SB Nation - Delashaun Dean

Ranking the 2009 Pac-10 Football MVPs: Part I

Avinash — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:00:29 -0000

Mike Mohamed had some big plays this season. Was it enough to be a Pac-10 MVP?

In case you missed it, here's Part 1: the LVPs of their respective teams.

This post got too long, so I had to split it into three. Here are the honorable mention categories and the Pac-10 players and units ranked #30 thru #21 (#20-11 coming this afternoon, #10-1 coming Friday morning). Let's dive into it.

Honorable Mention

Jeff Locke, Reid Forrest: You know your team's in trouble when your punters are higher than anyone on your offense. And in Forrest's case, you know your team is royally fucked when your punter is the only one on your team who appears on this list.

Donald Butler: Didn't really do anything spectacular this year, but 96 tackles will get you on this list.

Daniel Te'o-Nesheim: So will 9.5 sacks and 12.5 TFL. Too bad the Huskies defense ranged from 'sheer brilliance' to 'human atrocity'

Ed Dickson: I'll be nice as possible about this--FUCK ED DICKSON. AGGGGGHHHHHHHHH.

Damola Adeniji: Despite all the production of James Rodgers, he wasn't Canfield's main target on 3rd down. Probably because secondaries keyed in on Rodgers, Adeniji racked up 27 catches in that situation, 21 for first downs, 5th in the country. Only 49 catches overall, but considering he only had 1 last season, I'll say this is a slight upgrade.

Chris Polk: Finished this season on a tear: Five ninety+ yard games and a 1000 yard season overall. Hard to measure his impact though, since the Huskies lost three of those games and Locker and the defense were the focal points of the other two.

Trojan offensive line: Lost season for these guys. 17 sacks allowed, 40 tackles for loss allowed, only a top 40 rushing offense. Ho-hum for them. I would've dreamed of something like this for the Bears.

Mike Mohamed: Cal's most productive defensive player on a not-so-great defensive unit. You have to give massive props for a 100 tackle season (his 104 tackles were tops in the Pac-10). And he saved another Cal season from sliding into disaster with a crucial interception in the Big Game.

Kyle Williams, Dmitri Nance: Solid production considering their quarterback struggled to complete half of his passes. Plus I feel bad for Williams ending his career like that.

Syd'Quan Thompson: If Cal had ONE guy (Hagan, Hill, Nnabuife, Conte, Rope Guy, someone) step up at corner on the other side of the field, who knows how our season turns out. We sure as hell don't get lit up by Oregon, USC or UDub on defense (Syd's limited ability in the final game pretty much assured we were screwed against Locker).

He was still a fabulous open field tackler when he got the chance, and when quarterbacks threw to his side of the field, he usually shut down. Like Asomugha in Oakland, that kind of effort only gets rewarded with first team All Pac-10, and minimal impact on the box score. So while his talent is easy enough to gauge, it's really hard to measure his value. Which is why he's honorable mention and not on the top 30.

After the jump, here's #30-21. If there are any thoughts of players or units left off, or guesses as to who will end up in the top 20, leave them in the comments.

#30 Damian Williams, #29 Joe McKnight

via theoraclesays.files.wordpress.com

These two are actually the first since Bush and White to break 100+ all-purpose yards a game since Bush and Leinart. Solid seasons, but other than McKnight on the final drive against Ohio State and Williams tearing up Notre Dame, how many moments do you remember concerning these two? That kind of year for the Trojans. It's up in the air whether either will return too.

#28 Ryan Whalen

via www4.pictures.zimbio.com

6th in the Pac-10 in receptions, turned into Luck's best passing threat when Owusu went Section Eight in the biggest games. Thought about ranking him higher, but I don't have any Whalen moments to really justify putting him further up. Perhaps the Cardinal fans can refresh my memory...oh, wait, there are no Cardinal fans. #28 it is.

#27 Arizona's receiving corps (Turner, Criner, Roberts, Dean, Douglas)

via www.azstarnet.com

Five guys with 30 catches or more? Now that's spreading the wealth around. By contrast, Cal had only one receiver (Jones) catch more than 30. Obviously, Cal isn't built to be a passing offense, but still, this is a far cry from two-three years ago. Sigh.

#26 UCLA's secondary

via images.ocregister.com

I know Rahim Moore led the nation in picks, and Alterraun Verner had another fine year--but how good are these guys? Other than shutting down Jonathan Crompton and whoever the hell Kansas State's quarterback is, the Bruins pass D has been surprisingly average. Even Kevin Riley burned them deep. I repeat, KEVIN RILEY BURNED THEM DEEP. Does this happen to good secondaries?

Oh well...at least Moore is capable of that "deep, longing, alluring, penetrating, soul-piercing, heart-tugging look".

#25 Tyson Alualu

via cache.daylife.com

Kind of hard to say how bad the Bears defense would've been without Alualu cracking apart the line. His efforts alone helped shut down Minnesota's passing game in a tight 4th quarter. Extra linemen often were forced to commit to him, and it opened up the rest of the front to get after Arizona and the Furd's high powered offensive attack.

Unfortunately, he never really had a Mebane-like force on the line--he couldn't really disrupt the passing attacks the way his predecessors did How much of that was dictated by scheme or by his own pass rush methods is beyond my knowledge, but Cal's pass rush was far weaker than anticipated, far weaker than the 27 sacks they put up this year.

Still a great season for Tice though--Cal's run defense was top-tier, and a lot of that had to do with #44.

(Story that really depressed me this week: Bear Insider's look at how close Ndamukong Suh came to being a Golden Bear. Imagine Alualu and Suh coming together in the 3-4 the last two seasons, particularly last year. I'm getting bummed out now.)

#24 Jahvid Best

via www.pe.com

For a guy who was supposed to be a Heisman hopeful, it's shocking to see Best not even crack the top 20. But that's how it is in a frustrating season for Jahvid, whose season seemed to peak in Minneapolis. Still had some spectacular runs, but running behind the crappiest offensive line in the Tedford era, it could've been way, way better.

#23 Chris Owusu

via a.espncdn.com

A menace for us, and a big game-changer for the Furd, having huge returns on almost every opponent this year. Surprisingly (and stupidly), everyone in the Pac-10 continued to kick to Owusu long after he demonstrated he would outrace their coverage to the end zone. The Furd ranked 3rd in the country in kickoff returns, mostly due to Owusu's skills.

He gets bumped down a bit because if he could just hang onto a few passes (he dropped big catches in EVERY conference loss), the Furd are going to Pasadena.

#22 Kai Forbath

via tnjn.com

Laugh all you want that a kicker cracks the top 25. When a Bruins fan describes him as your most consistent player...well, that says a lot.

Take a look at the games Forbath swung this season.
~13 of UCLA's 19 points in a 4 point win over the Vols in Rocky Top
~11 of UCLA's 23 points in a 10 point win over the Sun Devils
~6 of UCLA's 24 points in a 1 point win over the Huskies
~11 of UCLA's 23 points in a 14 point win over K-State.

Add in these stats
~26 field goals, second most in the country behind Alabama's Tiffin
~99th scoring offense in the country

Not hard to say Forbath was UCLA's offensive MVP this season, isn't it? Switch Forbath with an average kicker and the Bruins win four games? Three?

#21 Shane Vereen

via dlerium.smugmug.com

(Image from dmo580)

Surprisingly had more impressive performances than Best this season, cementing away a Cal victory in Pasadena and being the workload in two upsets over the Wildcats and the Cardinal. Best racked up big numbers against two of the worst teams in the country and an FCS opponent, managing only one great game this season against a bowl-eligible team. Although Best ended up with more rushing yards, Vereen had more all-purpose yards thanks to his kickoff returns and his own pass-catching abilities. Most importantly, when the offensive line collapsed, Vereen had more of the elusiveness to slip away from encroaching defenders.

Best might be the better talent, but Vereen was the more valuable Bear for this Cal squad...but only by a little.

Coming this afternoon: #20-11.

Arizona Quarterback Nick Foles Inappropriately Double Dips The Chip

TwistNHook — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:30:12 -0000

More photos » by Ben Margot - AP

If at first you don't succeed, Nick, go right ahead and try again. Please. Pretty please??

Browse more photos »

Although the final score was an 8 point differential (24-16) at Saturday's Cal-Arizona game, it was really more like a 2 point game. Cal tacked on an extra TD on an exciting Shane Vereen scamper at the tail end of the game. Ironically, that gave Arizona slight hope that they could come back into the game, but that is a different post.

When you have what amounts to a 2 point differential, almost every play seems like it could have changed the balance of the game. Certainly, there were many plays where the game seemed to hang in the balance. But, in my mind, there was one play that completely and totally changed the complexion of the game. One play where the entirety of the momentum shifted from Arizona to Cal. One play that, in my mind, almost decided this game: The Double Pass penalty against Arizona QB Nick Foles on 3rd and short at the tail end of the 4th quarter.

This one stands out to me as being the key game-changing moment. After the fold, follow me through the sequence of events that was the Double Pass.

To see this play in its fullest picture, we need to start before that Arizona drive. Well before. From the ESPN Play by Play.

After a drive starting on their own 20 (touchback from Riley throwing a pick in the end zone), Arizona, aided by 2 Cal PI calls on 3rd and long situations, scores a back breaking TD:

1st and Goal at CAL 8	Nick Foles pass complete to A.J. Simmons for 8 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.	16	15
	Two-point conversion attempt, Nick Foles pass FAILED.
	John Bonano kickoff for 58 yards returned by Jeremy Ross for 11 yards to the Cal 23.

This put Arizona up 16-15. Thankfully, they missed their 2 point conversion as we had before. That means a field goal puts Cal ahead instead of tying it. Still, plenty of time left. Just gotta put the ball into the hands of our play makers and get a time-killing, long drive. Which is kinda exactly what we did:

California at 12:26		ARIZ	CAL
1st and 10 at CAL 23	Shane Vereen rush for 10 yards to the Cal 33 for a 1ST down.	16	15
1st and 10 at CAL 33	Shane Vereen rush for 4 yards to the Cal 37.
2nd and 6 at CAL 37	Shane Vereen rush for 3 yards to the Cal 40.
3rd and 3 at CAL 40	Kevin Riley pass complete to Shane Vereen for 10 yards to the 50 yard line for a 1ST down.
1st and 10 at CAL 50	Shane Vereen rush for a loss of 3 yards to the Cal 47.
2nd and 13 at CAL 47	Kevin Riley pass complete to Verran Tucker for 20 yards to the Ariz 33 for a 1ST down.
1st and 10 at ARIZ 33	Shane Vereen rush for no gain to the Ariz 33.
2nd and 10 at ARIZ 33	Shane Vereen rush for 10 yards to the Ariz 23 for a 1ST down.
1st and 10 at ARIZ 23	Covaughn DeBoskie-Johnson rush for 12 yards to the Ariz 11 for a 1ST down.
1st and 10 at ARIZ 11	CALIFORNIA penalty 5 yard False Start accepted.
1st and 15 at ARIZ 16	Shane Vereen rush for 5 yards to the Ariz 11.
2nd and 10 at ARIZ 11	Shane Vereen rush for 2 yards to the Ariz 9.
3rd and 8 at ARIZ 9	Shane Vereen rush for 4 yards to the Ariz 5.
4th and 4 at ARIZ 5	Giorgio Tavecchio 22 yard field goal GOOD.	16	18
	Giorgio Tavecchio kickoff for 70 yards returned by Travis Cobb for 38 yards to the Ariz 38.
DRIVE TOTALS: CALIFORNIA drive: 13 plays 72 yards, 07:40 CALIFORNIA FG

Looking at this drive, a few things jump out at me. One is that there is no clear way for the ESPN Play By Play guys to signify the WIldBear position. However, at least 4 of these plays came out of the WildBear. I believe the 1st and 15 at the Arizona 16 and 2nd and 10 at the Arizona 11 came out of the WildBear. I think two of the previous ones also came out of the WildBear, although I cannot remember off the top of my head here.

At the time, I was complaining about over ruse of the WildBear. Especially since we literally ran the exact same play every time. Isi Sofele comes running across the field, doesn't take the ball, Vereen fakes a few ways, then runs up the middle for minimal gain. Considering we did manage to:

a)move the ball

b)take gobbles of time off the clock

c)put Cal in the position for a game-winning field goal

I guess it couldn't have been that bad. Then again, perhaps with a few more passes from Riley, we might have scored a TD. But the coaches seemed incredibly hesitant to call Riley's number on this drive. Especially as we got closer to the goal line. He throws 2 passes, completing both for 30 total yards. Not bad. The Tucker pass was REALLY impressive. He threaded the needle perfectly. Tucker took a huge hit, but managed to hold on.

Perhaps after Riley threw 2 goal line picks, the coaches wanted to avoid a 3rd. Playing it really, really, really, really safe. It worked, so hard to complain. Nonetheless, it is just surprising that they wouldn't call his number once after getting inside the Arizona 33!

But, there we go! Cal scores! Yay! 18-16. Cal is up. We just need a stop and to get the ball and wind down the clock. Just need a stop.

Then, this drive starts:

Arizona at 4:46		ARIZ	CAL
1st and 10 at ARIZ 38	Nick Foles pass incomplete.	16	18
2nd and 10 at ARIZ 38	Nick Foles pass complete to Delashaun Dean for 15 yards to the Cal 47 for a 1ST down.
1st and 10 at CAL 47	Timeout CALIFORNIA, clock 4:08.
1st and 10 at CAL 47	Keola Antolin rush for 3 yards to the Cal 44.
2nd and 7 at CAL 44	Nick Foles pass complete to David Douglas for 12 yards to the Cal 32 for a 1ST down.
1st and 10 at CAL 32	Keola Antolin rush for 3 yards to the Cal 29.
2nd and 7 at CAL 29	Keola Antolin rush for 4 yards to the Cal 25.

Ok, firstly, Delashaun?? We can add that to our Sean/Shaun/Shawn library of names. Marshawn. DeSean. Knowshon. LaShuan. And now Delashaun. Thank you Dean family!

Secondly, this was not exactly the stout defensive stop we were looking for. They never even made it to 3rd down. Cal fans were starting to get nervous. Arizona with that impressive Air-Raid offense. We had held it down for most of the game, but man just when it counted they were gonna hit the go-ahead FG with just a handful of seconds on the clock. This was gonna be a classic Cal stomach punch loss. Ugh.

So, after that 2nd and 7 up there, Arizona had the ball at the Cal 25 on a 3rd and 3. Tack on the 17 yards for a field goal and this is a 42 yarder. This is out of the range of the Arizona kicker, it appears:

FIELD GOALS     FGM-FGA  Pct 01-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-99 Lg Blk
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Zendejas, A.     13-16  81.2  1-1   7-8   5-6   0-1   0-0  37   1

Alex Zendejas is not a great kicker, but he's still pretty good. Of course, at the time, I had no idea what was going on. Being the Cal fan, I assumed they had the greatest kicker on the other side. We were freaking out, thinking that we had to stop them then, because it was right out of the range. Considering Forza Italia hit a 47 yarder earlier in the game, anything was possible! Zendejas previous stats in the 40s are minimal, just 0-1. His numbers in the 30s look good 5-6 So, if they get a few more yards, hit the kick, we're screwed.

BASICALLY, IT'S THE BIGGEST 3RD DOWN OF THE GAME! GOTTA GET UP, FANS!

And we did. The place was going impressively crazy. Of course, then this happened:

3rd and 3 at CAL 25		Timeout CALIFORNIA, clock 2:06.
3rd and 3 at CAL 25		Timeout ARIZONA, clock 2:06.

Ok, a bit of a set back. Cal fans had to stay up for like 5 minutes straight. But, they did. GOTTA STOP THE WILDCATS! GOTTA STOP THE WILDCATS! GOTTA STOP THE WILDCATS!

Then, this happened:

3rd and 3 at CAL 25 Nick Foles pass complete to Nick Foles for a loss of 9 yards to the Cal 39, ARIZONA penalty 5 yard Illegal Forward Pass accepted.

Thanks to CalGBear's heady goodness, here is a YouTube video of it. It is of fairly crappy quality, but is viewable sort of:

Ok, let me break this down for those who didn't see it live and are a bit confused. Foles stands there in the pocket having all the time in the world (as he did for much of the game). He throws the ball forward, but it bounces off of a player and back to him. I couldn't tell who it hit in the blur of the game, but I was later informed from the SF Chronicle that Tyson Alualu blocked the pass:

Foles' pass was deflected by defensive lineman Tyson Alualu - and Foles caught the deflection, rolled right and threw another pass (which he completed).

Basically, Foles got Alualued! As it states there, he rolled to his right and threw a pass. The refs immediately threw every flag in their arsenal. There were like 400 flags on the field. I think at one point, the line judge covered himself in yellow paint and dove in the general direction of Foles. In the stands, people started saying "wait, can you can throw a second pass? no..no, you can't throw a second pass!!! YOU CAN'T THROW A SECOND PASS!"

The only question was how many yards and did you lose the down. The down was the key one there and as soon as the refs announced loss of down, my section erupted into a spasm of cheers. But the best was yet to come. Because they started to march the ball back. And back. And back. At the time, we thought it was a 15 yard penalty, because a 3rd and 3 turned into a 4th and 17 and we can't do math. No sir, we can't do math at all. It's not like we went to the #1 public school in America or anything!

Reviewing the play by play, it appears that it is only a 5 yard penalty. However, it is called from the spot of the foul. Which, apparently, was 9 yards behind the line of scrimmage. That's how 3 turns into 17. 3 plus 9 plus 4. I actually can't crunch that in my head right now, so I am going to trust the refs on this one.

That puts them into a crazy 4th down situation. At this point, the stands just went beyond crazy. Everybody started jumping up and down on the benches and screaming. I think NorCalNick nearly sprained his ankle, landing incorrectly. He is getting a MRI and could be out for 4-6 posts. And then this:

4th and 17 at CAL 39 Nick Foles pass incomplete.

He almost hit this, but a Cal defender managed to step in front of the pass at the last moment. Great defense there.

"GO BEARS!" via imgs.sfgate.com

In the span of a few game seconds, but an interminably long real-time period, Arizona went from moving down the field quickly to score the game winning TD/FG to throwing an incomplete pass on a 4th down to give Cal the ball. Of course, Cal immediately scored and missed the XP, which gave Arizona another chance to potentially tie the game. Vereen woulda been better off running around in circles than scoring that TD! ;)

Anyway, so, again, like my post about the Arizona State WildBear pass attempt, I have no overarching point here. No TEDFORD IS GREAT! or FIRE GREGORY! Just a closer look at a situation that coulda gone either way and how the momentum can shift so drastically in one play. What are your thoughts on this Double Pass penalty play? GO BEARS!

Inside the Pac-10, Week 6: Big Plays

Avinash — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 10:00:41 -0000

In my mind, the three marquee conference matchups came down to those cliched big plays. Small individual moments helped decisively swing each of them one way or the other.

So I didn't take much from the results of these ones about how everyone stacks up, other than, "These last seven games for Cal are going to be real tough."

Washington 36, Arizona 33

Mike Stoops bewilders me. Every now and then his Wildcats lose a game they shouldn't. This is one of them. Although I hardly blame him for the defeat, he did make some questionable decisions down the stretch.

1) Kicking a field goal up 9 (two score game) facing a 4th and 3 at the 7 with 4:45 left. Here's the issue. You kick the field goal, you're up 12 (still only two scores, albeit two touchdowns). If you go for it and make the first down, you have the opportunity to go for the touchdown to make it a two touchdown, two two-point-conversion game to tie (or if you make it and go for two, it's a three possession game).

Even if you don't make it, you leave Jake Locker and the Huskies offense to go 93 yards for a touchdown that would only cut the lead to two, and they'd almost certainly need an onside kick or might've burned a timeout here and there. As it is, the Wildcats curiously poor kickoff team let a return go back to the 45 yard line, and it takes Locker 80 seconds to put them in the end zone and make it a one score game.

2) Coming out and passing on 1st down with 2:50 left. Why. WHY? WHY??? Even if you run three freaking dive plays with Nwoko, you burn those two timeouts Washington have. Worst case scenario, you give the Huskies about two minutes to go, needing to drive a likely 60-70 yards with no timeouts. Even with Locker back there that's a tall order.

Yeah, that was a terribly fluky play, but Arizona shouldn't have been throwing in the first place. While I'm not saying Stoops was the reason they lost (he wasn't), he probably could've made the final decision easier for his Wildcats to escape undefeated in the Pac-10, and likely a ranked team

As for the game itself? Great one, all the way around. Between that fantastic rocking Husky crowd, and Locker and Nick Foles tearing the defenses apart, it was a sweet West Coast shootout. Interestingly, the quarterbacks are a stark contrast in style and method. Locker had about a dozen great long throws that have become his trademark. Although he still struggles with anything intermediate (52% completion rate won't get it done most days), his play-making ability is unparalleled in the Pac-10 (who else can scamper for a 56 yard TD rush?) and keeps his Huskies in ballgames they would probably lose otherwise.

Foles, by contrast, is Willie Tuitama, version 2.0. 39 of 53??? Through his two starts in conference he's now averaging a 72% rate. Although the Huskies defense couldn't stop paraplegics from throwing on them (they were giving up a 63% completion rate and 9 passing yards per attempt BEFORE this game), that's mighty impressive.

It's safe to say a lot of Pac-10 quarterbacks are passing Kevin Riley by these past few weeks. What will be his response in LA?

Despite the clutch QB play from both sides, these offenses have huge weaknesses, notably in the run game. Running backs from both sides were able to combine for barely 100 yards, which just isn't enough to beat stingier defenses. Foles was able to guide the Wildcats down the field several times but the red zone offense stalled from there, settling for four field goals on seven tries. The Huskies scored their touchdowns by evading the red zone entirely, relying on Locker's arm to get them there.

While the Huskies can get by with Locker doing some of the pounding on the ground, I'm not sure what the Wildcats can do. They probably need Keola Antolin back, because neither Nic Grigsby nor Greg Nwoko were able to penetrate a Husky defense giving up 178 rushing yards a game and 5.4 rushing yards per carry. Next week's game hosting the Furd will be critical, with the loser pretty much out of the Pac-10 race (neither of those teams is sweeping the Oregon-Cal-USC trifecta).

Reactions to Arizona-Washington

John Berkowitz, UW Dawg Pound: "The Wildcats dominated time of possesion 39:19 to only 20:15 for Washington. The Wildcats outgained the Huskies 461 to 256 yards! Jake Locker was only 12-23 with one interception for a total of 140 yards. He did run for a season high of 92 yards. Jake was responsible for over 90% of the Washington offense tonight. What was key for Jake and Washington was a 56 yard TD run in the first quarter plus three TD passes and the pass for that important two point conversion."

Scott Cushing, Seattle PI: "All night long, and I mean ALL NIGHT LONG, Arizona ran that wide-receiver screen play. First to one side, then the other. Play after play after play. And why not? It kept working. Desmond Trufant broke it up once, but it worked to perfection every other time. It's almost as if Seattle was Zaire for one night; UW as Ali Arizona as Foreman and that screen pass was the rope-a-dope. I don't know how else to explain it. It's as if Holt and the defense were baiting Foles into throwing that one errant pass at just the wrong (or right) time because they knew that that the ball would bounce off of Delashaun Dean's heel right into Mason Foster's waiting arms and he would sprint untouched into the endzone. How else do you explain it? They must have known it would happen.

I'm only half kidding, but it's amazing that they decided to, at that time, during that play, blow it up. They knew it was coming and smothered the play, confusing Foles, who had been nearly perfect all night, into making a terrible pass."

Bobby Stover, Arizona Daily Wildcat: "It was (the coaching staff’s) fault for leaving the option on," head coach Mike Stoops said. "Nick was doing what he was supposed to do and it just falls on us as coaches for make a tactical error late in the game...I’m disappointed we didn’t win but I’m not disappointed in the way our kids played tonight...We probably played good enough to win. It just came down to finishing and then that freak play. But that’s just part of college football and the swings of the game."

Oregon 24, UCLA 10

What the hell do I make of this game? Just like Oregon State-Washington, everything changed on one play.

The Bruins had a great chance to knock the Ducks off the pedestal and gagged it away. In terms of offense, it was Oregon 10, UCLA 3 (and even then, that Duck score came off a midfield fumble by Kevin Prince, so it's hard to say). Both sides had a mind-numbing pick-six, and Kevin Craft wasn't even involved.

The only bright spot on other side was the re-emergence of the Oregon run game. Redshirt freshmen LaMichael James and Kenjon Barner (who scored the kickoff return) could be supplanting Best and Vereen as the most potent Pac-10 running back duo. No offense to Blount, who is a physical horse, but he lacks the speed and agility of these two guys to make moves into the holes and cut in the spread offense. James continues to impress with the spinning and the juking, and Barner has pure velocity that can terrorize any defense he faces. Nate Costa wasn't really impressive, although he did make two nice throws on 3rd down on one second half drive, including the touchdown.

However, on defense? These guys are solid. Not sure what happened that morphed Nick Aliotti into Buddy Ryan, but his units are coming out firing. The pass rush schemes are sweet to watch--delayed blitzes with the linebacker looking like he's dropping into coverage, sending the corner from the side, sometimes pure manhandling one-on-one, etc. The UCLA offensive line was one step short, especially with Breahaut came in and Oregon sent pressure on every other play. And that goal-line stand in the first half changed the complexion of the game; Kevin Prince could never play loose enough with the Bruins either playing in a tight matchup or in comeback mode.

As for UCLA? They had a sixteen-play, eight minute drive that ended with Kai Forbath connecting on a 52 yard field goal. I'm guessing they'll be emphasizing ball control in beating Cal next week, since it doesn't seem the Bruins come by their points easily.

Kevin Prince started out the game okay and seemed to get in rhythm in the 2nd quarter against the zone defense, but had all sorts of trouble when his team fell behind, and Richard Brehaut didn't fare much better being thrown in there in the 4th quarter. The Bruins also could not run the ball, putting up around 70 yards on the ground, 22 of those by Prince. Norm Chow also had some quizzical playcalls--two successive QB sneaks at the 1 on 3rd and 4th and goal?

Logically, next week against Cal, they'll explode for 200 yards rushing, Prince will go out and complete 65 percent of his passes and he'll lead the Bruins to four scores. That's how the script goes with us this year, right?

Reactions to Oregon-UCLA

mdjohns4, Bruins Nation: "But it has become all too clear that Brehaut needs to play. If we have a quarterback making elementary mistakes (like Prince and Craft) why not have the highly recruited, Elite 11 camper that has been bred to be a quarterback learning from them when he makes them? The fact that our quarterbacks are relatively even in terms of effectiveness right now should show that the one with the potential to turn this offense into one that can make plays downfield needs to play. We don't need a "game manager." That is coach-speak for "he sucks too much to make plays himself". We've got a young team with raw talent and the potential to go to a bowl game this year, as well as prepare for the ensuing dynasty over the coming years. Coach, stick with Brehaut. Please?"

jtlight, Addicted to Quack: "I said earlier in the week that this game would tell us a lot about the Oregon defense. And, I think we saw exactly how good this defense can be. After letting the UCLA grind out a 9 first downs and 148 yards in the first half, the Oregon defense brought down the hammer in the second, scoring a touchdown, forcing 3 turnovers, and holding UCLA to 5 first downs and 73 on 2.35 yards per play. Besides one long drive in the first half, the Oregon defense did what it should have done: dominate the Bruins offense."

Chris Foster, LA Times: "[Norm Chow on the quarterbacks]: "I don't know, it's too early to call. I think Kevin Prince gives us the best chance to win. That's one man's opinion."...[Chow on the offensive struggles]: "We have a freshman at left tackle, three sophomores on the offensive line, a junior college transfer, a freshman at running back, a freshman at quarterback and two sophomores at wide receiver.""

John Hunt & Jeff Smith, the Oregonian: "Oregon's defense wasn't about to let this one get away. In these three conference games, the Ducks have yet to give up an honest touchdown. Now having outscored California, Washington State and UCLA by a combined 118-19 score, the two opponents' touchdowns have come on drives totaling one yard.

"I think people are starting to jump on the bandwagon," Oregon coach Chip Kelly said. "They're as good a defense as I've seen in a long time.""

Oregon State 38, Furd 28

via a.espncdn.com (Image from Don Ryan, AP)

In the other two marquee matchups, it was about unexpected plays changing the complexion. In this game, it was a surprise play not being converted that made the difference.

First play from scrimmage, Andrew Luck executes a perfect playfake that the Beavers bite on, then throws it perfectly in stride to Chris Owusu. Owusu snares it, looks like he's about to break for the score...then looks ahead a step too early before securing it. Dropped pass, opportunity lost.

If that play converts, the crowd's deflated, the Furd are up 7-0, they can establish Gerhart more thoroughly, etc. etc... Instead? We get a virtual carbon copy of Oregon-Cal (with the caveat that Oregon State isn't quite as potent, and the Furd performed much better in rallying). Jacquizz Rodgers took the role of Jeremiah Masoli, accumulated 134 yards and 3 TDs on the first three drives, putting the Beavers up by 21. Goodnight to the Furd.

On defense Oregon State bottled up Gerhart with seven or eight in the box (rarely nine, they respected Luck's ability to pass). The Beavers always looked a step ahead in the pass coverage, forcing Luck into completing 40% of his passes, including 0% in the first quarter. These are growing pains for the freshman quarterback, although it seemed like he made a valiant comeback effort late. His defense didn't do him any favor, giving up 359 yards of total offense to the Rodgers brothers, including a backbreaking 16 play, 7 minute second half drive where the duo picked up the last 56 of the 80 yards.

So Oregon State's now 2-1 in the Pac-10, 2-0 in October, rolling toward a showdown with USC at the Coliseum in two weeks. Can Mike Riley and Quizz do it again?

Reactions to Furd-Oregon State

Jake Bertalotto, Building the Dam: "Danny Langsdorf brought the Oregon State rendition of the trendy Wildcat formation out of the lab Saturday afterno on. On it's debut play, it produced sophomore tailback Jacquizz Rodgers' longest rush of his OSU career-- a 61-yard scamper that set the Beavers up for their second touchdown of the game. Jacquizz would score four touchdowns on the afternoon and account for 271 yards of total offense-- almost certainly his best game since the Beavers downed USC last season."

Elliott Almond, San Jose Mercury News: "But more than anything, Stanford just couldn't recover from a devastating 21-0 deficit by the second quarter. Jacquizz Rodgers, who had been held to fewer than 100 yards rushing in the three previous outings, slipped underneath defenders in the middle, or wiggled out of the grasp of tacklers in the open field. He looked capable of breaking a big gain almost every time he touched the ball. "We weren't making tackles," Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh said."

Arizona State 27, Washington State 14

via a.espncdn.com (Image from Dean Hare, AP)

The Sun Devils fumbled the ball six times. They turned it over six times in total. Their starting quarterback Danny Sullivan got rotated in and out of the game with Brock Osweiler (only for a series though). And they still had a 20 point lead going into the 4th quarter, with the Cougars needing a 99 yard TD pass to cut it to the respectable two touchdown margin.

Key stat #1: -54 yards rushing for Wazzu. Key stat #2: Their punter was the leading rusher (on a fake punt for 15 yards).

Sigh. Is this what the Tom Holmoe era was like at Cal?

Reactions to Arizona State-Washington State

Grady, Coug Center: "In the end, this game played out the way most of us expected. Two anemic offenses and one stellar defense giving us an ugly game, but also a closer game than we're used to seeing. As one would expect, the stellar defense won out. ASU was too much to handle, with Vontaze Burfict, Mike Nixon, and co. dominating this game from the opening snap. The Cougs faced one of the best rushing defenses in the country, and boy did it show - between numerous tackles for losses, broken plays and sacks, the Cougars ended up with negative 54 yards rushing. Negative 54."

Pitchfork Nation: "[Dennis Erickson] was nailed pretty good on the sideline by Gerell Robinson midway through the 3rd quarter. Originally, the ASU radio broadcast designated a WSU player had run into him. Tim Healey, Jeff Van Raaphorst and Doug Franz described the scene as Erickson laying on the sideline and then being directed to the bench by the team doctor. He got up and stood on the sideline for one play a few moments later, then retreated to the bench once again. However, in classic DE fashion, he basically told the doctors, in no better way, to screw off."

Only Cal fans care about these

Minnesota 35, Purdue 20

The Daily Gopher: "The Mulligan Offense still reared it's ugly head with some occasional plays called that made you scratch your head. But the offense committed just one penalty after the first quarter, the OL played their best game of the year and Adam Weber threw one pick but completed 4/6 with a touchdown run. He wasn't asked to do much (and he didnt') as the Gopher ground game really took over."

Wake Forest 42, Maryland 32

Testudo Times: "Outside of an 85-yard kickoff return from Torrey Smith and a minor emergence by Gary Douglas, there was basically nothing positive for Maryland. Sure, there was a slight comeback, but the game was well over at that point. Wake won 42-32, but the score isn't anywhere close to how one-sided this game was. Want to know how bad it was? Wake had 381 yards of offense...in the FIRST HALF. Maryland barely broke 100. They were on pace for 762 yards!"

Also a hilarious animated image of Debbie Yow (Maryland's AD) looking distressed on the sideline.

Inside the Pac-10: Where the Best Team in California Is...

Avinash — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 02:30:15 -0000

Boy, when I thought the Pac-10 would be wide open, I didn't expect the doors to be knocked down this early. The two favorites already have one loss, leaving opportunities open to the remaining eight teams.

Let's start with our conference leaders....wait, ohhh noooo...

Furd 34, Washington 14

via www.awesomeless.com

I think I'm going to be sick.

We laughed about it all offseason, but Furd's O-line play and power run game behind the white stallion Toby Gerhart might be the best in the conference now. John Berkowitz of UW Dawg Pound has the report.

The defense was a total sieve as Toby Gerhart shredded the Husky defense for over 200 yards on the ground. Gerhart looked a step slow tonight and the Husky defense looked two steps slower. It was just a pathetic performace which reaked of lack of effort. Coach Holt had no answer for Stanford's smash mouth offense. There was nothing trickly here. The Cardinal line just kicked Washington's ass all night.

Stanford dominated time of possesion 44:53 to 21:09 tonight. the Cards rolled up 426 yards of total offense to only 290 for UW. Another completely pathetic stat for the UW defense is giving up 322 yards on the ground which has to be some type of a record. Jake was 16/31 with two interceptions...Andrew Luck only had to throw 14 times tonight and was 7/14 for 104 yards...but he picked up 59 additional yards on the ground.

The Furd stand alone on top of the Pac-10 right now, albeit their wins coming against Washington (yes, they beat USC, but they're no powerhouse) and Wazzu. Their next three game stretch (UCLA, at Oregon State, at Arizona) will tell us a lot about which way the Cardinal will be heading this season, and how big the Big Game this year will be.

Through four weeks, who's been the best California Pac-10 team? Vote and comment!

After the jump, we catch up on the other conference tilts.

Arizona 37, Oregon State 32

via icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com

Either Nick Foles is for real, or Oregon State's defense is in bigger trouble than we thought. Or Oregon State is doing their annual September swoon. We don't know. WE DO NOT KNOW.

What do you think about this game?

The offensive performance couldn't have gone much smoother for the Wildcats, coming off of a disjointed effort in Iowa.

QUARTERBACK: A. It’s hard to imagine Nick Foles’ first college start going any better. The Arizona Wildcats’ sophomore completed 25 of 34 passes for 254 yards and three touchdowns, the best performance by a UA quarterback this season. Poised and decisive in a hostile environment, Foles was just what the Wildcats needed to pull off an upset.

RUNNING BACKS: A. The Wildcats’ backs didn’t run all over OSU, but nevertheless deserve a high grade. Freshman Greg Nwoko replaced Nicolas Grigsby (sprained shoulder) and Keola Antolin (sprained ankle) when both players went down in the fist half, and rumbled for 44 yards and a touchdown while catching four passes for 76 yards. Antolin rushed for 46 yards before getting hurt.

WIDE RECEIVERS: B. Where did David Roberts come from? The Wildcats’ sophomore led the team in catches for the second time in as many weeks, grabbing five passes for 52 yards. Juron Cirner and Delashaun Dean each had three catches and touchdown grabs. Nine different Wildcats caught passes.

OFFENSIVE LINE: B. Arizona’s retooled line was solid in its Pac-10 opener. Left tackle Phil Garcia and right guard Herman Hall looked the part of starters in their first extended playing time of the year. Foles wasn’t sacked once.

Building the Dam has their own version of Longshore-Riley brimming, with a quarterback currently starting behind center making poor decisions in the pocket, according to AndyPanda.

It is difficult to call for the replacement of [Sean] Canfield, someone everyone, myself and his backup included, really, really want to see succeed. However, the cause of the problems are not only predictable, they are the same issues that were most distressing years ago, in his first appearances.

Locking in on receivers leads to interceptions, and in both of yesterday's picks, it was apparent to everyone, including the Wildcat secondary, who the pass was going to several seconds before the ball was even released.

Standing in the pocket too long, and not throwing the ball away rather than taking a loss, is squarely on the quarterback, not play calling or the offensive line. One sack came after the line held up for six seconds, another when they provided seven seconds to make a decision.

Georgia 20, Arizona State 17

via www.popcrunch.com

All in all, a very impressive wet T-shirt contest, but the Georgia coeds just pull off the upset...

Wait, they were playing a football game? Well then.

A.J. Green had another one of his spectacular games, not just catching almost every big pass down the stretch and bailing out Georgia's QB, but also blocking the go-ahead field goal. In terms of big picture, MaconDawg of Dawg Sports seems to have figured out his team pretty quickly.

In matters of football, as in most other matters, I am an empiricist. That is to say, I believe that the best predictor of what an individual or group will do in the near future is what that individual or group did in the recent past. Given a sufficient sample size, I find that this is a fairly reliable way of knowing how things will go in a given situation. We all need a way of looking at the world, and that is mine.

And it is because of that worldview that, as I sit here on a beautiful fall morning following an ugly late summer type of night, I am thoroughly convinced that the 2009 University of Georgia football team will continue to play close games against fair to mediocre competition whilst losing to any reasonably good football team that has made the conscious decision to play reasonably good football. Why? Because a full one-third of the way into the 2009 campaign, that's exactly what we've done.

More love for the ASU linebackers from House of Sparky, but the quarterback play continues to struggle. How impressed were you by ASU's road performance?

Linebackers: The LB's are the strongest part of this team. Burfict, Munns, and Nixon all made big plays throughout the game. Vontaze Burfict continues to show why he is the prize posession of Erickson's recruiting class. Despite running through a misplaced referee, Burfict jumped over the line to stop UGA on a critical 4th-and-1. He's a beast. The linebackers make their presence known all over the field and fought hard through the end of the game.

Quarterback: Not all the blame can go on Danny Sullivan as there were a few untimely drops from the receiving corps, but Sullivan's accuracy was plain horrendous. Sullivan couldn't seem to make a big play when we needed it and mismanaged the play clock several times. In order for this team to succeed, we need some production from the QB.

USC 27, Washington State 6

via funnytshirtguide.com

So much for losing seven starters. The USC defense is looking like it's lost maybe half a step from their 2008 monster status. How do you feel Cal's offense will fare against USC's defense?

The defense once again looked stellar. Yes, WSU scored on their final drive with 22 seconds left but that was the second unit that had a lot of youngsters out on the field who were getting some much needed game experience. You could see that SC when went into prevent defense mode...keeping everything in front of them, especially with a mobile QB. Tuel is going to be a pretty good QB for WSU but lets be honest, he wasn't going up against the first-teamers for much of his time in and the defense was providing a decent cushion. The USC defensive front got some pressure on him and sacked him numerous times he also threw one pick that Pinkard brought back up field thwarting a potential scoring drive.

It is hard not to be impressed with Perry and Casey. Those two were getting some serious penetration. Griffen looked solid as well. Fangupo was looking to have a solid game until he went down with a broken ankle. Devon Kennard is going to be a stud too. It is simply amazing that that SC continues to have such impressive talent on the defense. It is clear that Pete Carroll's strength is defense and not offense. I saw very little on defense with the first-teamers that I could be unhappy about. PC still likes to play that soft zone which gives up chunks of yards.

As for Coug Center? Wazzu played the Trojans pretty evenly for three quarters, how can they not be happy?

The Cougs were down 20-0 at the end of the first quarter. The game ended 27-6 thanks to a defense that came up with big play after big play -- including TWICE stopping USC on fourth and goal -- despite an offense that struggled for most of the game.

But it's those six points that will have us all talking all week long.

Many will wonder how it's possible to feel so good after a three touchdown loss. They don't know where we've been.

This team showed some serious heart and fight. And it served as the official coming out party of Jeff Tuel, Gino Simone and Travis Long, all of whom showed that they're not just playing out of necessity -- they're playing because they are Pac-10 level players right now.

UCLA 21, Bye Week 3

Bruins Nation believes the next week will be the biggest game for the Bruins since the Bob Toledo era.

I believe the Stanford game this weekend is the biggest conference road game UCLA is going to be playing in since the Stanford road game in 2001. I am not going to go over again on how no one here thought much of Dorrell's "10 win" aberration from 2005. We all knew that season was a total aberration where we were getting bailed out in one game after another by 2 Live Drew. We all knew in the back of our mind we were never really in real contention of the Pac-10 conference race and it got confirmed when Dorrell's incompetency was exposed in Arizona and then slaughtered in the Coloseum. We never had a chance were living off miracles.

Well for the first time since 2001, Bruins can have a shot at it. However, they will get that shot IF AND ONLY IF they can execute against a tough, superbly coached Stanford Cardinal this upcoming Saturday in Palo Alto. Last week it was Washington, that was the toast of the Pac-10. This week it will be the Oregon Ducks and Toby Gerhart and his Stanford bunch Bruins will be taking on in Palo Alto.

UCLA-Furd this Saturday, winner controls their Rose Bowl fate. What universe am I in again?

Other looks

Minnesota 35, Northwestern 24

via gophermound.com

The Gophers took care of business opening their conference schedule. And they ran the ball all over the Wildcats!

Much of the first quarter of today's game was a blur for me - though I distinctly remember the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach after watching Duane Bennett carry the ball into the end zone for Minnesota's first score. Let me say this as clearly as I can: MINNESOTA DOES NOT HAVE A RUSHING GAME! Prior to today's contest, they had two TDs on the ground through their first 3 games. Today, they had 3. That is just wrong. Perhaps the only thing stinkier than the 'Cats defensive play was Goldy the Gopher. (This one is coming straight from my Minnesota friends, who informed me after they had gone to take a picture with the mascot that his costume could seriously use a dry cleaning.)

The Wildcats actually managed to contain Eric Decker a bit, really only allowing Adam Weber to connect to him for two TDs and less than triple digit receiving yards. Which is, I suppose, better than what I was expecting going in. The theme for today, though, was the same as from the first quarter of the Syracuse game - missed tackles.

Rutgers 34, Maryland 13

via www.myspaceantics.com

Gag. If 42-3 was the worst rout ever for Cal fans, is 52-13 the most misleading opening season victory in Cal football history?

Turnovers, as they often do, undid all those plans, and the Terps lost their must-win, 34-13. Maryland turned the ball over a shocking five times, four of which came from Chris Turner and one of which was Da'Rel Scott's doing. Two of Rutgers' TDs came from Turner - the first was a pick six on the very first play from scrimmage, the second was a fumble in the endzone that Rutgers fell on.

...

It didn't really matter, though - turnovers were the issue, with three interceptions and two fumbles. The offense didn't look good when they didn't turn it over, either; Torrey Smith was the only reliable source of offense for Maryland, accounting for more than a third of Maryland's yardage. Turner missed a few big passes, especially later in the game, and penalties were commonplace.

Poll

Best Pac-10 team in California is...

USC (3-1)

122 votes

UCLA (3-0)

71 votes

Furd (3-1)

34 votes

Cal (3-1)

104 votes

331 votes | Poll has closed

Week 3 Injury Report

Smooty — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 14:06:01 -0000

Arizona

- Delashaun Dean, WR: probable (hamstring)

- Rob Gronkowski, TE: out (back)

Iowa

- Bryan Bulaga, OL: probable (illness)

- Shaun Prater, CB: probable (academic suspension)

- Tony Moeaki, TE: questionable (ankle)

All injury information provided by www.collegeinjuryreport.com

There's A Game On Saturday? Arizona MORE LIKE THE MILDCATS

Oops Pow Surprise — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 03:50:03 -0000

More photos » by Charlie Neibergall - AP

3 months ago: Iowa's Tyler Sash runs off the field after his team's 35-3 win over Iowa State in this NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009, in Ames, Iowa. Sash had three interceptions in the win. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Browse more photos »

Iowa's toughest challenge yet this season comes against an Arizona team that ended last season with a win over BYU... who just went down to Dallas and took out Oklahoma last week. Plenty of WAITWAITWAIT disclaimers to be thrown around those facts, but still, facts is facts. Vegas is putting the line at Iowa -4, which means those of you unscrupulous enough to actually bet on Iowa games are probably in for an ultra-stressful weekend. So who're we giving the edge to? Read on, children... read on.

With Iowa on defense

It would be disingenuous to say the offense revolves around Nic Grigsby--quarterback Matt Scott accounts for more than 250 yards of offense per game on his own--but the odds are a lot better that the Cats win on the ground than through the air. Grigsby is the rare home run threat in a pro set, something of a Tavian Banks-esque relic. But kid can move.

Arizona's offensive line goes about 320 per across the board, with both guards over 330 pounds. What should that tell you? Eh, not much. ISU's line was also big, and they didn't really push Iowa around. Further, even with Bulaga around, Iowa's line is about 25 pounds lighter across the board, and nobody thinks the Hawks' line sucks or is undersized. Skill's more important than size--well, once you get above 275, anyway.

The problem is that as Austen Arnaud and Pat Grace demonstrated, when Iowa has two running threats to account for in the backfield, they usually end up stopping neither. Both teams ran on Iowa with a surprising amount of ease; considering Scott has logged about 65 yards per on the ground this season (yes, it's totally shocking that NAU didn't shut Arizona down), A.J. Edds and Pat Angerer might be in for a long day of pursuit tomorrow.

It's not all bad news, though. As we mentioned before, Arizona's probably not passing to beat Iowa; they're missing a legitimate weapon at TE in Rob Gronkowski. El Gronko, as nobody calls him, is still sidelined with back problems. Add to that the hamstring issues lingering on top receiver Delashaun Dean (he's back, but we'll see how effective he can be), and it seems pretty obvious that Iowa's top priority is going to be shutting down Grigsby.

As for Scott, as we mused earlier, we imagine Tyler Sash is going to be spending a good amount of time creeping into the box and letting Greenwood mind the deep routes (eight days ago, that sentence would have been met with substantial trepidation here). Sash, Jeremiha Hunter, and Edds are all capable of spy duty if Scott gets an itch to run; we'll see if Dr. Octopus goes that route or leaves that task to the guys in short pass coverage.

As Bellanca noted earlier today, Grigsby's in the mold of a tailback that Iowa shut down with frightening regularity last season. That should continue Saturday.

Needless Intermission

This seems incredibly unacceptable.

With Iowa on offense

Okay, so things still aren't back to normal, but the situation is hardly dire. Bryan Bulaga's still likely out, but Riley Reiff didn't look too bad in relief last week. Ol' Reliable, Tony Moeaki, is nursing a bum ankle; Allen Reisner is an experienced (if pedestrian) replacement. And there's also whispers that Derrell Johnson-Koulianos tweaked his ankle over the course of the week. Scary, yes, but if there's one deep position on offense for the Hawkeyes, it's wideout. The top three wideouts will probably be Marvin McNutt, Trey Stross, and Keenan Davis; Iowa should be fine there.

And then Rick Stanzi. Ohhh, Stanzi. Kaiser Von Manzi is gleefully removing the last glimmers of color from Kirk Ferentz's hair; at this rate, KF's going to go whiter than Ted Danson by the end of the season. And while Stanzi seems to be settling into a somewhat predictable pattern (1st quarter: suck beyond belief; 2nd quarter: do nothing; 2nd half: annihilate all defenders), the first half bedwettings have to stop. Iowa can get away with it against the little brothers of the state; I'm not so sure they can against a stingy Zona defense.

Adam Robinson's getting the start over Brandon Wegher, though that seems like a less meaningful distinction than usual. After all, if the game's 17-13 and Iowa's got one drive left, we're pretty sure Wegher's going to be in the backfield, not Robinson. And if it's Paki O'Meara, we will find a puppy and shoot it. A cute puppy.

We would spend the next few paragraphs musing about the Arizona defense, but that would be impossible, since--as regular podcast listeners already know--they haven't been on television this year. They've shut down Northern Arizona and Central Michigan, which is about as impressive as shutting down Northern Armenia and Central Mauritania. Okay, that's not fair to Dan LeFevour and Central Michigan, who are actually good. But this is going to be their toughest test of the year too.

Prognosis

It won't be pretty. Not at all. Until he proves otherwise, we're marking down Stanzi for an early turnover or two, stunting the Iowa offense's early production. But for Stanzi's early struggles, we're thinking Scott has a worse game for longer. And while Kirk Ferentz is 39-22 against the spread at home, Mike Stoops loses football games. An Arizona win simply goes against both men's pedigrees.

Our initial thinking was 19-10, but past performance suggests Arizona ought to be able to get at least an easy field goal off of one Iowa mistake. So let's say 19-13, Hawkeyes, in an oft-ugly game of the "get the W and get the hell out of here" variety. No top 25 without a lot of help from teams above Iowa, which probably means no GameDay at PSU for next weekend. We're all right with that.

Arizona @ Iowa Preview

Smooty — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:41:39 -0000

More photos » by John Miller - AP

3 months ago: Arizona's head football coach Mike Stoops watches the game from the sidelines during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Northern Arizona at Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Ariz., Saturday, Sept. 12, 2008. (AP Photo/John Miller)

Browse more photos »

Saturday is the first big road-test of the season for Arizona. The Cats travel to Iowa City to take on the Hawkeyes at famed Kinnick Stadium. There are plenty of story-lines surrounding this game: Mike and Mark Stoops return to their alma mater (where they played and coached); Matt Scott's first road game; Super-Tight-End Rob Gronkowski is out; both teams first game against a quality opponent; and Pac-10 vs. Big Ten bragging rights.

Matt Scott and the Wildcats should expect a loud, rowdy house Saturday afternoon. Kinnick holds over 70,000 people, and will be filled to the gills. The crowd may be a factor for Scott, who has not started a road game before.

How they got here:

Arizona is 2-0 (0-0), with victories over Central MIchigan (19-6) and Northern Arizona (34-17). The victory opening night over CMU has proven to be bigger than previously thought. The Chippewas went on the road last weekend and upset Michigan State.

Iowa is 2-0 (0-0), with victories over Northern Iowa (17-16) and Iowa State (35-3). The Hawkeyes escaped with the victory week one over UNI by blocking field goals on two consecutive plays! If you are an Iowa fan, I am sure you look at that as clear evidence of superior skill. If you are everyone else, you probably see it as a lucky win. Then, the Hawkeyes went to Iowa State and mopped the floor with the Cyclones. Okay.

When Arizona has the ball:

Iowa's defense has given up 137 rushing yards per game this season, including 56 yards last week to Iowa State's quarterback Austen Aurnad. There is a reason you have not heard of Aurnad. That 137 yards per game is not lost in a flurry of carries either. The Hawkeyes defense gives up a hefty 4.2 yards per carry. Arizona's offense is averaging 305 yards per game on 6.6 yards per carry. Nic Grigsby and the offensive line will be a huge factor in Saturday's game. Grigsby has rushed for 329 yards and three TDs this season. Matt Scott has chipped in 137 yards, and Keola Antolin has added 98 yards and one score.

Cornerback Tyler Sash leads the Hawkeyes in both tackles (20) and interceptions (3). Brett Greenwood, also a cornerback, is second on the team in tackles with 18, and two interceptions. Iowa is not effectively pressuring the quarterback. The Hawkeyes have only registered two sacks on the season. Granted, the pass defense picked off Iowa State five times last week. Iowa's defense gives up only 191 passing yards per game.

Matt Scott and Nick Foles will lead the Wildcats passing offense this week without tight end Rob Gronkowski and a banged up Delashaun Dean. Dean has had hamstring problems, and a concussion this season. He came back to practice this week and should contribute this Saturday. The Cats are only averaging 198 yards per game through the air, but up to this point have maintained a pretty vanilla offensive scheme. Look for Arizona to open up the playbook Saturday. Terrell Turner leads the team in receptions with 11, for only 101 yards. Next is David Douglas with seven catches for 65 yards. Where is Bug? The super-soph has only two catches this season to-date.

Arizona has dominated time of possession thus far. The Cats have held the ball 60% of the time. The Hawkeyes have had a slight time of possession advantage, averaging 30:45 a game.

When Iowa has the ball:

Iowa is the very definition of balanced attack. The Hawkeyes have run the ball 66 times this season, versus 71 passing attempts. This is not the old three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust Big Ten offense, but it is not exactly Run-n-Shoot either.

Arizona has given up a paltry 70.5 yards per game on the ground. Wildcat opponents average 3.6 yards per carry and have found the endzone on the ground only once so far this season. Middle linebacker Vuna Tuihalamaka leads the Cats with 12 total tackles, and also has added an interception. Cornerback Devin Ross is second on the team in tackles (11), and will look to shut down Hawkeye reciever Trey Stross. Iowa averages 139 yards per game rushing, with a respectable 4.2 yards per carry. The Hawkeye's leading rusher is Adam Robinson, who has 132 yards on 27 carries and one touchdown. Iowa is without injured starting running back Jewel Hampton.

Arizona's pass defense has held opponents to 133.5 yards per game. Impressive when you consider that includes holding star quarterback Dan LeFevour under 200 yards. Trevin Wade has picked up where he left off last year. Wade has picked off two passes this season. The Arizona pass defense has only sacked the quarterback three times this season. Iowa's quarterback Ricki Stanzi is averaging 219.5 yards per game passing, and has five touchdowns versus only two interceptions. The Hawkeyes passing attack has spread the ball around the field. 12 different players have caught a pass this season. That number is misleading however, as only three players have caught more than five balls, and tight end Tony Moeaki has caught 11 passes for 26% of all passes completed. Clearly Moeaki is Stanzi's favorite target and will need to be shadowed down the field.

Special Teams

Arizona's kicker Alex Zendejas has made 4-6 field goals this season. Zendejas' long is 37 yards. Punter Keenyn Crier has three punts that average 41 yards, and a long of 55 yards. On kickoffs, Zendejas has already recorded three touchbacks on the season.

Iowa kicker Daniel Murray is 1-2 this year on field goal attempts. His lone field goal was a 39 yarder. Punter Ryan Donahue has punted nine times, for a 41.1 average, and long punt of 57 yards.

Arizona has a decisive advantage in kick returns. As a team, the Wildcats average 29.6 yards per return. The Hawkeyes average a mere 18.2. Iowa's kick coverage has been excellent thus far, however, limiting opponents to 17.5 yards per return. Something has to give here.

Overall

The numbers indicate that neither team has excelled so far this season passing the ball, and Iowa has not exactly been a prolific rushing attack either. Neither team has faced an opponent this season that matches each others caliber. This game should be a turning point for both programs. Can Arizona stop a balanced attack? Can Iowa keep a legitimate rushing attack in check? The peripheral numbers seem to edge towards Arizona, but Iowa has one huge advantage. Kinnick. If Matt Scott, or Nick Foles, turn the ball over, Kinnick will be in a frenzy. Arizona's best (and only) shot at winning this game will be to control the clock, keep the crowd out of the game, and keep turnovers to a minimum. The first quarter will probably be an emotional, fast-paced 15 minutes. After that, the Cats should look to settle down, and keep that crowd off its feet.

Arizona Team Capsule

Smooty — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:05:38 -0000

Appearing in a bowl game last season, for the first time in a decade, whet the appetite of Arizona fans, and players. More is expected. This team has the depth and athletes to compete with anyone in the Pac-10, it just lacks that prototypical star player who changes the game every week. Head Coach Mike Stoops received his long-awaited contract extension this off-season. The hot-seat will remain cool for Coach Stoops as long as the team continues to improve.

When Arizona has the ball:

The offense returns four starters from last year's opening game, but seven players who started a significant portion of the season last year. The team lost QB Willie Tuitama, WR Mike Thomas, OT Eben Britton, OT James Tretheway, and OG Joe Longacre. The team returns its top two rushers from 2008, in Nic Grigsby and Keola Antolin. Although Sonny Dykes' Air Zona offense is known for spreading the field and throwing the ball, Arizona's rushing attack will be one of the biggest keys to a successful 2009 campaign.

Running Game: Arizona's two leading rushers (Grigsby and Antolin) are back, with the addition of bruising Greg Nwoko. The trio has already earned the nickname Earth, Wind and Fire from their Arizona defensive counter-parts. With Grigsby and Antolin, 1,678 yards and 23 touchdowns returns to a stacked backfield. The coaching staff has raved about Nwoko, who should provide the power-punch in short yardage situations that Grigsby and Antolin lack. The offensive line lost NFL draftee Eben Britton, as well as stalwarts James Tretheway and Joe Longacre. Despite the losses, experience does return: Mike Diaz (9 starts) has switched to left tackle; Colin Baxter (24 starts) took over at center when Blake Kerley went down early last year at UCLA; and right tackle Adam Grant (5 starts) is the grizzled veteran of the group, who is ready to breakout after an injury plagued career thus far. Overall, the line may have lost an elite tackle in Eben Britton, but it returns experience and versatility.

Passing Game: Record-breaking quarterback Willie Tuitama is gone from last year's team. Sophomores Matt Scott and Nick Foles have been battling all off-season and training camp to replace Tui. At this point, a starter has not been named, and both are expected to play in the season opener against Central Michigan. The Wildcats also lost record-breaking WR Mike Thomas. Despite the losses, the Cats return some very important pass-catchers. All-World TE Rob Gronkowski is back for his junior season. Gronk caught 47 balls for 672 yards and 10 TDs, all while battling mononucleosis at the beginning of the year. WRs Terrell Turner and Delashaun Dean are both back, and bring with them 96 catches, 1,173 yards and five scores. Sophomore WR William "Bug" Wright will be replacing the departed Mike Thomas. Coaches have raved about Bug all off-season. H-Back Chris Gronkowski returns, with eight starts under his belt, and a 24.8 YPC average from last season.

When opponents have the ball:

Rush Defense: Ricky Elmore and Brooks Reed will be coming at quarterbacks from the edge while Donald Horton and Earl Mitchell attack from the middle. Brooks Reed had 8 sacks last year and Ricky Elmore had 4. These guys can come and come quick. The depth on the defensive line is great with D'Aundre Reed, Dominique Austin, Lolomana Mikaele, and Apaiata Tuihalamaka waiting in wings. The linebacking corp will be Sterling Lewis, Vuna Tuihalamaka, and Xavier Kelly starting. Corey Hall, C.J. Parish, R.J. Young and outstanding freshman Jake Fischer will be rotating in to help keep everyone fresh all year long.

Pass Defense: This is one of the strengths of this year's team. Devin Ross is back. Trevin Wade is stepping up from nickel-back a year ago, where he tied for team lead in interceptions, and will be a full-time starter at corner. Cam Nelson is back at safety and super-talent Robert Golden has made the switch this offseason from corner to safety. All four of these guys fly around the ball, and will punish ball carriers. The Wildcats typically deploy a zone-coverage scheme in the secondary, so look for plenty of opportunities for interceptions and big hits. Super-frosh Adam Hall (who still may redshirt) backs up Golden and Nelson at safety.

Schedule:

The Wildcats drew a tougher schedule in 2009 than 2008. The Cats have an even six home games, six road games in 2009. Five of the six road games are against top-notch opponents, and the sixth is in Seattle at Husky Stadium, which despite last season has historically been hard on road teams. Some of you may not consider Arizona State "top-notch," but everyone knows traveling to Tempe for the Territorial Cup is a challenge. The home slate is more forgiving. On paper, Oregon presents the toughest challenge at Arizona Stadium.

Home games: Central Michigan, Northern Arizona, Stanford, UCLA, Washington State, Oregon

Road games: Iowa, Oregon State, Washington, California, Arizona State, USC

The first four games, and the last four games is where the success of Arizona's season will be determined. Central MIchigan, @ Iowa, and @ Oregon State present three big challenges right out of the gate. To close, @ Cal, home versus Oregon, @ Arizona State, and @ USC present a difficult finish.

Outlook:

Everything is rosy - Arizona's quarterback issues are not a problem and Matt Scott, Nick Foles, or some combination of the two guide the Air Zona offense with ease. The defense plays strong all year, and rivals USC for tops in the conference. The Cats win five of six home games, at least, and at minimum split on the road, looking at an eight win season or better.

The sky is falling - The team flip-flops quarterbacks all season, and the offense never finds the consistency it enjoyed under Willie Tuitama the last two seasons. The defense is strapped at linebacker, and continues to struggle against running quarterbacks. The Cats split their six home games, and pick up one or two tough road games, sputtering to a four or five win season.

Previewing the Season: Arizona Wildcats

jtlight — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 17:00:10 -0000

More photos » by Nick Ut - AP

What does Mike Stoops do? Lose football games.

Browse more photos »

Due to a malfunctioning computer, we're changing the order of these previews. ASU will run tomorrow.

The Arizona Wildcats are one of the toughest teams to figure out going into this season. While the Pac-10 media pegged them for 8th in the conference, other sources (most notably Phil Steele) have them in the upper half of the conference.

And this disagreement is all due to one man: Mike Stoops. Life under Stoops in Tucson has been mind-numbingly inconsistent. After a couple years of growing pains in which Stoops had to deal with the hangover from the John Mackovic era, Stoops teams have shown improvement, at least on a play-to-play level. When Matt Hinton looked at the Wildcats earlier this offseason, he has noted that in almost every year under Stoops, the team he improved in yards per play differential, yards per game differential, and overall points per game differential. And in many cases, these statistics show just how much a team is improving (or regressing) better than win-loss.

But despite that improvement, Arizona was consistently hit with head scratching losses. While the Wildcats have played USC tougher than almost any team in the conference, they have lost to New Mexico and Stanford two years in a row. Every major milestone Stoops reaches is countered with defeat.

This will be a very important year for the Wildcats. They have a talented and marginally experienced defense, but lose a lot on the offensive side of the ball. While Stoops has earned a season with his young team, if Arizona significantly regresses this year, in 2010 they will be calling for his head again.

This year, Oregon gets Arizona at the end of the season, and must go to Tucson, where things have not gone so well over the past few season (for either Oregon team). While Oregon should be a superior team, Arizona has always played well at home, especially against the upper half of the Pac-10, and no matter Arizona's standing at the time, the Ducks will be in for a tough game.

Oregon Offense vs. Arizona Defense:

The Arizona defense starts up front with the defensive line, which returns their entire two-deep. However, this was a unit that allowed opponents to average over 4 yards per rush, and averaged less than 2 sacks per game. The line will be backed up by linebackers who will be good, but not outstanding. While this unit is bound to improve in rush defense, this will likely be marginal at best.

The strength of the Arizona D will be their secondary. They return one of the top CBs in the conference in Devin Ross. While they must replace the other cornerback, they return talented and experienced safeties in Robert Golden and Cam Nelson. I expect this unit to continue their production from last season, when they were a top 25 passing defense that intercepted 16 balls and held opponents to a passer rating of 106.70.

However, I don't think that they will be able to stop an Oregon offense that will hopefully be very experienced and running like a well-oiled machine by the 11th game of the season. When the Oregon offense was "on" over the last two years, the Arizona defense had no chance to stop it. Oregon did what it wanted when it wanted. Unfortunately, injuries, mistakes, and mental implosions hurt the Ducks, but on this side of the ball, Oregon will have control. If they don't fall apart, they should score 40+ points.

Oregon Defense vs. Arizona Offense:

While the Arizona Offense will lose a decent amount of production due to offensive line losses and the loss of Willie Tuitama, they return the best tight end in the nation in Rob Gronkowski. I'm sure most of you remember last season, where Oregon was simply unable to guard him. He's big, fast, and catches everything. While he has been out with a strained back, he will end up being the go-to receiver for new QB Matt Scott (who appears to have won the QB competition with Nick Foles). They also have a number of talented receivers, led by Delashaun Dean, who has had two solid seasons so far.

However, while I think that Arizona passing game will not see a lot of regression due to the amount of playmakers, the offense as a whole hinges on the success of the running game. Last season was so successful for Arizona because they averaged over 158 ypg rushing, which led to their best offense in years. Arizona brought in Sonny Dykes from Texas Tech before the 2007 season, and while that led to instant improvement accross the board, the true success was seen when the passing game was complemented by a strong running game.

While the Wildcats return RB Nic Grigsby, who was great last season, they lose a large amount on the offensive line. For Arizona to succeed, especially against the Ducks, Arizona must run the ball effectively. One of the reasons they were so strong last year against Oregon is that they ran for 199 yards on the ground, the second most Oregon gave up all year. While Arizona will likely still be good on the ground, a good defense should be able to make them one dimensional, and with a new QB, that will not lead to long term success for the offense.

Conclusion:

I don't believe Arizona will regress to 8th in the Pac-10 this year, and they have the talent to surprise a few teams. However, they will likely be marked by maddening inconsistency, and they will lose some games that were winnable.

Oregon has a lot of advantages in this game. They have an offense that Arizona will have a lot of difficultly stopping. They will likely be able to make Arizona rely on the pass, while getting pressure on a young QB. I think that Arizona will be able to keep it close for a while, but Oregon will run away with the game in the 4th quarter, as Oregon is a deeper, more talented team, and will force Arizona to rely on an inexperienced passing game.

Quick Hits August 27, 2009

Smooty — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:36:11 -0000

Old man Adam Grant is finally ready to contribute this season at right tackle. Grant, a fifth-year senior, shed some weight in the off-season and has become the unofficial leader of the offensive line.

Ted Miller, of ESPN.com, ranked the Pac-10 tight ends. Arizona is right where they should be, sitting at number two, below UCLA....wait, what?!? Number two? Big Gronk is the best tight end in the nation, and A.J. Simmons is a very polished backup. Yes, Gronk has been slowed by injuries through training camp. But, he will be back.

More quick hits after the jump!

Video of Mike Stoops and Brooks Reed discussing Central Michigan after practice yesterday, from Wildcat Sports Report.

Point Guard U ranks the incoming Pac-10 football recruiting classes. Arizona's recruiting class largely underwhelmed in the media. The only big name was Adam Hall. Check back in four years though. Rating a recruiting class before any of the players has taken any snaps is backwards. Obviously, if you have a "top-25" recruiting class, you have signed some of the best prospects in your region, and the nation. But, some 5 star recruits never develop, and hidden gems blossom every season.

The Wildcat takes on the Matt Scott vs. Nick Foles debate. Solid arguments. The season kicks off in nine days, however. An actual decision needs to be made. This is ridiculous.

The Wildcat also interviewed Delashaun Dean. Boy, I cannot wait until he is back at full speed. Both quarterbacks will need him.