Inside The Pac-10: Arizona Makes Its Statement In Win Over Iowa

By Avinash Kunnath - Contributor

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Sep 20, 2010 - In trying to make sense of a nonsensical weekend in the Pac-10, I turn to the great strategist Carl von Clausewitz for guidance.

Arizona 34, Iowa 27

Proper Clausewitz quote: "War is the province of chance. In no other sphere of human activity must such a margin be left for this intruder. It increases the uncertainty of every circumstance and deranges the course of events."

That properly depicts what occurred last night in Tucson, because nothing about the Wildcats 34-27 victory made any sense. Nothing about this game made any sense, except that the game was in Tucson, the Area 51 of college football. It's a place where Pac-10 dreams have vanished into the desert, and now it was Iowa's turn to feel the pain.

It'll be diagnosed as a display of Wildcat superiority. It felt like someone was shuffling a deck of cards upstairs and constantly drew the Joker.

Neither running attack got going;  Iowa and Arizona combined for 92 rushing yards, which is about what Nevada had in its first quarter against Cal (oh-wait-I'm-getting-ahead-of-myself-let-me-stop-banging-my-head-against-the-wall). With no help from Jewel Robinson, Ricky Stanzi drove his team right back down the field after a botched special teams play, only to commit a Ricky Stanzi-like turnover pick six into the hands of Trevin Wade. With no help from Nic Grigsby and Keoala Antolin, Nick Foles was like, "I can outdo you!" and threw a pick-six right into the hands of defensive lineman Broderick Binns.

There was the bizarre special teams by both teams. Iowa started off the scoring with a blocked punt that resulted in a quick Arizona touchdown. Arizona returned the favor by bobbling a punt return that opened the door for Iowa to score on another short drive. Travis Cobb took a kickoff 100 yards to make it 21-7 Arizona, with Arizona's high-powered offense gaining only 13 yards on the three scores. And when Iowa got that pick six that should've put them up 28-27, they blew the extra point (and that might not even be the most important missed extra point of this column!).

Foles was 28 of 39, but other than the game-winning drive it never felt like he was marching the Wildcats into the end zone. His first drive was a grand 13 yards thanks to the blocked punt, his next big march ended with Nic Grigsby fumbling (shocker!) into the end zone. He then had drives of 76 and 51 yards end in field goals. He was excellent down the stretch, completing five of six and rolling up an Iowa defense that had contained him most of the second half. Just to add a final variable of randomness, Stanzi got sacked on the final three meaningful plays from scrimmage.

I don't know what to make of this game. I do know Arizona is 3-0, and entering Pac-10 play they should be feared, especially in that red blur of a stadium that might or might not be tinged with peyote. Cal and Oregon State (the next two visitors to Tucson), you've been warned.

SB Nation Reactions

AZ Desert Swarm (Arizona) was very enthusiastic about this game result: "My overall impression coming out of this game, is that the Arizona Wildcats are much, much better than anyone gave them credit for. On offense, defense, and special teams. I will go on the record now, and say that there is not another team on the schedule for Arizona this season that should be favored over them. Oregon escaped by the skin of their teeth last season, and that game could be called a toss up, but Arizona has to be the favorite right now for the Rose Bowl. Without some questionable calls from the referees, and a most unfortunate bounce of the football off of the head of ‘Bug’ Wright, this game would not have been close. Arizona was clearly the better team. And not by a little."

Black Heart Gold Pants (Iowa) was dour: "Arizona's defensive line decisively won the battle against Iowa's offensive line, exposing our greatest fear going into the season: that rebuilt line is fucking scary... and not in a good way.  They got wrecked by the Zona defensive linemen all.  fucking.  night.  long.  Most disappointing was the fact that [left tackle Riley] Reiff got worked hard by the Zona defensive ends he was tasked with blocking; he's supposed to be the anchor of the line and the one "sure thing" we had.  Oops.  Now Brooks Reed and Ricky Elmore are good defensive ends... but Reiff is going to have to handle some good defensive ends in the Big Ten, too, and we're going to be in for some more long nights and afternoons if we doesn't start looking more like the guy we saw a year ago."

Wisconsin 20, Arizona State 19

Proper Clausewitz quote:  "War is the domain of physical exertion and suffering."

That about sums up the tragedy of the Sun Devils loss. They returned 1.99 kickoffs for a touchdown behind Kyle Middlebrooks and Omar Bolden, but couldn't take advantage of the .99 because it was the last play of the first half (which begs the question of why Wisconsin actually kicked deep to them). They got robbed on a clear pass interference in the end zone on T.J. Simpson, which should've given them 1st and goal; the Devils instead got 4th down and settled for the tying field goal. The sure-footed Thomas Weber booted a 25 yard field goal wide. And those are only half the mistakes (check out the rest courtesy of Vince Marotta's recap on Pitchfork Nation).

Credit to Wisconsin for moving the ball thanks to their two threats, tailback John Clay and tight end Lance Kendricks. Bucky's 5th Quarter (the Wisconsin SB Nation) with the story.

Clay carried the ball 22 times for 125 yards and one touchdown, while Kendricks caught seven passes for 131 yards and a touchdown.

...

"We’re always going to find ways to get Lance the ball just because of what a talent he is and just an asset he is for our offense," [quarterback Scott] Tolzien said. "So yeah, I think today it was good that we got him the ball, especially in some of those third down situations."

On the bright side, the Arizona State offense has been revived with the new Airraid attack. Michigan transfer Steven Threet is looking more and more legit. Freshman DeAntre Lewis looked like a clear injection of peyote into the usually colorless ASU running attack. Cory Williams of House of Sparky discusses their contributions.

Threet is surprisingly mobile, moving around in the pocket, avoiding sacks, and making accurate throws on the run. After this performance, Sun Devil fans have to be very happy that he will be around next season.

...

Lewis is insanely fast. In the preseason, the coaching staff was very enthusiastic about Lewis and his big play abilities. This was proven yesterday after Lewis picked up 122 yards on only nine carries. This type of talent has been missing in Tempe for the past few seasons - we don't need to worry about that anymore.

And after a glorious game-tying touchdown drive by Threet that seemed to put the Badgers and Sun Devils on an overtime collision course...the Badgers blocked the extra point. ASU wouldn't see the ball again. Football is cruel.

Nebraska 52, Washington 21

Proper Clausewitz quote:  "Blind aggressiveness would destroy the attack itself, not the defense."

The Jake Locker for Heisman campaign imploded in spectacular fashion on Saturday afternoon, as the Husky signal-caller threw one of the worst football games in modern record. He got happy feet when the pocket broke down, took off way too early at the first sign of the collapsing pocket. Steve Sarkisian probably could have helped him by moving the pocket a little bit more, but Locker didn't really do much other than a broken coverage that resulted in a Jermaine Kearse touchdown. John Berkowitz of UW Dawg Pound gave the heralded Husky an F for his performance.

The interception on the first possession rattled him and he never recovered.  To be fair he was hurried most of the day and his receivers were covered for the most part. That being said he didn't help himself with his lack of touch and accuracy. On the positive side of things he did have a 7 yard TD run in the first quarter and a 33 yarder in the second half. Jake has problems reading past his first or second progression. He was completely confused by this defense. Grade: F

Final numbers: 4 for 20. FOUR FOR TWENTY. He's had higher batting averages than that completion percentage.

Still, even if Locker had done the opposite and torched the Huskers, it's hard to see them catching up with a Nebraska offense that decided to do one of two things:

1) Run the football for tons of yards and a score

2) Pass the football for tons of yards and a score.

By the end of the game, Nebraska was very proficient in both regards. The Husky defense, a big question mark coming into the season, got shredded. Corn Nation talked about the rushing attack.

In all, Nebraska finished with 383 yards rushing on 54 carries for a 7.1 yard average. [Quarterback] Taylor Martinez finished with 19 carries for 137 yards and three touchdowns, Helu added 110 yards on 10 carries and two touchdowns will Rex Burkhead had 104 yards on 13 carries and another touchdown. Nebraska finished with three 100-yard rushers for only the fifth time in school history. 

It was a different Husker rushing attack from the past. Rather than pounding their opponent into the ground with power football, Nebraska used the spread and zone read to discombobulate the overmatched Husky defense.

The only bright side for the Huskies was a pretty solid rushing attack, with Locker, Jesse Callier and Chris Polk gathering 171 yards. They get a week off before heading for a matchup with the Trojans, who are looking for revenge for last year's upset.

Nevada 52, California 31

Proper Clausewitz quote:  "The best form of defense is attack."

A pretty tough beat for the Bears, who didn't look like they knew how to handle the Pistol offense in any of its incarnations. A lot of changes had to be made on the fly because of Mike Mohamed getting scratched at the last minute. California Golden Blogs with the story.

Mohamed coaches the team on the field. He would have recognized the tendencies, he could've played and coordinated what type of plays Nevada would have ran, he would've been the steady hand for a Golden Bear defense not prepared for the gimmicky pistol attack.  It was clear that no one else could handle that responsibility, as it took nearly one half for the Bears to finally contain the Pistol.

...

Without him in the game, for the entire first half against the true Nevada pistol, we were lost on defense. Totally, irrevocably lost.

Despite great performances by Shane Vereen (19 rushes, 198 yards, 3 touchdowns) and Marvin Jones (12 catches, 161 yards), Cal was undone by the inconsistent play of senior quarterback Kevin Riley, who overthrew Keenan Allen, Jones, and Isi Sofele on several occasions, missed deep throws, got called for a delay of game on 4th down, and threw a deadly pick-six that destroyed any momentum they had going forward. The Bears must enter Pac-10 play on the road in the frenetic twilight of Tucson, and will need to reverse their play in a hurry.

Oregon State 35, Louisville 28

Proper Clausewitz quote:  "There is only one decisive victory: the last."

I don't even know why I bother writing a recap of the Beavers in non-conference games anymore. We all know what they do--swoon in September. Then they'll go on a road trip to Tucson at the beginning of October, where they will almost certainly spring the upset and ruin Arizona's Pac-10 title hopes.

This struggle against an average Cardinals team at home is by the numbers. Jacquizz Rodgers was the one steady hand, racking up his usual 132 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries. Ryan Katz started slowly, but finished with 15 for 26 for 157 yards and two touchdowns. That probably means he'll be an All-American quarterback by Halloween.

Building the Dam talks about the defensive adjustments the Beavers made to stop Louisville after they racked up 28 points.

Louisville's huge offensive front was expected to win the battle against the Oregon St. front seven, and coupled with a lot of short crossing routes that occupied the Beavers' secondary, was effective against the gap cancellation principles of Oregon St. Defensive Coordinator Mark Banker's defense.

...

Once Oregon St. switched to more read and pursuit, Louisville was shut down.

Next up? Boise State on Saturday Night Football. Oregon State: they don't care about September, they don't care about the Pac-10 rep. They're total war personified. Focusing on the end instead of winning in the beginning.

Stanford 68, Wake Forest 24

Proper Clausewitz quote: "The first and most important rule to observe...is to use our entire forces with the utmost energy."

Can't accuse the Cardinal of laying down for the Demon Deacons. Chris Owusu came back and hooked up with Andrew Luck to start this one for two touchdowns, but there is some concern as Luck's primary target Ryan Whalen injured his elbow. Luck was perfecto though, going 17 of 23 with 4 touchdowns, no picks and a 52 yard scamper where he literally outraced the entire Wake Forest defense into the end zone.  Jim Harbaugh didn't let the foot off the gas, as the Cardinal defense harassed quarterback Tanner Price all over the place.

This is probably a grand combination of the Cardinal pass attack being very good and the Wake Forest secondary being very very bad. With a big national telecast looming in South Bend with the reeling Fighting Irish next Saturday, the Cardinal could be knocking on 4-0 before their critical tilts with USC and Oregon.

Wake Forest SB Nation blog Blogger So Dear kept his recap succinct.

UCLA 31, Houston 13

Proper Clausewitz quote:  "There are times when the utmost daring is the height of wisdom."

The "Houston for BCS Busters" bandwagon vanished into thin air on Saturday when they were picked apart by a Bruins offense that couldn't run forward if it tried last week. What was more impressive was the Bruin defense stuffing Houston, holding them to almost nothing meaningful after an early field goal and showing people how far they had to catch up with the major conferences. Nestor of Bruins Nation talks about the strong defensive effort thanks to big changes by defensive coordinator Chuck Bullough.

The numbers last night speak for themselves. Bruins pounded their QBs and sent Case Keenum and Cotton Turner to the locker room (hope they are doing ok). The Cougars were limited to 360 total yards with only 108 of them coming on the ground...

So credit to Bullough for perhaps calling the best game of his career to date. He was under a lot of pressure (for good reasons) and he responded with fielding a team that was ready to attack and attack it did most of the night. I also specifically appreciated the personnel adjustments Bullough unveiled as Nate Chandler took over Justin Edison's spot at DT and Keenan Graham got the spot at DE. Those moves I believe played a part in Patrick Larimore letting it loose from the Mike LB. Those guys blew up Cougars with vicious hits all night long, making life hellish for Sumlin's squad which might have been looking to make a "statement" at the Rose Bowl.

The Bruins have precious little time to celebrate. A daunting road trip to Austin looms next week to end UCLA's brutal non-conference slate. But they're on the board, and at least for one week they can say that they're not as much a pushover as people thought they were.

USC 32, Minnesota 21

Proper Clausewitz quote: "Talent and genius operate outside the rules."

Minnesota maximized their effort for two and a half quarters, managing to eek out a 14-13 lead on Mighty Troy and fueling thoughts that the Gophers could spring a huge upset after an embarrassing loss to South Dakota State.

Then Robert Woods took the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. Ronald Johnson had an earlier 53 yard touchdown catch, and Allen Bradford added a clinching 56 yard touchdown run. Sometimes talent is enough. 

Joey Kaufman of Conquest Chronicles was pleased with the win, especially complimenting the improved offensive efficency.

Allen Bradford finally appeared healthy, rushing for 131 yards on 12 carries in replacement for the starting Marc Tyler. Matt Barkley, despite two interceptions in which one of them can be attributed to a communication lapse, still managed to throw two touchdowns while completing 65% of his passes. 

And they spread the love around as well. Four different running backs carried the ball, and eight different receivers recorded at least one reception.

GopherNation of The Daily Gopher (Minnesota's SB Nation site) talked about USC dominating the line of scrimmage.

After a listless first half by the Trojans and a Gopher touchdown to give Minnesota the lead in the 3rd quarter, USC exerted their will and pounded the rock rushing for 121 yards in the 4th quarter alone.   The big Trojan line leaned on the Gopher defensive front and they opened hole after hole averaging about eight yards per carry ... The Trojans won the line of scrimmage and controlled the second half.

Next up for the Trojans--dates with the Washington schools (at Cougars, home versus Huskies).

Southern Methodist 35, Washington State 21

Proper Clausewitz quote: "Of all the passions that inspire a man in a battle, none, we have to admit, is so powerful and so constant as the longing for honor and reknown."

Are the Cougars finally turning that proverbial corner? After nearly getting upset at home by feeble Montana State, they actually competed down to the wire. We'll know more about their ability to fight with the best when USC comes to Pullman next week, but for now Brian Floyd of Coug Center is happy to take some positives from this victory, particuarly with their beleaguered head coach.

Paul Wulff deserves credit for today. The Cougs lost but the team came out prepared and didn't stumble out of the gates today. The emphasis on tackling in practice? It showed. WSU was mentally prepared for SMU and played sound, solid football for most of the game. We wondered if Wulff could take some of the heat after the MSU game. He did well and impressed me today.

Oregon 69, Portland State 0

Proper Clausewitz quote: "Pursue one great decisive aim with force and determination."

In this game, the aim for the Ducks was to keep up the furious point per minute pace. 129 points, 120 minutes. Mission accomplished Ducks. See you in Tempe next week. The Pac-10 title defense begins.

Read More: inside the pac-10, Stanford Cardinal, USC Trojans, Washington St. Cougars, UCLA Bruins, Arizona Wildcats, Oregon St. Beavers, Oregon Ducks, Washington Huskies, Arizona St. Sun Devils, California Golden Bears

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