Arizona has scored against an FBS-level defense this season. As important as things are on the defensive side of the ball, Saturday’s game truly does hinge on the success of Arizona’s offense and particularly its efficiency inside the red zone. Arizona is 7-of-10 inside the red zone this season, but some of those scores are field goals. The Cats need touchdowns and they need them in bunches to beat Oregon, something that feels like a huge challenge for this offense right now.

In the end it’s difficult seeing Arizona winning this game. What isn’t difficult though is seeing the Wildcats at least playing better as a team. As a fan, how much better would you feel about Arizona had the Wildcats lost to OSU 45-35 and to Stanford 37-27 rather than 37-14 and 37-10, respectively? I, for one, would feel much better, and would be able to more clearly see this team getting wins once the schedule eases up. Right now though, confidence is low and it will take a better effort, not necessarily a winning effort, to get the blood pumping again while looking ahead at games against USC, Oregon State and UCLA.

Please visit www.WildcatSportsReport.com daily for continued coverage of Arizona Wildcats football and recruiting news and notes. “Like” us at www.facebook.com/WSRArizona and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WSRArizona.

 

September 14, 2011

Free Preview: Stanford @ Arizona
By Gary Randazzo

Arizona hosts the sixth-ranked Stanford Cardinal Saturday in the first ever Pac-12 game for each school. The showdown under the lights is the day’s only game pitting two league teams as the rest of the conference hopes to better represent against an out of conference slate that includes national powers Texas and Nebraska. Arizona leads the all-time series 14-12, but Stanford has owned the series of late. The Cardinal owns a 7-3 record against Arizona since 1999, which includes an impressive 4-1 mark against the Cats in Tucson. Stanford blasted Arizona a year ago, 42-17, on its way to a BCS postseason berth in the Orange Bowl against Virginia Tech. Stanford beat the Hokies 40-12 in what proved to be Jim Harbaugh’s last game as Cardinal coach.

Game Data
No. 6 Stanford (2-0, 1-0 away) @ Arizona (1-1, 1-0 home)
Date: Sep. 17, 2011
Time: 7:45 p.m. MST
Location: Tucson, Ariz. (Arizona Stadium – 57,400)
TV: ESPN and ESPN3 (Carter Blackburn and Brock Huard)
UA Radio: Arizona Radio Network, 1290 AM Tucson (Brian Jeffries and Lamont Lovett)
*Listen to John Schuster and WSR’s Brad Allis on 1290AM from 3:45 p.m. to 6:45 .pm. as part of 1290AM’s radio game day broadcast.[/b]

Perhaps the biggest storyline entering Saturday’s game is the direction of each program. Last decade, both teams fell about as low as they’ve been in school history. In 2006, the Cardinal finished with a 1-11 record, which followed three seasons in which Stanford’s win total was just 10. As for Arizona, the Wildcats had two wins in 2003, and then posted consecutive three-win seasons in 2004 and 2005. Each has steadily climbed its way back into college football relevancy, but it’s been the Cardinal that have become the conference darlings while Arizona appears to have middle into a 6-8 win program.

Case in point, Stanford enters Saturday’s game in Tucson riding a 10-game winning streak. Conversely, Arizona hasn’t beaten an FBS opponent since October of 2010, or in laymen’s terms is riding a six-game losing streak to opponent’s not-named Northern Arizona.

The Wildcats opened the 2010 campaign with a 7-1 mark and a win over then-No. 9 Iowa to hang their hats on. However, five straight losses to end the season, which included a 36-10 rout to Oklahoma State, an almost carbon copy of last Thursday’s 37-14 loss to those same Cowboys, and haven’t quite recovered since. The hangover, if you will, is starting to resonate throughout Wildcat Nation as well, and it will be a true test for the Arizona coaching staff and its players to perform well enough in front of its home crowd to avoid losing their support.

Key Players
It’s all about the quarterbacks Saturday, at least on paper. A year ago, Stanford’s 42-17 win over Arizona saw the QBs combine to throw for nearly 900 yards. Foles was an incredible 40-for-51 passing for 415 yards while Luck was equally effective, completing 21-of-35 passes for 423 yards.

Through two games each QB is off to a hot start, setting up Saturday’s meeting between two of the finest signal callers in the country. Foles leads the country in passer rating. On the season he’s completed 71-of-93 throws for 810 yards and 6 touchdowns. Foles has yet to throw a pick. Luck is 37-of-54 on the year for 461 yards and six throwing scores. The difference in stats can be attributed to Stanford’s ability to rush the ball in its first two games, both wins, while Arizona has struggled on the ground against both Northern Arizona and especially Oklahoma State.

Arizona is dangerously close to becoming a one-dimensional offense, which will only make its running game even worse as defenses will have free reign to blitz in situations where Arizona might only need 4-5 yards to convert a first down. If there’s good news, Arizona’s “one” dimension offense is hardly the problem. Foles’ passing numbers are out of this world and it’s worth noting that his 398 passing yards against OSU last Thursday were accomplished without the services of his top receiving option Juron Criner (appendectomy last Monday). Austin Hill and Dan Buckner each played well in the OSU loss, but they must play better, turning all their catches into points rather than just nice gains. The Wildcats are likely to be without Criner again this week as Stoop’s continues to play the “gamesmanship” game with Stanford’s David Shaw.

A Big Difference
Stanford’s own rushing attack hasn’t exactly turned heads this season but when measured against Arizona’s the Cardinal look like SMU circa late 1970’s early 1980’s. Stanford is averaging 173 yards on the ground per game while Arizona checks in this week with the 115th ranked rushing game in the country at just 58 yards per game. Against a team like Stanford that features a defense designed to keep the ball in front of the defense at all times, a defense that makes its open-field tackles, the Wildcats ground game, or lack thereof, could prove to be a significant disadvantage for Arizona. Stoops said in his Tuesday presser that true freshman Ka’Deem Carey (15 carries, 78 yards) will likely get more reps against the Cardinal. He’s looked good in his first two college games, but has yet to see the field prior to the fourth quarter. The real key for Arizona is figuring a way to get senior Keola Antolin going. Antolin has been poor in his first two games, either having nowhere to run or making bad decisions when the holes actually do open up. Antolin is one of those players that teammates have “rallied behind” in past seasons and the Wildcats could certainly use one of those typical Antolin-Pick-Me-Ups that he’s capable of producing.

Where’s the Beef?
Both schools have it. However, Stanford’s men in the trenches have done a better job instilling their will against opponents this season compared to Arizona’s linemen. The talent is there for the Wildcats, but thus far while the offensive line has done a decent job, Arizona’s defensive line has dramatically underperformed. Stoops and Tim Kish aren’t the types of coaches to incorporate “slanting” into their DL tactics, but it might not be a bad idea. Through two games, Arizona’s interior DL are trying to take their counterparts straight on and it’s simply not working. OSU’s OL was able to push Arizona’s DL in any direction it wanted to last week. If things don’t change, the trenches against Stanford could prove even more challenging. If there’s good news for Arizona, Stanford’s OL isn’t as experienced as OSU’s. However, the bad news is Stanford’s system and blocking schemes have remained unchanged, and it’s a scheme that has proven extremely effective in recent seasons.

The Wildcats gave up 217 rushing yards to Stanford a season ago and that simply can’t happen this time around if Arizona expects to have any chance of beating the sixth-ranked Cardinal.

Saturday Notes
I mentioned Stanford’s current 10-game winning streak already. The significance of the streak is that it’s Stanford’s longest winning streak since the Carinal won 13 consecutive games from 1939-41. Perhaps troubling for Arizona is how Stanford is winning games. It’s old school, baby. Stanford wins games by owning the trenches, running the ball effectively, and catching defenses gambling with arguably the best play action passing attack in all of college football. Defensively, they’re also stout up front, but more importantly Stanford does all the little things behind its DL like making tackles in space and not giving up the big play. In fact, Stanford will enter Saturday’s game with the nation’s second-best rush defense, allowing opponents just 28.5 rushing yards per game.

Luck matched his career-high with four touchdown passes against Duke last week, a mark he’s reached five times in his career. Foles, who tossed five touchdowns in Arizona’s season opener, had just one against OSU and that scoring pass came in garbage time. Arizona again struggled inside the Red Zone, turning the ball over on downs inside the OSU 5-yard line. The Cats also fumbled away an opportunity inside the OSU 30 as part of six trips across midfield that resulted in only seven points for Arizona.

Right now it’s simple for Arizona, either blank your opponent or figure out how to score points when in enemy territory. As obvious as it sounds, it’s the simplicity of the game that is befuddling the Wildcats during its current losing streak against FBS-caliber opponents.

How Arizona Can Win
Arizona can win, but it will take some radical changes and something we’ve learned from this coaching staff over the past seven seasons and two games, change, if any, is a slooooooow process.

As good as Luck is, Arizona has to figure out a way to first and foremost take away Stanford’s running game. If the Cardinal are gaining 3-4 yards per carry the Wildcats are toast, defensively. Luck will be drooling at second-and-six downs all game because he’ll have the option to run or set up Arizona with the play action. The second reason Arizona’s defense needs to find a way to control the line of scrimmage is the fact that Luck can use his legs as well as any QB in the country, and isn’t afraid to run over a defender or two in the process. Arizona will be better served by Luck throwing for 400 yards while his backs struggle to eclipse 100 on the ground because a balanced attack that puts the Stanford offense over 500 yards (i.e. 300 passing, 200 rushing) will result in a final score that I can’t even fathom right now.

Arizona could impact the Stanford ground game by slanting its interior linemen and protecting the gaps with a strategic run blitz package. Further, as important as it is to get some pressure on Luck in the pocket, it’s perhaps more important to simply contain him with your edge rushers while trying to apply the pressure between the tackles. If Luck escapes the pocket to the right or left, he’s proven that he can throw the ball as accurately while rolling out as he can taking a 7-step drop.

Lastly, Arizona needs to be willing to shake up its personnel in the first quarter, rather than waiting until the game is already out of reach. I’m not yet ready to give up on any starter, but if a starter is struggling on defense perhaps they can learn a thing or two about what Stanford is doing by spending a few plays next to their position coach on the sidelines and talking about what’s happening on the field.

Offensively, to suggest that Arizona needs to run the ball is stating the obvious. As much as I despise overuse of the fly sweep, I think it’s a valuable play to use against a team like Stanford to try and stretch its defense laterally. Second, Stanford times its blitzes as good as any Pac-12 team I’ve seen in recent years. To combat this, the Wildcats will be making a mistake if they expect only a single running back to serve as Foles’ last defense. I would like to see Arizona motion its H-Back Taimi Tutogi into the backfield more. If they do the Cats can then run (with a lead blocker) or throw with a pseudo mass-protect scheme. Foles has proven that with time he can connect with any receiver so give him the protection he needs to get hot and start carving up the Stanford secondary. Third, on the motion front, Seth Litrell needs to start motioning his receivers more during the pre-snap to not only create mismatches (LB on a WR), but to help Foles better read the Cardinal defense by picking up the robbers, seeing if they’re in man or zone coverage and more. Lastly, if Arizona is going to go no huddle then pick up the tempo. If Arizona is going to stand at the line of scrimmage and give the defense 20-30 seconds to set up (because Arizona isn’t even motioning its receivers), then Arizona is better off just huddling the offense before every play and getting on the same page.

Today, the situation looks dire for Arizona but stranger things have happened in sports. Can Arizona pull off a tremendous upset and celebrate at midfield while the Zona Zoo storms the field? Sure it can. However, it will take a much more precise and physical effort than the one witnessed against Oklahoma State.

Please visit www.WildcatSportsReport.com daily for continued coverage of Arizona Wildcats football and recruiting news and notes. “Like” us at www.facebook.com/WSRArizona and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WSRArizona.

 

September 11, 2011

Instant Analysis: Oklahoma State
By Gary Randazzo

Any hope among Wildcat Nation for an upset of No. 9 Oklahoma State Thursday night went out the window by the time the first quarter ended. At that point, the Cowboys had outgained the Wildcats 216-36. OSU quarterback Brandon Weeden had already completed 17-of-18 passes for 141 yards and a score. Arizona, on the other hand, had run 13 plays for a whopping 36 yards of offense. Worse, all 36 yards came off the throwing arm of Foles who connected on 6-of-8 passes.

The Wildcats looked like the same team that lost five straight games to conclude the 2010 campaign, a team defined by penalties, assignment mistakes, below average execution on key plays and most importantly, a team that couldn’t’ take advantage of the opportunities presented by an equally undisciplined OSU team.

Turning Point

At first glance, OSU’s fake punt with 6:07 to play in the third quarter seemed to be the game’s turning point. After rallying to close the margin to 21-7 thanks in large part to five straight defensive stops by the Wildcats, the Cowboys faked a punt and gained 24 yards on the play. However, the real turning point came a few plays later. With the ball deep inside Arizona territory, OSU’s Weeden was intercepted by Mark Watley at the Arizona 5-yard line. Worst case scenario, Arizona gains 5-8 yards and then punts. After all, punter Kyle Dugandzic was having an excellent night. Unfortunately, Arizona would instead do much worse than a simple three-and-out by committing two turnovers, pushing the ball back to its 1-yard line. Perhaps more troubling is the consecutive penalties came after an Arizona timeout. Dugandzic ultimately punted the ball away from the back of the end zone and to make matters worse, the Wildcats drew another penalty on the punt that gave OSU the ball at the Wildcat 39. The Cowboys would score to go up 27-7 with 30 ticks remaining in the third quarter and that was that.

How Game Was Won

As good as OSU’s passing game was (397 yards), the difference in the game and the reason the Cowboys won so easily was the strength of its ground attack. Running back Joseph Randle was incredible, gaining 121 yards on just 15 carries for an 8.1 average. OSU’s ability to keep Arizona’s blitzing defense guessing just a little bit on every play opened up gaping holes that Randle exploited. On the flip side, Arizona had absolutely no answer on the ground. Starter Keola Antolin gained 22 yards on 13 carries (1.7 avg). Making matters worse is Arizona’s offensive coaching staff thought it wise to only rush the ball with Antolin for the first three quarters of the game. By the time coordinator Seth Litrell put true freshman Ka’Deem Carey in the game, the score was already 34-7. Smart, not really. 

September 8, 2011

Free Preview: Arizona vs. Okla. St.
By Gary Randazzo

Arizona travels to Stillwater this week to face No. 9 Oklahoma State in an ESPN-televised showcase game on Thursday night. The pivotal game begins a month-long gauntlet where the Wildcats will face four preseason Top 25 teams. Arizona did not fare well against nationally ranked opponents last season, including the Cowboys. However, 2011 is a new season and the Wildcats look to fare better against stiff competition this time around.

Game Data
Arizona (1-0) vs. Oklahoma State (1-0)
Date: Sep. 8, 2011
Time: 5 p.m. MST
Location: Stillwater, Okla. (Boone Pickens Stadium – 60,218)
TV: ESPN, ESPN3 and ESPN 3D
UA Radio: Arizona Radio Network, 1290 AM Tucson
*Listen to John Schuster and WSR’s Brad Allis on 1290AM from 1 p.m. to 4.pm. as part of 1290AM’s radio gameday broadcast.[/b]

Arizona erased a five game losing streak dating back to last season when they beat visiting Northern Arizona 41-10 last Saturday in the season opener for both schools. Things get a tad more difficult this week as the Wildcats travel to No. 9 Oklahoma State. The Cowboys blasted Louisiana-Lafayette in its home opener and will look to replicate an easy 36-10 victory over Arizona in last season’s Valero Alamo Bowl. In the bowl game, Arizona committed four turnovers while forcing none. Making matters worse, Arizona drove the ball into OSU territory six times in the first half but came away with only one touchdown. The Cowboys connected on several big plays as well, including a 71-yard touchdown pass from Brandon Weeden to Justin Blackmon that opened the floodgates. Both Weeden and Blackmon are back for another shot at the Wildcat defense.

Arizona returns its playmakers as well, including its own two-headed pass and catch monster in Nick Foles and Juron Criner. Foles threw for 412 yards and five touchdowns against NAU. Six of his completions were to Criner who had 151 receiving yards and a nifty over the shoulder grab in the corner of the end zone.

Each school survived the opening weekend relatively unscathed, but Arizona did lose starting guard Trace Biskin who won’t return to action until at least the Stanford game Sep. 17. Arizona also lost its starting center Kyle Quinn, who was replaced by Addison Bachman. The 6-foot-5, 290 Bachman played well and could start this Thursday if Quinn is not cleared to play.

There’s no secret that Arizona’s offensive line is young. The young linemen played well in their first career starts – literally – but things will get much tougher against a star-studded OSU defensive line that starts two seniors on the edges and a junior at tackle. Arizona only rushed for 72 yards against the Cowboys in the Alamo Bowl so beating OSU this season will become that much easier if the Wildcats can establish some balance by getting its ground game going. Senior running back Keola Antolin missed the Alamo Bowl because of injury while his back up Ka’Deem Carey was still competing in the state of Arizona high school playoffs. Both are strong runners that love to hit. Their toughness will be tested against a physical OSU front four.

OSU’s leading rusher from 2010, Kendal Hunter (1,594 yards) has graduated. In his place Thursday will be Joseph Randle who showed well in OSU’s opener. The Cowboys, like Arizona, like to spread the field with multiple receiver sets and either hand the ball off to its backs underneath, or send them on short routes from the quick catch and an open field in front of them. Last year, OSU’s short passing game was better than Arizona’s as Hunter tore apart the Wildcats with mid-yardage gains.

Like last season, Arizona’s back seven will be challenged. If the Wildcats shadow or double team Blackmon, the Cowboys have four other wide outs capable of making the big play. Arizona will counter with a steady dose of the nickel package, but must first figure out a way to apply some pressure on Weeden. If Arizona’s front four can’t get the job done alone, then Arizona could be in trouble as their blitz package will become too obvious. However, don’t count out Arizona’s defensive line before a single down is played. Defensive ends C.J. Parish and Muhammed Usman are faster than last year’s Pac-12 leading sack duo of Rick Elmore and Brooks Reed (both in NFL)

Parish and Usman were exploding off the snap last week against NAU, but won’t have the luxury of risking the loss of containment in Stillwater. Arizona got away with several defensive breakdowns against the Lumberjacks, but those same breakdowns this Thursday could result in touchdowns rather than harmless, short-yardage gains. Another reason why Arizona needs to not only bring pressure but maintain assignment-oriented defense is the fact the OSU was a perfect 10-for-10 scoring inside the red zone last weekend. If that doesn’t strike fear in a defense, few things would.

OSU’s Mike Gundy is in his seventh season with Cowboys, and has amassed an impressive 48-29 record. He has steadily built up the program after leading OSU to a 4-7 record in 2005. After consecutive 7-6 campaigns, the Cowboys went 9-4 in both 2008 and 2009, but lost that season’s bowl game. In 2010, it all came together for Gundy as his Cowboys finished with an 11-2 mark and the Alamo Bowl victory over the Wildcats.

Mike Stoops posted his 41st victory as Arizona head coach last weekend to move to within four victories of a .500 career mark (41-45). Arizona is no stranger to difficult schedules, but Thursday begins a four-game stretch of nationally ranked opponents, three that could be in the Top 10 by game time. While the future is uncertain for Arizona and its opponents, the one thing that is certain is OSU will be a Top 10 team at opening kickoff Thursday.

Arizona has played 14 Top 10 opponents under Stoops, posting a 4-10 record. Arizona’s last win over such an opponent came nearly a year ago to the day as the Wildcats upended No. 9 Iowa 34-27 in Arizona Stadium. However, the Wildcats faced No. 10 Stanford and No. 1 Oregon later in the year and got walloped in both meetings.

How Arizona Can Win
Arizona needs balance. This doesn’t mean that Arizona needs to rush the ball 30 times and throw it 30 times, but the Wildcats must figure out a way to buy Foles time in the pocket so that he can mix short throws with longer ones. Against NAU, Foles had touchdown strikes of 24, 24 and 18 yards, all over the top of the defense. He also hooked up with Criner on deep strikes twice. Arizona’s ability to stretch the defense vertically enabled its short passing game to remain effective. Last year, Arizona struggled mightily to connect on passes 15 yards or longer against OSU and that can’t be repeated Thursday. If it is, OSU could bury the Wildcats even if Arizona ends up winning the time of possession.

Defensively, the Wildcats need to figure out a way to defend receiver Blackmon without forgetting about OSU’s other weapons. Arizona looked like a much faster club Saturday from the one that took the field last season, but that’s a subjective observation considering Arizona’s week one opponent. OSU is fast and it’ll be interesting to see if the Wildcats can match that speed player for player. If they can, they have a shot at winning. If they can’t, forget it.

Lastly, playing on the road against a nationally ranked opponent won’t exactly demand perfection, but Arizona can’t afford to commit four turnovers against OSU like they did in the Alamo Bowl. In fact, Arizona may need to win the turnover battle just to remain competitive. Further, while the little mistakes like false start penalties need to be kept at a minimum, one thing that can’t happen unless the Wildcat offense is absolutely rolling is major mishaps in the kicking game. There’s no secret that Arizona has a placekicking problem and Wildcat fans must hope that recent struggles on field goal tries and point after attempts somehow disappear for at least four hours this week.

Quick Facts
*Courtesy of Arizona Athletics

 

September 8, 2011

Four Downs: Oklahoma State
By Gary Randazzo

In last year’s Alamo Bowl, Arizona’s 10 points scored was a season low for the Wildcat offense and a season best for the Cowboys defense. OSU’s 36-10 rout left a bad taste in Arizona’s mouth, which has been foaming for a chance to exact revenge for months. Both teams looked solid in their season openers as the offenses were clicking in easy wins. Offense should be the talk of the ESPN national telecast this Thursday but generally when the talk of the town entering a marquee game is about the offenses, generally one or both of the defenses steal the show. Will that happen in Stillwater?

First Down & 10
First down success will be a key for both offenses (and defenses). Whichever school can win the battle of first down effectiveness and get their offense ahead of the chains will have a huge advantage. Of course, there’s a chance that both of these prolific offenses will do just that. However, before you think an offensive showcase is a guarantee, remember that Oklahoma State shutdown the Wildcats to the tune of just 10 points a season ago. Much of the same players will line up for both teams this Thursday that took the field in the 2010 Valero Alamo Bowl. For that reason, the Cowboys are feeling extremely confident. Arizona had a lot of success this past weekend in stretching the field vertically against NAU as Nick Foles connected on touchdown throws of 24, 24 and 18 yards over the top of the Lumberjacks defense. He also hit Juron Criner on a timing patter in the corner of the end zone that went for 10 yards and a score while throwing a swing pass to running back Keola Antolin that netted 18 yards and a touchdown. Arizona lacked that big strike attack against OSU last year and must have it this year. Still, it starts on first down. If Arizona’s playing behind the chains, OSU’s stud defensive front four will reign terror on Arizona’s young offensive line, resulting in Foles not having enough time for longer routes to develop downfield.

Second Down & 7
Preseason All-American Justin Blackmon torched Arizona last year and looks to do it again this week. On Saturday, Blackmon had eight catches for 144 yards in OSU’s 61-34 win over Louisiana-Lafayette. In the Alamo Bowl, one of Blackmon’s long scores saw Blackmon taunt Arizona’s Adam Hall. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound receiver nearly ran the length of the goal line before stepping into the end zone on a broken coverage mistake by the Wildcats. Hall will miss the game with an ACL injury suffered in the off season, meaning it’s going to be the responsibility of starting Wildcat safeties Robert Golden or Marquis Flowers to lay the wood on Blackmon (legally) at least once early in the game to serve as a wakeup call that this year’s Arizona defense won’t allow the Cowboys to make the big plays on offense this time around.

Third Down & 3
Who has the better running game? A key for OSU is finding a suitable replacement for the departed Kendall Hunter who rushed for 1,594 yards and 16 touchdowns a year ago. So far so good, as Joseph Randle (463 yards rushing in 2010) carried the ball 22 times for 129 yards and two scores in Saturday’s home opener for the Cowboys. Arizona had similar success in its running game as Keola Antolin and true freshman Ka’Deem Carey combined to average 6.7 yards per carry in Arizona’s 41-10 win over NAU. The duo rushed for 100 yards on just 15 carries. Arizona was pass happy against the Lumberjacks (Foles 34-of-42), but will need a little more balance this Thursday, if anything to control some clock and keep OSU’s high octane offense off the field.

Fourth Down & 1
Arizona was 9-of-21 on third down conversions against OSU last season and controlled the clock for over 37 minutes. However, what plagued the Cats were turnovers, four of them actually. Conversely, Arizona forced OSU into zero turnovers, but had their chances as Arizona dropped catchable interception attempts. The point here is Arizona can’t afford to lose the turnover battle again 4-0. In fact, playing OSU in Stillwater means the Wildcats have to actually win the turnover battle this time around just to have a chance at winning.

Fittingly, if the Wildcats encounter any Fourth and 1 situations Thursday inside the OSU 35 yard line, the Wildcats would be wise to go for it, even if near the goal line. In its win over NAU, there was a lot of good happening for Arizona except in placekicking. For the record, the Arizona placekicking unit missed a 48-yard field goal, failed on a PAT and botched the snap on another FG attempt that resulted in a 26 yard loss. Last year against OSU, Arizona’s Alex Zendejas was just 1-for-3 on field goal tries, converting a 42-yarder. The point here is Arizona needs to just go for it Thursday and in doing so might just walk away with a huge win for the program.

Please visit www.WildcatSportsReport.com daily for continued coverage of Arizona Wildcats football and recruiting news and notes. “Like” us at www.facebook.com/WSRArizona and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WSRArizona.

 

September 1, 2011

Free Preview: Arizona vs. NAU
By Gary Randazzo

Arizona kicks off its 2011 campaign this weekend in Tucson when the Wildcats play host to FCS foe Northern Arizona. Last season, the Wildcats sputtered to a 7-6 finish by dropping its final five of the games of the season, including its bowl game loss to Oklahoma State in San Antonio, Tex.

Game Data
Arizona (0-0) vs. Northern Arizona (0-0)
Date: Sep. 3, 2011
Time: 7 p.m. MST
Location: Tucson, Ariz. (Arizona Stadium – 56,100)
TV: Fox Sports Arizona, FCS Atlantic and KWBA 58 – live (KGUN-9 at 10:35 p.m. replay)
UA Radio: 1290 AM Tucson
*Listen to John Schuster and WSR’s Brad Allis on 1290AM from 3 p.m. to 6.pm. as part of gameday broadcast.

The losing streak exposed multiple deficiencies, but most notable was Arizona’s inefficiency inside the red zone, scoring offense and turnover margin. In 2010, Arizona led the conference in passing offense with a 307.7 average per game. However, success through the air did not always translate into points as the Wildcats ranked just fifth in the Pac-10 by scoring only 28.2 points per outing. A key reason was Arizona’s inability to produce touchdowns in the red zone, let alone consistently produce any points once inside the opponents’ 25. Arizona converted just 72 percent of its red zone opportunities in 2010 (39-of-54). Conversely, its opponents combined to produce points 84 percent of the time (31-of-37). Finally, Arizona’s turnover margin ranked eighth in the league at negative 0.31, a rather unimpressive statistic for a traditionally disciplined Mike Stoops football program.

Saturday, Arizona gets a chance to officially put the past behind by focusing on the Lumberjacks. Arizona has won nine straight meetings and owns the overall series at 10-1. NAU coach Jerome Sauers’ is winless in five tries against the Wildcats, including a 34-17 loss in Arizona Stadium two years ago. In the win, Arizona outgained NAU 559-226.

Arizona has won its last three season openers by a combined scoring margin of 41 points per game. NAU will be challenged as its coming off a 6-5 season that included a loss to Arizona State, 41-20. Returning 1,000-yard rusher Zach Bauman will keep Arizona’s young defense honest while challenging its new-look front four that includes first-time starting defensive ends Mohammed Usman and C.J. Parish.

Arizona was fourth overall among Pac-10 defenses a year ago, allowing opponents just 340.9 yards per game, good enough for 33rd nationally. They allowed 131 yards per game on the ground and only 209 through the air. This season, Arizona has a lot of new faces starting on the defensive side of the ball. The Wildcats were scheduled to return five starters, but off season injuries to projected starting free safety Adam Hall and returning starter Jake Fischer reduced that number to three.

True freshman Rob Hankins was tabbed to replace Fischer. Hankins was a standout high school performer and was the headliner in Arizona 2011 Class. Fellow freshman linebacker Hank Hobson made the two-deep and will see time behind senior Derek Earls. Paul Vassallo, Arizona’s leading tackler last year (102), rounds out the linebacker starters. Up front, Sione Tuihalamaka and Justin Washington will join Parish and Usman along the defensive line. In the secondary, senior Trevin Wade will man one corner while sophomore Shaquille Richardson will replace the injured Jonathan McKnight (lost for season, ACL) at the other corner. Senior Robert Golden has moved from corner back to free safety to start in place of Hall (doubtful for season) while sophomore Marquis Flowers steps into a starting role at strong safety.

Although young, Arizona’s defense is fast and according to one former Wildcat and NFL player has the biggest defensive front since the Wildcats joined the conference in 1978. Earls and Vassallo proved their worth a season ago after transferring into the program from junior colleges. Similarly, Wade and the rest of Arizona’s starting secondary all played significant minutes last year despite not all starting.

Offensively, Nick Foles is the headliner. The senior quarterback threw for over 3,100 yards last season despite missing two starts and nearly three additional quarters of action. Foles has more than a handful of talented receivers, including first-team All-Conference receiver Juron Criner. Opposite Criner will be fellow senior David Douglas. Keola Antolin enters his senior campaign as the clear-cut starter at tailback. Due to an injury to Daniel Jenkins (doubtful for Saturday), true freshman and local Tucson standout Ka’ Deem Carey will see significant action as Antolin’s backup.

Arizona’s offensive line may as well be wearing question marks on the back of their uniforms, not because the unit isn’t talented but because the entire two deep, collectively, has made only one career start. That lone start belongs to center Kyle Quinn who replaced Colin Baxter is last season’s Valero Alamo Bowl. A pair of redshirt freshman will man the tackle positions. Mickey Baucus (6-8, 310) will protect Foles’ blind side while Fabbians Ebbele (6-8, 305) will start at right tackle. As of today, Trace Biskin (6-5, 295) is slated to start at right guard while Chris Putton (6-4, 298) will go on the left.

Stoops has yet to lose a home opener as he enters his eighth season at Arizona (40-45). After back-to-back 3-8 seasons, the Wildcats have shown steady improvement under Stoops. Arizona earned its third consecutive postseason bowl game invite last season, tying the all-time school bowl game streak sent during Dick Tomey’s watch. Unfortunately, Arizona’s last two bowl games were forgettable ones as the Nebraska Cornhuskers shutout Arizona in the 2009 Holiday Bowl. Last season, Oklahoma State got the better of Arizona in an easy 36-10 win.

Despite the preseason predictions of prognosticators and analysts nationwide, the Wildcats have high hopes in 2011. Arizona’s September schedule is brutal as the Wildcats are set to play three Top 10 teams in consecutive weeks. Their reward for surviving that stretch would be an Oct. 1 showdown against No. 25 USC in Los Angeles. After that it’s a trip to face the always difficult Oregon State Beavers in Corvallis, Ore.

Arizona favored poorly against a similar schedule stretch to conclude last season, which is worrisome to Wildcat fans. However, to the players, every week is a new week and throughout camp Arizona seemed excited at the opportunity to face the nation’s best early in the season.

Saturday, the Wildcat offense will look to test its running game against the Lumberjacks. However, there won’t be any fooling around early on as NAU has always proven to be a worthy fight for Arizona. Expect to see Foles & Co. throwing the ball early and often to produce points and try and build a lead. Despite a young offensive line, Arizona isn’t expected to receive any trouble when they have the ball. Conversely, on defense, whether or not the Wildcats can slow down the Lumberjacks enough to allow the Arizona offense to separate itself on the scoreboard is the big question. If they can limit NAU’s effectiveness on offense, expect to see a steady dose of an Arizona ground attack in the second half and specifically the fourth quarter.

Quick Facts
*Courtesy of Arizona Athletics

Please visit www.WildcatSportsReport.com daily for continued coverage of Arizona Wildcats football and recruiting news and notes. “Like” us at www.facebook.com/WSRArizona and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WSRArizona.

August 31, 2011

Pac 12 Preview: The Matchups
By Gary Randazzo

Arizona’s 2011 schedule is anything but easy. The Wildcats are scheduled to a face a September slate featuring four preseason Top 25 teams. In fact, Oregon, Stanford and Oklahoma State are all currently ranked in the Top 10. Things won’t get any easier with road games at Oregon State and Washington, and possibly a snowy trip to Colorado in mid-November. Looking back at Arizona’s conference record since 2006, here’s a rundown of how the Wildcats have fared against Pac-12 teams, including new conference members Colorado and Utah.

UA vs. Arizona State
ASU own a 3-2 record over its arch-rival from the South. Since 2007, three games for the Territorial Cup, the nation’s longest consecutive annual battle for a traveling trophy, have been decided by three points or less. The Sun Devils own the advantage in these tight battles, defeating Arizona 20-17 in 2007 and edging the Wildcats 30-29 in double overtime last season. Each has taken a turn hammering the other as well with Arizona blasting ASU 31-10 in 2008 while being beaten by the Sun Devils 28-14 in 2006. This year’s game to be played earlier than usual on Nov. 19 could literally decide the South Division winner. There will be a lot of emotion added to an already heated rivalry due to the way last year’s game ended as Arizona placekicker Alex Zendejas failed to even the score in double overtime after missing his second PAT of the game, the first which would have won it for the Wildcats in regulation.

UA vs. California
Arizona does not face the Bears in 2011 thanks to the new Pac-12 schedule rotation. It’s not a bad miss for the Cats, actually, despite Arizona owning a 3-2 record over Cal since 2006. The teams have taken turns ruining the other’s season the past few years.

UA vs. Colorado
Colorado is new to the Pac-12 and the schools have not faced off in the past five years. The Buffaloes will host the Wildcats on Nov. 12 in Boulder in a game that could feature snow. That may seem like a significant advantage for Colorado, but surprisingly many of the Arizona players and coaches are actually looking forward to the opportunity to play on the white stuff. Arizona is 1-12 all-time against Colorado, winning the last time these schools played in 1986 by beating the Buffs 24-21.

UA vs. Oregon
Oregon has been to consecutive BCS bowl games and has been one of the hottest conference teams in the past four years. In fact, since 2006, Oregon has been ranked as high as No. 1 and No. 2 in the country when the Wildcats faced them on the field. In 2007, Arizona dashed Oregon’s hopes of a national championship by beating the second-ranked Ducks 34-24 in Tucson before a nationally-televised ESPN audience. Last year, the top-ranked Ducks hammered Arizona 48-29 despite actually trailing the Wildcats at home 19-14 at the break. Overall, Oregon is 3-2 against Arizona in the last five meeting, not bad considering the Wildcats were the underdogs in every single matchup. This year, Arizona draws Oregon at home on Sep. 24.

UA vs. Oregon State
Arizona is a woeful 1-4 against the Beavers since 2006. However, this series has been anything but a lopsided affair. Aside from a forgetful game in 2007 when OSU pounded Arizona 31-16 in a game that wasn’t even that close, the Wildcats have managed to lose the other three games by a combined total of 11 points. The teams have split the last two meetings by winning on each other’s home field. Arizona edged the Beavers 37-32 as part of Nick Foles’ starting debut in 2009 while OSU upset favored Arizona 29-27 last season in Tucson. This year, the Beavers draw the Wildcats at home. The good news for Arizona though is they will trip to Corvallis on Oct. 8 when the weather will not likely become a factor.

UA vs. Stanford
Stanford holds a 3-2 advantage in recent meetings. The Cardinal stuck it too Arizona last year in a 42-17 drubbing up in Palo Alto. Arizona will look to return the favor when Stanford visits Tucson in the third week of the season (Sep. 17). Arizona beat a really bad Stanford team 20-7 in 2006 (before Jim Harbaugh arrived) and also upended the Cardinal 43-38 at home in 2009 in a game that wasn’t decided until a Fourth and 10 pass was broken up in the end zone. In Arizona’s other two losses, each were heartbreakers as Stanford edged the Cats by a single point in both games.

UA vs.UCLA
Arizona has taken advantage of UCLA’s recent struggles to amass a 4-1 record against the Bruins since 2006. Impressively, the games really haven’t been close as the Wildcats have taken the last four games. A year ago, Nick Foles missed the start due to injury but his replacement Matt Scott did enough in the 29-21 victory. In 2008 and 2009, the Wildcats outscored the Bruins by a combined margin of 58-23. This year the clubs meet on a Thursday night (Oct. 20) with the game scheduled to be aired on ESPN. Arizona will be coming out of its first and likely much needed bye week after an early schedule gauntlet that pits the Cats against national juggernauts Oklahoma State, Stanford, Oregon and USC. Oh, and Oregon State in Corvallis.

UA vs. USC
USC is 4-1 against Arizona, but lost to the Wildcats the last time these teams squared off in Los Angeles in 2009. In that game, a fourth quarter, game-winning drive was capped off with a touchdown pass from Nick Foles to a leaping Juron Criner with less than four minutes to play as Arizona won 21-17. That season, Arizona swept the schools from Los Angeles which served to produce a recruiting mailer to all Los Angeles high school prospects that was titled, “L.A. City Champions.” As solid as USC has been in the past five years (Trojans were ranked nationally at No. 3, 10, 6 and 20) at time of game, the Wildcats fared well in all four defeats. Arizona blew last year’s home game 24-21, and also found ways to lose in consecutive seven-point losses in 2007 and 2008. In 2006, the third-ranked Trojans outlasted the Wildcats 20-3 in a physical, grueling, grind-it-out tilt in Tucson.

UA vs. Utah
The Nov. 5 game between Arizona and Utah will be the first time these schools meet as conference foes. They haven’t faced each other in the past five years, but this is a regional rivalry that dates back decades. Arizona has won eight of the last 11 meeting, but dropped the two most recent tilts in a home-and-home series in 2004 and 2005. This season’s game will be played in Tucson as part of Arizona’s homecoming festivities, and could serve as the beginning of a South Division rivalry that will be as hotly-contested in basketball as it is in football.

UA vs. Washington
Arizona owns a 3-2 record against the Huskies in recent seasons. The Wildcats took revenge on Washington last year in Tucson, avenging a 36-33 loss in 2009 by stomping on UW 44-14. Arizona was shocked by UW in 2006, 21-10, only to outlast the Huskies in Seattle 48-41 the following season before producing another blowout in 2008 with a 48-14 whipping. Arizona must travel to Seattle this year on Oct. 29. It will mark a return to the scene of a crime as Arizona’s last visit was marred by the now famous “foot deflection” off the toe of former Wildcat Delashaun Dean that resulted in a interception for a touchdown with just 2:37 on the clock that produced the winning points.UA vs. Washington State

Like Cal Berkeley, Arizona misses Wazzou this season. It’s unfortunate for two reasons. First, the matchup would have been played in Tucson. Second, Arizona is 5-0 against the Cougars since 2006.

Arizona’s Overall Record
Arizona’s overall record against conference foes it will face this season since 2006 is 15-20. This record includes zero games against both Colorado and Utah. It also doesn’t include games against Cal and WSU. Interestingly, if games against the Bears and Cougars were included, Arizona would actually own a winning record against the conference since 2006 by a slim 23-22 margin.

Please visit www.WildcatSportsReport.com daily for continued coverage of Arizona Wildcats football and recruiting news and notes. “Like” us at www.facebook.com/WSRArizona and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WSRArizona.

 

August 31, 2011

Four Downs: Northern Arizona
By Gary Randazzo

Arizona’s won its last three season openers by an average margin of 41 points, a stat bolstered by its 70-0 win over Idaho in 2008. The Wildcats are 10-1 all time against Northern Arizona, last beating the Lumberjacks 34-17 two seasons ago. Here’s a quick look at four keys to Saturday’s game at Arizona Stadium.

First Down & 10
Regardless of touchdowns, field goals and safeties, Arizona will literally have scoreboard Saturday when they host NAU to open the 2011 campaign. Arizona only hopes the electricity radiating from its brand new mega-tron scoreboard doesn’t outdo the fireworks produced on the field from what should be an exciting aerial attack led by senior signal-caller Nick Foles. Arizona has always had a heart-pumping pre-game ceremony, but the new scoreboard will definitely serve to enter in a new era in Wildcat football. Many have gone so far as to suggest that Arizona football has been cursed since joining the Pac-10 Conference. After all, the Wildcats were the only team to never play in the Rose Bowl in not only its own conference, but the Big 10’s as well. As the conference undergoes its overhaul to include two additional teams, a new name, television contract and marketing machine like no other in the country, Arizona fans hope whatever curse that may have existed was buried with the old conference logo.

Second Down & 7
NAU has rarely been a blowout win for the Wildcats. Granted, Arizona did outgain NAU 559-226 in their last meeting, but the 17-point victory felt a tad underwhelming. Mike Stoops famously plays his cards close to his vest and fans Saturday should not expect to see any real tricks from the Wildcat offense or defense. Personally, I don’t like this. I’m not suggesting the Wildcats run a triple reverse Saturday, but if the team does intend to unveil some new defensive looks and stunts this season they should at least test some of it out against a real opponent before they’re forced to execute something special against a juggernaut like Oklahoma State, Stanford, Oregon or USC. Worst case scenario, the other coaches get a glimpse of what Arizona has in store for them and then wastes precious time during prep week figuring out ways to scheme against it.

Third Down & 3
The season-ending ACL injury to starting cornerback Jonathan McKnight means true freshman Cortez Johson will likely see time at the position this Saturday. He’ll be joined in Arizona’s back seven by other true freshmen Hank Hobson and Rob Hankins. This is going to be a tall order for the new Wildcats, even if it is against an FCS opponent. NAU is a pass-happy offense that also utilizes a lot of misdirection in its running game. It’s going to be imperative for Arizona’s newest Cats to remain committed to carrying out their assignments and not getting caught up in the hype of seeking out tackles that aren’t necessarily theirs to have.

Fourth Down & 1
Offensive coordinator Seth Litrell might not have another opportunity better than Saturday’s to test drive the Wildcat ground attack. Expect to see Keola Antolin, Daniel Jenkins and Ka’Deem Carey get about 10 carries each on the night. The hope is the trio can produce well and gain some much needed confidence for both the unit and the young offensive line in front of them. What will be truly interesting though is to see what happens behind Foles on the quarterback depth chart. Planned backup Bryson Beirne is out for likely the next two weeks and someone is going to need to take reps, especially in a blowout. Tom Savage is ineligible this season due to transfer rules, meaning either senior Matt Scott or true frosh Daxx Garman will be pulled from their redshirt.

Please visit www.WildcatSportsReport.com daily for continued coverage of Arizona Wildcats football and recruiting news and notes. “Like” us at www.facebook.com/WSRArizona and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WSRArizona.

August 4, 2011

Fall Camp
By Gary Randazzo
WildcatSportsReport.com

Arizona opens fall camp today with the school’s first game a month from now against Northern Arizona on Sep. 4. Here’s four intriguing storylines entering Arizona’s 2011 football season:

First Down & 10
There’s no denying Nick Foles’ ability as a quarterback. The senior-to-be threw for 3,191 yards and 20 touchdowns as a junior, a season that saw him miss two games that would have easily put his throwing yardage well over 3,500 for the season. Foles helped Arizona open the 2010 with five wins a September, a month in which he completed a whopping 74.5 percent of his passes. He would finish the season completing passes at a 67.1 percent clip, but never looked the same after going down to injury and missing wins over Washington and UCLA. Upon Foles’ return to action, the Wildcats never won again dropping five consecutive games to conclude the season in historically disappointing fashion.

Foles has thrown for 39 touchdowns in two fragmented seasons as a starter. That’s the good news. The bad news is he’s thrown 19 interceptions. Foles 2:1 ratio of touchdowns to interceptions simply won’t get it done in a 2011 season that will largely boil down to the success of the team’s offense. Arizona needs to score points and every lost possession could result in being the difference in the game. Foles has had passes deflect off the hands of his receivers and get picked. However, his biggest bugaboo has been having passes batted at the line of scrimmage and then intercepted. It’s those that Foles needs to eliminate as a senior. Whether it’s his footwork and mechanics, a bi-product of Arizona’s short passing game, or miscues in blocking schemes along the offensive line, the reason(s) simply doesn’t matter. Foles, as a senior, needs to get the ball past the line of scrimmage and into the hands of his playmakers to give Arizona its best chance to remain competitive and win games.

Second Down & 7
Arizona’s schedule is a disaster waiting to happen. The Wildcats play five conference road games. Two of their four Pac-12 home games include conference frontrunners Stanford and Oregon. Another is new conference member Utah, a team some are predicting to win the Pac-12 South Division. Talk about tough, it gets tougher. Arizona must run through a September-early October gauntlet of at Oklahoma State, Stanford, Oregon, at USC, and at Oregon State all before the team’s first bye week. In short, Arizona’s bowl aspirations could be dashed by Oct. 8. If there’s some hope, if the Wildcats manage to escape these opening six games with a 3-3 conference record, the closing stretch is very doable with winnable road games at Washington and Colorado, home games against beatable UCLA and Utah and a rivalry game with Arizona State. The bad news is Arizona will undoubtedly be underdogs from Sep. 8 through Oct. 8 in all five games, meaning an upset will truly have to be an upset. For me, the key to the season is the back-to-back games with Stanford and Oregon. If Arizona can somehow beat one of these two teams, then I see an upset at USC very likely on Oct. 1. Such a turn of events could have Arizona flying high and having a better than 3-3 record early on which could then result in one of those “out-of-nowhere” seasons that no one saw coming…including me.

Third Down & 3
Injuries, injuries, injuries. They’re everywhere and Arizona hasn’t even opened Fall Camp. I’m not going to go into every reason why more than a handful projected starters for Arizona coming out of Spring Camp are currently scratched from the lineup. Let’s just say that collectively the losses are huge. Arizona has every excuse not to succeed in 2011. In fact, for those who live by excuses, Arizona’s situation is tailor-made for any number of reasons as to why Arizona won’t excel in 2011. However, for anyone who’s followed the Wildcats throughout history, particularly since 1978, they know that Arizona always seems to overachieve when it’s perceived to be down and underachieve when the team is perceived to be up.

Regardless of what any recruiting service has said, Arizona has recruited well in the fact that Stoops & Co. has recruited personnel that fits his program. The Wildcat roster is filled with tough-minded, competitive, and skilled players that aren’t looking for an excuse to fail. Last year ended so miserably and there was so much frustration with the team as to how the season closed, especially the loss to Arizona State that players will look to the field for solace from one of the toughest off seasons in recent history. Ask Paul Vassallo if he’s feeling sorry for himself right now, or Foles. It’s not gonna’ happen. Still, there’s no doubt Arizona’s back is already against the proverbial wall. For once, that might actually be a good thing because as fans, we’ve all witnessed the Wildcats face adversity before and almost without fail the program has figured out a way to “Bear Down” when it absolutely had to.

Fourth Down & 1
Justin Washington looked like the second coming of Rob Waldrop early last season, leading Arizona in sacks before being injured. He recorded four sacks alone in the Iowa win and would have easily surpassed double-digit sacks in 2010 had he not missed the entire second half of the season. In 2011, Washington won’t have standout ends Ricky Elmore or Brooks Reed drawing attention away from him. Rather, his biggest asset to Arizona’s defense will be to become that interior defensive lineman that warrants a double team on every play. If he can accomplish that and be a factor in stuffing the A-gap under duress, Arizona will likely find success in what should be…WHAT BETTER BE…a more blitz-happy defense.

The Wildcats have the back seven to be a dangerous, playmaking defense. In fact, all of last season’s Lester Hayes All-Hands Team (read: Joe Perkins, Anthony Wilcox) are gone, meaning those gift-wrapped INT’s that ended being dropped have a 200% better chance of being caught this season. If Arizona can figure out a way to make the trenches a murky, muddy mass of humanity while stunting and blitzing to force opposing QBs into quick throws, the Wildcat secondary is talented enough to slow down passing games and keep opponents scoring in the high 20’s and low 30’s rather than the 40’s.

Please visit www.WildcatSportsReport.com daily for continued coverage of Arizona Wildcats football and recruiting news and notes.

August 4, 2011

Arizona to hit the primetime
By Gary Randazzo
WildcatSportsReport.com

For years fans of the Arizona Wildcats have had to pine through the weekly television guide, the local newspaper and their menu guides for cable and satellite providers to try and figure out if the upcoming Wildcat football game is being aired on television. The nail-biting suspense and the hair-graying stress of trying to do something as simple as “watch” the Wildcats on Saturdays was a weekly endeavor that was, in a word, frustrating. Further, it also ended in disappointment for many.

The 2011 football season brings positive change. In fact, it brings with it four games televised in primetime on ESPN. For out-of-market fans the nationally televised games are a godsend. For the football program the exposure is a blessing.

By now everyone knows that recruiting is the lifeblood of collegiate sports and nothing provides better nutrients than national television exposure, especially for schools like Arizona that operate out of a small market. Unlike Pac-12 foes like USC and UCLA, who’s schools are situated within one of the most fertile high school recruiting grounds in the country, a university like Arizona’s needs to find ways to tap into those markets as much as possible and few things accomplish that better than a nationally televised game on a network like ESPN.

Even better, two of Arizona’s four ESPN-televised games will come on Thursday when the “entire” high school and college football worlds are watching those select few games. Honestly, things don’t get much better than that.

After opening its 2011 campaign at home against Northern Arizona, the Wildcats must execute a tight turnaround to play Oklahoma State in Stillwater the following Thursday (Sep. 8). The Thursday night showdown with a Cowboys team that returns many of the same stars that helped lead OSU past Arizona 36-10 in last year’s Alamo Bowl is set for a primetime 8 p.m. eastern kickoff. The Wildcats, who have begun to recruit the Midwest well in recent seasons, will get some much-needed television exposure in these key recruiting markets.

Win or lose, Arizona will benefit from this ESPN game.

The Wildcats then return home for back-to-back ESPN-televised games on Sep. 17 and Sep. 24. That’s the good news. The bad news is the two-game home stand could literally see Arizona play its second and possibly third-straight Top 10 team of the young season.

First up are Andrew Luck and the Stanford Cardinal. Last year then-No. 10 Stanford routed the Wildcats 42-17 in Palo Alto. Whether the Wildcats return the favor or not, the program will again benefit from the ESPN broadcast which will undoubtedly focus some of its attention on the new, basketball court-sized scoreboard in the south end of the stadium. The game is scheduled for a 6:45 p.m. kickoff in Tucson (MST).

The following Saturday, Arizona will return to the ESPN Network as it hosts the Oregon Ducks. Oregon could literally be the No. 1 team in the nation at this point. Regardless, the 2010 national champion runner ups will draw plenty of national interest to the Old Pueblo. The game is tentatively scheduled for ESPN but could move to ESPN2. That really doesn’t matter because the college football world knows that if you’re not watching ABC’s 8 p.m. primetime game, the channel surfing for football viewers beyond ABC at night begins and ends with ESPN and ESPN2.

These three early games will help Arizona off the field. High school football recruits, surprisingly, don’t follow college football as closely as the casual fan would think. However, they all watch Sportscenter and it doesn’t take a genius to realize that Sportscenter will always deliver extra highlights coverage and postgame analysis from the games televised on the ESPN network. Further, with two of the games at home (Stanford and Oregon), the Arizona coaching staff can use the nationally televised games as a recruiting tool to lure athletes onto its campus and into its stadium for official or unofficial visits.

Fortunately, for Arizona, the ESPN games don’t stop here as the Wildcats will return to the network on Oct. 20 when they host UCLA in another Thursday night showcase. By this time in the season, many expect to see the Wildcats limping along after facing a gauntlet of games against OSU, Stanford, Oregon, USC and Oregon State. Whether true or not, the Cats will be coming of their first bye week of the season and will be looking to use this nationally televised game as a springboard to a successful second half of the season. The game will also provide the Arizona coaching staff a late October home setting to expose recruits to the balmy fall climate Tucson has to offer, especially those kids from the Midwest who will be shoveling snow or sloshing along drenched sidewalks in the hours leading up to Arizona’s 9 p.m. eastern kickoff.

For Arizona fans, the television coverage is outstanding. The ESPN games mean the Wildcats will get some love on the network’s College Game Day show. It also means that at the end of the night when Sportscenter and the College Football Recap show is running endless highlights from all the Big 10 and SEC games, Arizona is all but guaranteed a little airtime of its own. If fans are really lucky, it could also mean a replay of the game will air at midnight on the west coast.

For the Arizona coaching staff, these four games make for the ideal setting to help recruits plan their visits to Tucson. And for the players, it makes making the decision to visit the U of A that much easier.

Naturally, if the Wildcats lose, or lose badly, the coverage won’t exactly be rosy. However, if they do win then the combination of victories on the field and exposure to a national audience off the field can aid in taking the program to that proverbial next level.

Please visit www.WildcatSportsReport.com daily for continued coverage of Arizona Wildcats football and recruiting news and notes.

July 27, 2011

Arizona needs a kick in the pants
By Gary Randazzo
WildcatSportsReport.com

Today’s Pac-12 media day saw the conference’s press corps vote the Arizona Wildcats into a fourth place finish. Not bad, right? Well, the days of ranking the teams 1-10 are long gone thanks to the addition of Colorado and Utah, as well as the addition of two separate divisions. Arizona’s fourth-place prediction was for the South Division, and that’s not good.

A key to Arizona’s improvement from a disappointing 2010 campaign that saw the Wildcats drop their final five games of the season, including a 36-10 blowout loss to Oklahoma State due in large part to four Arizona turnovers, is the kicking game.

A year ago, the obvious blunders in the kicking game that denied Arizona a come-from-behind victory over its arch rival Arizona State, by now, are legendary. However, Arizona’s kicking game woes reached far beyond the leg of then-junior placekicker Alex Zendejas.

During today’s Arizona press conference in Los Angeles, Wildcat coach Mike Stoops said, "Our inability in kicking game led to our demise in a couple of games."

He was right, but Stoops wasn’t only referring to Zendejas.

For the record, Zendejas converted 14-of-19 field, a not-so-bad figure when you factor in Zendejas’ efficiency from 40-49 yards (7/9 FGs). Zendejas was also a perfect 5-for-5 inside the 30 which makes his 41-of-46 makes on PATs absolutely mind-boggling on the surface. The problem for Zendejas, aside from his PAT conversion percentage, was the fact he only converted on 2-of-5 field goal attempts between 30-39 yards, including two 34-yard attempts during the season.

Still, Arizona, struggled in just about every phase of the kicking game in 2010 and in a game of inches where the little things matter, improvement across the board must be made in order for the Wildcats to turn three losses by three points or less a year ago into victories in 2011.

A year ago, senior punter Keenyn Crier capped off a three-year regression by finishing the season with a 40.3 yards per punt average. As a team, Arizona’s net punting average was a low 34.1. What this means is, on average, if Arizona were to punt from its 30-yard line a season ago, opposing offenses, on average, would be snapping the ball in excellent field position on their 35-yard line.

That’s not good, especially when you’re playing in the score-happy Pac-12 Conference.

Crier has graduated, and his placement is most likely going to be JUCO transfer Kyle Dugandzic, a punting specialist who had 25 punts downed inside the 10 yard line a year ago. By comparison, Crier had 10 at the Division I level as a senior.

Similarly, Arizona needs to improve on kickoffs. In 2010, junior John Bonano was Arizona’s long kicker, totaling 12 touchbacks in 69 kickoff attempts. Not bad, but not stellar. The real worry for the Wildcats tough came in its kick coverage. Bonano’s low ball flight and propensity to place kicks oftentimes outside the 10-yard line helped opponents average 20.7 yards per return with an average kickoff field position start outside their own 27-yard line.

Arizona did improve as a coverage unit dramatically late in the season with the key adjustment being Wildcat special teams coach Jeff Hammerschmidt inserting more Wildcat starters onto the coverage units. This strategy, however, might not be a luxury Arizona can afford thanks to a rash of injuries that have sidelined several of Arizona’s projected defensive starters.

Arizona cannot afford to give its opponents prime starting field position in the kicking game because in football those extra 5-10 yards per kick can add up quickly, especially in close games when an opponent may only need to drive 25 yards for a game-winning field goal attempt rather than 40-50 yards.

The good news is Arizona is deeper at all of its kicking positions this season despite the loss of Crier. The addition of Dugandzic and placekicker Jaime Salazar to the roster gives Arizona four kickers capable of handling any kicking role. Competition alone in fall camp should improve the unit.

As it relates to kick coverage, despite Arizona possibly having to avoid using starting linebackers like Paul Vassallo and Derek Earls (as they did toward the end of last season) as well as secondary starters like the hard-hitting Adam Hall (injured), the Wildcats may be in luck thanks to a crop of redshirt freshman like Hank Hopkins (6-2, 218) and true freshman with size and speed like Rob Hankins (6-1, 225) and Dominique Petties (6-1, 215).

For years, Arizona’s defense was set up by a sound kicking game that helped the Wildcats win the field position battle and keep opponents out of the end zone. Last year, an excellent Wildcat defense that only allowed opponents 22.7 points per game, was stressed to the max because of poor field position.

Many insiders consider what Arizona’s defense accomplished in 2010 a minor miracle considering the kicking woes and although the fan base may have lost some faith in Arizona excelling on the gridiron in 2011, the underlying belief is that if the kicking game, overall, improves, the Wildcats are talented enough on both sides of the ball to defy the odds makers.

Please visit www.WildcatSportsReport.com daily for continued coverage of Arizona Wildcats football and recruiting news and notes.

July 7, 2011

Must Improve Part II: Turnovers
By Gary Randazzo
WildcatSportsReport.com

There was a time in the Mike Stoops Era when a fumble by a running back was not only extremely rare, they never happened. That changed in 2010 as the Wildcats had a minus four (-4) turnover margin against its opponents. For the record, Arizona committed 22 turnovers in 2010. Its opponents committed 18. By comparison, then Pac-10 frontrunners Oregon and Stanford were tied with a conference best turnover margin of plus 13 (+13).

Coincidence? I don’t think so.

During Arizona’s five game slide to end last season, the Wildcats had a minus seven (-7) turnover margin, losing the turnover battle 10-3. That’s unacceptable for a team entering that key stretch with a 7-1 record and a shot at winning the regular season title. Again, was it a coincidence that Arizona lost all five games? Absolutely not.

In 2010, Arizona fumbled the football 16 times, losing 10 of those. The fumbles came from a variety of positions, including on special teams when William “Bug” Wright muffed a punt early in the Valero Alamo Bowl against Oklahoma State, a game in which the Wildcats committed four turnovers to lose 36-10. Arizona’s quarterbacks combined to throw 12 interceptions, 10 by Nick Foles and 2 by Matt Scott.

Foles, who threw for 3,191 yards and 20 touchdowns with a 67.1 percent pass completion rate, is too good a passer to have a two-to-one touchdown to interception ratio. However, that’s what he produced in 2010. In 2011, the senior signal caller must improve in this area in order for the team to improve as a whole.

As accurate as Foles has been over the years, he’s prone to having his passes deflected at the line of scrimmage. Additionally, his long ball tends to drift when his feet aren’t set in the pocket. Both have led to interceptions, some at the most inopportune time. Similarly, Arizona’s ball carriers and receivers combined to struggle a little more than usual last season. Of the 10 lost fumbles, three came inside the opponent’s 25-yard line. Couple these fumbles with three interceptions inside the red zone and the Wildcats officially had a problem.

There’s no real secret to protecting the football outside of each player figuring out a way to protect the football. In 2011, the Wildcat playmakers will need to look within and accept the responsibility that comes with holding onto the ball.

For the quarterbacks coach Mike Stoops and offensive coordinator Seth Litrell have two capable throwers with real game experience. If Foles starts throwing interceptions and Matt Scott doesn’t redshirt, Stoops will not hesitate to insert Scott. Similarly, Arizona’s loaded at the receiver position. If a wideout proves incapable of securing the football both on the catch and while being tackled, the coaching staff can find a suitable placement by literally drawing a name from a hat. As for the running backs, projected starter Keola Antolin has always been a reliable ball carrier. However, after him, the stable of backs for the Wildcats is young and inexperienced. Arizona won’t know what they have in the backfield until fall camp, and more accurately until the actual games are played. Still, there’s enough talent in the Arizona backfield to replace fumblers with someone who won’t.

Please visit www.WildcatSportsReport.com daily for continued coverage of Arizona Wildcats football and recruiting news and notes.

July 7, 2011

Must Improve Part I: Red Zone
By Gary Randazzo
WildcatSportsReport.com

To say the Wildcats squandered points last season is an understatement. Arizona’s red zone scoring efficiency last season, a season that saw the Wildcats lose three Pac-10 games by a combined six points en route to a 7-6 campaign, was just 72%. Comparatively, Arizona’s opponents converted 84% inside the red zone against the Wildcats. This statistic in and of itself is reason enough to justify why Arizona lost its final five games of 2010. However, it’s not the only reason.

In 2010, the Wildcats converted red-zone trips into points 39 times in 54 attempts. Unfortunately, Arizona’s red zone woes go deeper than this though.

In Arizona’s 39 successful, point-producing trips inside the opponent’s 25-yard line, Arizona only scored 30 touchdowns while settling for nine field goal makes.

Arizona’s 15 failed trips ended in a variety of ways.

The Wildcats turned the ball over on downs five times. Alex Zendejas missed three field goals while Arizona quarterbacks threw three interceptions. Arizona also fumbled away three opportunities while failing to score on downs once prior to halftime (Toledo).

In a 29-27 loss to Oregon State, the Wildcats were 2-of-3 inside the red zone. The one failed attempt was a missed field goal. Against USC, overtime was averted by the Trojans when the Wildcats again missed a red zone field goal attempt. Arizona fumbled away the other opportunity inside the 10-yard line. Finally, in Arizona’s 30-29 overtime loss to rival Arizona State, the Wildcats were actually a perfect 3-for-3 inside the red zone. That’s the good news. The bad news is the Wildcats failed TWICE to execute extra point attempts, first at the end of regulation and a second time while trying to force another overtime period.

In fact, couple Arizona’s 72% red zone scoring efficiency with placekicker Alex Zendejas missing five extra points in 46 attempts and you’ve got a pretty clear recipe for a 7-6 season.

In 2011, the Wildcat must improve in this key area if they expect to buck the odds and defy the preseason magazines that rank Arizona anywhere from 50-60 in the national rankings and no better than fourth in the South Division of the newly expanded Pac-12 Conference. Further, the Wildcats not only need to improve their scoring efficiency, but they need to figure out a way to put the ball in the end zone, especially with a senior quarterback and a stockpile of wide receivers as good as any in the nation.

Perhaps Arizona will improve.

The addition of Robert Anae as coach of the offensive lineman and running back game planning along with offensive coordinator Seth Litrell promising a more true-to-form version of the Texas Tech offense will see the Wildcats abandon that small vs. big quagmire that defined a confusing 2010 season on the offensive side of the ball.

Arizona has a healthy dose of “big” receivers like All-Pac-10 performer Juron Criner, emerging star Terrence Miller and Texas transfer Dan Buckner who are all capable of clearing out space and rising up and over defenders in jump ball situations inside the end zone. Similarly, the Wildcats have a stable of quick and speedy receivers capable of turning a short route into a touchdown scoring route by weaving their way into the end zone from within the 25-yard line.

Naturally, a key is the offensive line and the time Nick Foles will get in the pocket. However, time is always limited in the red zone because the defense is so tightly packed. Instead, red zone scoring is about making plays and this time around the Wildcats can’t afford the same dropped passes, fumbles and interceptions in the red zone that they suffered through last year.

If they do improve, all the other stuff aside, the Wildcats can be a good football team that does indeed prove the naysayers wrong.

Please visit www.WildcatSportsReport.com daily for continued coverage of Arizona Wildcats football and recruiting news and notes.

July 7, 2011

Pac-12: Who’s Missing?
By Gary Randazzo
WildcatSportsReport.com

The college football season is less than two months away. For Arizona, the season kicks off Sep. 3 in Tucson against NAU. The Wildcats have a daunting schedule that includes at least five schools currently in the preseason Top 25 discussion, three being considered in the national Top 10.

The 2011 campaign is a special one for the conference, which hasn’t experienced expansion since 1978 when the Pac-8 became the Pac-10 thanks to the addition of both Arizona and Arizona State. This season, Utah and Colorado join the fray and as a result, the most sensible conference race in the country will become as cloudy and controversial as any in the NCAA.

In the past decade, the Pac-10’s return to a true round-robin format meant that teams played every other school in the conference, resulting in a clear Pac-10 champion thanks to head-to-head matchups and tiebreakers that actually made sense. In 2011, 12 teams and nine conference games presents more than a few problems. However, three problems of an unbalanced schedule stand above the rest:

 

As if insisting on a nine-game league schedule that guarantees the conference six additional losses overall isn’t bad enough, the aforementioned three problems really serve to muddy the waters.

Each school will not play two schools from the other division.

Here’s a quick rundown of who is missing on each Pac-12 schedule.

Pac-12 South Division
Arizona Wildcats
The Wildcats miss California and Washington State in year one of the new Pac-12. Missing Cal, a historical nuisance to Arizona is actually a good thing. However, when you consider that both Cal and Wazzu are predicted by most prognosticators to finish in 5th and 6th place in the North Division, this is a serious disadvantage for the Wildcats.

Arizona State Sun Devils
The Sun Devils miss out on the resurging Washington Huskies and the Stanford Cardinal, a surefire Top 10 team, nationally. And people wonder why so many have ASU winning the South Division…hmmm.

Colorado Buffaloes
The Buffs officially miss Oregon State, which is a nice perk. Regardless of how good the Beavers will be, they’re annually one of the more physical teams in the league and there are few things worse than traveling to Corvallis in November. I could be wrong but the other Pac-12 school they miss in the conference standings is Cal Berkeley. CU plays Cal on Sep. 10, but I’m pretty sure this is part of a home-and-home agreement prior to joining the Pac-12. Please correct me if I’m wrong. Regardless, CU has 10 Pac-12 teams on its schedule and only nine games count in conference.

UCLA Bruins
The Bruins miss Washington and Oregon this season. Cry me a river. Rick Neuheisel is officially out of excuses.

Utah Utes
Utah gets the biggest gift of them all from the schedule makers. The Utes don’t have to play Oregon or Stanford, two Top 10 teams that may be ranked as high as 2-5 in the nation before the season starts. Unbelievable! Welcome to the Pac-12!

USC Trojans
USC avoids Washington State and Oregon State. This is a push on the surface, but a true blessing for USC. The Beavers have been USC’s nemesis the past five years so not having to play OSU is a gift.

Pac-12 North Division

California Bears
Cal officially avoids Arizona. The Bears are in the same situation as Colorado in that the two schools play on Sep. 10, meaning that even only nine games count toward their Pac-12 record, the Bears and Buffs will each face 10 conference foes.

Oregon Ducks
The Ducks miss UCLA and Utah. Oregon’s good enough to beat anyone, but while missing a trip to Los Angeles will hurt in recruiting, avoiding a trip to snowy Utah in November is something you won’t here Oregon complaining about.

Oregon State Beavers
The Beavers miss USC and Colorado. That hurts. The Beavers have had success against USC while everyone is predicted to have success over Colorado.

Stanford Cardinal
Stanford gets a schedule gift by not drawing Arizona State or Utah, arguably the two frontrunners to win the Pac-12 South Division. Still, the Cardinal can’t reach the Rose Bowl without possibly facing at least one of these schools.

Washington Huskies
The Huskies avoid Arizona State and UCLA. Not bad, not bad at all.

Washington State Cougars
WSU avoids Arizona and USC. This is nice because both teams pack some serious offensive firepower and each has throttled the Cougs in recent seasons.

Each School’s overall conference record will determine the divisional race.
This is ridiculous, but understandable. I mean, you can’t have a division champion decided in just five games. Still, when you have an unbalanced schedule, how can you possible consider it fair when Arizona will miss the two preseason worst teams in the North Division while Utah will miss not only the two best teams in the North, but perhaps the country. In a way, if going straight by odds of winning, you can literally start the season with Arizona having two guaranteed losses (Oregon and Stanford) while Utah has two guaranteed wins (WSU and Cal). Thank goodness games are actually decided on the field.

Each school will play four non-divisional games and five divisional games, meaning non-divisional opponents will have almost as big an impact as divisional opponents.

When deciding a divisional winner, there really is little significance to divisional games when you only play one more divisional game compared to non-divisional games. For example, Arizona could go 4-1 in its division (not impossible), yet go 0-4 against the teams from the North Division (entirely possible). That would put them at 4-5 overall in conference and not even close to winning its division and representing the South in the first ever Pac-12 championship game. Honestly, does that even make sense? Imagine the NFL doing this? Actually, don’t waste your time because it will NEVER happen.

Please visit www.WildcatSportsReport.com daily for continued coverage of Arizona Wildcats football and recruiting news and notes.

December 10, 2010

Remember the Alamo
By Gary Randazzo

The famous battle cry is one Arizona should embrace. In fact, on Jan. 1 2012 as Stoops prepares to lead his Wildcats onto the famed Rose Bowl turf in Pasadena, California, “Remember the Alamo” is the cry that should be shouted as the Cats exit the locker room. Wildcat fans in attendance should be clad in red shirts with “Remember the Alamo” blasted across the chest in bold white lettering. The school’s press release should carry the same rallying words, as well as all of its marketing material throughout the 2011 campaign.

Why am I writing this you ask? I’m doing so because Arizona needs to change its mindset right now, today. The Valero Alama Bowl, to be played on Dec. 29 in San Antonio’s Alamodome, will mark Arizona’s third-straight postseason bowl game. In his first media address as Wildcat coach seven years ago, Stoops not only promised to rebuild Arizona, but build the school into a champion. Stoops has accomplished the first part of his promise. Even after four-straight losses to end the 2010 regular season, there’s no doubt Arizona is competitive again.

Three consecutive bowl games for a school that’s been to 15 bowl games in its history speak for itself.

In addition to Arizona’s accomplishments on the field, Stoops’ teams are putting fans in the stands, generating enthusiasm from alumni and helping to improve how his student athletes perform in the classroom. What Stoops hasn’t done is win a championship, any championship.

Arizona has been a member of the Pacific 10 Conference since 1978. After 32 years of competition, the Wildcats will see the Pac-10 Era close without ever having won an outright conference title. In fact, today, Arizona remains the only Pac-10 or Big 10 institution to have not represented their conference in the Rose Bowl. It’s a staggering historical fact that will now live in infamy, but serves as a reminder of how unforgiving sports can be – even for those who work their tails off to improve.

In its first bowl appearance in a decade, Arizona used the Pioneer Las Vegas bowl to celebrate its bowl-producing season and reward its senior class for helping raise the Wildcats back into college football relevancy. The Wildcats won, fans did celebrate, and players were honored. In 2009, Arizona’s 6-3 conference finish along with head-to-head wins over Stanford, Oregon State and USC catapulted Arizona into a second-place Pac-10 finish and a Holiday Bowl berth. In fact, Arizona came within a whisper or a Jeremiah Masoli game-tying touchdown with seven seconds remaining in regulation from reaching its first and only Rose Bowl as a Pac-10 member. For the second consecutive postseason, Stoops and his coaching staff used the Holiday Bowl as a reward to their players for a fine regular season. The only problem is Arizona disrespected the magnitude of the moment, and its opponent, to get flattened by Nebraska 33-0, the worst loss in Holiday Bowl history.

Arizona cannot afford to make the same mistake twice.

“Remember the Alamo” must be Arizona’s 2011 battle cry for one simple reason. The Wildcats need to break from their trend of the past two years and treat the Valero Alamo Bowl game against No. 14 Oklahoma State as the first game of the 2011 football campaign, rather than a reward to the program for its efforts in 2010.

All of the great programs do this. If Arizona wants to be great in 2011 and beyond, then that first step needs to be taken today, not on day one of spring drills in March of next year.

Pete Carroll and USC used the 2003 Orange Bowl to set the tone for the upcoming 2003 season. They went on to win a shared national title with LSU before winning the national title outright in 2004. Nick Saban’s 2008 Alabama squad used bowl preparation for the 2009 Sugar Bowl to get his team ready for the 2009 season. By giving his returning players extra practice reps and then giving them significant playing time in the Sugar Bowl, his team did lose to Utah 31-17, but the tone he established paved the way for Bama to win the national title a year later by blasting No. 2 Texas 37-21 in the BCS Championship.

Arizona is one miffed football team right now. In fact, some sources to Wildcat Sports Report by way of Arizona State have suggested that several Sun Devils have said that they “wouldn’t want to be Oklahoma State right now.”

Entering the Valero Alamo Bowl, the Wildcats have three things working in their favor. First, Arizona laid an egg against Nebraska in last season’s Holiday Bowl finale, and the embarrassment that followed is not something that the players desire to experience again. Second, Arizona’s four consecutive losses to conclude what once was a promising chance at a run for the Roses has these guys motivated to prove that they’re better than their record. Third, the Wildcats have incredible young talent on this team and have three weeks to get them ready to play championship level football against an explosive Cowboys team.

Stoops does need to start those senior players in the Alamodome who have started games and played major minutes for the Wildcats this season when the team faces OSU later this month. It’s not only the honorable thing to do, but it’s the right thing to do. Players like Joe Perkins and Anthony Wilcox and other deserve the recognition. However, all loyalties need to stop there.

It’s time for Arizona’s football program to look forward, not backward. It’s time to use a bowl game as a steppingstone to bigger things in the future rather than a celebration of the past. The best way to do that is to get Arizona’s young guns extra reps during pre-bowl practices, but more importantly get them a ton of live reps in the Valero Alamo Bowl. Winning or losing is not as important as is preparing the football program for the future in the next three weeks.

The strategy is not intended to disrespect any departing seniors. There’s no doubt all the seniors who have played throughout the season will play in the bowl game. However, it’s imperative that Arizona fans see more of Arizona’s younger, soon-to-be major contributors. It’s important for the program to see Adam Hall and Marquis Flowers, two underclassmen likely to contribute heavily at the safety spots next year, on the field, playing side-by-side, against OSU’s incredible passing attack. Fans also need to see more combinations of returning defensive linemen manning the middle, as well as a mix of offensive linemen.

Arizona will lose 20 seniors this year, but returns a stockpile of talent, including one of the best quarterbacks in the country. Defensively, the Wildcats will lose four starters but return six of its top eight playmakers in the secondary as well as all three starting linebackers. Interestingly, next season’s Wildcat team will experience and have to overcome some key personnel losses similar to what this year’s squad faced. However, the difference between next year’s final season standings compared to this year’s could be dramatically more positive by embracing the challenges of tomorrow, today.

If they do, Arizona has the talent to have a program-changing season and earn the right to shout, “Remember the Alamo,” one year from now.

Please visit www.WildcatSportsReport.com daily for continued coverage of Arizona Wildcats football and recruiting news and notes.

 

December 1, 2010

Arizona Mailbag: State of Arizona Football
By Gary Randazzo
WildcatSportsReport.com

The Arizona Wildcats face arch-rival Arizona State this Thursday in each school’s final Pac-10 game ever. To kick off the annual battle for the Territorial Cup, Sun Devil fans have asked me several questions regarding this year’s Wildcats and what the future holds for Arizona football. Without further ado, onto the Questions and Answers:

Sitting at a 7-4 record after 11 games I’m assuming Arizona expected better results. How would you rate the 2010 campaign thus far for the Wildcats, and what do you think the reasons are for this current record?

A 7-4 record with a shot at nine victories (ASU and bowl game win) is a step in the right direction for Arizona, and would have been acceptable three months ago. However, after a 7-1 start to the season, a three-game slide is leaving a bad taste in the mouths of Wildcat fans. While losses to Stanford and Oregon are tolerable, the fact that the Stanford game wasn’t close and the Oregon game turned on an offside penalty that kept a Duck scoring drive alive is disheartening. Couple that with losses at home to two teams enduring their worst seasons in years (Oregon State and USC) and suddenly seven wins doesn’t feel so good. The reasons for the record are fairly obvious. Arizona is 10-of-15 in red zone scoring in its last four games with only six touchdowns. Further, in all four losses the opponent has held the ball for an average of 35:22. As good as Arizona’s passing game has been, desperation to score in the team’s few offensive touches per game have skewed heavily toward Arizona’s offensive strength, passing. This has made the Wildcats one-dimensional in the red zone and as the field tightens, the passing lanes have closed off and scoring has become problematic. When you factor in that Arizona lost to OSU and USC by a combined five points and each game involved an Arizona turnover in the red zone as well as a missed field goal try from inside 30 yards it’s yet another season of “what if” for the Cats.

Nick Foles and the team’s pass offense were already coming off a very good 2009 season but seem to even elevate their collective game even more in 2010. Can you talk about what led to that improvement?

Depth at wide receiver has been a huge factor. Juron Criner has emerged as a bona fide NFL prospect and Arizona’s unquestionable go-to guy. However, he’s not alone. Sophomore Terrence Miller has played significant minutes the past two games as a result of William “Bug” Wright’s suspension. All Miller has done is caught 15 passes for 212 yards. Nine different receivers or running backs have caught at least 11 passes this season, so distribution has improved from last season. The biggest factor though has been Foles’ improvement as a downfield thrower. He still has room for improvement, but when given time Foles’s accuracy on deep balls has opened up the field for the Cats to do what they do best, throw underneath. The good and bad news for Arizona is the Wildcats throw best out of the hurry up offense. They’ve racked up points in this scheme, but do so generally after they’ve fallen behind by more than two scores.

Arizona’s running game seems to be underrated and less talked about. How do you think this offensive aspect has performed?

Interestingly, Arizona is averaging 4.3 yards per carry in wins and 4.0 yards per carry in losses this season. To your point, Arizona’s running game is underrated. The problem is fans are rarely seeing it. In its seven wins, the Wildcats have rushed for an average of 160.1 yards on the ground compared to only 94.0 in losses. The key has been time of possession (and playing from behind) in terms of the large disparity. In Arizona’s four losses this season, opponents have held the ball for an average of 35:22. In short, Arizona hasn’t had time to run the football.

Overall though, the Arizona ground game has likely underachieved. Injuries have crippled the Cats depth chart the past two years. A season ago, all three atop the depth chart missed significant action, and rarely was there a game when all three were active on the roster, or finished the game healthy. This season, only season-starting backup Keola Antolin has remained healthy from start to finish. Starter Nic Grigsby has been out on two occasions this season, the latest stint resulting in him missing half of the UCLA game, all of the USC game and all but one play against Stanford. Third-stringer, and Arizona’s pound between the tackles back Greg Nwoko was injured back in October and hasn’t played since.

In short, the ground game has been steady, but not great, and would likely be better with a full stable of healthy horses.

Back when he signed with Arizona, was Juron Criner expected to be the stud wide receiver he is now? Do you expect him to leave early for the NFL?

Criner arrived on campus a 6-foot-4, 195-pound receiver with a ton of credentials so yes, the program expected great things out of him. Criner was named to the Las Vegas Sun All-Decade team in January 2010 for his high school accomplishments, and was a two-time all-state player in Nevada. However, even the accolades, size and other physical attributes on paper couldn’t match the heart Criner demonstrates on the field, and that’s what has made him a truly special player at Arizona. This season alone, Criner has been playing at about 80% since mid-September after never truly recovering from a turf-toe injury suffered against Iowa. Add in a nagging shoulder injury and some ankle issues and it’s amazing to see the numbers he’s putting up this season. He’s known around these parts as “Big Play Juron,” and for good reason. To date, 77 of his 119 (65 percent) career catches have resulted in a first down or a touchdown. Further, 11 of his 18 career touchdown receptions have been 20+ yard plays.

In regards to leaving early for the NFL, the jury is still out. Nagging injuries have slowed his initial burst and it remains to be seen if he has true, NFL-elite outside receiver speed. Couple that with a potential NFL lockout and the fact that he’ll have a senior in Nick Foles throwing to him next season, the opportunity to graduate from Arizona as its all-time receiver might be the wiser decision for Criner to make so as to boost his NFL stock even more the following season.

Many thought the Arizona defense was going to take a major hit this year, but up until the other week they were tops in the Pac-10. Do you think they overachieved and what were the keys to their success?

The same keys for success early in the season have led to their demise of late. In Arizona’s wins, the defense has wrapped up well, sacked the quarterback and basically shut down the opponents running game. In three of the four losses, opponents have rushed for over 200 yards (Oregon rushed for 389) while physically dominating the Cats at the point of contact. Arizona’s safeties have never quite figured out their roles in the passing game this entire season and the entire team has struggled when switching from man to zone coverage throughout the games. Overall, the defense has likely overachieved when you consider it had to replace seven starters from a year ago, including both safeties and its entire linebacker corps, yet still ranks third in the Pac-10 in points allowed (20.8) and 32nd nationally.

What makes Ricky Elmore and Brooks Reed such a great tandem of pass rushers?

The senior duo leads by example, and it starts in the weight room and on the practice field. Neither was heavily recruited so all of their success has been the bi-product of hard work. Each plays with a mean streak and possesses middle linebacker “attack mode” tendencies. Elmore uses his hands well, and is excellent at the up-and-under, outside-in move to get into the backfield while Reed relies on brute strength and an above-average first step to get to the quarterback. Elmore’s colorful hair and face paint, and Reed’s flowing locks remind many of WWE wrestlers and each has the motor of a wrestler who’s not afraid to chase an opponent into the crowd. Put two guys like this on the field at the same time and you’ve got a decent shot at collapsing the pocket.

ASU fans always joke about Mike Stoops’ antics on the sidelines, but how does the Wildcat nation truly feel about his behavior? Embarrassed or oblivious?

It really depends on who you ask because Stoops’ sideline behavior has been the topic of much debate since day one of his arrival on campus. For every Wildcat that loves Stoops’ passion, there’s another who despises it. The best way to answer this question is to give you the facts and then let Sun Devil fans draw their own conclusion. Stoops’ naysayers will argue that he’s uncontrollable at times, and his “antics” have gone so far as to cost the Wildcats a sideline penalty or two in his first few seasons in Tucson. The truth is that Stoops is a perfectionist, and I’m not just referring to how he expects his players to perform. One source with knowledge of the situation said that “nothing gets by Mike” in a game. What this means is Stoops wants excellence from his players and coaches, but he also demands excellence from the officials, the game clock operator, the PA announcer and the hot dog vendor. If the game clock ticks a second too long, Stoops is on it like a spider monkey in a bar fight. If there’s a face mask he’s usually the first person on the field to spot it.

In Stoops’ defense, the Wildcats have been on the wrong end of far too many bad calls in the past seven years so I don’t blame him for not trusting anyone, especially the officials. I’ll add that the biggest misnomer about Stoops from opposing fans is he does treat all of his players with the utmost respect and the yelling and fire they see is rarely, if ever directed at his players. And if it is, he’s the first one to tap them on the helmet and encourage them once the storm passes.

How much of a talent hit is Arizona going to take with losing 20 seniors and overall how is the 2011 class shaping up so far?

Losing guys like Brooks Reed and Ricky Elmore will hurt, there’s no doubt about it. However, the Cats have a stockpile of young talent ready to take on bigger roles, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Names like Adam Hall and Marquis Flowers will become namesakes at the safety spots, and will actually serve to improve Arizona’s back seven that will return all three of its top cornerbacks and all of its linebackers next season. Offensively, Colin Baxter and Adam Grant will be the biggest losses along the offensive line and the Cats again will enter a second-straight season with question marks surrounding its OL. However, the depth is there and it’s really a matter of starters creating some separation from their backups. The Cats should return all of its key skill players, and will actually get a boost at receiver when Texas transfer Dan Buckner (6-4, 210) becomes eligible. Overall, Arizona will be more talented at all 22 starting positions than they currently are today.

The Class of 2011 looks solid with at least 8 scholarships still to fill. Linebackers Rob Hankins and Jabral Johnson are the real deal, and dual-threat quarterback Daxx Garman gives the Cats another thrower to mold while Foles, Matt Scott and Bryson Beirne play out their eligibility. Current verbal commit Ka’Deem Carey would give Arizona its most dynamic running back recruit under Mike Stoops. As usual, a major focus for Arizona has been recruits along both lines and they’ll have at least four offensive lineman taking official visits for the ASU game.

What does ASU need to do in order to win this game?

The Sun Devils need to do what those opponents who’ve beaten Arizona have done, keep the ball out of Foles’ hands. Foles has thrown for nearly 2,700 yards this season while missing two-and-a-half games. In the past two games alone he’s thrown for 800 yards, 6 TDs and only 1 INT. ASU has a distinct advantage in the kick return game so if they can win the battle for field position and play with a lead, a big return could be the difference in what should be another exciting rivalry game.

Read more about the University of Arizona Wildcats at www.WildcatSportsReport.com.

 

November 15, 2010

Red zone unkind to Arizona in 2010
By Gary Randazzo

Two commonalities in each of Arizona’s three losses this season have been time of possession and red zone inefficiency. In USC’s 24-21 win over the Wildcats in Arizona Stadium last Saturday, the Trojans controlled the ball for more than 37 minutes. The Stanford Cardinal and Oregon State Beavers held similar advantages in each of their wins over the Wildcats.

Ironically, almost amazingly, Arizona outgained USC by a margin of 404-382. In fact, Arizona also outgained OSU 541-486 despite having the ball for nearly 13 fewer minutes. The difference between a win and loss in each of these games was Arizona’s inability to produce points in the red zone.

Against the Beavers, a short field goal miss by Alex Zendejas proved to be the losing points. Similarly, Zendejas’ 34-yard missed field goal try against USC was again the margin between victory and defeat. Of course, all the blame does not fall squarely on the shoulders of its junior placekicker, but the misses are indicative of Arizona’s red zone woes in 2010.

Arizona (7-3, 4-3 Pac-10) is just 33 of 45 on the season in the red zone. The offense has scored 26 red zone touchdowns to go along with seven field goal conversions. Problematic, is the Wildcats were just 6 of 11 in the red zone against OSU, Stanford and USC.

Arizona went 1-for-2 against the Beavers with Zendejas’ missed field goal try representing the missed opportunity. Against Stanford, the Wildcats turned the ball over on downs twice deep inside Cardinal territory. Trailing USC all game, Arizona went 3-for-5 in the red zone plus had a fourth-down conversion near the USC 20 negated by a holding penalty. Its first failed attempt came early in the third quarter when wide receiver David Douglas fumbled the ball away while fighting for extra yardage after the catch. Douglas’ fumble at the Trojan 10-yard line denied the Wildcats an opportunity to cut into USC’s 21-14 advantage.

Arizona’s second missed opportunity came on its first possession of the game.

The Wildcats took the game’s opening kickoff and marched down field only to be stopped near the USC 15 to set up what should have been a chip shot field goal for Zendejas from the left hash mark. Zendejas missed wide right and a troubling trend established in Arizona’s first two losses repaved the way for a third Wildcat setback.

The question becomes why is Arizona struggling to score points near the goal line? Traditionally, spread offenses struggle when the field shortens because defenses are able to collapse on the short passing routes without having to worry about getting beat on a deep ball over the top. In recent seasons, Arizona’s strong ground game denied opposing defenses the luxury of keying on the pass and jumping the short routes because the Wildcats could go big and pound the ball between the tackles. This season, Arizona does not have that luxury because of its struggles along the offensive line. The running lanes simply haven’t been there all season, especially in short-yardage situations. Arizona’s offensive line is creating little push at the point of attack and defenses are able to plug the gaps with unchecked linebackers and strong safeties.

Arizona entered the USC game ranked 57th nationally, averaging 155.8 rushing yards per game. They exit the game averaging 143.9 on the season.

Arizona’s inability to run the ball effectively is allowing defenses to focus on the short passing routes and the end result has been the Wildcats playing behind the chains inside the red zone. The Cats have two more chances to improve its record before the regular season concludes. To do so, Arizona must buck some trend and avoid giving its upcoming opponents, Oregon and Arizona State, a distinct advantage in time of possession and red zone efficiency.

You can read more about the Arizona Wildcats from Gary Randazzo at www.WildcatSportsReport.com.

November 10, 2010

Pac-10 Stack Rankings: Week 11 Football
By Gary Randazzo

Four Pac-10 teams have a shot at a 10-win season with four weeks to go in the regular season. Arizona and USC need to run the table while Stanford and Oregon are trying to vie for placement in a BCS bowl game. As for the others, well, let’s just say there’s a serious divide in a Pac-10 conference that has become seriously top heavy in recent weeks.

*Parenthesis denotes school’s AP ranking.

#1 Oregon Ducks (1)
(9-0, 6-0 Pac 10)
Next Game: @ California
Key Wins: Stanford (9), @ USC (24)
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #1

Oregon played its first ever home game as the top team in the land and didn’t disappoint its fans in throttling Washington, 53-16. Interestingly, the Huskies held Oregon scoreless in the opening quarter, something no other opponent had done all season. No big deal for the Ducks though as Oregon still managed to reach their season average in points scored over the final three quarters. Oregon continues to overwhelm its opponents by averaging over 300 yards rushing per game. The offensive onslaught doesn’t stop there though as the Ducks are also throwing for 260 yards per contest. That kind of offensive firepower has helped Oregon mask any weaknesses on defense, which admittedly, are few and far between. This week the Ducks get set to tackle and up and down Cal team that has had success against Oregon in recent seasons, going 2-2 since 2006. In 2008, Oregon’s last visit to Cal, the Bears won 26-16 in a torrential downpour. Theoretically, Oregon should have nothing to fear this weekend but even the best are capable of falling flat on any given Saturday. Fortunately for the Ducks they have a head coach who preaches a “next moment” mindset, which to this point has kept them focused on the task at hand.

#2 Stanford Cardinal (6)
(8-1, 5-1 Pac 10)
Next Game: @ Arizona State
Key Wins: USC, Arizona (13)
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #2

The Cardinal remain way ahead of schedule. Jim Harbaugh took over a program in 2007 that finished the 2006 season 1-11. In fact, prior to Harbaugh, Stanford hadn’t had a winning season since the school went 9-3 in 2001 (Ty Willingham’s final season). Harbaugh gave the Cardinal its first winning season a year ago, finishing 8-5. He’s matched that win total already thanks to a resounding 42-17 win over No. 13 Arizona last weekend. Harbaugh has Stanford rolling behind the arm of one of the country’s leading QB’s (Andrew Luck) as well as an offensive line that features four senior starters. Against Arizona, Harbaugh and his coaching staff showed their salt in showing Arizona a variety of looks on offense and defense that had the Wildcats playing out of sorts. The end result was a Wildcat team completely confused for 60 minutes. This week Stanford draws a miffed Sun Devil team that nearly pulled off a huge upset at USC last weekend. ASU lost 34-33 in heartbreaking fashion as they had an extra point attempt blocked late as well as a missed field goal in the game’s final two minutes. ASU is dangerous because this isn’t the first time they’ve been knocked down in the late rounds of a fight. Stanford better be up for this road game because ASU has showed already that it will pull itself up and off the mat to give its next opponent a furious battle. After ASU, Stanford visits rival Cal, a team that’s beaten the Cardinal in seven of the last eight meetings. Stanford’s already off to its best start in more than 40 years, but won’t be satisfied without a BCS bowl bid and perhaps a Rose Bowl berth.

#3 Arizona Wildcats (18 AP/19 USA Today)
(7-2, 4-2 Pac 10)
Next Game: USC
Key Wins: #9 Iowa
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #3

Arizona was humbled last weekend in Palo Alto after its 42-17 loss. Sadly, the game wasn’t even that close despite the stat sheet reading otherwise (Stanford only outgained Arizona 510-428). The truth though is the game was not competitive as the Cardinal jumped out to a convincing 28-3 lead early in the third quarter. Arizona’s secondary was again beaten over the top for a deep scoring pass (45 yards from Luck to Chris Owusu), but this time around the Wildcats were also torched underneath, between the seams, outside the hash marks and, well, you get the point. The concerns surrounding Arizona’s inexperienced secondary can be traced back to spring camp. However, a strong start to the season calmed some fears. Unfortunately, Arizona’s early season success may have proved to be Fool’s Gold as Luck and Stanford picked Arizona’s defense apart last weekend. What’s worrisome is Arizona is set to face three quality quarterbacks and a host of big-play receivers during its final three games. Oregon speaks for itself, but USC’s Matt Barkley and Arizona State’s Steven Threet pose legitimate deep ball threats as well. If Arizona can’t figure out a way to pressure opposing QBs to death between now and Dec. 2, or find ways to improve its pass coverage, a once promising season could come crashing down, quickly. Nick Foles also needs to work himself back into form after a un-Foles like performance where he completed just 28 of 48 throws. He’ll need help though, specifically from his offensive line.

Arizona needs to forget about the Stanford loss and a possible late-season run at the Rose Bowl, immediately, and instead turn all of its attention to a motivated USC team. Arizona gets a bye week after facing the Trojans so it’s time to put it all the line and right the ship before the season slips away. Plus, it’s not like the season is lost. The Cats can reach 10 regular-season wins for the first time since 1998, and work their way into a profitable bowl game that will help the program in many ways, including recruiting.

#4 USC Trojans (24)
(6-3, 3-3 Pac 10)
Next Game: @ Arizona (13)
Key Wins: None
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #4

USC’s emotional 34-33 victory over Arizona State last weekend was like a shot in the arm for the Trojans. In fact, it served as a reminder that football seasons aren’t always defined by the BCS Championship, but rather the many unique moments in each game that come together to ultimately define a team. Many thought the Trojans would mail in the season after losing to No. 1 Oregon, USC’s proverbial bowl game in a season where the Trojans aren’t eligible for postseason play. However, that all changed with one blocked extra point attempt and the ensuing 70-plus yard return for two points that proved to be the difference between victory and defeat. USC’s next opponent, Arizona, has been forced to do its own soul searching after a 42-17 loss to Stanford put a dagger in its Rose Bowl aspirations. USC would love to further sour Arizona’s season by flipping the script on a Wildcat team that knocked the Trojans out of the Holiday Bowl a year ago when Arizona won in the L.A. Coliseum 21-17. In that game, Arizona’s Foles connected late with Juron Criner for a game-winning touchdown. USC hasn’t forgotten that losing feeling, or the sight of Foles trotting off the field victorious. That win was Arizona’s first over the Trojans in nine tries. Good news for USC is they have a QB in Matt Barkley capable of making plays downfield. That’s been a bugaboo for the Arizona secondary all season, and Barkley might be the best deep-ball throw in the conference. USC will look for him to make the big plays  this weekend and beyond as they fight for a potential 10-win season in advance of the recruiting wars that will undoubtedly heat up come December.

#5 Oregon State Beavers
(4-4, 3-2 Pac 10)
Next Game: Washington State
Key Wins: @ Arizona (9)
Bad Losses: @ UCLA
Last Week’s Ranking: #5

Washington State could not have come at a better time in the season following OSU’s surprising loss at UCLA a week ago. The Bruins’ Kai Forbaith nailed a 51-yard FG as time expired to push UCLA past the Beavers 17-14. The loss all but ends any hopes of OSU reaching its first Rose Bowl since 1966, even though a head-to-head matchup with conference frontrunner Oregon remains on the schedule. There were some tough losses in the conference last weekend, but OSU’s is almost unexplainable. The Bruins were borderline anemic on offense, but OSU was not much better, netting just 267 yards. OSU needs to win out to meet last year’s total wins and it won’t be easy. Following WSU, the Beavers face USC at home, Stanford on the road, and then conclude the regular season with a visit from Oregon. If that’s not a brutal three-game slate, I don’t know what is. Many expected OSU to make yet another November run, but the month started off as bad as it possibly could.

#6 California Bears
(4-4, 3-3 Pac 10)
Next Game: Oregon
Key Wins: None
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #6

Cal avoided disaster last weekend in slipping past Washington State 20-13. The Bears held a tenuous 14-13 lead for the better part of the fourth quarter, but did enough to pull out the road win and avoid the embarrassment of being WSU’s lone Pac-10 victim in nearly two seasons. Playing without the injured Kevin Prince, Cal’s offense was sluggish. However, backup QB Brock Mansion moved the offense enough to keep Cal’s bowl homes alive. Mansion will get his first true test of the season this weekend against No. 1 Oregon, which should make Bears fans extremely nervous. If there’s some good news, Cal is undefeated at home this season (4-0), posting easy wins in every home tilt. However, none of those opponents possessed the firepower of Oregon on offense, or its speed on defense. In reality, although playing to win, Cal will really just try to survive enough to give itself hope during its final two games of the season over Stanford and Washington. Each is a winnable game as the Bears have had tremendous success over Stanford while UW simply isn’t a good football team in 2010.

#7 UCLA Bruins
(4-5, 2-4 Pac 10)
Next Game: Bye Week (@ Washington Nov. 18)
Key Wins: #23 Houston, @ Texas (7), Oregon State
Bad Losses: Stanford, at California, at Oregon (Combined scoring margin of 130-20)
Last Week’s Ranking: #9

Well, Rick Neuheisel delivered on his promise. Following a 29-21 loss to Arizona, Neuheisel addressed the Bruin faithful over the stadium’s PA system to promise better days ahead. After a 51-yard, game-winning FG by Forbaith to best Oregon State 17-14 last weekend, UCLA has something to cheer about. A year ago, the Bruins followed a 26-19 loss to Oregon State to win three of its final four games to earn a bowl berth. Now, with its win over OSU, the Bruins look for a similar late season run. It’s definitely possible. UCLA enters its second bye week of the season before returning to action on Nov. 18 to play the Washington Huskies. After UW, the Bruins travel to Arizona State before closing out its season against cross-town rival USC. The difference between losing and winning last weekend was the improved play of QB Richard Brehaut, and specifically his willingness to keep the ball and run out of the Pistol offense. Brehaut rushed 18 times for 61 yards and a rushing TD. Neuheisel had said prior to the game that the offense can’t work without the QB running and Brehaut answered the bell. The victory gives UCLA motivation heading into the bye week, and perhaps confidence in Brehaut for Norm Chow to add some new wrinkles for the late-season run at a bowl game.

#8 Arizona State Sun Devils
(4-5, 2-4 Pac 10)
Next Game: Stanford
Key Wins: None
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #7

ASU lost another tight game a week ago, this time to USC. After a late touchdown gave the Sun Devils a 33-29 lead, ASU saw its extra point attempt blocked and returned for a score and a two points for the Trojans. USC would score a FG on its next possession to lead 34-33, but ASU didn’t quit. Instead, the Sun Devils moved into position for a game-winning FG with just over a minute remaining. However, the usually reliable Thomas Webber pulled the kick left, leaving ASU with its fifth loss of the season. ASU still has a shot at a bowl game, but they’ll need to beat some big time opponents to get it done. This week a home game against Stanford could be one of those season-saving moments. Stanford is coming off a 42-17 drubbing of Arizona and could be ripe for the upset. After a bye week, ASU hosts UCLA on a Friday night, ESPN televised game before its annual Territorial Cup meeting with Arizona the following Thursday. QB Steven Threet continues to be his team’s best offensive player, as well as its own worst enemy. Threet completed 24 of 40 passes for 228 yards and 3 TDs. However, he also threw 2 INTs against the Trojans, one that was returned 74 yards for a USC score. The Sun Devils have the playmakers on both sides of the ball to play the role of spoiler down the stretch, but they need to get over what’s proving to be a monster hurdle, how to win close games.

#9 Washington Huskies
(3-6, 2-4 Pac 10)
Next Game: Bye Week (UCLA on Nov. 18)
Key Wins: @ USC (18), Oregon State (24)
Bad Losses: @ BYU
Last Week’s Ranking: #8

After going 5-7 in 2009 with wins over No. 3 USC, No. 19 California and Arizona, few saw this season coming for the Huskies, including Steve Sarkisian. Locker’s still out of the lineup with a broken rib, but even with Locker Washington has struggled to show consistency on the offensive side of the ball. Defensively, things are worse as the Husky defense is allowing 36.2 point per game to its opponents. If you’re keeping tabs on this stuff that places UW’s defense 109th out of 120 FBS schools in points allowed. Magnifying its defensive weaknesses is an offense that’s average a measly 21 points per contest. In short, it’s not surprising that the Huskies need to win out just to finish .500 on the season. If there’s any good news, its final three opponents (UCLA, Cal and WSU) have a combined win-loss record of 9-18.

#10 Washington State Cougars
(1-9, 0-7 Pac 10)
Next Game: California
Key Wins: None
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #10

WSU has now lost 17 straight conference losses. It’s the kind of futility traditionally reserved for the Oregon State teams of the 1980’s. Paul Wulff may have kept him off the hot seat with a near miss against Cal last weekend (20-13), but at some point the moral victories need to be replaced with actual wins.

Please visit www.WildcatSportsReport.com daily for team coverage and recruiting news on the Arizona Wildcats.

November 5, 2010

Observation: Rose Bowl off the table?
By Gary Randazzo

Arizona and Oregon State have one shot to get to the Rose Bowl this year, win out. As for Stanford, they likely won’t get there unless they win out and Oregon has a complete meltdown. Playing in the Pac-10, conference fans have grown accustomed to a New Year’s Day highlighted by a Pac-10/Big-10 showdown in the Grandaddy of them all. Further, since the inception of the BCS, the conference has lived with the belief that if one of its teams advanced to the BCS title game, then the conference runner up, assuming they have a lofty record and decent ranking, would be the obvious choice for the Rose Bowl to maintain tradition.

This year, an 11-1 Stanford team or even a 10-2 Arizona squad would appear to be attractive to the Rose Bowl Committee. However, this year could be the year where Pac-10 fans see its future member Utah in the Rose Bowl before ever playing a single Pac-10 regular season game. Sound crazy? Unfortunately, the inmates are actually running the asylum.

Rather than having the winner of this Saturday’s No. 10 Stanford versus No. 13 Arizona game positioned as a suitable back up for the Rose Bowl if Oregon earns its way into the BCS Championship, the Rose Bowl Committee’s eyes will actually be on Hawaii at Boise State and TCU at Utah. The Broncos, Horned Frogs and Utes are ranked Nos. 3, 4 and 5 in this week’s BCS standings, and each would be slated to earn a berth in the Rose Bowl if Oregon remains first or second in the BCS thanks to a new rule that was implemented this year.

For the first time since the BCS was formed in 1998, the Rose Bowl must take the highest-ranked BCS eligible champion from a non-automatic qualifier conference if the Pac-10 loses its automatic qualifier to the BCS title game.

That’s right folks, Utah could actually play in a Rose Bowl before ever joining the conference, a slap in the face to a school like Arizona that’s never appeared in the New Year’s Day bowl game. Already, Stanford fans are fuming, but imagine a 10-2 Arizona team being denied its first shot at the Big 10 champ because of this “new” rule. I can assure you it won’t be pretty, even though some Wildcat fans have made it clear that they don’t want to play in the Rose Bowl unless they truly earn that honor by winning the conference outright.

Foles for Heisman?

Not this year, but he can officially state his case for a Heisman run in his senior season by leading Arizona past NFL poster boy Andrew Luck and the Stanford Cardinal this weekend. Foles has “most” of the numbers on his resume like completion percentage and yards passing. What he doesn’t have though is touchdowns. In fact, almost surprisingly, Foles has thrown just nine touchdowns this season along with five interceptions. Those statistics won’t raise many eyebrows in a positive way.

Still, perception is half the battle when it comes to the Heisman Race and that perception must be built up in the off season, and then magnified with strong play throughout the actual season. All one has to do is look at current Washington quarterback Jake Locker. The senior thrower had the hype machine roaring over the summer and the college football media and NFL scouts bought into it hook, line and sinker. He’s played poorly (and through injury) this year and has seen his hype fall clear off the map, but while he lost the second phase of the battle, his name was on the big board during phase one.

Phase one for Foles begins this weekend in Palo Alto. If he plays and ends up outdueling Luck, get ready for a national media blitz.

News and Notes

Arizona’s Mike Stoops teams are 4-8 against opponents ranked in the Associated Press top 10, including a win over then-No.9 Iowa earlier this season. Stoops’ mark is far better than Arizona’s all-time record of 14-47-1.

Since Stoops arrived on campus, Arizona is 13-10 in the months of November and December. What’s been impressive though is over half of those contests (12) were against nationally ranked opponents. Of these games, Stoops’ Cats are 7-5 with three victories over top 10 teams: No. 7 UCLA in (2005); No. 8 California (2006); and No. 2 Oregon (2007). Arizona will have at least two more cracks at nationally ranked opponents this season. First up is No. 10 Stanford and then a road game against an Oregon team that’s currently No. 1 and will likely remain in the top 10 even if it were to get tripped up between now and Nov. 26.

Arizona enters this Saturday’s game against Stanford with seven total victories. The Wildcats have only exceeded the seven-win total 14 times in school history, twice in the past two years. Arizona has several goals not yet achieved for its 2010 campaign, but one that’s quickly approaching is eclipsing the eight-win mark to better its two previous 8-5 seasons.

Bruising up the Bruins

Arizona’s 29-21 win over UCLA might not look that impressive on paper, but the Cats had one dominating statistic that speaks to its strength. Against UCLA, the Wildcats battered and bruised the Bruin defense to the tune of 32 first downs. If you’re wondering, that’s an Arizona record during the Pac-10 era, second in school history to its win over New Mexico in 1969 when the Cats moved the chains 34 times. Impressively, 14 of Arizona’s first downs last Saturday came on the ground while the remaining 16 were threw the air.

Please visit www.WildcatSportsReport.com daily for continued coverage on Arizona Wildcats football and recruiting news and notes.

November 5, 2010

Pac-10 Stack Rankings: Week 9 Football
By Gary Randazzo

All eyes will be in Palo Alto this weekend when two top 20 teams square off for the right to remain in the chase for a conference crown. Oregon, Stanford, Arizona and Oregon State have created some separation from the other schools as legitimate conference contenders to set up an incredible final five-week run for the Rose Bowl and, in some cases, a national championship.

*Parenthesis denotes school’s AP ranking.

#1 Oregon Ducks (1)
(8-0, 5-0 Pac 10)
Next Game: Washington
Key Wins: Stanford (9), @ USC (24)
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #1

Well, it finally happened. The computer polls got on board with the human polls just enough to lift the Ducks into the coveted top spot in the end-all-be-all BCS standings. Remember when Apollo Creed wanted to put on a “good show” in the original Rocky, but suddenly found himself in a back-alley brawl? Well, Oregon put on a good show last weekend in Los Angeles, only USC was no Rocky. Oregon’s Playstation3 offense was again on display as the Ducks put 53 points on USC. For the season, Oregon is the top dog in points scored (54.9) thanks in large part to its No. 3 rushing offense (308.8 YPG). Oregon has a very favorable schedule to close out the season, but is vulnerable despite its lofty rankings and offensive statistics. Oregon hosts a Locker-less Washington team this weekend before traveling to California. The Bears shouldn’t be a threat, but Cal has proven to be 10-times better at home than on the road so you never know. Oregon then gets a bye week before hosting Arizona, and then closes out the season at rival Oregon State. The Pac-10 has proven competitive all season, and even Oregon got tested at Arizona State when the Sun Devils forced the Ducks to punt the ball away 11 times. Still, the Ducks will be heavy favorites in every remaining game and unless its defense completely collapses Oregon should have its offense to fall back on and pull out the “W” by simply outscoring its opponents.

#2 Stanford Cardinal (10)
(7-1, 4-1 Pac 10)
Next Game: Arizona (13)
Key Wins: USC
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #2

Stanford is getting all of the hype this week. So much so, that they’ll enter Saturday’s showdown against No. 13 Arizona as at least a touchdown favorite. QB Andrew Luck has vaulted himself into the Heisman Race and has pretty much solidified his position as the first quarterback to be selected in the NFL Draft. Hoopla aside, Stanford’s hype has substance. Stanford is averaging 42 points per game, powered by a balanced offense that is averaging 243 yards through the air and 224 rushing.  Many have argued that Stanford really hasn’t played anyone special this season except Oregon, a game they lost 52-31. Perhaps they have a case because despite its one loss coming to the top BCS team in the land, Stanford only ranks 13th in the BCS poll. Bottom line though is a win is a win, and Stanford is winning at a clip not seen since the 21st Century in Palo Alto. The Cardinal are already bowl eligible, but they have higher aspirations. However, its closing stretch is brutal and Stanford will have to buck some troubling trends to earn one of the bigger postseason invites. This weekend is home to Arizona. The following weekend Stanford visits Arizona State where the home team has won 9 of 10. They then travel to California, a school that has beaten Stanford in 7 of the last 8 meetings. SU concludes the regular season at home with an Oregon State team that has won 7 of the last 9 meetings and has outgained the Cardinal in 10 straight. 

#3 Arizona Wildcats (13 AP/13 USA Today)
(7-1, 4-1 Pac 10)
Next Game: @ Stanford (10)
Key Wins: #9 Iowa
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #3

Arizona struggled last weekend against hapless UCLA, but did pull out the victory 29-21. Perhaps Arizona was looking ahead to this weekend’s showdown with Stanford in Palo Alto? Or perhaps Arizona is not as good as its record and national ranking? I guess we’ll find out, but so far analysts are leaning toward the latter. This week an ESPN writer called Arizona’s defense, a unit ranked in the national top 10 in multiple categories, “lucky.” Further insult includes Arizona entering Saturday’s game as a current 9-point underdog. Well, okay. What this means is Arizona has an opportunity to play a card they haven’t been able to play since upsetting then-No.9 Iowa 34-27, the disrespect card. QB Nick Foles will be back, but in what capacity remains a mystery. Some insiders think Foles will start, but Matt Scott will get multiple series to try and keep Stanford off balance. If that’s the case it could be a good thing against a Stanford defense not really designed to contain a mobile thrower. However, it could also be a bad thing because Foles absolutely torched the Cardinal in a 43-38 win a year ago by throwing for 415 yards on 40 of 52 passing. Scott has done a more than admirable job in subbing in for the injured Foles the past three weeks by maintaining Arizona’s top conference billing in passing yards (300.6). He’s also helped Arizona maintain its nearly 18-point margin in points scored versus points allowed. Arizona arguably has the toughest closing stretch of any conference contender. Road games at Stanford and Oregon are daunting, and home games against USC and ASU aren’t exactly easy. The Wildcats were picked to finish fifth in the Pac-10, so in a way they’ve already exceeded external expectations. However, internally, Arizona has its sights on a much bigger prize. I’m not naïve to say Arizona needs to play perfect football in order to win its final four, but they’ll need to play much more consistently on both sides of the ball to accomplish their goals.

#4 USC Trojans (24)
(5-3, 2-3 Pac 10)
Next Game: Arizona State
Key Wins: None
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #4

USC had its victory bell rung a week ago when visiting Oregon blasted the Trojans for 53 points and a comfortable win. USC did put up a fight, but it was almost like the Ducks were toying with the Trojans for three quarters before finally putting them away. All the numbers are there for USC, offensively. To date, the Trojans rank among the nation’s top 20 in passing yards, rushing yards and points (36.8). However, defensively, USC is a shell of its former self under Monty Kiffin. USC is allowing opponents 27.9 per game, a figure which would be much worse had it not been for solid defensive efforts against vastly inferior opponents Virginia, Washington State and a Cal Bears team that’s averaging 15.6 points per game on the road. LB Chris Galippo was supplanted by converted DE Devon Kennard as the starter at MLB during fall camp, but has started the last two games at weakside linebacker in place of the injured Malcolm Smith. However, Smith is healthy and expected to start meaning Galippo and Kennard are in a two-way battle this week in practice. Perhaps that’s what this USC team needs, a little Pete Carroll-like competition because whatever’s been happening in practice hasn’t been working for the defense. QB Matt Barkley continues to excel, but did have a costly fumble against Oregon on a botched snap that really turned the tide in that game. Troublesome for USC is three of its final five games are on the road, including trips to conference contenders Arizona and Oregon State.

#5 Oregon State Beavers
(4-3, 3-1 Pac 10)
Next Game: @ UCLA
Key Wins: @ Arizona (9)
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #5

The schedule works in OSU’s favor, at least for a few weeks. The Beavers play UCLA and Washington State over the next two weeks, each still lacking an identity two months into the season. After that though, it’s going to take everything OSU has to get through a final stretch against USC, at Stanford and home to Oregon in the annual Civil War. Despite its 4-3 overall record, the Beavers remain a huge factor in the Rose Bowl race as one of only two conference teams that actually control its own destiny. The Beavers should remain relevant until that final three-game stretch. QB Ryan Katz has cooled somewhat after throwing for a career-high 393 yards against Arizona, but he’s still managing games extremely well. In a dominating 35-7 win over California a week ago, Katz completed 20 of 29 passes for 184 yards and 1 TD to make up for the 3 INTs he threw in a 35-34 double-OT loss to Washington. More good news is RB Jacquizz Rodgers has found his mojo of late, producing back-to-back 100 yard games with six rushing TDs in the past two weeks. It’s amazing, but yet again OSU should be 5-1 in a few weeks and positioned to make another run at the conference title.

#6 California Bears
(4-4, 2-3 Pac 10)
Next Game: @ Washington State
Key Wins: None
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #6

With Washington and UCLA floundering, the Bears have their eyes on bowl eligibility as they come down the closing stretch. A win over Wazzou this weekend will put them a game away from the needed six wins, but beating the Cougars is the easy part. The difficult part begins the following week with a trip to Oregon, and then a trip to rival Stanford. If there’s good news, Cal has won seven of its last eight meetings with Stanford, including last year’s impressive 34-28 win over the Cardinal. Cal is looking for its first road win of the season this Saturday, and should get it. The Bears are averaging over 47 points in their four wins, but less than 16 points in their four losses. That statistic is absolutely amazing, but also incredibly telling. As usual, everything rests on the arm of QB Kevin Riley because RB Shane Vereen can’t run (no pun intended) the offense by himself. Cal is currently 80th in the nation in passing yards. Riley’s is likely to sit out Saturday’s game though as an MRI earlier in the week revealed more damage than originally thought after he left the OSU game with a knee injury. Cal’s backup is redshirt freshman Brock Mansion, who has completed 14 of 25 passes on the season.

#7 Arizona State Sun Devils
(4-4, 2-3 Pac 10)
Next Game: @ USC
Key Wins: None
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #7

Congratulations to the Sun Devils for becoming champions of the state of Washington with wins over the Huskies and Cougars. Unfortunately, there are seven other conference schools and ASU hasn’t yet figured out a way to beat them. In fact, you have to go back to late November 2008 when ASU beat UCLA 34-9 to find the Sun Devils’ last Pac-10 win over a team not from the state of Washington. QB Steven Threet turned in his best performance of the season last week in a 42-0 win over Wazzou, completing 26 of 32 passes for 300 yards and 3 TDs. His QB rating for the day was a whopping 190.84, and his yardage total helped eclipse the 2,000 yard benchmark for the season. Unfortunately, ASU’s biggest problem has been its running game, which is averaging just over 130 yards per contest. That’s a problem for a Dennis Erickson-coached team who likes to hurt opponents with a physical ground attack. ASU is seeking bowl eligibility and can get there with four games remaining and needing to win at least two. ASU may catch USC on the downswing after its big home loss to Oregon a week ago. They then host Stanford and UCLA before the duel for the Territorial Cup goes down in Tucson on Dec. 2. The closing stretch isn’t easy by any means, but winning two of the four isn’t out of the question. What’s tough though is the two wins will have to come over teams not playing out of the Pacific Northwest.

#8 Washington Huskies
(3-5, 2-3 Pac 10)
Next Game: @ Oregon (1)
Key Wins: @ USC (18), Oregon State (24)
Bad Losses: @ BYU
Last Week’s Ranking: #8

Has there been a more disappointing team in the Pac-10 this year than Washington? Granted, no one was predicting a 9-3 season, but bowl eligibility seemed like an almost certainty back in August. Its season-opening loss to BYU when the Husky offense stalled behind Jake Locker’s passing inefficiency proved to be more telling than originally thought. Wins over USC and Oregon State provided some hope, but the Huskies have fallen hard in the past two weeks losing to Arizona and Stanford by a combined score of 85-14. Last weekend, UW’s 41-0 home loss to Stanford was the school’s first shutout at home since the pre-Don James era. Locker, who’s been banged up all season, completed just 7 of 14 passes for 64 yards and 2 INTs. Worse, UW had 107 yards of total offense against the Cardinal. Locker’s out for this weekend’s action, but that’s not the bad news. What is bad is the fact that UW travels to No. 1 Oregon Saturday afternoon where the Ducks have yet to lose a game under Chip Kelly. If there’s any positive, UW’s schedule becomes manageable after they get routed in Eugene. To conclude the season, UW hosts UCLA before back-to-back road games at California and Washington State. There’s no guaranteed wins, but the Huskies will at least have a fighting chance to end the regular season at 6-6.

#9 UCLA Bruins
(3-5, 1-4 Pac 10)
Next Game: Oregon State
Key Wins: #23 Houston and @ Texas (7)
Bad Losses: Stanford, at California, at Oregon (Combined scoring margin of 130-20)
Last Week’s Ranking: #9

Rick Neuheisel addressed the Bruin faithful following last weekend’s loss to Arizona, using a microphone while standing on the Rose Bowl turf to verbally apologize over the PA system. That’s really all you need to know about the state of UCLA football. This week, the Los Angeles Times ran a story about QB Richard Brehaut being tentative (and feeling hesitant) in keeping the ball and running out of the read option. Hmm…the Pistol Offense is based on the QB making plays with his feet! Honestly, what on earth is going on in Westwood, and how long a leash does Neuheisel really have? UCLA’s offense is a disaster and its defense is not that much better. In fact, there’s little or nothing to hang their hats on and things only get tougher when a motivated Oregon State squad visits this weekend.

#10 Washington State Cougars
(1-8, 0-6 Pac 10)
Next Game: California
Key Wins: None
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #10

Wow, just when you think signs of improvement are beginning to show the Cougars get taken to the woodshed in a 42-0 loss at Arizona State. WSU has now dropped 15 straight Pac-10 games, and number 16 will occur this weekend when the Cal Bears visit Pullman.

Please visit www.WildcatSportsReport.com daily for team coverage and recruiting news on the Arizona Wildcats.

October 28, 2010

Pac-10 Stack Rankings: Week 9 Football
By Gary Randazzo

Few changes in this week’s Stack Ranking as Oregon, Stanford, Arizona and USC round out the top four for the second straight week. As the season rolls along, the picture is getting clearer with Rose Bowl favorites Oregon, Stanford and Arizona with opportunities to really create some separation from the pack by winning this weekend.

*Parenthesis denotes school’s AP ranking.

#1 Oregon Ducks (1)
(7-0, 4-0 Pac 10)
Next Game: @ USC (24)
Key Wins: Stanford (9)
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #1

Oregon entered last Thursday’s game against UCLA as the top team in the land for the first time in school history. Rather than getting caught up in the hype and playing down to the level of its competition, the Ducks flat-out wasted the Bruins 60-13. Oregon’s team speed was on display for four quarters, drawing quotes from beaten Bruins like, “Their third stringers scored faster than the starters did.” Many have claimed, and even more have argued that Oregon is the new USC of the west. After last Thursday’s whipping, those claims are getting easier and easier to agree with. Oregon is winning the wars on and off the field (recruiting) these past three years, and hasn’t lost a home game under Chip Kelley. In fact, the Ducks are an amazing 17-3 under Kelley overall and 9-1 in the Pac-10. This week poses the second big challenge of the season for Oregon, but QB Darron Thomas & Co. is more than ready. The Ducks handily beat then-No.4 USC 47-20 last year in Eugene, but a much sterner test awaits this weekend in the Coliseum. Saturday’s nationally-televised game is basically the end all be all for a USC team that can’t play in a bowl game this year. Oregon’s got it all when it comes to offense, but its defense definitely has its holes against the better offenses. Still, there’s no denying that the Ducks are the cream of the crop in the Pac-10 right now.

#2 Stanford Cardinal (13)
(6-1, 3-1 Pac 10)
Next Game: @ Washington
Key Wins: USC
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #2

Stanford is still recovering from its 52-31 loss to Oregon back on Oct. 2. The Cardinal snuck past USC on a great game-winning final drive, and then got pushed by a Washington State squad that just wouldn’t quit. Still, despite the sometimes bumpy ride Stanford is off to its best start in over a decade. Stanford hosts Arizona next weekend in what will be billed as a showdown for second place, but must first get past a tricky Washington team in Seattle. The Huskies are on the win-one-lose-one rollercoaster this season and are coming off a surprising bad loss to Arizona last weekend. Hence, there’s a strong chance Stanford could catch the Huskies on an upswing. QB Andrew Luck is the best passer in the conference as long as Arizona’s Nick Foles remains sidelined to injury. Luck has completed 133 of 200 passes this season for 1,728 yards and 19 TDs. He leads a balanced offensive attack and is supported by a bend but don’t break defense that seems to rise up when it’s needed most. After a close loss to the Wildcats last October, Stanford has won 10 of its last 13 games to solidify itself as not only a Pac-10 contender but a nationally-recognized team. There’s no doubt Jim Harbaugh has things rolling in Palo Alto, but the season is far from over. UW is more of a nuisance as the Cardinal eye bigger and better opponents on the schedule making Saturday one of those “survive and advance” kinds of games.

#3 Arizona Wildcats (15 AP/16 USA Today)
(6-1, 3-1 Pac 10)
Next Game: @ UCLA
Key Wins: #9 Iowa
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #3

The Wildcats played well in dispatching the Washington Huskies last weekend in Tucson. What felt like a potential trap game turned into a blowout midway through the second quarter as Arizona ran away with an easy 44-14 win. QB Matt Scott started in place of the injured Nick Foles and delivered a Foles-like performance (233 yards passing, 2 TDs, 81.4 completion percentage). The Wildcats featured a balanced offense (234 rushing) and a stifling defense (290 yards allowed to UW) to produce the blowout victory. Arizona enters Saturday’s game at UCLA ranked No. 1 in the Pac-10 in no less than six defensive statistical categories. The most notable include total defense, sacks and rush defense. These are noteworthy because if there’s one facet of UCLA that has really struggled is its total offense, and specifically it’s passing offense. If one measures the quality of its opponent by overall record, then this is perhaps the last “easy” game for the Wildcats, making it that much more important to play well and earn the W. After UCLA, the real test begins for Arizona with games at Stanford, USC, at Oregon and Arizona State to close out the season. Scott is expected to start the UCLA game, but Foles will be in uniform. Wildcat fans are hoping Foles won’t be needed, and have every reason to be confident in Scott after last week’s performance against the Huskies, which helped Arizona maintain its top conference status as the league’s No. 1 passing team.

#4 USC Trojans (24)
(5-2, 2-2 Pac 10)
Next Game: Oregon (1)
Key Wins: None
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #4

The Trojans play in the National Championship game this weekend in the L.A. Memorial Coliseum. Actually, that’s not true, but it is USC’s own special national championship game thanks to a postseason ban and the fact that No. 1 Oregon is in town. Saturday means everything for USC and a win could be the one thing that helps the Trojans survive three years of NCAA sanctions which really won’t be felt until this offseason. A win will help tremendously in recruiting, convincing top high schoolers that despite the NCAA penalties USC is a program that can not only survive but thrive. QB Matt Barkley is one of the top guns in the conference, and his play has improved leaps and bounds in 2010 compared to his freshman season. USC’s defense still lacks its traditional punch, but it did manage to deliver some serious blows to Cal in a 48-14 win over the Bears a week ago. Helping Barkley on offense has been the emergence of true freshman WR Robert Woods. Woods has really come on of late and operating alongside the proven Ronald Johnson this one-two punch has worked well with Barkley to help USC average 37.4 points per game (No. 14 nationally). Working in USC’s favor this weekend are some vulnerabilities by Oregon that aren’t overly apparent to the untrained eye, but are present. For instance, in its 42-31 win over Arizona State, the Ducks were forced to punt 11 times. Any other day of the week, that’s a loss. However, ASU rendered seven of those punts meaningless by turning the ball back over to the Ducks seven times. If USC’s defense can show up in front of what will be a sellout crowd, it’s offense is good enough to score points and give itself a chance at a monster upset.

#5 Oregon State Beavers
(3-3, 2-1 Pac 10)
Next Game: California
Key Wins: @ Arizona (9)
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #6

Just when it seemed like Oregon State was on a usual October steamroll through the schedule, Mike Riley pulled off one of the gutsiest calls in football and didn’t get rewarded for it. After rallying back from a 21 point deficit to Washington, OSU scored a touchdown to pull within one. Rather than attempting the extra point and almost assuredly sending the game into its third overtime, Riley went for two and a dropped pass in the back of the end zone sent the Beavers packing for home with a critical conference loss under their belts. Still, OSU controls its own destiny in the Pac-10’s race for the Rose Bowl. The Beavers already knocked off Arizona, and games against Stanford and Oregon close out the regular season. QB Ryan Katz has proven himself worthy, and OSU has proved that it can put up hefty offensive numbers despite the loss of James Rodgers to injury. However, what is a potential concern is the lack of a typical Riley defense that can rise up and shut down an opponent in critical moments. OSU fortunately gets a Cal team that has yet to win a road game this season in Reser Stadium this weekend. They then travel to UCLA before hosting Washington State. A win this weekend is huge, and probably a must for a legitimate race at the Roses considering its season concludes with USC, at Stanford and Oregon.

#6 California Bears
(4-3, 2-2 Pac 10)
Next Game: @ Oregon State
Key Wins: None
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #8

Cal has been a simple team to figure out in 2010. If playing at home they’re all but unstoppable. When playing on the road, leave the wife and children at home because it’s going to be a bloodbath for the Bears. Cal has looked impressive in winning all four of its home games this season. They’ve yet to win on the road and aside from a near miss at Arizona, have been blown out when away from Memorial Stadium by a scoring margin of 100-45 in losses to Nevada and USC. This weekend’s winner between Cal and Oregon State probably assures that team a top-five conference finish and a bowl game, but especially for Cal who only plays one more away game and it’s in Pullman. The Bears finish the season on a three-game home stand against Oregon, Stanford and Washington. It certainly won’t be easy, but the Bears will certainly be in a spoiler position against most of the conference hot shots while also having a chance to improve their bowl position.

#7 Arizona State Sun Devils
(3-4, 1-3 Pac 10)
Next Game: Washington State
Key Wins: None
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #7

ASU has three wins on the season, but only one has come against an FBS opponent. After beating Washington in Seattle two weeks ago, things were looking up in Tempe. However, just seven days later ASU was back with its head buried in the sand after a troubling loss in Berkeley to Cal, 50-17. Every problem that had been plaguing the Sun Devils for the past three years suddenly showed up at once in Memorial Stadium: Penalties (9); Poor Passing (16 of 33, 177); Rushing (2.1 yards per carry); and Turnovers (3). At first glance, it would appear that ASU’s defense had played poorly as well, but it was really a collection of special teams gaffes that gave Cal great field position all game. In fact, ASU only allowed 371 total yards of offense to Cal, but the team gave up 50 points! Fortunately, the Sun Devils do get Washington State at home this weekend, but it raises the question of if the Sun Devils will be the team that the Cougars finally jump up and truly bite. WSU has played better of late and ASU’s fumbling, bumbling ways makes them vulnerable.

#8 Washington Huskies
(3-4, 2-2 Pac 10)
Next Game: Stanford (13)
Key Wins: @ USC (18), Oregon State (24)
Bad Losses: @ BYU
Last Week’s Ranking: #5

Washington was expecting a 15-round prize fight between 2-1 conference teams last week in Tucson and instead got knocked out early on a left cross from Arizona RB Keola Antolin. After cutting into Arizona’s lead to trail 17-14, Antolin took the ball and raced 78 yards for a touchdown on Arizona’s very next play from scrimmage. UW never threatened again, going scoreless for two-and-a-half quarters to lose big, 44-14. QB Jake Locker was held in check (17 of 29, 189 YDS, 1 TD) as Arizona outgained the Huskies 467-290. It’s been a roller coaster ride of a season for UW, but last Saturday was probably a true measure of how good, or bad this Husky team will be the remainder of the year. Games against Stanford and Oregon will come in the next two weeks and by Nov. 6 UW is likely going to be battling just to break even on the season. The good news is its final three games are against UCLA, at California and at Washington State. The bad news is California is a Jekyll & Hyde team where Jekyll only shows up at Memorial Stadium. Locker entered the Arizona game banged up, and left really banged up as he faced pressure in the pocket all night. Without a healthy Locker, or without Locker playing at a high-level, too much pressure becomes placed on UW’s porous defense and against the good teams the Huskies seem to eventually break.

#9 UCLA Bruins
(3-4, 1-3 Pac 10)
Next Game: Arizona (15)
Key Wins: #23 Houston and @ Texas (7)
Bad Losses: Stanford, at California, at Oregon (Combined scoring margin of 130-20)
Last Week’s Ranking: #9

Sophomore QB Kevin Prince has been plagued by injuries throughout his career, and things may have gotten worse on Monday. An MRI revealed more damage to his knee than originally expected, which may keep Prince sidelined for the remainder of the season. He’ll certainly miss this Saturday’s game against the Arizona Wildcats, paving the way for fellow soph Richard Brehaut to try and improve upon his performance last Thursday against Oregon (16 of 23, 157 YDS, 1 INT). The Bruins were buried and left for dead in Autzen Stadium, falling to the Ducks 60-13 in a game made only that close thanks to UCLA scoring its lone touchdown with just 1:53 remaining in the fourth quarter. UCLA only gained 290 yards despite possessing the ball for a whopping 38 minutes and 31 seconds. That’s not good at all. On Saturday, UCLA will host a Wildcat team featuring a defense ranked in the Top 10 in nearly every relevant statistical category. The forecast is calling for rain, and UCLA should hope it does because that might be the only way they can slow Arizona down and turn what should be a Wildcat romp into a hard-fought battle. UCLA does feature a strong ground attack, but as a team the Bruins are only producing 21.3 points per game. What makes UCLA a mystery though is it has proven to have the ability to jump up and knock down a giant. The manhandled Texas in Austin so despite all the negativity, anything’s possible for UCLA.

#10 Washington State Cougars
(1-7, 0-5 Pac 10)
Next Game: @ Arizona State
Key Wins: None
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #10

WSU continues to play football games, and it continues to lose them. However, the signs of improvement are there and the moral victories have begun to pile up. For one, the Cougars do not quit. Last week, trailing a very good Stanford team 31-7 and later 38-14, Wazzou battled to the bitter end and scored not one but two touchdowns in the game’s final five minutes to lose respectably, 38-28. QB Jeff Tuel is gaining valuable experience and despite tremendous odds of winning, he’s getting better and better with each outing. Against the Cardinal, Tuel completed 21 of 28 for 298 yards and 4 TDs. His partner in crime is freshman WR Markus Wilson, who caught six balls for 150 yards (his fourth 100-yard receiving game of the season). If improvements in other areas can be made and the puzzle pieces move closer together, WSU has an opportunity to be a good football team two years from now when Tuel’s a senior. For now though, a win, any win would be considered a huge step forward.

Please visit www.WildcatSportsReport.com daily for team coverage and recruiting news on the Arizona Wildcats.

 

October 25, 2010

Scott, Cats trounce Huskies
By Gary Randazzo

There would be no fourth-quarter comeback for the Huskies against the Wildcats this time around as Arizona jumped out to a 37-14 lead early in the third quarter to run away from Washington [insert score]. Junior quarterback Matt Scott, starting in place of the injured Nick Foles, completed 14 of his first 16 passes en route to building an insurmountable 30-14 halftime lead.

The Wildcat defense lived up to its reputation. Arizona (6-1, 3-1 Pac-10) entered the game ranked No. 10 nationally in total defense, and tops in the Pac-10. Washington, which entered the game averaging 411 yards of offense and 26.7 points per game was held to [enter offensive production].

Meanwhile, Arizona’s offense didn’t miss a beat with Scott at quarterback. Arizona had averaged 31.3 points per contest through its first six games, surpassing that total in the game’s first three quarters. In fact, Arizona’s [44 points] against Washington are the second-most points by the Cats this season, second only to the 52 they put on The Citadel.

Jake Locker, playing injured, was replaced by Keith Price midway through the fourth quarter after the Wildcats banged him up some more Saturday night. Locker finished the game 17 of 29 for 183 yards and a touchdown. His adversary, Scott, had a magical night while directing the Arizona offense, completing 18 of 22 for 233 passing yards and two touchdowns. He also carried the ball seven times for 65 yards.

Scott, a career 59.8 percent passer looked much more like his teammate Foles, completing 81.9 percent of his throws against Washington. Foles, who is second in the nation in pass completion percentage (75.3%) this season, was in uniform, but not cleared to play due to a dislocated knee cap suffered in Arizona’s 24-7 win over Washington State last weekend.

Before a Homecoming crowd in town to celebrate Arizona’s 125th homecoming game, the Wildcats scored on its first five possessions of the game and only punted twice all night.

Washington (3-4, 2-2 Pac-10) opened the game’s scoring when receiver Jermaine Kearse got behind the Arizona secondary for a 26-yard touchdown reception from Locker. Arizona quickly responded with a 7-play, 62-yard scoring drive that took only two minutes and 13 seconds. Tied at 7-7, the Wildcats took the lead for good on an Alex Zendejas field goal make from 29 yards out and 4:42 remaining in the first quarter.

Arizona’s offense would explode for 20 points in the second frame, scoring three touchdowns. A 10-play, 92-yard scoring drive was capped by a 1-yard scoring run by Keola Antolin. The Huskies would answer with a 55-yard touchdown drive of its own that ended with a 7-yard sprint into the end zone by running back Chris Polk.

The remainder of the game’s scoring though would belong to the Cats.

On Arizona’s next play from scrimmage, Antolin broke through the line and raced 78 yards for a touchdown and a 24-14 advantage. Following a Husky punt, the Cats then marched 54 yards in seven plays to score on a 4-yard run by Nic Grigsby. Zendejas missed the extra point attempt, keeping Arizona’s lead at 30-14.

Scott would throw for 186 yards in the half, completing passes to seven different Wildcats. Junior Juron Criner was his primary target, grabbing six passes for 76 yards. Criner would finish the game with eight grabs for 108 yards and a touchdown. His touchdown came with 11:09 to play as he got behind the Husky secondary for a 21-yard scoring catch from Scott that produced the game’s final points.

Grigsby’s second rushing touchdown of the game came with just over 10 minutes to play in the third quarter. The score, Grigsby’s 28th rushing touchdown of his career, moved the senior to number two on Arizona’s all-time rushing touchdown list behind Art Luppino (44).

William Wright, who missed the Wazzou game with a shoulder injury, returned to catch three passes for 47 yards. Fellow receiver David Roberts matched his production with three grabs for 43 yards and a score.

Antolin led Arizona’s rushing attack with 14 carries for 114 yards while Grigsby added 50 yards on 12 scores. Each scored twice on the ground. For the game, the Wildcats rushed for a season-high 234 yards.

The victory moves Arizona into a two-way tie with Stanford for second place, a game behind undefeated and No. 1 Oregon. Oregon State (3-3, 2-1 Pac-10) is now a half-game behind, but does own the head-to-head with the Wildcats after beating Arizona 29-27 in Tucson two weeks ago.

Arizona has now won 16 of its last 20 homes games, and nine of its last 11 in Arizona Stadium. The Wildcats travel to UCLA next weekend for a 12:30 p.m. PDT kickoff in the Rose Bowl. The Bruins lost to conference-leader Oregon last Thursday 60-13 and will be without season-starting quarterback Kevin Prince who is schedule to undergo an MRI on Monday.

Washington slips into a three-way log jam for fourth place in conference after the loss. The Huskies must now turn their attention to Stanford, who will visit Washington next weekend in Seattle.

Please visit www.WildcatSportsReport.com daily for continued coverage of Arizona Wildcats football and recruiting news and notes.

October 21, 2010

Pac-10 Stack Rankings: Week 8 Football
By Gary Randazzo

As has become the norm, the Stack undergoes a major shuffle in Week 8. Washington continues to be the conference’s biggest mover and shaker while Oregon is again growing comfortable at the top with Stanford solidifying the second slot. Arizona climbs a spot as volatile Cal continues its rollercoaster ride through the Stack, this time experiencing the dreaded freefall.

*Parenthesis denotes school’s AP ranking.

#1 Oregon Ducks (1)
(6-0, 3-0 Pac 10)
Next Game: Bye UCLA (Thursday night)
Key Wins: Stanford (9)
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #1

I’ve said all along that Oregon’s schedule is the reason why they’ve had so much success thus far in 2009 and the first release of the BCS standings proved me correct. Despite being No. 1 in both human polls, the Ducks check it at No. 2 in the BCS thanks to the computers unimpressed by Oregon’s SOS. Still, mathematical equations aside, opponents still need to beat Oregon on the field and that hasn’t been easy for anyone in 2010. Oregon is coming out of its first bye week of the season to face an up and down UCLA club. The bye week gave Ducks QB Darron Thomas additional time to nurse a sore shoulder suffered in the Washington State win, while also considering ways to expand the already expansive playbook. Oregon is 10-0 at home under Chip Kelly and after being slighted by the BCS computers, you can bet that the Ducks won’t take the Bruins lightly. Oregon is fortunate it’s facing UCLA out of bye week for the simple fact that they’ll be hungry. Without the bye week, an understandable tendency would be to overlook the Bruins for its matchup at USC two weeks from now. However, the bye week should erase that concern by keeping Oregon focused on one thing, getting back to hitting people not wearing green and white, or yellow, or gray, or whatever color Oregon is wearing that week in practice. Further, Thursday night’s game will be played under the lights in Autzen before a nationally-televised ESPN audience. If there’s one thing we’ve learned about Oregon in recent years, it loves the spotlight so expect to see Oregon at its best.

#2 Stanford Cardinal (12)
(5-1, 2-1 Pac 10)
Next Game: Washington State
Key Wins: USC
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #2

Stanford gets a pseudo bye week after its official bye week by hosting Washington State this weekend. The Cardinal look to jump squarely back into the Rose Bowl race by earning its third conference win to start the second half of the regular season. Stanford elevated to No. 12 in both national polls, as well as the BCS standings over the weekend. They embark on a three-game stretch that could help catapult them into the Top 10 with Wazzou, Washington and an injury-riddled Arizona squad in the weeks ahead. The key for Stanford becomes not looking ahead. If Stanford can keep its wits and play to the level the Cardinal have a real opportunity to close out the season strong. Road games at Washington, Arizona State and California are far from daunting, and getting Arizona and Oregon State at home is a significant advantage. QB Andrew Luck is having a great season (113 of 172, 1538 yards, 16 TDs and 4 INTs), and Stanford’s rushing attack has been surprisingly good with current NFL player Toby Gerhardt leading the way. Stanford is No. 23 in the nation in yards rushing (210.5), giving the team the kind of offensive balance Jim Harbaugh’s pro-style scheme demands. A 52-31 loss to Oregon remains the team’s lone blemish and honestly, considering how things are shaking out in conference, specifically Arizona losing Foles, suddenly it’s not too farfetched to think that the Cardinal can run the table.

#3 Arizona Wildcats (15 AP/18 USA Today)
(5-1, 2-1 Pac 10)
Next Game: Washington (Homecoming Weekend)
Key Wins: #9 Iowa
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #4

Junior QB Matt Scott gets a shot at redemption this weekend when Washington visits the Old Pueblo. Scott, who was benched in 2009 following an Arizona loss at Iowa, finds himself back in the saddle as starter after Nick Foles left the Washington State game with a knee injury. With Foles out for at least three weeks, and likely more, Arizona is again Scott’s team. The Wildcats are off to their best start since the 2000 season when Dick Tomey carried the Wildcats to a 5-1 mark through Oct. 14. That season ended in disaster though as the Wildcats dropped its final six games to finish 5-6. Tomey was fired and the John Mackovic Era was born. Wildcat fans are praying for a reversal of fortune, but things won’t be easy. There’s no denying the fact that the Arizona offense just isn’t the same with Scott at the helm. Call it chemistry, more conservative play calling, or whatever, but the Wildcats just don’t produce the same amount of points under Scott as they do with Foles. We’ll see if that all changes as a more experienced and battle-ready Scott gets set to take the field against a vulnerable Huskies defense. A year ago Nick Foles failed to produce a win over Washington, so beating the Huskies with Scott could be one of those team-motivating moments for the Wildcats. Working against Arizona though is the amount of injuries that continue to pile up. Not only did Arizona lose Foles last week, but they also lost standout DL Justin Washington to a knee injury of his own. Couple that with a banged up receiving corps (Wright, Criner, Cobb and Douglas all nursing injuries) and a young secondary made even younger with Trevin Wade battling a thigh bruise and Arizona’s future is literally up in the air. Or should I say on the ground. With Scott playing the better part of three quarters in a 24-7 win over Wazzou, the Wildcats rushed the ball a season-high 47 times. Keola Antolin and Nic Grigsby were happy for the extra work, but this year’s offense wasn’t designed to run the ball that many times. The question becomes do the Wildcat coaches build a new scheme around Scott, or does Scott adjust his game to fit Arizona’s planned offense? It’s a risky proposition to ask an entire team to adjust to one player, but that seems to be the direction the coaches are leaning.

#4 USC Trojans
(5-2, 2-2 Pac 10)
Next Game: Bye Week (Oregon on Oct. 30)
Key Wins: None
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #5

I don’t think anyone outside of the USC locker room saw last weekend’s 48-14 thrashing of Cal coming. The Trojans looked like the USC of old by blitzing the Bears in the first quarter en route to a 42-0 halftime lead. QB Matt Barkley had a phenomenal game, throwing for 352 yards, 5 TDs and no INTs, raising his season totals to a conference-leading 20 TDs and just 4 INTs. More impressively was the play of USC’s defense, which has been rolled up all season. Against Cal, Monty Kiffin’s Cover 2 scheme worked to perfection as the Bears mustered only 245 total yards as the Trojans zone-blitzed Cal’s Kevin Riley until he was blue in the face. The win couldn’t have come sooner as USC enters a bye week that it will use to prepare for what in essence is its bowl and national championship game rolled into one. USC is set to host No. 1 Oregon on Oct. 30. For USC, the Oregon game means everything. The Trojans nearly knocked off Stanford in Palo Alto, taking a one-point lead into the game’s final minute, and as good as Oregon is the Ducks are far from invincible. A win and USC’s postseason ban will be nothing but a mild distraction.

#5 Washington Huskies
(3-3, 2-1 Pac 10)
Next Game: @ Arizona (15)
Key Wins: @ USC (18), Oregon State (24)
Bad Losses: @ BYU, Arizona State
Last Week’s Ranking: #8

Washington is 2-1 against the Top 25 this year, continuing a trend of beating quality opponents while losing games they probably shouldn’t have. This week the Huskies draw another nationally ranked opponent in No. 15 Arizona. A year ago the Huskies stunned the Wildcats on a late-game pick six that seemed to defy the laws of gravity. Fresh off its home win over No. 24 Oregon State, the Huskies again look to play the role of spoiler against a Wildcat team riddled with injuries. The Husky defense has to be licking its chops at facing a Wildcat team that will be led by signal caller Matt Scott, who’ll be making his first start of the season. A key for UW all season has been getting its own QB Jake Locker off to a strong start. If Locker starts the game well he seems to end it well. However, when Locker struggles the Huskies seem to have no chance as evidenced by losses to BYU and Arizona State, and its blowout loss to Nebraska. In last Saturday’s 2OT win over OSU, Locker threw for 286 yards and accounted for all of UW’s 35 points by tossing 5 TDs. It was the kind of performance analysts thought would be the norm for Locker, and it’s the kind of performance that makes UW a tough out. The question though is can Locker bring the thunder two games in a row. So far in 2010 the answer has been no.

#6 Oregon State Beavers
(3-3, 2-1 Pac 10)
Next Game: Bye Week (California on Oct. 30)
Key Wins: @ Arizona (9)
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #3

It’s hard to find fault in a coach who plays to win, but Saturday’s attempt at a two-point conversion to win a double-overtime game on the road is something that could haunt Mike Riley for the remainder of the season. The gutsy call is admirable, but it opens the door for second guessing, especially considering that OSU was perfect in Pac-10 play and had already traded two TDs with Washington in the extra sessions. The play resulted in an incomplete pass on a catchable ball, and OSU’s first conference loss of the season. QB Ryan Katz, who was nearly flawless in an upset win at Arizona two weeks ago, struggled somewhat in throwing 3 INTs against the Huskies. Katz completed just 17 of 31 passes, a return to norm so to speak, which should raise concerns in Corvallis. What isn’t a concern is the play of RB Jacquizz Rodgers who has come on as of late, including his impressive 140 yards rushing and 3 TD scores at UW. Defensively, the Beavers were torched by UW’s Locker and WR Jerome Kearse who had 9 catches for 146 yards and 4 TDs. Fortunately, OSU enters a bye week to right the ship before hosting California on Oct. 30. The Bears are riding a roller coaster of sorts, which will give OSU a chance to get a key home win and get itself back to better-than .500 football on the season.

#7 Arizona State Sun Devils
(3-3, 1-2 Pac 10)
Next Game: @ California
Key Wins: None
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #7

ASU gets Cal at a perfect point in the season. The Sun Devils upset Washington two weeks ago and face a Bears team coming off a brutally-bad showing at USC a week ago. It’s the perfect opportunity for ASU to draw even in conference play and make a move into the top half of the Pac-10 standings. ASU’s QB Steven Threet is throwing for big yards, but needs to limit his turnovers in order for the Sun Devils to experience the full effect of his strong arm. ASU’s defense has taken a step back from last year’s impressive unit, but they did hold UW in Seattle so perhaps the tide is turning in their favor. The Sun Devils haven’t beaten consecutive FBS opponents since ousting the Washington schools in back-to-back games in Oct. 2009, making Saturday’s game even bigger. The trick though is not taking Cal for granted. The following week ASU will host a downtrodden club from Pullman so the Sun Devils need to be careful and avoid the temptation to count wins before the games are played. This is a good ball club that hasn’t quite figured out how to win, but it’ll get its chance as they close out the month of October with two winnable games ahead.

#8 California Bears
(3-3, 1-2 Pac 10)
Next Game: Arizona State
Key Wins: None
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #6

Wow, can anyone figure out the Cal Bears? After getting drilled by Nevada the Bears fought well and lost a heartbreaker at then-No.9 Arizona. The Bears then wasted UCLA in Pasadena before laying an egg last weekend against USC. I’ve said all along that Cal goes as its QB Kevin Riley goes and I couldn’t be more accurate. Against the Trojans Riley was awful completing 15 of 29 for 193 yards, 2 TDs and 2 INTs. Sure, his two passing scores look good in the Sunday paper, but both came after USC had built a 42-0 lead. With Riley struggling, defenses are loading up in the box to defend RB Shane Vereen who is having a black and blue type of season. Last Saturday, Vereen rushed for 53 yards on limited carries. For Cal to be effective as an offense, the Bears need balance and won’t find it playing from behind a large deficit. More shocking than anything though was Cal’s defense entered the USC game ranked No. 13 nationally in total defense. However, they turned in a Nevada-like reminder in sacrificing 602 yards of offense to the Trojans. This week Cal draws a hungry Arizona State team, which is coming off a bye week. The Pac-10 has already produced some crazy outcomes so it wouldn’t surprise me one bit to see the Bears bounce back and earn a victory.

#9 UCLA Bruins
(3-3, 1-2 Pac 10)
Next Game: @ Oregon (1)
Key Wins: #23 Houston and @ Texas (7)
Bad Losses: @ California (35-7)
Last Week’s Ranking: #9

The only thing consistent about the Bruins in 2010 is UCLA either wins big or loses big. UCLA exits a bye week on the heels of a 35-7 road loss at Cal. Things don’t get easier this Thursday night as the Bruins are set to travel to Eugene to face the top-ranked Ducks. Hey, playing the No. 1 team in the land is always fun, but it’s much more fan doing so in front of a home crowd. On the road, playing the best could quickly become a nightmare. UCLA is a team still trying to adjust to its new Pistol Offense. When things are clicking the Bruins have been great. However, when things are off bad follows have been the norm. In its two conference losses, the Bruins have been outscored 70-7 by the Bay Area schools. Its lone Pac-10 win was over Washington State, which is nothing to brag about. Still, UCLA does own two wins over Top 25 teams, and its upset win over then-No.7 Texas, which was quickly downplayed by an average looking Longhorns team suddenly got impressive again as Texas upset Nebraska over the weekend. UCLA’s one of those dangerous teams to face, but they need to play flawless football to win. Thursday’s ESPN-televised game should make for good entertainment, but I’ll be shocked if the Bruins can win, let alone keep the score close.

#10 Washington State Cougars
(1-6, 0-4 Pac 10)
Next Game: Arizona (17)
Key Wins: None
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #10

Washington State had as good a chance as ever to win its first game against an FBS school in its last 15 tries last weekend when Arizona’s Nick Foles was knocked out of the game in the second quarter and Wazzou only trailing 7-0. However, the Cougars failed to take advantage of the opportunity by throwing an INT in the red zone and muffing a punt-snap exchange which set up a struggling Wildcat offense deep in Wazzou territory. The good news is WSU only gave up 24 points to a Wildcat offense that was averaging 32.8 points per game. The bad news is Wazzou scored its fewest points of the season, seven. QB Jeff Tuel continues to impress and true freshman wide out Marquess Wilson is the real deal with four 100-yard receiving games already in his young career. Another positive is DB Deone Bucannon who recorded a game and career-high 16 tackles against Arizona. The puzzle pieces are there, but the puzzle is far from complete. There’s a consensus that WSU is going to knock “someone” off in 2010, but who remains the question. Last Saturday they had a chance to do damage, but never really came close.

Please visit www.WildcatSportsReport.com daily for team coverage and recruiting news on the Arizona Wildcats.

October 21, 2010

Game Balls: Arizona/Washington State
By Gary Randazzo

The Wildcats bounced back from its 29-27 loss to Oregon State to beat Washington State 24-7. It wasn’t exactly the dominating type of performance many were expecting, but critical injuries played a key role in margin of victory. Several Wildcats stepped up in reserve roles to receive much-deserved game balls.

UA CB Shaquille Richardson
Richardson got the surprise start after learning starter Trevin Wade would not play just minutes prior to kickoff. As Wade’s replacement, the true freshman had seven tackles, three pass breakups and two interceptions. Richardson did give up Wazzou’s biggest play from scrimmage (83 yard pass). However, his athleticism and pure skill were on display, even on the big gainer, as Richardson chased down WSU’s Marquess Wilson before dragging him down at the Arizona 10 yard line. On the next play, Richardson picked off WSU’s Jeff Tuel in the end zone for his second INT of the game.

UA QB Matt Scott
Scott stepped in after starter Nick Foles left the game with a knee injury. Scott completed a scoring drive that Foles started, marching Arizona on its final 37 yards to score a touchdown and take a 14-0 lead. Scott completed 14 of 20 passes for 139 yards in emergency duty. He did throw an interception, but considering the circumstances, all is forgiven. Scott will start next Saturday at home against Washington during Arizona’s Homecoming festivities.

WSU QB Jeff Tuel
Tuel remains one of Wazzou’s few bright spots. Against Arizona, the sophomore QB completed 18 of 32 passes for 257 yards. He did throw two interceptions on Saturday, one in the end zone that prevented WSU from making the game interesting late.

WSU WR Marquess Wilson
Wazzou has a future stud in Wilson. On Saturday, Wilson caught six passes for 131 yards and a touchdown, marking the fourth time this season Wilson has gone over 100 receiving yards. As a true freshman, Wilson has been extremely impressive for a team that doesn’t have much to get excited about.

UA P Keenyn Crier
Crier looked like the Crier of old against the Cougars. He averaged 42.8 yards on four punt attempts, and successfully downed three punts inside the WSU 20, one at the Cougar 5 yard line. He also had a long of 50 yards.

UA RB Keola Antolin
Antolin got the bulk of Arizona’s carries late, helping him to 92 rushing yards on 21 attempts (season high). He also had two touchdown runs, and caught one pass for 16 yards.

UA WR Travis Cobb
Cobb looked the healthiest he’s been in weeks, leading Arizona with seven catches for 62 yards. His numbers aren’t eye-popping, but a healthy Cobb played well in a game when team-leader Juron Criner only caught two passes and Bug Wright missed the game entirely due to a shoulder injury.

Washington State Defense
Arizona scored the fewest points (24) of any FBS opponent WSU has faced this season. Further, the held the Wildcat offense to a season-low 352 yards while producing six sacks (5 on Matt Scott).

Arizona Wildcats Defense
Sure, it’s just Washington State, but the team suffered a serious hit when its QB Nick Foles left the game early in the second quarter and U of A only up 7-0. The Wildcats held Wazzou to less than 300 yards of total offense and seven points for the game, helping the unit improve to 10th nationally in total defense.

UA LB Paul Vassallo
Vassallo tied Richardson for a team-high seven tackles (all solo).

UA DE Ricky Elmore
Elmore played most of the game in the WSU backfield, producing two and a half sacks for minus 12 yards, and also recording three tackles for loss. For the game, Elmore finished with six total tackles, four solo.

WSU DB Deone Bucannon
Bucannon was everywhere against the Wildcats. On the game, he had 16 tackles (14 solo), one tackle for loss and a pass breakup. That’s pretty amazing stuff from one of Wazzou’s newcomers in 2010.

Please visit www.WildcatSportsReport.com daily for continued coverage of Arizona Wildcats football and recruiting news and notes.

October 13, 2010

Pac-10 Stack Rankings: Week 7 Football
By Gary Randazzo

Oregon remains steady at the top, but the rest of the conference experienced a serious shakeup in this week’s Stack. Oregon State and Arizona State get big jumps while the Bruins tumble like a ton of bricks. As for Arizona, well, a home loss to the Beavers definitely had an impact.

*Parenthesis denotes school’s AP ranking.

#1 Oregon Ducks (2)
(6-0, 3-0 Pac 10)
Next Game: Bye Week (UCLA on Oct. 21)
Key Wins: Stanford (9)
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #1

Oregon remains atop the Stack despite only beating Washington State 43-23 last weekend. The big news coming out of Pullman was the health status of sophomore RB Kenjon Barner who was taken off the field in an ambulance after suffering a neck injury while returning a kickoff. Fortunately, Barner is fine after spending the night in a local hospital for observation and rejoining his team back in Eugene a day late. The other big news was the shoulder injury to Darron Thomas, who also appears fine. Thomas left the game in the second quarter and, according to numerous reports, was sidelined for precautionary reasons, but probably could have returned to action had it been necessary. Back up QB Nic Costa filled in well, completing 13 of 15 passes for 151 yards and 1 TD. Right now, Oregon’s offense is scoring on anyone, but not without some mistakes. Oregon was flagged 9 times for 80 yards against WSU, and lost 3 fumbles. Against a good team, mistakes like those could be enough to throw a wrench in what’s otherwise a well-oiled offensive machine. The Ducks have reached the mid-way point of its regular season and so far so good. They sit atop the Pac-10 standings with a perfect 3-0 record, and are now one of only two remaining conference unbeatens along with, surprise, arch-rival Oregon State. The last three Pac-10 titles have been decided in the annual Civil War game between the Oregon schools. It’s possible it could happen again.

#2 Stanford Cardinal (14)
(5-1, 2-1 Pac 10)
Next Game: Bye Week (Washington State on Oct. 23)
Key Wins: USC
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #3

The annual pre-season Herbie Awards saw ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit name Stanford QB Andrew Luck a “clutch performer.” I laughed, but Luck delivered last weekend, leading Stanford back from a 35-34 deficit to win by two points on a last-second field goal. Luck connected on all three of his passes and marched Stanford to the USC 16 to set up the game winner. For the game, Luck completed 20 of 24 passes for 285 yards 3 TDs and no INTs. It’s that kind of perfection that serves to win close games and when Stanford needed Luck to be truly at his best he delivered. Stanford also rushed for 193 yards despite fumbling three times against USC. Following a bye week Stanford then faces Washington State and Washington before a home date against Arizona. The schedule will allow the Cardinal to pad their record before a very tough November stretch (UA, at ASU, at California and home to OSU). I’m still not sold on Stanford finishing as high in the conference as this week’s Stack, but one thing great teams do is win games and that’s what they did last Saturday despite being pushed to the edge.

#3 Oregon State Beavers (24)
(3-2, 2-0 Pac 10)
Next Game: @ Washington
Key Wins: @ Arizona (9)
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #T7

QB Ryan Katz has improved from game to game, and finally produced a breakout performance in a 29-27 upset win over No. 9 Arizona last weekend. Katz, who had only completed 50 percent of his passes through his first four games as a starter, connected on 30 of 42 throws for 393 yards and 2 TDs. He did throw his first INT against Arizona, but who cares. Katz is only a sophomore and in a league that’s getting hype for its QBs, the media can now officially list Katz amongst his high-valued Pac-10 peers. OSU looked like a team that was still a “year away” a week ago, but that all changed when they became only the fourth team to beat Arizona in Tucson in Arizona’s last 19 home games. In fact, OSU has now beaten the Wildcats five straight times in the Old Pueblo and has been a winner of 10 of the last 12 meetings. Despite its big win, OSU did suffer a big loss in WR James Rodgers who’s second quarter injury against Arizona will keep him out of action for the rest of the season. If there’s any light at the end of the tunnel, thanks to Rodgers sitting out against Arizona State two weeks ago, he’s now eligible for a medical redshirt. Can you imagine what Rodgers and Katz can do in Katz’s second season as a starter? Against U of A, Rodgers had 7 catches for 102 yards and a TD in less than a half of football. OSU faces Washington this weekend in Seattle. The Huskies are reeling from a bad home loss to ASU and the Beavers are built for wet weather. I mean, after all, they’re beavers. Plus, the Beavers are hot. OSU appears destined for a 3-0 start in the Pac-10, rendering its 1-2 non-conference record meaningless (especially if they’re still in Rose Bowl contention in late November).

#4 Arizona Wildcats (17 AP/20 USA Today)
(4-1, 1-1 Pac 10)
Next Game: @ Washington State
Key Wins: #9 Iowa
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #2

Wow, suddenly the question marks surrounding Arizona’s defense (only 4 returning starters) in the offseason have resurfaced. After limiting its first four opponents to the tune of the No. 2 total defense in the country (230.8 YPG allowed), the Wildcats got bum-rushed by an Oregon State offense that was able to control the ball for more than 36 minutes last Saturday. The Beavers more than doubled Arizona’s total yards allowed per game (486), and QB Katz outgained Arizona’s total passing yards per game (120) in the first half alone when he threw for 257 by halftime. Arizona’s young secondary struggled mightily in coverage, and the team overall had its worst tackling performance of the season. The Wildcats defensive front also struggled in applying pressure in the backfield, or should I say effective pressure. It was a night to forget for the defense, and an even more frustrating night for the offense having to stand on the sidelines and helplessly watch. Arizona’s offense racked up 540 yards and 27 points in just 23 minutes of opportunity leaving many to ponder if the game would have been different if Arizona had just “one more” offensive possession. QB Nick Foles was again impressive, completing 35 of 46 for 440. The offense clearly isn’t the problem, but overnight trouble has surfaced on defense and special teams where the Wildcats added a missed 37-yard FG and an extra-point attempt in a two-point loss. Fortunately, Arizona has a chance to recover and regain its swagger against Washington State this weekend. However, Wazzou has played its last two opponents tough in losses and if they catch Arizona on another off game, this time on the road, an upset certainly isn’t out of the question.

#5 USC Trojans
(4-2, 1-2 Pac 10)
Next Game: California
Key Wins: None
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #5

It’s been heartbreak central in the land of Troy the past two weeks. USC first watched Washington drive nearly the length of the field, converting a fourth-and-11 in the process, to upset USC on a last-second field goal two weeks ago, then suffered through Stanford accomplishing the same thing after the Trojans had take a 35-34 lead with just over a minute to play. Many have rumored that USC has already mailed in its season thanks to no postseason bowl, but USC did push No. 16 Stanford to the limit in Palo Alto. The question becomes how much the Trojans have left in the tank after back-to-back last-second losses. USC continues to hurt itself with penalties (8 for 53 last weekend) and a defense that appears slower than advertised, but did find a bright spots in its overall competitiveness and WR Robert Woods who caught 12 balls for 224 yards and 3 TDs against Stanford. Woods, a true freshman, runs perfect routes, is big, and has a great hands, an almost ideal combination of skills and talent. He also has a talented and poised QB to throw to him in Matt Barkley. Still, until USC’s athletes can figure out what’s being asked of them in Monty Kiffin’s Tampa 2 defense, well-played offensive performances will continue to fall by the wayside. This week USC hosts a motivated Cal Bears team that just pounded UCLA 35-7. There’s a sense of pride throughout the Pac-10 that comes with sweeping the Los Angeles schools and Cal has an opportunity to achieve the feat in consecutive weeks. USC will need to bring its best to produce a win, and questions remain if the Trojans are not only capable of doing that, but willing to do that thanks to harsh NCAA sanctions.

#6 California Bears
(3-2, 1-1 Pac 10)
Next Game: @USC
Key Wins: None
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #6

Cal bounced back well from its 10-9 loss to Arizona two weeks ago to roll past UCLA 35-7 over the weekend. Unlike Arizona, Cal obviously used its bye week effectively (cheap shot alert). The Bears flipped the switch on UCLA, shutting down the Bruins ground attack (26 yards rushing) while using its own running game to pound the ball between the tackles all game long (304 yards rushing). RB Shane Vereen returned to form, rushing for 151 yards and 2 scores while five other ball carriers combined for 147. QB Kevin Riley needed only 16 passing attempts for the game (83 yards) as the day belonged to Cal’s defense. The Bears forced 2 turnovers and limited UCLA to only 144 total yards. Up next is a huge game at USC. The Trojans are reeling emotionally after losing two winnable games in a row on last-second field goals. USC is all but eliminated from the conference title race and with no bowl game this year (NCAA infractions) has little to play for except pride. Cal has a chance to steal one in Los Angeles, and if they do it will make up for that Arizona loss in week one of Pac-10 play and, at least on paper, keep them in the hunt for a Rose Bowl appearance.

#7 Arizona State Sun Devils
(3-3, 1-2 Pac 10)
Next Game: Bye Week (@ California on Oct. 23)
Key Wins: None
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #9

Congratulations Sun Devils. You get to keep your FBS membership card for at least another week. ASU had dropped nine-straight to FBS schools before upsetting Washington in Seattle last weekend. ASU’s shown signs of improvement all year, but the scoreboard never reflected it. That changed in Seattle as ASU controlled the Huskies, and the scoreboard, from start to finish in a 24-14 win. QB Steven Threet did throw an INT in the win (his 8th in the last 3 games), but made up for it by completing 21 of 34 passes for 288 yards and 2 scores. More positive news is ASU only had 4 penalties for 31 yards, a significant improvement from previous weeks. ASU looked solid all around, playing in the rain at Husky Stadium, and did a great job returning UW QB Jake Locker back to form (23 of 38 for 209). The Sun Devils get a week to revel in victory, and they’ll need it with much tougher games ahead.

#8 Washington Huskies
(2-3, 1-1 Pac 10)
Next Game: Oregon State (14)
Key Wins: @ USC (18)
Bad Losses: @ BYU, Arizona State
Last Week’s Ranking: #T7

How does a team upset USC on the road one week, and then lose to an ASU squad that had lost its last nine games to FBS opponents the next week? It’s easy, as good as UW can be the team simply isn’t that good from week-to-week. QB Jake Locker struggled in a 24-14 loss to ASU, throwing for only 209 yards on a rainy night in Seattle. UW’s defense did hold ASU to just 387 yards of offense, but that’s not exactly something a 2-3 team wants to hang its hat on. The bad news, as if losing at home when favored isn’t bad enough (another cheap shot alert at the Wildcats) is Oregon State comes to town this weekend fresh off its upset win over then-No.9 Arizona. UW’s defensive secondary has struggled all season and if OSU QB Katz plays like he did against the Wildcats, OSU might drop 50 on the Huskies. I said at the start of the year UW might be my biggest mover and shaker. That’s sort of been true, although last week’s Stack probably didn’t give them their fair due after beating USC (T7). For UW’s sake, Husky fans are now praying the USC win won’t prove to be their season high so to speak because as of now, UW will be an underdog in every remaining Pac-10 game except against UCLA and Washington State.

#9 UCLA Bruins
(3-3, 1-2 Pac 10)
Next Game: Bye Week (@ Oregon on Oct. 21)
Key Wins: #23 Houston and @ Texas (7)
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #4

UCLA’s win at Texas is beginning to look more and more like its upset of Tennessee a season ago; a great win made good by the quality of its opponent and the stars aligning correctly for a single day. I said UCLA couldn’t win in the Pac-10 without a passing game and for once was proven correct. Against its only two quality conference opponents (Wazzou doesn’t count), UCLA has now been outscored 70-7 in losses to Stanford and California. UCLA’s starting QB Kevin Prince was 13 of 31 passing for 99 yards. Seriously, I’m not lying, and the only reason Prince attempted 31 passes was because UCLA was forced to throw after watching Cal race out to a 28-0 first half lead. To my point though, UCLA “only” being a running team allowed Cal’s 3-4 front to run-zone blitz the Bruins to death. The end result was UCLA’s one-time 10th ranked rushing offense being held to 26 yards on 26 carries for an average of 1-yard per carry. In three years, UCLA has tried every spread offense ever invented and nothing’s worked. With a bye week on the horizon, perhaps UCLA will unveil a triple-option threat with a Norm Chow/Rick Neuheisel twist and call it the “Cheisel.”

#10 Washington State Cougars
(1-5, 0-3 Pac 10)
Next Game: Arizona (17)
Key Wins: None
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #10

Wazzou caught a break last week when Oregon’s QB Darron Thomas was taken out of the game in the second quarter following a mild shoulder injury. Still, without Thomas on the field, Oregon finished the game with 556 yards of offense (304 through the air) to score 43 points. To WSU’s credit, they trailed 15-14 after the first quarter and 22-17 late in the second quarter before giving up a TD to the Ducks with 2:17 to play before halftime. The Cougars have now put up two decent fights in the past two weeks and may catch a break hosting an Arizona team that’s coming off an upset loss to Oregon State. The flip side is Arizona could be an angry squad and rather than simply going through the motions to get a win over Wazzou may instead roll out the big guns for 60 minutes and lay the wood to the Cougars. QB Jeff Tuel has been effective all season (245 passing yards against Oregon), but his team in general is not matching his performance. That’s all bound to change at some point against an FBS opponent, but when is the question.

Please visit www.WildcatSportsReport.com daily for team coverage and recruiting news on the Arizona Wildcats.

October 12, 2010

Game Balls: Arizona/Oregon State
By Gary Randazzo

Most will only remember the fact that Arizona lost to Oregon State, 29-27. Despite the game’s outcome, several players on both teams turned in stellar performances worth noting.

OSU QB Ryan Katz

Arizona’s QB Nick Foles had better overall numbers, but Katz was the difference maker Saturday night in Tucson. The Wildcats loaded the box and oftentimes used only one safety over the top to dare OSU to beat them through the air. Katz answered the call by completing 30 of 42 passes for 393 yards and two touchdowns. Coming into the game, Katz had completed just over 50 percent of his throws on the season. That all changed against Arizona as Katz used his arm and his legs to carve up Arizona’s defense. Katz helped OSU convert 11 of 16 on third down (they had been converting just 30%) and average more than 10 yards per play in second down situations.

QB Nick Foles

Foles was incredible for Arizona, but did throw another interception in the red zone. Still, Foles was not the reason Arizona lost as he completed 35 of 46 passes for a career-high 440 yards. He also had two touchdown tosses. Foles led Arizona on another late-game drive to score seven points and there’s not a fan in Arizona Stadium who didn’t believe in Foles’ ability to lead the Wildcats to their third-straight late-game scoring drive had Arizona recovered an onside kick with just over a minute remaining in regulation.

OSU WR James Rodgers

Against an Arizona defense that was allowing just 120 passing yards per game, Rodgers had seven catches for 102 yards in just over 20 minutes of action. Rodgers got behind Arizona’s defense for a 31-yard score on OSU’s opening drive, which produced the first points the Wildcats had allowed in the first quarter all season. In the second frame, Rodgers again beat the Wildcats over the top, this time hauling in a 55-yard scoring pass. Unfortunately, the play was negated by penalty (illegal receiver downfield). Worse, Rodgers was injured as he was being dragged down by Arizona’s Mike Turner in the end zone, an injury that will likely keep him sidelined for the remainder of the season.

WR Juron Criner

Big play Criner lived up to his nickname, catching 12 passes for a career-high 179 yards. Criner made incredible catches all night, but none bigger than his diving, 45-yard touchdown grab at the goal line. Criner, playing injured, was clearly banged up following the game and proved once again that his warrior mentality is not hype but reality.

RB Keola Antolin

Antolin’s straight-ahead, fearless running style produced 71 yards and a touchdown on just eight carries (8.8 avg). Antolin also caught four passes out of the backfield for 40 yards and a score. This season, Arizona’s offensive coordinators seem content on using the Wildcat runners in the passing game, but Antolin delivered as both a runner and a receiver Saturday night.

RB Nic Grigsby

Grigsby didn’t get many touches in the ground game (22 yards on 5 carries), but his 41-yard touchdown reception with 3:20 to play in the third quarter looked to be a potential game changing moment. On the play, Grigsby caught an innocent enough swing pass before using the entire field to criss-cross his way into the end zone to trim OSU’s lead to 23-20. On OSU’s ensuing possession, the Wildcat defense finally answered the ball and forced the Beavers into only their second punt attempt of the game. Grigsby’s score did ignite the crowd and awaken his defense, but after Arizona failed to score on its next possession, the momentum Grigsby gave his team proved to be short-lived.

OSU RB Jacquizz Rodgers

Rodgers never electrified the crowd or his teammates, but did do the dirty work for OSU rushing 25 times for 83 grueling yards and a touchdown. Rodgers willingness to pound out yards between the tackles helped OSU’s red-hot passing attack stay in sync as Arizona was forced to always keep an eye on Jacquizz. Further, the simple fact that Rodgers was in the backfield was a clear distraction for the Wildcats, so much so that Arizona spent its bye week implementing a 4-4 defensive scheme to slow down OSU’s ground game that features Jacquizz behind the QB and his brother James running fly sweeps.

LB Paul Vassallo

The JUCO transfer led all defenders with 11 tackles (10 solo). Overall, Arizona had its poorest tackling night of the season, but Vassallo had no trouble wrapping up Beavers on his own Saturday at Arizona Stadium.

S Anthony Wilcox

The Arizona secondary got torched through the air. One reason was Arizona’s over-emphasis in slowing OSU’s ground game, which is where Wilcox comes in. Playing much closer to the line of scrimmage than normal, Wilcox mixed it up with the big uglies to pull down nine (six solo tackles, three assisted) Oregon runners.

DE Rick Elmore

Elmore had five tackles and two sacks for negative 20 yards against OSU. It wasn’t a hallmark game for the Arizona defense, but Elmore did his best to disrupt OSU’s passing game while helping to limit the Beavers to just 93 net yards rushing.

OSU WR Markus Wheaton

Wheaton had seven catches for 113 yards to lead all OSU receivers. His 48-yard touchdown reception left Arizona’s defense scratching its head as Wheaton got behind the Arizona’s defense for an easy score. He also added 46 return yards in the kicking game to give him 159 all-purpose yards for the game.

OSU SS Suaesi Tuimaunei

Tuimaunei had seven tackles (six solo) and an interception against Arizona in the Red Zone. In a two-point victory, the INT was a big one that he pulled down inside the end zone.

Please visit www.WildcatSportsReport.com daily for continuing coverage of Arizona Wildcats football and recruiting news and notes.

October 5, 2010

Arizona Football: Bucking Trends
By Gary Randazzo

 

Rebuilding a program isn’t easy and no one knows that better than Arizona coach Mike Stoops. Arizona’s record in the first-half of the last decade was 22-46. A total of 16 losses belonged to Stoops as his 2004 and 2005 Wildcat teams finished with matching 3-8 records. Stoops’ squads spent the 2006 and 2007 seasons further rebuilding from the ashes left behind by John Mackovic before righting the program in 2008 and advancing Arizona to its first bowl appearance since 1998. Arizona would beat No. 17 BYU in the Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl, and that momentum carried into the 2009 campaign when Arizona finished 6-3 in the Pac-10 to tie for second place and earn a berth in the Holiday Bowl as the conference’s second-place finisher (tie breaker).

Since 2008, Arizona is 20-10, which includes its current 4-0 start. More importantly, Stoops’ Wildcats have learned how to win the close games. Stoops has coached Arizona in 76 games during his seven-year tenure at the school. Of those, 29 have been decided by seven points or less of which Arizona has only won 12. Despite the uninspiring 12-17 record in tight games, a closer look uncovers the fact that Arizona has now won four-straight games decided by a touchdown or less, and six of its last eight. In games decided by three points or less, Arizona has won its last two by beating California 10-9 two weeks ago and edging past arch-rival Arizona State 20-17 a season ago. Of course, the most recent three-point setback for Arizona came in memorable fashion as No. 11 Oregon edged past Arizona 44-41 in double overtime last year.

The interesting thing is previous struggles in close contests is not exactly a finger-pointing opportunity for fans to direct exclusively toward Stoops. In fact, Arizona’s one-point victory over the Bears was a true rarity in Wildcat lore. Dating back to 1978 when Arizona first joined the expanded Pacific 10 Conference, the Wildcats amassed a measly 2-13 record in games decided by a single point. Further, Arizona’s last-second win over Cal snapped a six-game losing streak in tilts where the final outcome was determined by one point.

Arizona’s previous two single-point wins came in a 28-27 victory over Arizona State in 1994 and a 20-19 nipping over Georgia Tech in 1995. The Cal victory was Stoops’ first one-point win in five tries and helped Arizona improve its record in one-point games played in Tucson to 3-6 in the Pac-10 era.

Under Stoops, the Cats have won 15 of its last 23 Pac-10 games, and his 2009 squad served to produce just the third six-win Pac-10 regular season in school history. Impressively, in Arizona’s last eight conference losses, the combined total deficit is only 37 points, or 4.6 points per game. Stoops’ first six seasons were always defined by “so many near misses.”

Today, Stoops’ squads are bucking the trend.

How you ask? Arizona has won 15 of its last 18 home games. Arizona’s three home losses all came to opponents ranked in the Top 25 and were by a combined total of 12 points (17-10 to USC, 19-17 to Oregon State and 44-41 to Oregon). Arizona’s 15 home wins have come by an average of 21.8 points per game, which includes this year’s close battles against Iowa and Cal.

There’s no denying tougher games are still ahead of the Wildcats as Arizona will take to the road for three conference games in the next 30 days. Arizona must face No. 16 Stanford in Palo Alto and No. 3 Oregon in Eugene. They must also visit UCLA in Pasadena, but draw a favorable road match up against Washington State on Oct. 16. Arizona’s home slate is equally daunting. The Wildcats host a rising Oregon State team this weekend, and then welcome a Washington team for Homecoming Weekend on Oct. 16. November home dates include USC and ASU, two teams that have historically given the Cats fits.

Arizona will undoubtedly find itself involved in more tight games this season, but recent history should give the Wildcats confidence to pull through adverse moments. Already, quarterback Nick Foles has helped his offense produce five second-half winning performances in just 13 career starts. In 2009 second-half wins over Oregon State, Southern California and Arizona State, as well as winning moments against Iowa and California this season, Foles has a combined fourth-quarter pass efficiency rating of 163.73. Against Iowa and California during which Foles led the Wildcats to two 70-plus yard game-winning scoring drives, his fourth-quarter rating is actually 168.02. Compare that to his career pass efficiency rating of 131.65 and there’s reason to believe the hype surrounding Foles and his offense in tough, late-game situations.

Stoops and his Wildcats have persevered, but the hard work and commitment to his plan has finally begun to pay off. However, the accomplishments have come with very few expectations. Now that Arizona is ranked No. 9 in the AP Poll and No. 11 in the USA Today Poll, Stoops must prove that his team can win will facing another kind of adversity – winning as the favorite rather than the underdog.

The new test begins this Saturday at Arizona Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:07 p.m. MST, and the game will be televised on cable and satellite networks on Versus channel.

Please visit www.WildcatSportsReport.com daily for continued coverage of Arizona Wildcat football and recruiting news and notes.

September 29, 2010

Pac-10 Stack Rankings: Week 5 Football
By Gary Randazzo

Lots and lots of shake ups this week in the Stack, including a major move at the top. Four conference teams are undefeated while some of the most impressive conference schools have multiple losses. Pac-10 fans thought last year was a competitive season for the conference. However, 2010 is shaping up to be the Pac-10’s best from top to bottom in a very long time.

*Parenthesis denotes school’s AP ranking.

#1 Stanford Cardinal (9)
(4-0, 1-0 Pac 10)
Next Game: @ Oregon (4)
Key Wins: None
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #3

Do I think Stanford is the best team in the Pac-10? Absolutely not. However, the Stack is a “what have you done for me lately” evaluation, not a “what’s about to happen” ranking. So far, all Stanford has done is soundly beat four opponents with two of its best games of the young season coming on the road (UCLA and Stanford). The thing you have to respect about Stanford is how fundamentally sound the Cardinal are in executing its schemes on both sides of the ball. Plus, Stanford doesn’t turn the ball over and it doesn’t slow itself by committing drive-stalling penalties. Oh, and it’s coach Jim Harbaugh isn’t afraid to make gutsy calls that opponents don’t see coming. QB Andrew Luck has 11 TDs and 2 INTs in 2010, and has only been sacked once. Offensively, Stanford averages 223 yards per game on the ground and ranks No. 4 in points scored. Defensively, Stanford allows just 13.8 points per game. Add it all up and Stanford has cruised through its first four games. The problem is Stanford must travel to Oregon this weekend and it’s a game I can’t see them winning. What that means is Stanford’s stay at the top of the Stack may be short-lived.

#2 Arizona Wildcats (14 AP/14 USA Today)
(4-0, 1-0 Pac 10)
Next Game: Bye Week (hosts Oregon State on Oct. 9)
Key Wins: #9 Iowa
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #1

In my opinion Arizona remains the best team in the Pac-10, but it’s hard to continue to overlook some weaknesses that were officially exposed last weekend, notably along the offensive line. Speed on the defensive edge is beginning to take its effect on the effectiveness of the Arizona offense. Penalties have piled up in the past two games, as have injuries, and Nick Foles was rushed much more last Saturday than during the three previous games combined. Fortunately, Arizona enters a bye week to heal up and shape up. The reason I like Arizona’s chances over the long haul is threefold: Team speed, defense and a winning QB. Arizona is explosive on both sides of the ball, but because of penalties and injuries the Cats were out of sync on offense last week in a 10-9 win over Cal. “It wasn’t the defense [Cal],” said Juron Criner. “We just weren’t being ourselves, couldn’t get it going, but we made the big plays at the end.” Also, the loss of Taimi Tutogi has really impacted Arizona’s running game in short yardage situations. Defensively, Arizona remains fantastic. As “off” as the offense looked for 58 minutes against Cal, its defense slowed the Bears own offense down all game to the tune of 262 total yards. Opposing offenses have struggled to run and throw against Arizona and the combination of this total package has served to keep opponents out of the red zone and especially the end zone. And then there’s QB Foles. Foles has led Arizona on back-to-back game-winning drives in recent weeks. Despite completing over 74 percent of his passes through four games, Foles hasn’t exactly been perfect every game. That is until crunch time. Foles is a winner, always has been, but after producing second-half winning performances in three of his past five starts (2009 USC, 2010 Iowa and Cal) he now has the on-field resume to back up his off the field confidence.

What I like most though about U of A is fans haven’t witnessed the best Arizona has to offer yet. What I mean is there’s plenty of room for growth. When you consider Arizona is breaking in a new offensive philosophy with just enough tweaks to lead to early-season confusion, its punter Keenyn Crier (who’s a very capable kicker) is struggling with mechanics, uncharacteristic penalties for an Stoops-coached team, and its ground attack ranks No.90 in the country, it’s not difficult to imagine how good these Wildcats can become when things really come together.

#3 Oregon Ducks (4)
(4-0, 1-0 Pac 10)
Next Game: Stanford (9)
Key Wins: None
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #2

Make no mistake about it, Oregon survived last week in Tempe despite beating ASU 42-31 and leading by 18 points late. The Ducks trailed by 10 in the first half and if not for 7 ASU miscues and two defensive scores, Oregon’s BCS title and Rose Bowl dreams might have been dashed simultaneously in week one of the Pac-10 race. Oregon did survive though because it remains one of the most explosive teams in the country. No team in the Pac-10 has the ability to score on any given play like the Ducks do, and what makes them so dangerous is they have four and sometimes five game-changing players on the field at all times. Oregon is big and fast on both sides of the ball and as we’ve seen in so many marquee games throughout the years, speed kills. Speed versus brawn will get tested once again this weekend when No. 9 Stanford visits Eugene. Stanford is much improved, but will its vanilla play-action offense stand up to Oregon’s flash and flare for the dramatic? We’ll find out soon enough, but if history tells us anything Oregon will probably be a team on the rise in next week’s Stack. Also, considering Oregon did squeak out a sloppy victory over ASU, head coach Chip Kelly has enough ammunition this week to keep the attention of his players on finding ways to beat Stanford rather than gloating about a 4-0 record.

#4 USC Trojans (18)
(4-0, 1-0 Pac 10)
Next Game: Washington
Key Wins: None
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #5

Finally, USC can feel good about a win. The Trojans rolled over hapless Washington State 50-16 last weekend, and only committed 5 penalties in the process. Hurray! QB Matt Barkley looked much sharper despite throwing 2 INTs, and USC racked up 285 rushing yards with an impressive 7.3 yards per carry. USC looking more like USC couldn’t have come soon enough as the Trojans enter the “tough” part of its schedule that will last through the rest of the regular season. This week USC hosts a Washington team that upset the Trojans 13-9 a year ago. USC had a built in excuse as Barkley did not play due to injury and the offense stalled as a result. This time around, USC’s offense has an opportunity to continue to progress against an average UW defense while its own defense will have the luxury of solely focusing on UW’s own QB Jake Locker. The Trojans will load the box and use its DEs to box in Locker, forcing the inaccurate passer to beat them over the top. If RB Chris Polk can’t bail out Locker with a strong rushing performance of his own, it’s hard to imagine Locker beating USC through the air. Or is it? USC hasn’t exactly been a defensive dynamo in 2010 and the last thing the Trojans need Saturday is an up-and-down the field game with UW.  USC has only lost three games at home since the start of the 2002 season, and gets three of its next four games in the Coliseum. If the Trojans are going to make a serious move in the Pac-10 it needs to happen in the next month and must start Saturday against the visiting Huskies.

#5 Arizona State Sun Devils
(2-2, 0-1 Pac 10)
Next Game: @ Oregon State
Key Wins: None
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #6

This probably won’t be a popular pick among Stack followers. Admittedly, ASU might be a tad high this week, but I think many are overvaluing UCLA’s win over a declining Texas squad and undervaluing ASU’s tough battle against Oregon. ASU is good, but few outside the Pac-10 will understand how good as long as the Sun Devils continue to live within the cover of their own shadow. For the second consecutive week, a potential upset over a highly-ranked opponent fell short because ASU failed to convert the basics in scoring situations. Two weeks ago in a 20-19 loss to No. 11 Wisconsin, ASU saw a potential game-tying extra point blocked in the closing minutes. Last weekend a 42-31 loss to then-No.5 Oregon was the result of 7 ASU turnovers (two inside Oregon’s 5-yard line), and 2 TDs by the Oregon defense. That’s 28 points! The good news is QB Steven Threet is legit, and ASU’s ground game is showing signs of life for the first time in years. Against a fast Oregon defense, Threet completed 30 of 53 passes for 387 yards. ASU’s rushing game produced 210 on the ground to help ASU outgain Oregon 597-405. Eliminate the turnovers (Threet had 4 INTs) and ASU wins going away. This week the Sun Devils face a must-win game at OSU. The problem is the Beavers are in the same situation, perhaps even more so considering it’s a home game for OSU. ASU is too good a football team to be winless against FBS opponents at this point in the season (both wins over FCS schools), but that’s the reality. There’s a chance the piling up of losses could eventually wear on ASU’s emotions, resulting in a poor season. However, there’s an equal chance that ASU could find ways to reduce turnovers and penalties and if they do they’ll not only be a tough out for any opponent, but the wins could begin to mount as the season progresses. For now, ASU is the Pac-10’s biggest mystery, yet one thing’s for sure as no one wants to face the Sun Devils in fear that they catch ASU on a day when everything gels. 

#6 UCLA Bruins
(2-2, 0-1 Pac 10)
Next Game: Washington State
Key Wins: #23 Houston and @ Texas (7)
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #8

Suddenly UCLA is playing like gangbusters, beating two-straight Top 25 opponents. Its win over Houston was a positive step forward for the program. However, its 34-12 thumping of Texas in Austin was a flat-out eye opener. UCLA forced Texas into five turnovers while limiting the Longhorns offense to just 349 total yards. Here’s the problem though. UCLA’s offense only totaled 291 yards, which included a measly 27 passing yards. That’s not a typo, folks! UCLA rushed the ball 56 times for 264 yards while QB Kevin Prince only attempted 9 passes. Look, a win’s a win. However, Prince is only completing 46 percent of his throws, has been sacked 10 times, and has tossed 2 TDs and 4 INTs. Add in the fact that Houston lost both its quarterbacks against UCLA and Texas simply isn’t Texas with youngin’ Garrett Gilbert at the helm and, well, I’m not as impressed as many others are. As good as UCLA’s defense is, and as much as its “Pistol” offense has improved on the ground the past two weeks, UCLA simply can’t consistently beat this year’s collection of Pac-10 teams by simply running the football. UCLA will win its third-straight game after hosting Washington State this weekend. However, they’ll face an angry Cal team and its 3-4 base defense next weekend in Berkeley as the Bears come out of its bye week. UCLA then must play host to Oregon. Bottom line, UCLA needs to find a passing game quick or else it’s looking at another one of those 1-step forward 2-steps back types of seasons.

#7 California Bears
(2-2, 0-1 Pac 10)
Next Game: Bye week (hosts UCLA Oct. 9)
Key Wins: None
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #7

There’s no doubt about it, Cal lost a heartbreaker last weekend when it fell to Arizona 10-9. Not only did Cal give up a 77-yard game-winning drive to the Wildcats with just over a minute to play, the Bears also saw their own game-winning drive come to an end in Arizona territory when a tipped pass was intercepted by Wildcat Joseph Perkins. What’s troubling for Cal now is this program, under Jeff Tedford, is known for its collapses after a tough loss. Cal has now lost two consecutive games, but fortunately draws a bye week to get its head straight. The good news for Cal is it only travels away from Berkeley three more times this season, and one of those trips is to visitor-friendly Pullman. There’s definitely time for the Bears to turn its season around, but the proper mindset must be there and QB Kevin Riley needs to stop making critical mistakes. Riley is getting solid pass protection this season (only sacked 3 times), yet has thrown 4 INTs and only completed 13 of 26 passes for 116 yards against Arizona. The Wildcats were clearly the best defense Cal had faced all season, but with its next four games against UCLA, USC, Arizona State and Oregon State, facing tough defenses will be the norm for the Bears through the month of October. If Riley can’t up the ante and deliver with more consistency, Cal’s solid ground game will get gobbled up and the Bears will fall more than they will rise.

#8 Oregon State Beavers (24)
(1-2, 0-0 Pac 10)
Next Game: Arizona State
Key Wins: None
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #4

It’s October so it’s time for OSU to return to the business of winning football games. There’s no shame in losing to then-No.6 TCU and last weekend’s setback at No. 3 Boise State. However, there are some troubling statistics that are raising eyebrows around Corvallis as to how good or bad the Beavers actually are. For starters, OSU’s sophomore QB Ryan Katz has seriously struggled against the two good defenses he’s faced in 2010. Against TCU, Katz completed just 9 of 25 throws. Last Saturday against the Broncos, Kats was 12 of 26 for 159 yards. Even in a 35-28 win over Louisville, Katz only threw for 142. Add it all up and Katz is completing less than 47 percent of his passes (36 of 77). The good news is he’s not committing turnovers (5 TDs, 0 INTs). The bad news is Katz’s inefficiency is serving to eliminate one of OSU’s two most potent offensive weapons in WR James Rodgers. On the season, Rodgers has just 9 completions for 113 yards and a score. What’s truly worrisome is this weekend the Beavers face perhaps the biggest riverboat gambling defense it will have seen to date in Arizona State. Much like Washington (see below), if OSU loses this weekend at home, a 1-3 start might prove to be too much to overcome this season, even for a Beavers program famous for producing monster winning streaks in the months of October and November. I say this because this year the Pac-10 is too tough and too deep top to bottom to be forced to play catch up throughout the conference slate and have success doing it.

#9 Washington Huskies
(1-2, 0-0 Pac 10)
Next Game: @ USC
Key Wins: None
Bad Losses: @ BYU
Last Week’s Ranking: #9

Washington is coming out off its first bye of the season after completing a brutal non-conference slate. The Huskies have not been impressive thus far, and dare I say its performance has been a disappointment despite facing gaudy competition. QB Jake Locker is again struggling with his accuracy (46 of 90 on the season), which is something that has defined his career in Seattle. Still, he’s capable of producing a big game and he’ll need to if UW expects to beat USC for the second straight season. A year ago, UW’s 13-9 upset win over the Trojans was a stunner, but USC won’t be overlooking the Huskies this time around, especially in the Coliseum. UW’s road ahead includes five conference away games and if they fall this weekend in Los Angeles, it’s difficult to imagine the Huskies recovering well enough from a 1-3 start to finish bowl eligible. Head coach Steve Sarkisian knows how to motivate his players though, and he certainly knows USC’s weaknesses, so don’t be surprised if UW’s turnaround begins this Saturday. As discussed, it almost has to because what was being billed as a promising season in Seattle has taken a sudden turn for the worst thanks to subpar play from its offense. Plus, UW’s season-opening near miss at BYU which at the time seemed to be okay now isn’t thanks to the Cougars current three-game slide.

#10 Washington State Cougars
(1-3, 0-1 Pac 10)
Next Game: @ UCLA
Key Wins: None
Bad Losses: None
Last Week’s Ranking: #10

Wazzou may have led the Trojans last weekend 7-0, but it was fool’s gold for this downtrodden program. By game’s end, WSU had lost its 12th straight tilt against an FBS opponent, this time by a score of 50-16. The Cougars were outgained by USC 613-323 as the Trojans converted 8 of 12 third downs against a fledgling WSU defense. The good news is Wazzou’s passing attack was relevant as Jeff Tuel completed 24 of 37 passes for 227 yards. The bad news is Tuel tossed 3 INTs and the Cougars ground attack struggled, gaining just 67 yards on 26 carries (2.6 avg). WSU ranks 101st in the nation in scoring and 116th in points allowed. Things simply are not going well in Pullman and it’s about to get worse this weekend when the Cougars travel to Pasadena to face a red-hot UCLA squad.

 

September 29, 2010

First 4 Games: Arizona Fast Facts
By Gary Randazzo

Arizona is 4-0 for the first time since 1998 when the Wildcats raced out to a 5-0 start and finished that campaign with a 12-1 record and No. 5 national ranking. Through these four games, Arizona has compiled some impressive statistics. Entering a bye week, there’s no better time to look back rather than forward.

Fast Facts

Arizona has outscored its first four opponents 137-44. Arizona’s best quarter has been the first with the Wildcats outscoring its opponents 28-0. In fact, Arizona thus far has outscored its opponents 72-15 in the first half and six of those 15 points came last Saturday against Cal when the Cats trailed for the first time all season. Arizona’s worst comparative quarter has been the fourth where the Wildcats are outscoring opponents 34-19.

Senior Nic Grigsby is leading the Wildcats in rushing with 274 yards (5.6 per carry avg), but its RB Greg Nwoko leading Arizona in yards per carry with a 6.4 average on 20 attempts. On the season, Arizona is averaging 120.2 yards rushing per game for a total of 481 yards. It’s first four opponents have totaled 405 yards on the ground.

Arizona is getting it done through the air, averaging 300.8 yards passing per game while limiting its opponents to just 129.5 passing yards per outing. Combined, Arizona is outgaining its opponents 421-230 per contest. What is surprising is Arizona’s efficiency inside the Red Zone. Without significant improvement, the Wildcats will see such inefficiency finally catch up with them and result in a loss. To date, Arizona has converted 14 of 19 red zone attempts (74%). One attempt was the result of Arizona taking a knee to run out the game clock, but all four other misses were the result of turnovers deep in enemy territory. What’s been impressive is Arizona’s success, defensively, in keeping opponents out of the red zone. Thus far, Arizona opponents have only reached the red zone seven times, converting only two touchdowns and just three field goals.

Despite having an off night last Saturday when QB Nick Foles completed a season-low completion percentage mark of 64 percent (25 of 39), the junior has still completed 74.1 percent of his passes on the season (102 of 137) for 1,089. A troubling note though is Foles TD/INT ratio. Foles has thrown 6 TDs, but has already given up 4 INTs. A year ago, Foles had 19 TDs and 9 INTs in 10 starts.

WR David Douglas has been on the receiving end of a Foles pass more than any other Wildcat. Douglas has 22 grabs for 201 yards and two scores. However, it’s big-play Juron Criner who is making the most of his opportunities. To date, Criner has 19 catches for 352 yards (18.5 avg). Criner’s season-long catch of 51 yards came at a critical juncture against Cal. The junior receiver also has 2 TDs, including last Saturday’s game-winning grab on a 3-yard pass from Foles. Impressively, Foles has completed passes to 14 different receivers.

Defensively, Trevin Wade, Derek Earls and Joseph Perkins lead the team with one interception each. Wade’s 85-yard pick six against Iowa remains Arizona’s lone defensive score. LBs Paul Vassallo and Jake Fischer lead the team in tackles with 22 and 21, respectively. S Joe Perkins and redshirt freshman DT Justin Washington each have 20. Perkins has added a pass break up and an interception (both against Cal) while Washington leads the team in sacks (4), tackles for loss (7) and negative yardage (32). He also blocked an Iowa extra point attempt that would have given the Hawkeye’s the lead late in that game.

S Anthony Wilcox leads the Arizona defense with six pass breakups. He also has 12 tackles. Robert Golden, who transitioned from safety to CB in the offseason has two pass break ups and 16 total tackles. Overall, the Wildcats have 11 sacks for 78 negative yards, and 28 TFL’s for 112 yards.

Arizona’s special teams have produced some exciting moments. KR Travis Cobb’s 100-yard kick return against Iowa gives the Wildcats a total of 335 return yards on 10 kickoff return attempts (33.5 avg). Cobb alone is averaging 37.8 yards per return (227 return yards in six attempts). William Wright has filled in well in Cobb’s absence, returning three kicks for an average of 28.7 yards per return. Surprisingly, opponents are doing an outstanding job thus far in limiting Arizona’s punt return games. A year ago Arizona’s Wright averaged 17.5 per return. However, this year through four games Wright is averaging just 6.6 yards in 10 tries, and that average includes a season long of 35 yards. Wright has also muffed one kick, resulting in an Arizona turnover.

More Facts:

• PK Alex Zendejas missed a 46-yarder against Cal. Still, the junior kicker has a season-long of 47 yards and is 4 of 5 on FG tries in 2010. He’s also a perfect 17 of 17 on extra point attempts.
• Long kicker John Bonano has eight touchbacks on the season in 26 attempts with an average of 65.0  yards per kick.
• P Keenyn Crier remains up and down as he struggles to implement new mechanical changes in his release. On the season, Crier is averaging 39.1 yards per punt with a long of 53 yards. He has two punts over 50 yards, has forced two fair catches and effectively placed two punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.
•  Arizona enters its first bye week of 2010 ranked No. 14 in both the AP and USA Today polls.
• Arizona’s defense ranks No. 3 nationally in points allowed per game (11.0)
• Arizona’s passing offense ranks No. 12 nationally (300.8)
• Arizona’s rushing offense ranks No. 90 nationally (120.3)
• Arizona’s offense ranks No. 35 in points scored (34.3)
• Arizona has committed 33 penalties for 280 yards (70.0 avg per game)
• Arizona is 23 of 50 on third down conversions (46%) and its opponents are 18 of 58 (31%)
• Arizona has allowed eight sacks for 51 yards
• Arizona has won 15 of its last 18 home games
• Arizona was 5-1 at home in 2009, and is now 3-0 at home in 2010. The Wildcats have four home games remaining on its schedule (Oct. 9 Oregon State, Oct. 23 Washington, Nov. 13 USC and Dec. 2 ASU)
• Arizona has held three of its first four opponents under 10 points for an average of 5.67 ppg (Iowa scored 27 points)
• The cumulative record of Arizona’s first four opponents is 10-6 with three of those six losses coming by way of defeats at the hands of the Wildcats.
• Arizona’s next eight regular season opponents have a cumulative win-loss record of 19-11
• All three of Arizona’s November opponents (Nov. 6 at Stanford, Nov. 13 USC and Nov. 26 at Oregon) are undefeated with perfect 4-0 records.

Please visit www.WildcatSportsReport.com regularly for continuing coverage of Arizona Wildcats football and recruiting news and notes.

September 29, 2010

Game Balls: Arizona/Cal
By Gary Randazzo

Arizona’s 10-9 win over California was not the dominating performance many expected. Still, several Wildcats turned in notable performance worthy of a little extra attention.

WR Juron Criner
As late as midday Saturday, Criner was doubtful for the Cal game thanks to a turf toe injury. However, the junior wideout did find himself in Arizona’s starting lineup and late in the game lived up to his big-play reputation as he hauled in a 51-yard pass from Nick Foles to help set up Arizona’s game-winning touchdown. Oh, and he was on the receiving end of said game-winner, a 3-yard pass and catch from Foles with 1:11 to play. For the game, Criner caught five passes for 68 yards and the only TD score of the game for either school.

QB Nick Foles
Foles wasn’t his usual self on Saturday, but still managed to complete 64 percent of his passes in 39 attempts. That’s the good. The bad is Foles was responsible for both of Arizona turnovers in the game, a fumble and an interception on a great play by the Cal defense in which one defender purposely tipped the ball to a teammate in the end zone, negating a potential Arizona scoring drive. Despite the turnovers, Foles gets a game ball for leading the Wildcats to yet another second-half, win-producing performance, the fifth in his 14 career starts.

KR William Wright
Wright earns a game ball, stepping in for the injured Travis Cobb on kick returns. Through Arizona’s first three games, Cobb’s big returns helped Arizona rank third nationally with a 35.6 yards per kick return average. Without Cobb in the lineup, Wright filled in nicely, returning three kicks for 86 yards (28.7 avg).

DT Justin Washington
The redshirt freshman continues to impress. Saturday, Washington had seven total tackles (two assisted) to help the Wildcats limit Cal’s ground attack to 146 total yards. Two of Washington’s tackles came behind the line of scrimmage for minus five yards. Washington continues to lead Arizona in TFLs (7 on the season for negative 32 yards).

DE Rick Elmore
Elmore tied Robert Golden for a team-high eight tackles Saturday. Arizona’s front seven was again formidable in holding Cal to just 262 yards of total offense.

CB Robert Golden
Golden was everywhere Saturday night, recording seven solo tackles and one assisted tackle for a total of eight. The junior also made the game-saving play of the night following a Joseph Perkins interception and fumble on the return. Golden fell on the loose ball, virtually ending the game and denying Cal a chance at a last-second comeback upset of the ‘Cats.

S Joseph Perkins
Perkins’ interception in the closing minute of regulation stymied Cal’s last chance at an upset. Perkins did make a mistake in attempting to advance the ball following the interception (he fumbled), but his good hands and awareness came up big late for Arizona.

S Anthony Wilcox
Wilcox had four tackles and two pass break ups. He’s proven to be one of the fastest players in the Arizona secondary all season, and showed again why he was named a starter this season.

LBs Jake Fischer, Derek Earls, Paul Vassallo
So many concerns surrounded Arizona’s linebacker corps entering the season as all three were to be first time starters, and only Fischer had any experience in a Wildcat uniform. However, Saturday night this trio again delivered, recording a total of 16 tackles led by Fischer’s seven. Earls had five tackles and Vassallo finished with four, including one for a 3-yard loss.

Please visit www.WildcatSportsReport.com regularly for continuing coverage of Arizona Wildcats football and recruiting news and notes.

September 23, 2010

Pac-10 Preview: Week 4
By Gary Randazzo

Eliminate USC versus Washington State from the mix and there are five incredible games in the Pac-10 this week. The No. 14 Wildcats play host to Cal while Stanford at Notre Dame and Oregon State at Boise State are marquee non-conference games that are a must see for college football fans.

Bye Week

Washington (Up next: @ USC)

USC (20) @ Washington State
Date: Saturday, September 25
Kickoff: 3:00 PM ET
TV: FSN
Stadium: Martin Stadium (35,117)

USC has won seven straight in the series by an average of 33 points. In 2008, USC’s last visit to Pullman, the Trojans won 69-0 and never allowed the Cougars to move the ball past their own 45 yard line. That’s ridiculous! USC has not looked impressive at all in 2010 and each week seems like it’s going to be the week that the Trojans finally put together the entire package for 60 minutes, but they haven’t. Is this finally the week? I don’t know. Wazzou is a poor excuse of a football team that has lost 11 straight to FBS opponents. Head coach Paul Wulff is a measly 4-24 at WSU. The temperature at kickoff is supposed to be a balmy 75 degrees so the Trojans should feel right at home. The problem I have with USC is they continue to find ways to keep bad teams in football games. USC 43, Washington State 20.

Stanford (16) @ Notre Dame
Date: Saturday, Sep. 25
Kickoff: 3:30 PM ET
TV: NBC
Stadium: Notre Dame Stadium (80,795)

There might not be a more bitter and salty team in the nation right now than the Irish. Standing in the way of a potential 3-0 start is two losses that ended on last second heroics by its opponents. Enter Stanford, one of the more fundamentally sound and disciplined teams in the country who has barely been challenged this season, posting three straight routs. Saturday will mark the 14^th straight year these teams will have squared off. Last season Stanford snapped its seven-game skid to the Irish, scoring two TDs on its final two drives to overcome an 8-point deficit and win at home 45-38. This year, I’m expecting the same kind of high-scoring affair. A desperate Notre Dame squad will put up a serious fight, and for the third straight tilt it’ll come down to the final possession for ND. Stanford 34, Notre Dame 31.

UCLA @ Texas (7)
Date: Saturday, Sep. 25
Kickoff: 3:30 PM ET
TV: ABC
Stadium: Texas Memorial Stadium (93,553)

The second of three huge non-conference games for the Pac-10 kicks off Saturday afternoon in Austin. Unfortunately, I don’t anticipate this one ending well for UCLA, or the Pac-10. Texas joining the conference to form a mega Pac-16 was all the range in the offseason and the Longhorns will be out to prove that them not joining the Conference of Champions was a good thing for the schools out west. Texas hasn’t exactly put up big offensive numbers thus far in 2010, but its defense is giving up just 12 points per contest. That’s bad news for UCLA who continues to struggle on offense, especially through the air. Despite an impressive 31-13 home win over then-No. 23 Houston last week, UCLA QB Kevin Prince still couldn’t muster up enough completions to exceed 100 yards through the air. That lack of a passing attack will assuredly doom the Bruins in Austin. Barring something wacky on special teams, I suspect UCLA will keep the game interesting, but the eventual winner will never be in doubt. Texas 30, UCLA 13.

Oregon State (24) @ Boise State (3)
Date: Saturday, Sep. 25
Kickoff: 8:00 PM ET
TV: ABC
Stadium:  Bronco Stadium (33,500)

You have to give OSU a ton of props because not too many BCS teams have the guts to schedule Boise State on the road twice, which is exactly what head coach Mike Riley has done (actually three times). The Beavers will return to the scene of a crime that took place in 2006 when the Broncos accosted and mauled a ranked OSU squad 42-14. In that game, OSU actually led 14-0 before Boise State raced off 42 unanswered. This will be the fifth meeting between these schools with the home team winning all four games. Both enter this contest battle tested so the cob webs are gone. Boise State features one of the best offenses in the country while OSU’s defense is nothing to shake a stick at. However, in a game of this magnitude, QB play is huge and the edge goes to Boise State’s Kellen Moore who led a monster fourth quarter comeback earlier this year to upend Virginia Tech in D.C. I can easily see OSU winning this game, especially since so many out there think they don’t stand a chance, but to do so they’ll need to do what few teams have done and stop Moore in crunch time. Boise State 33, OSU 27.

California @ Arizona (14)
Date: Saturday, Sep. 25
Kickoff: 7:00 PM ET
TV: Fox Sports Arizona
Stadium: Arizona Stadium (57,400)

The Arizona/Cal series has been a crazy one since the early days of Dick Tomey. The home team has won the last five games in the series, and often the home team has been the underdog. That won’t be the case this week in Tucson as the Wildcats enter the game No. 14 in the nation while Cal is coming off a humbling 52-31 loss to Nevada. Cal’s defense was exposed by the Wolfpack, but don’t expect that to happen this Saturday because Bears coach Jeff Tedford knows Arizona all too well. A year ago, Arizona visited Berkeley on the heels of five-straight games in which its offense scored at least 27 points. The Bears held Arizona to 16 in a frustrating road loss for the Cats. The Wildcats, winners of 14 of its last 17 at home, are a different beast though when playing in Arizona Stadium. Two seasons ago, Arizona trailed Cal at the half only to score 28 unanswered en route to a 42-27 win. Cal features a sound ground attack that’s balanced by QB Kevin Riley in the pocket. The key for Cal becomes limiting turnovers, something Riley is prone to commit. If Riley is stable and remains upright (Arizona is tied with Stanford atop the Pac-10 with 11 sacks this year) the Bears have a chance. However, if the ferocious Wildcat crowd and its reawakened defense are able to rattle Riley then look out. I’m guessing the latter. Arizona 38, California 20.

Oregon (5) @ Arizona State
Date: Saturday, Sep. 25
Kickoff: 10:30 PM ET
TV: FSN
Stadium: Sun Devil Stadium (71,706)

I take the Notre Dame comment back. ASU is a pretty miffed football team right now as well. The Sun Devils almost pulled off an incredible win a week ago against No. 11 Wisconsin only to fall short, 20-19, when its potential game-tying extra point attempt was blocked. ASU is finding more ways to lose than win games the past three years, but there’s no denying that they’ve improved dramatically as a football team. Assuming ASU isn’t still feeling sorry for itself from the Madison Madness, the Sun Devils could actually surprise the Ducks by smacking them in the bill a little bit, something only Tennessee managed to do for a half. Oregon has yet to be truly challenged while ASU has already faced the ban saw once. Plus, this game is played in Tempe where another hot night in the Valley is expected. In no way do I think ASU will actually win, but I do think Oregon will get tested and in the process find its prolific offense coming back down and closer to planet earth. Oregon 31, ASU 23.

Against the Odds: Last Week
5-4 (Thanks for nothing ASU, UCLA and USC)

Against the Odds: Season
16-11

Please visit www.WildcatSportsReport.com for more coverage of your Arizona Wildcats.

September 21, 2010

Game Balls: Arizona over Iowa 34-27
By Gary Randazzo

Arizona’s Saturday night’s 34-27 win over Iowa in Arizona Stadium saw more momentum swings than two children playing on a teeter totter. To that end this might be the most game balls ever handed out after a single game. Here’s the list:

Arizona Offense

QB Nick Foles

Foles is an obvious choice. The junior QB completed 28 of 39 passes (72%) for 303 yards and 2 TDS. He completed five passes alone on Arizona’s 9-play, 72-yard game-winning drive after tossing a pick six moments early that allowed Iowa to even the score at 27-27. Foles was Foles though after the pick – calm as a cucumber – joking with teammates on the sidelines to keep everyone loose, and then entering the huddle and saying, “I love y’all and let’s do it,” on Arizona’s final drive.

WR David Douglas

Juron Criner was sidelined early in the game with turf toe and Douglas took advantage of the extra pass-catching opportunities to reel in 7 catches for 74 yards and 1 TD. Douglass was pivotal making grabs between the seams on several second- and third-and-long situations. He’s emerging as one of Arizona’s surest receivers and reminds me a lot of Oregon’s own sure-handed receiver Jeff Maehl.

RB Greg Nwoko

Nwoko provided power to Arizona’s power running game, rushing 5 times for 27 yards, including a long gain of 15. It’s not the kind of performance that will jump off a stat sheet, but the Wildcats were able to keep Iowa’s linebackers honest all game thanks to Nwoko’s tough carries between the tackles.

OT Adam Grant

Grant drew the toughest blocking assignment of the night, forced to contain Iowa’s NFL bound DE Adrian Clayborn. All Grant did was limit Clayborn to 3 tackles on the night with no sacks and not a single tackle for a loss. Clayborn was effective at times in pressuring Arizona’s Foles in the pocket, but his performance was a far cry from the All-American hype Clayborn was drawing prior to last night’s kickoff.

Arizona Defense

DT Justin Washington

The redshirt freshman has found a home at DT for Arizona. Against Iowa, Washington finished with four tackles and two sacks, both coming consecutively on Iowa’s second to last drive. Washington also made an incredible play on special teams (see below).

DE Brooks Reed & Rick Elmore

Arizona’s starting DE tandem is so good it’s only natural to award them as a duo. The two combined for 8 tackles and 2 sacks (sharing one together during a stretch when Arizona recorded 4-straight sacks). The presence of Reed and Elmore on the edge allowed Arizona’s raw DTs to operate inside with little double teaming and all in all, Iowa gained just 29 rushing yards on 26 carries.

CB Trevin Wade

Apparently Wade feels right at home intercepting passes for touchdowns against the Hawkeyes. He did so last year in a 27-17, but returned another big one last night, this time for 85 yards in the first quarter to give the Wildcats a 14-0 lead.

SS Joseph Perkins

Perkins did was strong safeties are supposed to do against Iowa. Perkins recorded five tackles and had a key pass break up in the fourth quarter. Arizona’s secondary did get beat over the top on several occasions against Iowa, but all is forgiven this early in the season as the Wildcats continue to adjust to their new man coverage schemes.

LB Derek Earls & Paul Vassallo

The JUCO transfers are making a name for themselves early in their Arizona careers. The first-year starters combined for 10 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss against Iowa. Both are playing fast and violent through three games.

Arizona Special Teams

KR/WR Travis Cobb

Cobb proved last night why he was one of the nation’s best return men in 2009. Cobb raced 100 yards for a score on a kick return following Iowa’s lone score of the first half. The play, at the time, was a serious momentum changer and reignited an Arizona fan base that was momentarily silenced by a 92-yard Iowa scoring drive that trimmed Arizona’s lead to 14-7. On the night, Cobb accounted for 148 total yards to lead all players from both schools.

Justin Washington

After much debate, Washington was finally credited for the blocked extra point attempt against Iowa that denied the Hawkeyes a 28-27 lead with just 8:15 to play in the final quarter.

David Roberts

Roberts helped to set the tone for the night early by busting through Iowa’s protection to block a punt following the Hawkeyes’ opening drive. The block, recovered by true freshman Marquis Flowers, set Arizona up inside the Iowa Red Zone, which led to a Foles to Douglas pass and catch for a score and a 7-0 lead.

K Alex Zendejas

Zendejas converted field goals of 22 and 47 yards (career long) Saturday night. His 47-yarder came moments before the first half ended, giving Arizona plenty of momentum heading into the locker room.

Please visit www.WildcatSportsReport.com daily for ongoing coverage of Arizona Wildcats football and recruiting.

September 17, 2010

Wildcats off to strong start, host No. 9 Iowa Saturday
By Gary Randazzo
www.wildcatsportsreport.com

Arizona cruised to victory in its first two games of the season, turning heads in the process. Following wins at Toledo and home to The Citadel, the Wildcats have climbed to No. 24 in the AP Poll and No. 18 in the USA Today Poll. This sets up a marquee game this Saturday when Iowa (No. 9 AP/No. 10 USA Today) visits Arizona Stadium in a primetime, ESPN nationally-televised game.

Entering the 2010 season, the big question surrounding Arizona was its young defense. So far, Arizona’s four returning defensive starters and a slew of new faces in the rotation have held each opponent to less than 200 yards of total offense, giving up a combined six points. Junior College transfer linebackers Paul Vassallo and Derek Earls have become namesakes overnight, accounting for two fumble recoveries and an interception while being amongst the team leaders in total tackles.

On offense, Arizona has been as good as advertised. Nick Foles has completed 49-of-59 passes (83.1 percent) thus far while Juron Criner leads the team in receptions with 13 grabs for 247 yards and a score. Last Saturday, Criner caught two passes for 60 yards, including a whirlwind play where Criner made the reception in traffic and then bounced off of would-be tacklers for a 44-yard gain. Arizona’s ground game has been equally effective, led by senior Nic Grigsby who has emerged as the team’s top tailback. Grigsby is averaging 8.4 yards per carry this season and has already matched 2009’s total of 5 touchdowns in just two games played. Against The Citadel, one of Grigsby’s 3 scores included a career-long 62-yard jaunt which now ties Grigsby for third-most (25) on Arizona’s all-time rushing touchdowns list.

Saturday’s game against Iowa pits two emerging programs. Iowa is 22-6 overall since the start of the 2008 season while Arizona is 18-10. The Hawkeyes (2-0, 2-0 home) have won 13 of their last 15 games, including 7 straight on the road. Meanwhile, the Wildcats (2-0, 1-0 home) have gone 15-5 at home since 2007.

Iowa’s senior quarterback Ricky Stanzi makes the Hawkeye offense go. Through two games, Stanzi has completed 29-of-41 passes for 433 yards. Similar to Arizona, the strength of Iowa’s offense is its balanced attack. Starting tailback Adam Robinson rushed 14 times for 156 yards in last Saturday’s 35-7 win over Iowa State. The sophomore has gained 265 yards on the season to go along with 4 touchdowns. Back up running back Jewel Hamilton played in his first game since 2008 last week, rushing for 84 yards on 20 carries.

Arizona’s defense has showed well in 2010, but Saturday will be its first true challenge against a quality opponent this year. Iowa features a massive offensive line that will test Arizona’s front seven for 60 minutes. A year ago, Iowa used its power game to control the time of possession (37:56-22:04) and wear down the Wildcats. The 27-17 Hawkeye win dropped Arizona’s all-time record against Big 10 foes to 14-23.

Saturday’s matchup in Tucson will be Iowa’s first true test of the season as well after easy victories over Eastern Illinois and the Cyclones. Arizona’s offensive line is equally big and physical with an average weight well over 300 pounds. The Wildcats will look to improve upon its 253 total yards of offense against the Hawkeye’s a year ago in Iowa City while keeping Iowa’s offense off the field with a balanced, ball-controlled offensive attack.

Despite Iowa’s recent success playing away from home, the Hawkeyes are just 4-8 in true road openers and have not fared well in its two most recent trips to the state of Arizona. In 2004, Arizona State routed Iowa 44-7. In 1998, Iowa’s fate was similar as the Wildcats won easily, 35-11.

Saturday’s game will be televised on ESPN with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. MST.

How will Arizona win Saturday?

Saturday football games at Arizona Stadium don’t get much bigger than this Saturday night’s tilt against No. 9 Iowa. Arizona hasn’t beaten a Top 10 non-conference opponent in Arizona Stadium since September 1989 when the Wildcats took down No. 6 Oklahoma, 6-3, on a late field goal by Doug Pfaff. It’s amazing, but even through the “true” Desert Swarm Era the Wildcats never accomplished such a feat. This weekend a big win could come though. The Wildcats are 13-3 in the last 16 home games, winning by an average of 24.5 points. The three losses all came to ranked Pac-10 opponents (No. 6 USC and No. 22 Oregon State in 2008, and No. 11 Oregon in 2OT in 2009). Arizona’s home-field advantage is a combination of several factors including improved performance by its athletes, a student section comprised of 10,000 screaming fans and the fact that Arizona has averaged more than 50,000 fans per game for six straights seasons, its best stretch in school history.

Arizona will have to play at or near its best to stay with Iowa for 60 minutes. A year ago, Iowa thoroughly dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball to earn a 15-minute advantage in time of possession. Offensively, Arizona needs to correct several strategic errors made last season at Iowa City. First, Adam Grant cannot be left on an island blocking Iowa’s senior DE Adrian Clayborn. Clayborn was an animal in Iowa’s 27-17 win, beating the single block time and again to collapse the pocket and chase down Arizona rushers moving away from him. Honestly, his play was ridiculously good. Arizona needs to use its backs, a TE, or Taimi Tutogi at H-Back to at least chip at Clayborn to lend Grant some aid and keep Clayborn off of Nick Foles’ blindside. If they do, Arizona has a chance to make some plays downfield against Iowa’s young corners. The Wildcats would also be wise to run some draws to Clayborn’s side early to keep him honest in his containment. A year ago, Nic Grigsby broke off a long run on a draw play inside of Clayborn. Defensively, Arizona needs to figure out a way to get Iowa off the field. The aforementioned TOP from last year’s loss was an energy killer. Arizona, despite getting outstanding play upfront so far this season, is still raw and can’t afford to be forced to battle Iowa’s OL for anything more than 30 minutes Saturday. The good news is Iowa’s OL isn’t exactly massive (averages less than 300 pounds), but they’re good and use a lot of angled blocking schemes to chip away at an opponent and create cutback lanes. The Wildcats need to slow down the Iowa ground game and force QB Ricky Stanzi into obvious passing downs. If they do, I like Arizona’s big secondary in one-on-one matchups with Iowa’s receivers.

Recruiting Report: Brock Haman discuss official visit

With the season off to a strong start on the field many people might tend to forget the recruiting side of the Arizona Football program. Obviously the coaches haven't as the spring and summer set a record with a slew of early commits to Arizona.

With Iowa coming to Tucson for the tilt between two nationally ranked top 20 programs, the Cats will host just one in-state official visitor for the game against the Hawkeyes. Scottsdale Saguaro tight end and H-Back Brock Haman will make his third trip to Tucson this recruiting season, this one of the official variety.

“I am going down this weekend for my official visit,” said the 6-foot-4 inch, 230 pound tight end/H-Back. “I have about I think 10 offers but I have narrowed things down to three, just Arkansas, Oregon State and Arizona.”

Haman has already visited both of the other schools in his top three and came away impressed with what he saw.

“I really liked them both,” he said. “They were both very fun and good trips and I am looking forward to going to Arizona.”

This will not be the first trip to Tucson for Haman. He made two previous trips to the Old Pueblo this spring and summer.

“I went down for the spring game,” Haman revealed. “And I went down in July, both went good and when I went in July I got a tour around the school and talked to the coaches. It was cool, I liked it a lot.”
Haman has the versatility to play a number of positions but the Cats are recruiting him specifically for the H-Back position, where the Cats are in great need of a legitimate backup and replacement for Taimi Tutogi.

Despite playing both outside linebacker on defense and tight end on offense, Brock admitted that he does not have a preference as to which side of the ball he wants to play on.
“I do not have a preference,” he admitted. “I want to play and the coaches tell me that I can come in and compete for early playing time at the position, I like that.”

Haman is being recruited by Arizona Co-Defensive Coordinator Tim Kish, whom recruits The Valley for Arizona, and Co-Offensive Coordinator Seth Littrell.

Wildcat Sports Report will have more from Brock after his visit to Tucson for the matchup between the No. 18 Arizona Wildcats and No. 9 Iowa Hawkeyes.

Please visit www.WildcatSportsReport.comfor all the latest from the world of Arizona Athletics.

September 15, 2010

Pac-10 Preview: Week 3
By Gary Randazzo
www.wildcatsportsreport.com

It’s a big week for the Pac-10 with three Top 25 opponents facing conference schools. No. 9 Iowa at No. 18 Arizona headlines the games, but a red-hot weekend of games begins early as Cal faces Nevada in Reno on Friday night on ESPN2.

Bye Week
All Pac-10 teams have games this weekend

California @ Nevada
Date: Friday, September 17
Kickoff: 10:00 PM ET
TV: ESPN2
Stadium: Mackay Stadium (29,993)

Surprisingly, this will be the 25th meeting between the Bears and the Wolf Pack. Cal leads the all-time series 22-1-1, but they’ve only squared off twice since 1934 and Nevada’s only win over the Bears dates all the way back to 1903. Both schools enter Friday night’s game 2-0 on the season, and both expect to contend for a title within their respective conference. Nevada features a wide open offensive attack, which could favor the Bears if Cal is able to apply pressure to Nevada QB Colin Kaepernick. The Nevada QB has thrown for 547 yards and rushed for 221 so the Bears defense needs to be on its best behavior in not breaking containment. The Bears should win, and probably will, but Nevada won’t go down easy in front of 30,000 fans packed into an intimate yet hostile setting. Cal’s own QB Kevin Riley needs to continue to allow the game to come to him because he tends to get himself and the team into trouble when he forces throws into tight spaces. As usual, if Riley can play well, the Bears ground game becomes difficult to stop along with a steady passing attack. In the end, Nevada puts up a tough fight on national television but comes up just short in what should be an exciting shootout. California 38, Nevada 31.

USC (18) @ Minnesota
Date: Saturday, Sep. 18
Kickoff: 3:30 PM ET
TV: ESPN
Stadium: TCF Bank Stadium (50,805)

The Trojans should roll over the Golden Gophers, but after witnessing USC’s ho-hum win over an average Virginia team at home, I’m having my doubts. Perhaps a road trip is what Lane Kiffin needs to keep his team focused on the task at hand. Rumors had Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster on the hot seat [i]before the season even started[/i] which makes last weekend’s 41-38 upset at the hands of FCS opponent South Dakota that much worse. The Gophers are reeling, but sometime a team needs to hit rock bottom before picking itself up. As for USC, Kiffin is equally under thrilled with his squad after squeaking out a 17-14 victory over the Cavaliers. The Trojans committed 13 penalties for 140 yards and looked less than stellar on offense. I expect USC to come out strong though this Saturday and step on Minnesota’s throat early behind an aggressive and much more motivated ground attack. USC 41, Minnesota 13.

Nebraska (8) @ Washington
Date: Saturday, Sep. 18
Kickoff: 3:30 PM ET
TV: ABC
Stadium: Husky Stadium (72,500)

I’ll give Washington a ton of credit as the Huskies have annually had one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the past decade. UW has already faced BYU on the road and now prepares to host No. 8 Nebraska this Saturday. Nebraska is 2-0 on the season, but didn’t exactly look dominant in a 38-17 win over Idaho last week. Still, the Cornhuskers are a team to be reckoned with in 2010. UW is 0-5 hosting BCS non-conference schools and got whipped by Nebraska 55-7 back in 1998. Still, the Huskies are no strangers to tough games and producing upset wins over ranked opponents under Steve Sarkisian (2-2 record vs. Top 25) so anything’s possible at home. Many analysts tout QB Jake Locker as a potential top pick in next year’s NFL draft. A strong showing against Nebraska and he’ll have earned the preseason hype. The problem though is thus far defenses have somewhat contained Locker although he did fare much better in a win over Syracuse. The pressure will be on the Husky offense to score points, at least 24, if they expect to beat Nebraska, but that’s asking a lot. Nebraska 31, Washington 20.

Arizona State @ Wisconsin (11)
Date: Saturday, Sep. 18
Kickoff: 3:30 PM ET
TV: ABC (ESPN Game Cast Package)
Stadium: Camp Randall Stadium (80,321)

ASU is just 1-8 against the Top 25 since Dennis Erickson took over the program while Wisconsin is 25-3 at home under Bret Bielema. That’s a bad combination. Despite the setbacks, ASU has proven to be a pesky team to beat thanks to its strong defense. All signs point to a Badgers victory on Saturday, but the Sun Devils will not go down without a fight. It’s been a rough stretch for ASU since its 10-3 mark in 2007. The team has battled through numerous injuries, suspect quarterback play, and struggles along the offensive line. The good news is those three bugaboos have dissipated somewhat through two games, but what hasn’t is the amount of penalties the Sun Devils continue to rack up. ASU needs to play very disciplined football this Saturday and although I’m sure they can, the historical trend indicates otherwise. Wisconsin 23, ASU 16.

Washington State @ SMU
Date: Saturday, Sep. 18
Kickoff: 3:30 PM ET
TV: CBSC (DirecTV channel 613)
Stadium: Gerald J. Ford Stadium (32,000)

To borrow a line, Wazzou is like a box of chocolates, “You just don’t know what you’re gonna’ get.” Actually, scratch that, I know exactly what WSU is going to get this Saturday, a loss. The Cougars snuck past SMU 30-27 in overtime a year ago at home, but this is a different, more experience SMU squad. June Jones enters his third season as head coach and finally has his offense looking more like a Jones-coached unit. SMU gave Texas Tech all it could handle in a 35-27 loss, then raced past UAB 28-7 last weekend. As for WSU, if not for 15 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to edge Montana State 23-22, the Cougars would be starring at an 11-game skid. Last year’s overtime defeat will be fresh in the minds of SMU players as will doubts of success in Wazzou’s, which is a recipe for disaster if you’re a Cougars fan. SMU 37, WSU 24.

Louisville @ Oregon State (25)
Date: Saturday, Sep. 18
Kickoff: 5:30 PM ET
TV: Fox Sports Northwest
Stadium: Reser Stadium (45,674)

OSU has been licking its chops to get back onto the field after losing a winnable game at TCU in its season opener. Louisville lost a heartbreaker to rival Kentucky in its season opener, and then looked unimpressive last weekend in a victory over Eastern Illinois. The Cardinals passing attack ranks 94th in the nation through two games and that’s a problem because Louisville will need to pass its way to success if they have any chance of beating OSU on the road. The Beavers front seven is as good as you’ll find and if they find a way to shut down Louisville’s running game, this game will be decided by halftime. Expect a breakout game from the OSU’s Rodger’s Brothers as both were contained well by the Horned Frogs. Oregon State 37, Louisville 17. 

Portland State @ Oregon (5)
Date: Saturday, Sep. 18
Kickoff: 6:15 PM ET
TV: TBD
Stadium: Autzen Stadium (54,000)

Portland State’s 54-9 season-opening loss to Arizona State is going to feel like a victory after the Ducks get through with the Vikings. Oregon will not shy away from running up the score Saturday no matter at what point in the game Chip Kelly decides to pull his starters. Oregon always had an incredible home-field advantage under former coach Mike Bellotti and is already 8-0 at home under Kelly. The Ducks will role, it’s that simple. Oregon 63, Portland State 3.

Iowa (9) @ Arizona (18 USA Today/24 AP)
Date: Saturday, Sep. 18
Kickoff: 10:30 PM ET
TV: ESPN
Stadium: Arizona Stadium (57,400)

Well, it’s time. Both schools enter the game ranked, and each is coming off easy back-to-back wins to open the season. Last year the Wildcats scored a touchdown in garbage time to make the final score, 27-17 respectable. Still, the score couldn’t hide the fact that Iowa dominated every facet of the game, notably a 15 minute edge in time of possession. Iowa is a confident football team, and wass glad to have RB Jewel Hampton back last week for the first time since the 2008 season. Hampton rushed for 84 yards on 20 carries as a back up in his return to action. Arizona is equally confident, fueled by the performance of its defense two games into the season as the Wildcats are ranked in the top three in both yards allowed and points scored upon. Saturday presents a different type of challenge for each school though as the competition level will seriously ramp up. Arizona is 14-23 all-time against Big 10 schools while Iowa is just 4-8 in true road openers. Iowa’s last visit to Arizona in 1998 resulted in a 35-11 loss, and its last visit to the state of Arizona in 2004 ended badly in a 44-7 defeat to Arizona State.

Following last week’s home win, the Wildcats improved their record to 15-5 in Arizona Stadium since the 2007 season. The home field advantage was a big key in Iowa’s win over Arizona a year ago and the Wildcats look to use its Zona Zoo Student Section to rev up the noise level when Iowa has the ball. The key for Arizona is starting strong as the Wildcats have shown a tendency to tense up early in big games against non-conference schools. Last year, it was Arizona that was forced to play catch up and the result was a desperate, turnover-prone offensive unit struggling against a Hawkeye defense that played with its ears pinned back. Arizona needs to turn the tables and make Iowa QB Ricky Stanzi and his cohorts experience that same kind of play-from-behind pressure. If they do, Arizona will not only win, but win by a surprisingly comfortable margin. Arizona 30, Iowa 20. 

Houston (23) @ UCLA
Date: Saturday, Sep. 18
Kickoff: 10:30 PM ET
TV: Fox Sports Network
Stadium: Rose Bowl (91,500)

UCLA is in trouble. A loss this week could spell a 0-4 start to a season (Bruins travel to play Texas next week) in a year when many thought the Bruins could be a surprise team in the Pac-10. Its 31-22 loss at Kansas State on the road was respectable for the simple fact that the Bruins were far away from home. However, UCLA’s 35-0 loss to Stanford in the Rose Bowl last week is entirely unacceptable. The Bruins offense is like a ship lost at sea and the more offensive coordinator Norm Chow tweaks with it the worse things seem to get. UCLA is ranked nationally near the bottom of almost every statistical category by which offense are measured and as the weeks go by it’s becoming clearer to everyone but Rick Neuheisel that QB Kevin Prince is not the answer, which raises questions as to when we’ll see either sophomore back up Richard Brehaut or Nick Crissman. Each was a highly touted recruit and UCLA is too talented at the wide out positions to continue to have Prince completing passes at a sub 50 percent clip. Worse, UCLA’s defense, like known as the strength of the team, looked unusually susceptible against Stanford as well. Right now the only thing going for UCLA is the fact that Houston QB Case Keenum is day-to-day after suffering a mild concussion last week in a Friday night win over UTEP. If Keenum doesn’t play UCLA’s chances of winning will improve dramatically. However, with Keenum the Cougars will get it done. Assuming Keenum plays Houston 27, UCLA 16.

Wake Forest @ Stanford (19)
Date: Saturday, Sep. 18
Kickoff: 11:15 PM ET
TV: ESPN2
Stadium: Stanford Stadium (50,000)

The Demon Deacons surprised Stanford last year, upending the Cardinal 24-17 in Winston-Salem. Stanford led 17-3 at the break, but Wake Forest rattled off 21 unanswered points on 311 yards of offense in the second half alone to earn the win. Wake is just 5-16 in road openers and Stanford has won 12 of its last 14 home games so the odds favor a Stanford win. Many expected Wake to be down in 2010, but that remains to be seen. The Demon Deacons rank third nationally in points scored after dropping 54 in a narrow win over Duke last week and blasting Presbyterian in its home opener. Still, Wake should be no match for an ever-improving Stanford team led by QB Andrew Luck. Saturday’s night’s nationally televised game will feature as many academic types as it will athletes, but when it’s over there’ll be no doubt which esteemed school has the better football team. Stanford 38, Wake Forest 20.

Against the Odds: Last Week
4-4 (Thanks for nothing ASU, UCLA and USC)
Against the Odds: Season
11-7

Please visit www.WildcatSportsReport.com for more coverage of your Arizona Wildcats.

September 10, 2010

Pac-10 Preview: Week 2
By Gary Randazzo
www.wildcatsportsreport.com

The Pac-10 showed well in college football’s opening weekend, but missed an opportunity at greatness with road losses by Oregon State and Washington. Week 2 lacks a marquee non-conference game, although Colorado at California is intriguing.

Bye Week
Oregon State (Next game: Louisville Sep. 18)

Colorado @ California
Date: Saturday, Sep. 11
Kickoff: 3:30 PM ET
TV: Fox Sports Network
Stadium: Memorial Stadium (71,799)

Cal last played a Big 12 school in 2006 when they thumped No. 21 Texas A&M in the Holiday Bowl, 45-10. Overall, the Bears are 15-20-1 against current Big 12 schools and 2-2 all-time versus Colorado. This Saturday’s tilt is a nice prelude to the future of the Pac-10, or should I say Pac-12 with the Buffs hoping to competitively join the Conference of Champions in time for the 2011 season. Colorado beat up on its in-state rival Colorado State last weekend, 24-3, and should put up a decent fight this week in Berkeley. Still, I think a balanced Bears offense and a solid defense will be too much of an obstacle to overcome as long as the turnover bug doesn’t attack Cal QB Kevin Riley. California 27, Colorado 17.

Syracuse @ Washington
Date: Saturday, Sep. 11
Kickoff: 7:00 PM ET
TV: Fox Sports Northwest
Stadium: Husky Stadium (72,500)

The Huskies will take out any angst and frustration that may have carried over from its 23-17 loss to BYU last week on visiting Syracuse. The Cuse has been a perennial cellar dweller in the Big East since it last posted a conference record of 4-2 in 2004. Since, the Orange have gone 3-31 in conference and 14-45 overall. Still, second year head coach Doug Marrone (5-8 record at Syracuse) has the Orange playing much better since taking over the reign. Saturday will be a tough road trip though as Syracuse doesn’t have the speed at defensive end to keep QB Jake Locker contained in the pocket. Expect UW’s passing attack to look much better and RB Chris Polk to gain more than a 100 yards rushing for the first time this season. Washington 38, Syracuse 13.

Montana State @ Washington State
Date: Saturday, Sep. 11
Kickoff: 7:00 PM ET
TV: TBD
Stadium: Martin Stadium (35,117)

It’s now or never for the Cougars after to falling to 3-23 under head coach Paul Wulff thanks to a 65-17 drilling by Oklahoma State last weekend. WSU is at home and its sophomore QB Jeff Tuel was about the only shining light in last weekend’s loss. Assuming the Cougars’ OL can give Tuel time to operate in the pocket WSU should be just fine in posting its first victory since a September 2009 victory over SMU. Washington State 41, Montana State 23.

Oregon (11) @ Tennessee
Date: Saturday, Sep. 11
Kickoff: 7:00 PM ET
TV: ESPN2
Stadium: Neyland Stadium (102,455)

I’m telling you, the 72-zip hammer Oregon dropped on New Mexico last week is really clouding my judgment as is a 39-7 loss for a 9-4 Oregon team back in 2007 at Michigan. The point being, Oregon is really good, Tennessee is not very good, but it’s still SEC country. The Vols will be fired up for sure, and it’s a great game for head coach Derek Dooley to make a statement to Tennessee in his first see in Knoxville. The problem for Tennessee though is the school only returns six starters on defense and worse, three starters on offense. The Vols did beat Tennessee-Martin 50-0 last week while racking up over 330 rushing yards, but there’s no hyphenated name after Oregon. Plus, if there’s one thing Oregon does have on both sides of the ball, it’s SEC-type speed. Home field advantage or not, the Ducks will have a nice flight south for the winter. Oregon 40, Tennessee 17.

Northern Arizona @ Arizona State
Date: Saturday, Sep. 11
Kickoff: 10:00 PM ET
TV: Fox Sports Arizona
Stadium: Sun Devil Stadium (71,706)

ASU gets the Tina Fey SNL-skit this week with: “Really, ASU? Really? A second-straight FCS opponent? Really? I mean, really?” The sad thing is this is no joke. ASU hosted Portland State last weekend and plays host to NAU this weekend. The Vikings are coming off a 2-9 season and despite shutting out Western New Mexico 48-0 in its season opener pose no real threat to ASU. The ASU ground game alone will be enough to beat NAU, and probably will. Mix in a top-flight defense and this game has mild blowout written all over it. ASU 48, NAU 16.

The Citadel @ Arizona
Date: Saturday, Sep. 11
Kickoff: 10:00 PM ET
TV: FCS (Live) Fox Sports Arizona (Tape Delayed)
Stadium: Arizona Stadium (57,400)

Arizona will have little trouble with The Citadel on Saturday. As one friend from South Carolina emailed to me earlier this week, “I can’t believe our Citadel is traveling all the way to Tucson to play a football game.” The Wildcats spend part of their fall camp at Fort Huachuca working out with the military and doing team-building exercises. A lot of respect has been built so one can’t help but wonder whether or not the Wildcats will run up the score or not. Expect to see a steady dose of Arizona’s ground attack as the Wildcats look to improve on this aspect prior to facing Iowa next week. QB Nick Foles will get in his throws, but may not last beyond the middle of the second quarter. Saturday’s a game to get as many Wildcats on the field as possible, and get reserve QBs Matt Scott and Bryson Beirne enough reps to keep them happy, focused and ready. Arizona 52-0.

Stanford @ UCLA
Date: Saturday, Sep. 11
Kickoff: 10:30 PM ET
TV: ESPN
Stadium: Rose Bowl (91,500)

There are very few great Pac-10 games this week, but this is one of them simply because it counts in the conference standings. Stanford, who’s no stranger to conference games being played early in the more traditional non-conference slate (the Cardinal have opened the season against a Pac-10 school in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009), visits UCLA in what is likely to be a tough road game. The Bruins by no stretch of the imagination are a well-oiled machine, but there’s talent there in Westwood and it could strike at any moment. The Bruins appeared left for dead at KSU last week before rallying for a late touchdown to pull within two points of the Wildcats. A failed two-point conversion would seal their fate, but the drive is evidence that UCLA is capable. UCLA is 7-6 at home under Rick Neuheisel and was 4-2 in the Rose Bowl last year. Perhaps some home cookin’ is exactly what UCLA needs right now as Stanford is just 3-9 on the road the past two seasons. Still, the Pac-10 is all about the QB in 2010 and that advantage swings heavily in favor of Stanford with Andrew Luck. UCLA’s own QB Kevin Prince looked borderline awful last week, and I’m not sure he has what it takes to win a big game. I do think UCLA keeps it close those. Very close actually. Stanford 24, UCLA 20.

Virginia @ USC (14)
Date: Saturday, Sep. 11
Kickoff: 10:30 PM ET
TV: Fox Sports Network
Stadium: L.A. Memorial Coliseum (93,607)

This won’t even be close. I don’t think Lane Kiffin gets a lot of things (going for two-point conversions repeatedly at Hawaii was just plain stupid, and arrogant), but he does understand USC football and the importance of protecting home turf in the L.A. Memorial Coliseum. The Trojans will electrify the crowd through the air and take advantage of Virginia’s smallish defensive ends (avg. 6’4, 257 pounds) to gobble up yards on the ground. The threat to USC, of course, is Virginia’s passing attack. Senior QB Marc Verica was solid in Virginia’s season-opening win against Richmond, completing 24-of-35 passes for 283 yards and a score. (Interestingly, Richmond’s starting QB last week was Aaron Corp who transferred from Southern Cal in January.) The bad news for Virginia is despite beating Richmond, the Cavaliers didn’t look all that impressive and Richmond is no USC. The Trojans will roll up points for sure and the only question is how long can Virginia keep pace on the scoreboard. I’ll give them until halftime. USC 55, Virginia 23.

Against the Odds: Last Week
7-3
Against the Odds: Season
7-3

Please visit www.WildcatSportsReport.com for more coverage of your Arizona Wildcats.

September 10, 2010

Pac-10 Stack Rankings: Week 2 Football
By Gary Randazzo
www.wildcatsportsreport.com

Arizona did nothing in its 41-2 win over Toledo to warrant a drop from the top in this week’s Stack Rankings. Oregon did however make a strong case for No. 1 in a 72-0 romp over New Mexico. Overall, it was kind of a smooth opening weekend for the Pac-10 with no real surprises. Still, teams are already moving up and down in the Stack.

*Parenthesis denotes school’s AP ranking.
**A special thanks to WSR poster uofasteve for correcting me on the use of FCS opponents.

#1 Arizona Wildcats (23 in USA Today Coaches Poll)
(1-0, 0-0 Pac 10)
Next Game: The Citadel
Key Wins: TBD
Bad Losses: TBD
Last Week’s Ranking: #1

Arizona looked solid in downing Toledo, handily, on the road. The Wildcats did however leave some room for improvement with inconsistent offensive line play and eight penalties, mainly on the offensive side of the ball. The positives include 10 different Wildcats making receptions, Nic Grigsby looking as elusive as ever, Nick Foles playing in midseason form (32-of-37 for 360 yards and 2 TDS), and Juron Criner (11 catches) grabbing every pass thrown his way. Defensively, Arizona turned some heads, pitting a shutout (Toledo recorded a safety for its only two points) against what was believed to be a strong Rockets offense. Wildcat fans had been told that this was going to be a fast defensive unit, and the reports were correct as Arizona’s defense moved quickly to the ball and was effective in closing off cut-back angles all game. Arizona is set to face FCS opponent The Citadel this Saturday at home. FCS schools posted two marquee upsets last weekend, but that won’t happen in Tucson. Expect the Wildcats to use Saturday’s late-night game as a final tune up before the Iowa Hawkeyes come calling on Sep. 18. Through one game, Arizona appears as good as advertised. And for the record, Foles’ 86.5% completion rate was a school record for single-game completion percentage of more than 30 passing attempts.

#2 Oregon Ducks (7)
(1-0, 0-0 Pac 10)
Next Game: @ Tennesse
Key Wins: TBD
Bad Losses: TBD
Last Week’s Ranking: #2

Oregon looked incredible against New Mexico. As RoundCat wrote on our Wildcat Sports Report message boards, “It looked like Oregon had to try not to score.” The Ducks raced out to a 59-0 halftime advantage fueled by one big play after another. In fact, on at least three touchdowns I witnessed, I don’t think the Oregon runner was even touched by a Lobo en route to the end zone. Some thought there’d be a mild learning curve as the Ducks broke in new QB Darron Thomas, but there wasn’t. The Ducks racked up 720 yards of total offense last weekend. Similarly impressive was how Oregon held New Mexico to just 107 yards of offense. Things should be tougher this weekend in Knoxville as Oregon travels to face the Tennessee Volunteers. It’s hard to imagine Oregon scoring 72 points again, but it’s not difficult to imagine the Ducks running away for another victory. So far, the Ducks look great and must be considered a serious threat to repeat as Pac-10 champs.

#3 California Bears
(1-0, 0-0 Pac 10)
Next Game: Colorado
Key Wins: TBD
Bad Losses: TBD
Last Week’s Ranking: #4

Head Coach Jeff Tedford now owns the school record for wins with 68 thanks to a home game against UC Davis last week. Few things were learned about the Bears, but many things were reassured. QB Kevin Riley was efficient in the pocket and turnover free, Shane Vereen is every bit of the talented RB people thought he’d be, and Cal’s defense is as fast as advertised. The Bears outgained UC Davis 517-81. A stiffer challenge awaits Cal this weekend when Colorado, fresh off its 24-3 victory over rival CSU, visits. This non-conference tilt will have a strange feel of a conference game as the Buffaloes look to join the Pac-12 competitively in 2011.

#4 USC Trojans (16)
(1-0, 0-0 Pac 10)
Next Game: Virginia
Key Wins: TBD
Bad Losses: TBD
Last Week’s Ranking: #5

USC looked great on offense and not so great on defense. In fact, had you told me prior to kickoff that the Trojans would total 524 yards of offense and still be outgained by 56 yards I would have never believed you. That’s what happened though as the Rainbow Warriors racked up 588 yards of offense and 36 points, mainly through the air (459 passing yards). For USC fans with long memories, this is a borderline disaster as the Trojans secondary was torched time and again last year in a disappointing 9-4 season that saw the Trojans lose by more than 25 points not once but twice. Sophomore QB Matt Barkley answered a lot of questions with his 18-of-23 completions, 257 yards and 5 touchdowns, as did receivers Ronald Johnson and David Ausberry, but the defense needs work, a lot of work. A home game against Virginia this weekend will pose few threats, giving USC the opportunity to continue to test the waters on defense and make some improvements before the Pac-10 slate rolls around. For now, USC is about as good as I expected, but the worry factor went up a notch.

#5 Oregon State Beavers (24)
(0-1, 0-0 Pac 10)
Next Game: Bye Week
Key Wins: TBD
Bad Losses: TBD
Last Week’s Ranking: #3

I really struggled with this decision, but ultimately dropped OSU from No. 3 to No. 5 in this week’s Stack. The rationale is despite OSU only losing 30-21 on the road against a Top 10 team some glaring weaknesses just couldn’t be overlooked. For one, had it not been for two TCU turnovers, a blowout might have been the result. Similarly, despite sophomore QB Ryan Katz looking like a solid passer, he only completed 9-of-25 for 159 yards while connecting with only five receivers (two with a single catch). Lastly, OSU mustered only 255 yards of total offense while allowing the Horned Frogs to control the clock with a 39:23 to 20:37 time of possession advantage. Making the TOP statistic worse is TCU lost the turnover battle 2-0. The point being, OSU used grit and determination to give itself a shot at what would have been a huge victory, but its inability to win in the trenches (TCU outgained OSU on the ground 278-73), and more accurate passing are things that must be improved upon if the Beavers really do expect to content in the Pac-10 Conference.

#6 Stanford Cardinal (25)
(1-0, 0-0 Pac 10)
Next Game: @ UCLA
Key Wins: TBD
Bad Losses: TBD
Last Week’s Ranking: #7

Stanford leapfrogs Washington this week giving me the feeling these two schools will be my biggest movers and shakers throughout the season. Stanford didn’t do anything overly great in beating Sacramento State 52-17 at home, so this switch has more to do with Washington (read below). The book on Stanford will be more clearly written after this weekend’s visit to Pasadena. The Cardinal snapped a five-game losing streak to UCLA last year and I’m expecting them to extend that streak to two-straight come Saturday. Stanford looks good so far, but I’m not ready to plant seeds in the Rose Garden just yet.

#7 Washington Huskies
(0-1, 0-0 Pac 10)
Next Game: Syracuse
Key Wins: TBD
Bad Losses: TBD
Last Week’s Ranking: #6

BYU opened the game with just four defensive starters returning, but managed to do an outstanding job in containing Washington QB Jake Locker. I find that worrisome. BYU is annually one of the most underrated and underappreciated teams in the country, but I still expected UW to play better on offense even though I predicted them to lose a tight game, which they did. Locker completed just 20-of-39 passes and was held to 29 yards rushing on 11 carries. The Mr. Everything, soon-to-be NFL QB looked anything but a future top draft pick. The problem isn’t with Locker though. The Husky OL is still maturing into form and although they did a fine job in opening up holes for standout RB Chris Polk, the holes were few and far between. More troubling was BYU’s ability to collapse the pocket throughout the course of the game. As mentioned, I thought UW would lose in Provo, but didn’t think the Cougars would have as much success as they did in pushing the Huskies around. This week a home game against Syracuse will enable UW to cure some ills and find some swagger for its Sep. 18 showdown with Nebraska in Seattle.

#8 Arizona State Sun Devils
(1-0, 0-0 Pac 10)
Next Game: Northern Arizona (NAU)
Key Wins: TBD
Bad Losses: TBD
Last Week’s Ranking: #9

ASU makes the minor jump here thanks to displaying some explosiveness on offense for the first time in years. Granted, a win over FCS opponent Portland State is nothing to write home about, but four carries for 104 yards and 3 touchdowns is and that’s exactly what sophomore RB Cameron Marshall accomplished last Saturday. The positive, despite the obvious numbers, is ASU’s defense will be made that much better with an effective ground attack on offense. The jury is still out on Michigan transfer QB Steven Threat (14-of-21, 239 yards, 2 TDS, 1 INT), but if the Sun Devils can mount a serious ground game they could actually be in business in 2010. Next up is another FCS opponent in Northern Arizona, meaning little will be known about ASU for at least another week, but so far the signs are at least promising.

#9 UCLA Bruins
(0-1, 0-0 Pac 10)
Next Game: Stanford (25)
Key Wins: TBD
Bad Losses: TBD
Last Week’s Ranking: #8

“Red alert-red alert, UCLA is not good. Repeat, UCLA is not good.” This was the warning message sounding in my head while watching the Bruins on Saturday. I gave UCLA little chance in pulling off the upset at Kansas State, but they nearly did. However, the closeness of the game had more to do with KSU mistakes rather than Bruin achievements. A fumble on the KSU 10-yard line is the only reason the Bruins scored a touchdown in the first half, and if not for a jailbreak two-minute-drill in the final minutes I hardly doubt UCLA could have scored its only other touchdown of the game when they did. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean to come down too hard on UCLA. After all, this team is loaded with talent. However, it’s just not coming together fast enough and now that they’ve lost their projected season-starter at the center position, things may get worse before they get better. Last Saturday UCLA was 9-of-26 passing for 120 yards (in a Norm Chow offense), committed eight penalties and two turnovers, and was 3-of-13 on third downs. Bottom line, the performance just isn’t good enough to win consistently. The Bruins host Stanford on Saturday and by Sunday morning they’ll already be looking up in the Pac-10 standings.

#10 Washington State Cougars
(0-1, 0-0 Pac 10)
Next Game: Montana State
Key Wins: TBD
Bad Losses: TBD
Last Week’s Ranking: #10

I’ve seen bad before, but Wazzou is starting to approach all-time bad. Paul Wulff is now 3-23 as the WSU head coach and after last Saturday’s 65-17 drubbing at the hands of Oklahoma State the possibility of another season with double-digit losses is getting strong odds in Vegas. WSU did have 324 yards of total offense, and believe me when I say that’s a huge step in the right direction for the Cougars, but as a team the efficiency just isn’t there yet, nor is the team size and speed. WSU is smaller and slower than just about every opponent. Combine that with a daunting Pac-10 schedule and it appears the Cougs are in for another rough ride. As it stands, games in the coming weeks against Montana State and at SMU appear to be WSU’s only chances at wins. Things might change, but right now the candle burning at the end of the tunnel is fizzling. 

Please visit WildcatSportsReport.com daily for team coverage and recruiting news on the Arizona Wildcats.

August 31, 2010

Pac-10 Preview: Week 1
By Gary Randazzo
www.wildcatsportsreport.com

The college football season is finally here. Conference fans are in for a treat as no less than three Pac-10 games will be televised by the ESPN Network. On Thursday, USC opens the season at Hawaii. Friday night ESPN will feature Arizona’s season opener at Toledo. Saturday, Oregon State travels to Arlington to play TCU in a neutral site game before a nationally-televised audience.

Arizona @ Toledo
Date: Friday, Sep. 3
Kickoff: 8:00 PM ET
TV: ESPN
Stadium: Glass Bowl (26,248)

The last time Arizona took the field the Cornhuskers handed Arizona the worst loss in Holiday Bowl history. Will “Remember the Holiday Bowl” become Arizona’s remember the Alamo battle cry in 2010? Players have dismissed the idea, but it’s clear the loss has been motivational during the offseason. Arizona has dropped eight-straight road openers, but most losses during the streak have come to ranked opponents in hostile places like Tiger Stadium (LSU), Kinnick Stadium (Iowa), Camp Randall Stadium (Wisconsin), Lavell Edwards Stadium (BYU), and Rice-Eccles Stadium (Utah). Toledo’s Glass Bowl has proven to be unwelcoming to non-conference visitors as the Rockets have won five of six tilts against BCS opponents at home. A year ago, Toledo upset Colorado at home. This year, they’ll look to make a similar statement. It won’t happen though as Arizona’s offense is too good and too deep to get rattled in the season opener. Arizona will feature a balanced offensive attack behind an experienced offensive line that averages over 315 pounds. Defensively, Toledo’s offense may give the Wildcats fits in stretches, but not over the course of the entire game which will result in Arizona pulling away in the second half to win comfortably, 45-23.

USC (14) @ Hawaii
Date: Thursday, Sep. 2
Kickoff: 11:00 PM ET
TV: ESPN
Stadium: Aloha Stadium (50,000)

USC just wants its disastrous offseason to officially end, making Thursday’s kickoff a day a celebration for Trojans on and off the field. USC is 6-0 all-time against Hawaii, and an impressive 28-1 against WAC opponents. In USC’s last visit to Hawaii in 2005, the Trojans trounced the Warriors 63-17. Hawaii has won three-straight home openers, but USC has won 12 straight season openers to tip the scales in its favor. The Trojans may not put up 60-plus points this time around (although they have in the last three meetings, averaging 62.2 ppg), but they’ll still cruise to victory behind a strong ground attack and a solid defense. USC 48, Hawaii 10.

UCLA @ Kansas State
Date: Saturday, Sep. 4
Kickoff: 3: 30 PM ET
TV: ABC
Stadium: Bill Snyder Family Stadium (50,000)

KSU isn’t expected to make much noise in the Big 12 this year, giving UCLA an outstanding opportunity to post a solid road win over a quality name opponent. The Bruins beat the Wildcats 23-9 last year in the Rose Bowl, but a trip to Manhattan will prove more difficult. KSU has won 20 straight home openers and will be looking to avenge last year’s loss, a game that saw KSU produce more first downs (19-16), but far too few points. They key for KSU becomes slowing down the Bruins ground game and forcing QB Kevin Prince to beat the Wildcats threw the air. Another key is limiting UCLA’s playmakers on special teams, who are all capable of returning kicks to the house for back-breaking touchdowns. This one will be a good fight with UCLA edging out KSU 27-23.

New Mexico @ Oregon (11)
Date: Saturday, Sep. 4
Kickoff: 3:30 PM ET
TV: TBD
Stadium: Autzen Stadiium (54,000)

Similar to USC, Oregon just wants to get back on the gridiron where good things tend to happen. The loss of Jeremiah Masoli hurts, but there’s enough talent on the offensive side of the ball to continue Oregon’s scoring ways in 2010. Making things easier on the Ducks is the fact that New Mexico is down, way down. The Lobos are coming off a 1-11 season, and return only 11 starters. That might be good enough to survive a few games in the MWC, but not in Eugene where Oregon was 7-0 last year and 27-5 since 2005. Oregon wins big, 47-10.

UC Davis @ California
Date: Saturday, Sep. 4
Kickoff: 4:00 PM ET
TV: TBD
Stadium: Memorial Stadium (71,799)

Every team generally has at least one cupcake on the schedule and UC Davis is Cal’s dessert. The schools last met in 1939 with Cal leading the all-time series 8-0. The Bears will have no trouble this weekend, but they won’t run up the score on a fellow UC school. Cal 37-0.

Sacramento State @ Stanford
Date: Saturday, Sep. 4
Kickoff: 6:30 PM ET
TV: TBD
Stadium: Stanford Stadium (50,000)

This is like one of those old-school Tina Fey SNL skits. Really, Stanford? Really? I mean, really? Stanford 41-0.

Washington State @ Oklahoma State
Date: Saturday, Sep. 4
Kickoff: 7:00 PM ET
TV: TBD
Stadium: Boone Pickens Stadium (60,218)

WSU actually leads the all-time series 2-1. The only problem is its two wins came in 1958 and 1959. In 2008, OSU traveled to Pullman and beat the Cougars 39-13 – just one of WSU’s 11 losses that season. QB Jeff Tuel should help make Wazzou’s offense better in 2010, but how much better is the question as the team ranked 100th in the nation in total passing with 177.9 yards per game. More troubling were WSU’s rankings in rushing yards per game (118th) and points scored (119th). Playing at home might have given the Cougars a fighting chance, but the Cougs will sink fast in Stillwater. The Cowboys do only return eight starters from a 9-4 team, which might be good enough to keep the score close, but a WSU win is entirely out of the question. Oklahoma State 31, WSU 13.

Washington @ BYU
Date: Saturday, Sep. 4
Kickoff: 7:00 PM ET
TV: TBD
Stadium: Lavell Edwards Stadium (64,045)

This will be a great game. Bronco Mendenhall’s Cougars always play physical, and his team’s 25-5 record at home the past five seasons makes BYU a tough team to beat in Provo. BYU was 11-2 in 2009, but will be breaking in a new QB to replace the departed Max Hall (MWC career passing leader). BYU’s defense is loaded with upperclassmen, but starters at LB are young. Washington needs to find ways to attack the Cougars in the middle of the field and QB Jake Locker has just the target for that, TE Kavario Middleton. The Huskies lead the all-time series 4-3, but have dropped the last two to BYU including the 2008 thriller that saw BYU block a game-tying extra point to end regulation after UW’s Locker was assessed a 15-yard excessive celebration penalty after his touchdown. There’s been bad blood between the MWC and the Pac-10 throughout the decade so you can expect some fireworks on Saturday. These are two very good teams, but BYU is used to dealing with opponents surrounded by a lot of hype, and that’s what UW is with its soon-to-be-NFL-bound QB. I give the edge to BYU, 27-24.

Oregon State (24) @ TCU (6)
Date: Saturday, Sep. 4
Kickoff: 7:45 PM ET
TV: ESPN
Stadium: Game played in Arlington

Aside from LSU at North Carolina, this is the only Saturday game pitting two ranked opponents. This is a must-win game for TCU if it wants to crash the BCS party in January, and fortunately for the Horned Frogs the neutral site game, played in Dallas Cowboy Stadium, will feel a lot like home. OSU has been one of the more consistent programs in the Pac-10 the past three years and despite breaking in a new QB, the Beavers will prove to be one tough foe come Saturday. The problem for OSU is TCU is good, real good. The Horned Frogs return 16 starters (9 Offense) from a squad that finished 12-1 in 2009, losing its only game of the season to No. 6 Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. TCU is good enough to produce another perfect season and likely will. TCU is 9-2 against BCS teams and 9-11 overall against the Pac-10. Saturday will see TCU’s win total in both categories reach double digits. TCU 23, OSU 19.

Portland State @ Arizona State
Date: Saturday, Sep. 4
Kickoff: 10:00 PM ET
TV: Fox Sports Arizona
Stadium: Sun Devil Stadium (71,706)

Portland State is just the first of two consecutive games for the Sun Devils against FCS opponents (Northern Arizona visits next week). That, in and of itself, should bar ASU from FBS comptetion for the next decade. All I can say is enjoy the victories while they last, Sun Devils. ASU 38-7.

Please visit www.WildcatSportsReport.com for more coverage of your Arizona Wildcats.

August 23, 2010

Arizona Fall Camp Scrimmage Reports
By Gary Randazzo
www.wildcatsportsreport.com

August 21, 2010 Scrimmage

Last night’s big to-do at Arizona Stadium prematurely ended as a monsoon was vastly approaching the Old Pueblo. Arizona reeled off just 25 plays in the scrimmage before players and the fans on hand were forced to exit the stadium due to severe thunderstorms and lightning threatening the region. Arizona mounted a 10-play, 70 yard scoring drive to open up the scrimmage which concluded on a 4-yard touchdown strike from Nick Foles to David Roberts. The Wildcats totaled just under 170  yards of offense in the 25 plays, displaying a balanced offense that included 80 rushing yards.

Keola Antolin, Nic Grigsby and Greg Nwoko accounted for all of Arizona’s rushing yards with Antolin leading the way with 34 yards on just five carries. The Arizona tailbacks were featured in the passing game as well with Grigsby and Nwoko tallying 40 yards on three catches, combined. Arizona’s defense did have its moments, recovering a fumble and forcing the Wildcat offense off the field on three possessions. However, overall the scrimmage and the “Meet the Team” festivities scheduled to follow the game proved to be a disappointment. Head Coach Mike Stoops remarked after the game that the defensive line needed to get much “meaner” inside. He also said that the team was planning another scrimmage for this Monday rather than taking the previously planned two-day break from workouts.

August 14, 2010 – 1st Fall Scrimmage

Arizona’s first scrimmage of fall camp on Saturday at Buena Vista High School produced some telling things. For one, Matt Scott and Bryson Beirne torched the Arizona defense, combining to complete 29-of-39 passes for 367 yards and 4 touchdowns. That’s tremendous news for Scott and Beirne, but disheartening news for the Wildcat D that struggled to slow down Arizona’s second and third string QBs. However, it’s not all good news for the Arizona offense as Scott and Beirne’s average completion produced a total of 9.4 yards per attempt.

I mention this because Arizona ranked last a year ago among Pac-10 teams in yards per pass attempt, a reason which led so many fans to ask aloud why Arizona can’t connect down the field. Granted, projected starter Nick Foles did not play in the scrimmage, but Foles, in large part, was the reason why Arizona ranked so poorly. If the Wildcats want to stretch defenses and open up lanes underneath for big rushing gains or lofty yards after catch numbers, they better figure out a way to hit the deep routes sooner than later.

On a positive note with no strings attached, Alex Zendejas connected on all six of his field goal tries which included a long of 50 yards. Zendejas was an effective 17-of-22 a year ago, his first season as the full-time starter. Still, Zendejas’ attempts felt wildly unpredictable. In fact, as many placekicks seemed to clear the crossbar sideways as they did end-over-end. To learn that Zendejas is drilling his kicks much more consistently this off-season is very reassuring.
I was happy to learn that true sophomore receiver Terrence Miller caught a touchdown pass in the scrimmage. Miller has the physical tools to do some damage in the future. The real question though is will he live up to his word. On his National Signing Day at Rancho Verde High School in Southern California, Miller personally told me that he’d throw at least one touchdown pass before graduating from Arizona. I’ll settle for 20-30 TD receptions, but it sure would be a thrill to see a little magic from his arm for a score on a double pass, especially if it comes against Oregon or Arizona State.
It was also nice to see two of Arizona’s interior linemen record two stops apiece behind the line of scrimmage. Justin Washington and Jonathan Hollins accomplished just that, proving that they might be capable of providing Arizona with the kind of push the team needs from its defensive tackles. In all, Arizona made eight tackles behind the line of scrimmage, and held Arizona’s offense to just 88 rushing yards.

Depth Chart Movers and Shakers

WR Gino Crump has seen his stock fall. After having a strong practice last Friday, Crump struggled through the weekend in showing the type of consistency the Wildcat offense is looking for in its receivers.
Thanks to a nagging high-ankle sprain to projected H-Back/Fullback starter Taimi Tutogi, reserve linebacker C.J. Parrish is getting a long look at playing the position. “I love hitting,” Parrish was quoted as saying recently to Wildcat Sports Report’s Anthony Gimino. “I’m enjoying the move to the offense because I can now put my pads on someone every single play.”

Freshman receiver Tyler Slavin has had a strong camp. His performance on the field has seen him rise to No. 2 on the depth chart behind outside receiver Juron Criner.

Fellow freshman receivers Austin Hill and Garic Wharton appear destined for redshirt seasons. Hill has threatened to make the 3-deep on multiple occasions while Wharton has been a real speedster. However, both can use a year in the weight room before strapping on the pads on game days.

Arizona’s first game is September 3 at Toledo. The Wildcats are set to begin game preparations for Toledo this week following its final scrimmage redo.

Sione Tuihalamaka continues to excel and remains atop the depth chart at defensive tackle. However, the entire defensive line has been less than impressive in fall camp so starting positions will more than likely be up for grabs for at least another week.

Arizona’s first game is September 3 at Toledo. The Wildcats are set to begin game preparations for Toledo this week following its final scrimmage redo.

August 3, 2010

Arizona Fall Camp Preview
By Gary Randazzo
WildcatSportsReport.com

Arizona’s fall camp begins bright and early this Thursday. An Arizona fan recently asked me the following questions, which are accompanied by my answers.

What are the biggest strengths and biggest weaknesses of the Wildcats?

Strengths: Pick an offensive unit and a case can be made for its strength. Arizona’s quarterback situation is the best it’s been since Keith Smith and Ortege Jenkins used a two-quarterback system to help Arizona (11-1) finish No. 5 in the final AP Poll in 1998. It’s taken co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh nearly four years to develop depth among his big uglies, but the hard work and patience has paid off in back-to-back bowl seasons. The OL is poised to really shine in 2010, especially with 6’6, 325-pound Adam Grant earning a sixth year of eligibility and returning 1st Team Pac-10 center Colin Baxter leading the way. The Arizona running backs are incredibly experienced and feature versatility with speed backs Nic Grigsby and Keola Antolin opposite two bruising tailbacks in Greg Nwoko (6’2 228 lbs.) and Taimi Tutogi (6’1 258 lbs.). The wide receiver unit is also strong despite the loss of senior receiver Delashaun Dean for the season (violation of team rule). Juron Criner has the skills to be among the top Pac-10 wide outs, and he’ll be surrounded by other talented pass catchers in William “Bug” Wright, David Roberts, Travis Cobb and transfer Gino Crump. The offensive talent doesn’t stop there, though. Last season, Wright led the Pac-10 with a 17.5 average on punt returns while Cobb finished second in the conference to Stanford’s Chris Owusu (31.5) in kickoff returns with an average of 25.4 per return. Add in Alex Zendejas’ 17-of-22 on field goals with a long of 47, plus a game-winner against rival Arizona State and the special teams unit should also be strong.

Weaknesses: It’s easy to point to the linebacker unit as a weakness, but JUCO transfers Derek Earls and Paul Vassallo each had very strong spring camps, which diminished some of the worry the Arizona coaching staff had in losing all three starters from last year’s squad. The real mystery lies within the Arizona secondary. Longtime Arizona starters Devin Ross, Cam Nelson and nickel back Corey Hall are gone to graduation. Despite returning a host of athletes with playing experience, the combination of a pass-happy Pac-10 with quality quarterbacks, Arizona’s new secondary coach Greg Brown, and overall youth will pose a challenge for the Arizona secondary. If the unit, led by the talented Trevin Wade, holds up, then the sky could be the limit for the Wildcats in 2010-11. However, if Arizona can’t get off the field on third-and-long (something they struggled with in 2009-10), then Arizona could be looking at a lot of 35-31 losses.

Arizona has a date against Big Ten contender Iowa in the third game of the year. Iowa is a Top 15 team in most preseason polls. What do you hope to learn about Arizona in this game and what do you view as a successful outing?

A successful outing would be an Arizona victory. The Wildcats are 14-5 at home the last three seasons, and four of those losses came to Top 25 teams. That being said, a victory over Iowa won’t come easy. The Hawkeyes physically dominated Arizona in Iowa City last year at the beginning of the year. Arizona was again physically dominated by Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl to conclude its season. Arizona will need to match Iowa’s intensity along the line of scrimmage and win the battle of the trenches. If they get pushed around again, it won’t bode well for the Wildcats in later games against physical teams like Oregon State, Stanford, USC and Oregon. However, if they match or best Iowa’s toughness and pull out a win it could be the jumping-off point for a magical season.

What team on the schedule do you want to beat the most?

The easy answer is every game is as important as the last. However, Mike Stoops came to Arizona with one thing in mind; beat USC. Stoops modeled many of Arizona’s philosophies around those adopted by the Trojans. After losing 49-9 against USC in Stoops’ first season as head coach (2004), the Wildcats slowly but surely began to narrow the losing margin to the Men of Troy (21, 17, 7 and 7) before finally knocking off the Trojans 21-17 in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum last year. This season’s November 13 home date against USC is a huge game for Arizona, but admittedly will lose some of its shine if the Wildcats struggle through September and October games. USC aside, the biggest game on the calendar every year for Arizona is against its arch-rival, ASU. The Territorial Cup is the oldest traveling trophy, but more importantly, the rivalry is often recognized as the most hated in the country. The love-loss between these schools is literally non-existent and falling to the Sun Devils to conclude its regular season on December 2 would be absolutely devastating to all things Arizona.

Who is the best player on your team that nobody talks about?

Defensive tackle Sione Tuihalamaka (6’2, 280 lbs. redshirt freshman) and free safety Adam Hall (6’4, 210 lbs. sophomore). Tuihalamaka is incredibly skilled as a down lineman and will have the opportunity to serve as an anchor along the line of scrimmage alongside Lolamana Mikaele (projected starter at nose tackle). The Wildcats have extremely talented defensive ends in Ricky Elmore, Brooks Reed, and DE back-ups Apaiata Tuihalamake and De’Aundre Reed. It will be a priority for opposing offenses to contain Arizona’s ends, which could free up Tuihalamaka to go one-on-one in the middle. If he plays well, fans will know his name in due time. Another promising player is Hall. Hall has the makings of a great defensive back. He’s big, explosive, and can run with the wind. The Wildcats have had some big hitters from the safety positions throughout their history and Hall has the potential to become the next great safety in Arizona lore. What’s significant of Hall is he’s a local Tucson product that fans are pining to see in down and distance situations.

Who is the best player on the team?

Cornerback Trevin Wade is a pure talent and will undoubtedly follow 2007-08 Thorpe Award winner Antoine Cason into the NFL. Receiver Juron Criner is another future NFL product that has all the tools, especially size and a knack for making the “big” play. However, the best player on the team is center Colin Baxter who is a stabilizing force in the middle of Arizona’s offensive line.

What player(s) needs to step up this year in order for the team to reach its full capability?
Who is the top newcomer that can make an impact this year?

Arizona’s down linemen will be asked to clog the middle for Arizona’s defensive line, allowing their talented ends to operate one-on-one on the edges and make plays in the backfield. Offensively, quarterback Nick Foles needs to have a big season for Arizona to reach its full potential. After exploding onto the scene in starts against Oregon State, Washington and Stanford, Foles’ incredibly hot start tapered off. Foles is a “gamer” and with 10 starts under his belt, a true QB coach in Frank Scelfo now working with him, and a full offseason of repetitions, Foles has the potential to take things to the next level this season. As for top newcomers, it’s a four horse race between Derek Earls, Paul Vassallo, Willie Mobley and true freshman defensive back Marquis Flowers. All should make an impact on some level, but since the first two names mentioned are projected starters the onus is on them to make a serious impact in the middle of Arizona’s defense.

Who is your pick to take the Pac-10 this year and are there any teams flying under the radar that might be able to make a run at the Pac-10 championship?

The Pac-10 is wide open, but Oregon appears to be the team to beat despite losing its quarterback Jeremiah Masoli. The Ducks return 16 starters (8 offense/8 defense) and feature one element across its entire roster that wins football games in the Pac-10; speed, speed, speed. The one thing that could derail the Ducks though is a five-game conference road schedule and NOT having Masoli. Masoli made some incredibly clutch plays for the Ducks en route to last year’s Rose Bowl and it’ll be up to their new quarterback to find ways to make plays when they matter most.

In regards to an “under the radar” team to win the conference championship, Arizona can get it done. Honestly, I wouldn’t consider Arizona an under the radar team, but ever since the Wildcats were picked to finish 5th by the Pac-10 media, they suddenly qualify. Arizona’s offense will put up points, and it’s difficult to ever underestimate a Mike Stoops-coached defense. Co-defensive coordinator Tim Kish is an excellent strategist and new defensive backs coach and fellow defensive coordinate Greg Brown plans to introduce some new, more aggressive schemes to Arizona’s traditional Cover 2 defense. If the stars align, defensively, Arizona is potent enough in other areas (offense and special teams) to make a serious run. Also, consider that Arizona only has four conference road games and one of those is against Washington State and this year could become the year of the Wildcat.

Gut feeling on the team’s final record at the end of the regular season and what makes this a successful season in your eyes?

Truth be told, Arizona always seems to find a way to muck up a good situation. By way of example, a critical missed field goal and Oregon’s ability to convert in third-and-fourth-and long situations against Arizona in Tucson last season ultimately cost the Wildcats the Rose Bowl. The same could easily happen again this season, especially if Arizona’s back seven struggles against Pac-10 QBs not named Jake Locker, Andrew Luck and Matt Barkley. 9-3 seems to be a fair final record, but things can go south quick with a bad loss to Iowa. However, a win over Iowa would likely give Arizona its first perfect non-conference record under Stoops (assuming victories over Toledo and The Citadel) and could set the tone for a very strong campaign that exceeds expectations.

For all things Arizona Wildcats, please visit www.WildcatSportsReport.com for 24/7 team coverage and recruiting news.

 

July 6, 2010

The Case for Arizona Wildcats Football in 2010
By Gary Randazzo

Here’s a simpleton’s approach to why Arizona will be a major player in the Rose Bowl race this season:

Please visit WildcatSportsReport.com daily for team coverage and recruiting news on the Arizona Wildcats. 

June 23, 2010

Arizona Wildcats Blog Entry
By Gary Randazzo, Wildcat Sports Report

The Facts of Life

Remember the theme song to the hit TV show The Facts of Life? “You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have the facts of life, the facts of life.” Well, Arizona Wildcat football is dealing with both the good and the bad right now in Tucson.

Things have heated up in Tucson and unfortunately I’m not referring to the weather. As first reported by WildcatSportsReport.com, after a very stable off-season, the Arizona football team may have been dealt a very serious blow. According to reports, a veteran starter is facing severe disciplinary action and could see his career jeopardized. Several sources inside the football program have indicated that a senior, offensive starter was involved in a serious incident over the weekend and is likely facing disciplinary action, possibly dismissal from the team. Although reports are conflicting about the exact incident, it appears to involve local law enforcement to some degree, and most of the sources believe a firearm was at the heart of the incident.

Several sources believed the player in question was Delashaun Dean, while others were not sure who the player was. On Tuesday, it was revealed in a police report that Dean was indeed at the center of an investigation, which involved possession of a firearm. According to the police report, Dean was seen showing a firearm to acquaintances while dining at a local restaurant. The witness notified the police who arrived on scene shortly thereafter.

A member of Dean’s family made several posts on Facebook alluding to the situation (which have since been removed) and several people close to the program have heard that Dean has either been suspended or dismissed from the team. Another Facebook posting by a person close to the situation was also pulled, after flat out stating that a current player was kicked off the team. As of now, no official announcement has come from the program or the University.

Up until Dean’s incident, things have been quiet within the program. Spring Camp was a success and no players were injured beyond the usual bumps and bruises. Head Coach Mike Stoops was looking for more accuracy out of his quarterbacks, but had nothing but positive things to say about the development of his quarterbacks under the watchful eye of new QB Coach Frank Scelfo. Defensively, the Wildcats broke in a host of new linebackers, including JUCO transfers Paul Vassallo and Derek Earls. First indication is that both Earls and Vassallo impressed to the point that both exited Spring Camp atop the depth chart along with true sophomore Jake Fischer. The freshman class reported to campus on time last week, and 7-on-7 voluntary workout drills are currently underway.

If Dean is indeed suspended, or dismissed from the team entirely it will be a blow to the Wildcats. Dean is a fifth year senior and considered Arizona’s go-to possession receiver, especially within the red zone. Dean played through nagging injuries in 2009, but still produced 42 catches for 396 yards. For his career, Dean has 132 catches for 1,407 yards and 7 touchdowns. Fortunately for Arizona, the Wildcats are deep at the wide receiver position within proven pass catchers Juron Criner, William ‘Bug’ Wright, David Douglass, and Travis Cobb highlighting the two-deep chart.

Arizona Games to be Televised

The program did receive good news this week from the Pac-10’s television partners. No less than five Arizona Wildcat football games will be televised nationally on ESPN/ABC this season. Arizona’s television lineup on ESPN includes a Friday night season-opener at Toledo, a Saturday home date against Iowa, another Friday night game at Oregon, and a Thursday afternoon showdown against arch-rival Arizona State. Arizona’s game against USC in Tucson will be televised by ABC with a scheduled start of 6 p.m. MST.

The television exposure is an obvious positive for the Wildcats on the recruiting trail, but the real boon will come on September 3rd when they visit Toledo. Arizona has made a concerted effort to expand its recruiting outreach to the Midwest, landing several recruits from the state of Illinois in recent classes. That initiative continues and having an opportunity to play a televised game in the state of Ohio early in the season could serve the school well in its 2011 and 2012 recruiting classes.

For more team news and recruiting coverage on the Arizona Wildcats, please visit www.wildcatsportsreport.com

Updated 2010 Arizona Football Schedule

http://www.wildcatsportsreport.com/arizona-wildcats-football-news-recruiting

September 8, 2009

CMU vs. Arizona Recap:  Defense dominates

            The anticipation of who would be Arizona’s starting quarterback would have to wait an extra 45 minutes as, just like last year against Idaho, the game was delayed due to weather.  However, the neither defense seemed to be hindered as both had their moments during the game.
            Arizona chose to go with QB Matt Scott to lead the team Saturday.  Scott did not play poorly, but did not have a great game either.  Scott would struggle a little bit in the first half as Arizona would pull out early with a 13-0 lead.  Although it had been said by coach Stoops that both Scott and Foles would see 1st game action, Stoops told the media prior to the game that the coaches would hope Scott could gain a grip on the game and they just wanted him to play.  Hence, Nick Foles did not see the field at all Saturday.
            The Arizona offense would struggle immensely in the red zone as Central Michigan’s defense stepped up when it needed to.  Arizona’s kicker Alex Zendejas, who had some missed field goals during camp scrimmages, would execute during the game, going 4 of 4 and tying a school record for made FG’s in a game.
            Meanwhile, Central Michigan QB Dan Lefevour was pressured all night by Arizona’s defensive line.  All of the blame cannot go on Lefevour, as CMU’s offensive line showed its inexperience throughout the game.  It would take Central Michigan all game and into the 4th quarter before they would score a touchdown.
            After the 19-6 victory for Arizona, many of the Arizona players talked about how they needed to execute better and that would be something they would work on this week heading into the NAU game.  Hopefully NAU won’t give fits to Arizona.

August 24, 2009

Fall Camp over; QB starter to be named Monday

            The Arizona Wildcats finished up fall camp last Saturday with a public scrimmage at Arizona stadium.  Towards the end of camp, many thought that Scott still had the slight lead over Foles for the starting position.  However, Foles was quite impressive in the last scrimmage while Scott saw his receivers drop five passes.  It is safe to say that coach Stoops knows which QB he’ll choose to start against Central Michigan, but Foles’s performance Saturday has definitely given coach something to think about.
            When it comes to the running backs, it is interesting to note that Arizona has three different backs that can all produce decently.  3rd string RB rFr Greg Nwoko has been very impressive in camp and many feel he can have a solid season depending how much time he receives.  Meanwhile, junior RB Nic Grigsby feels he’s coming into the season being overlooked by the Pac-10.  Grigsby put on some weight this offseason and now he’s strong enough to break through tackles yet fast enough to hit the hole hard and break off a big run.  Also, sophomore RB Keola Antolin has been doing well and looks to be the RB with the best hands and could be seen a lot on 3rd down situations.
            As stated before, the wide receivers for Arizona have all been equally impressive.  Mainly, the incoming recruits have all made strong cases for playing time this season, especially with the departure of Mike Thomas.  Right now, replacing Thomas looks to be WR “Bug” Wright with JUCO transfer Travis Cobb right behind him.  Most likely, the idea is to give true freshman WR Dewayne Peace a chance to play if injuries pile up.  If the entire wide receiver core stays healthy, it looks as if Peace will take a redshirt.  As for the TE position, Rob Gronkowski looks to return to practice next week and be ready for Central Michigan; nevertheless, junior TE AJ Simmons has shown throughout camp that he’s still a good option should big Gronk still have back issues during the season.
            Both the offensive and defensive lines have showed coaches and fans little worry about that position.  LT Mike Diaz has filled the shoes of former LT Eben Britton quite nicely and the return of Blake Kerely to the line provides more upperclassmen stability.  On the d-line, DE Brooks Reed continues to lead the team in sacks during camp.  And with the depth on both sides of the ball, it will tough for opponents at the point of attack.
            However, the depth at linebacker could be a big concern.  The top 3 of Lewis, Tuihalamaka, and Kelley have been very consistent on the field.  Their combined strength and speed will be key assets in the Wildcat defensive scheme.  Looking at the defensive back position, it turns out that moving sophomore DB Robert Golden to SS has turned out to be the best move of the offseason.  During the last scrimmage, Golden seemed to always be in the area to make key plays and tackles.  Opponents should be fearful now if they decide to go over the middle.  With so much depth on the team overall, it is hard to find major fault in most positions.  If any consistency can be developed from the QB position, the Wildcats can be a very dangerous team.

For more news and updates on Arizona Football, visit GoAZCATS.com

August 17, 2009

More questions than answers during Wildcats’ Camp

            It has been two weeks since the start of camp for the Arizona Wildcats and there has been no separation between the two sophomore quarterbacks Matt Scott and Nick Foles.  Over the past few days, both players have performed very well, completing most of their passes on 7-on-7 drills and each of the receivers on the team have benefitted from the quarterback play.  While some still think that Scott still has the slight lead due to his mobility, there are others who think Foles has shown more improvement with each practice than Scott has.  With this competition so tight, we may have to see which QB takes the field first against Central Michigan on September 5th.
            Unfortunately, the biggest news to come out of camp has been the injury of 1st team Pac-10 TE Rob Gronkowski.  Big Gronk was held out of practice beginning last Sunday with what was thought to be a leg injury.  He was then sent home to Tucson to receive better medical attention.  Then, over the weekend, it was reported by the Arizona Daily Star that Gronkowski has a back injury and is at least out for another week of camp.  With converted QB to TE Tyler Lyon out for the entire camp as well, junior TE A.J. Simmons has been picking up the slack and with the 1st team reps he’s seen, he has performed well.  Simmons may not be the physical presence Gronkowski is, but he’s athletic enough to split the middle of the field and make a solid contribution for the team should Gronkowski miss more time.  Other key players currently out with injury include WR Delashaun Dean and OG Vaughn Dotsy.  Both were held out of practice the past week, but it sounds as if they are not too badly banged up and should return to practice early next week.
            With each of the WR’s stepping up big in camp, it has actually become a small competition as to who will replace Mike Thomas.  Going into camp, many thought “Bug” Wright would fill in well enough, but the recent play of JUCO transfer Travis Cobb and true freshman DeWayne Peace have given the coaches something to think about.  Cobb has been consistent throughout camp, while Peace struggled a bit at the start with some dropped passes, but has definitely come on strong over the past few days.  Sophomore WR’s David Douglas and Juron Criner have both done well at camp and look to be solid backups during the season.
            As for the defense, everyone on the squad has made a great play so far during fall camp.  DE Brooks Reed continues to impress coaches and fans alike with his ability to rush the QB.  DB Trevin Wade continues to find the ball well and still leads the team in INT’s.  Even JUCO transfer LB CJ Parish has been making great tackles and his great instincts should get him some playing time this year.
            As camp is nearing its end and classes are due to start soon, the team will start two-a-days soon to better prepare themselves for week one.  The total depth this team has shown should produce good results for the season.

For more news and updates on Arizona Football, visit GoAZCATS.com

August 9, 2009

Camp Begins:  QB Competition still tight

            It has only been a few practices since fall camp started last Thursday for the Wildcats, but there has been little separation between the two talented quarterbacks Matt Scott and Nick Foles.  In fact, there have been times during camp, whether the team is participating in 7-on-7 or scrimmaging, when if one QB throws an errant pass, he is immediately replaced with the other QB.  Scott still has the better mobility of the two while Foles has the better arm.
            The wide receivers have made it difficult for the coaching staff as well as they have made great plays and are rarely dropping the ball.  Potential starters Terrell Turner and Delashaun Dean are producing at a high level, while backups like David Douglas and Juron Criner have performed equally well.
            The only bit of injury news came last Friday when RB Nic Grigsby went down with a sprained ankle.  As he left the field, it was thought he would miss a few practices.  However, Grigsby was back on the field the next day, running at full speed.  There would be times in the past when a starter would go down in fall camp and there would be no one on the depth chart good enough to replace him.  But, with the emergence of RB’s Keola Antolin and Greg Nwoko, Wildcat fans can now breathe a bit easier.
            As for the defensive side of the ball, DE Brooks Reed looks even better than last season and is getting to the QB very often during camp.  Also, DB Trevin Wade still has a great nose for the ball as he has 2 INT’s so far during fall camp.  One final note on the defense, the speed of the defense as a whole is the best it has been in ten years and it should be a good year defensively for Arizona.
            Next week, the Wildcats will continue fall camp at Fort Huachuca in Tucson.

July 28, 2009

Arizona Football Pre-Camp Blog

Coming off their first bowl win and first bowl appearance in ten years, the Arizona Wildcats can still feel the excitement of confetti swirling around the field and Coach Stoops hoisting the trophy high into the air for the loyal fans. The coaches have been pushing the bowl win for future recruits, showing them how the program is turning the corner. While the players have been exhibiting more confidence in the team and their abilities than fans have seen in a long time. However, some crucial questions have been asked since then, with some still needing answers.

Heading into spring practice, the biggest question asked was who would replace QB Willie Tuitama. Sophomore QB’s Matt Scott and Nick Foles are the front-runners for the vacant position. Both QB’s had their good and bad moments during the spring and some hoped a starter would be named after the spring game.

The spring game featured two different teams, blue and white, with Scott on the white team and Foles leading the blue. Scott may have led the white team to a 23-21 victory, but only completed 55% of his passes. Foles would complete 66%, as he has the stronger arm of the two, but its Scott’s ability to run that keep him in the conversation as starting QB. Although a starter was not named after the spring game, many fans and players feel that Scott has the slight lead. But don’t tell that to coach Stoops, as he thinks at this moment, both QB’s have the potential to see the field in their first game against Central Michigan.

Another big departure is WR Mike Thomas, the Pac-10 leader in receptions. It will be tough to replace a WR of that talent, but sophomore WR William “Bug” Wright had an impressive spring and there are some that think he can come in and perform most of the same abilities as Thomas. Also of note are LT Eben Britton, LB Ronnie Palmer and DB Nate Ness moving on, yet their replacements have performed well and it is not as heavy as a loss. Especially with DB Robert Golden moving to FS, the coaches already think they will have a solid secondary for at least the next two years.

With fall camp starting up in one week, it’s a good feeling when all of your recruits qualify and are on campus ready to work. And that’s the case with Arizona. One incoming recruit, Ryan Milus, has decided not to play football and will instead join a track team at another school. Coach Stoops has yet to grant a release, but the situation looks to be handled within the coming weeks. On another note, DL Kaniela Tuipulotu decided to transfer to Hawaii after falling to third string on the depth chart after the spring game.

While the team may be more confident and hungrier to win the Pac-10 than last year, their schedule did not get any easier. Road trips to Iowa, Cal and USC are tough enough and it will be interesting to see how Arizona handles those teams. Nevertheless, coach Stoops and the Wildcats are ready to play and make a big impact this year.
For more news and updates on Arizona football, visit GoAZCats.com