SB Nation - Nic Grigsby

Arizona vs. Nebraska: How They Got Here

joenewby4040 — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 06:45:08 -0000

17 days ago: Arizona quarterback Nick Foles (8) looks to pass against Southern California defensive end Armond Armstead (94) during the first half of their NCAA college football game in Los Angeles, Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009. AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

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Arizona will take on Nebraska in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl on December 29, 2009 at 8:00 ET. The Arizona Wildcats finished 8-4 and 6-3 in the Pac-10. Arizona finished 2nd in the Pac-10 in 2009. Nebraska finished 9-4 and was 1 second away from playing in a BCS bowl game. Other than the BCS games, the Nebraska/Arizona matchup will be one of the most anticipated games of the bowl season. Mike Stoops has been with Arizona since 2004 when he started his Arizona career with a 3-8 record. He has turned the program around and created a winning atmosphere that has led him to an 8 win season in 2008 which included a Las Vegas Bowl victory over BUY 21-10. Stoops added another 8 win season in 2009. The Las Vegas Bowl was Arizona's first bowl game since 1998 where Arizona defeated Nebraska 23-20.

Bo Pelini has been at Nebraska as the head coach since 2008. He won 9 games in 2008 and another 9 this year. Nebraska beat Clemson last year in the Gator Bowl 26-21. Pelini rescued Nebraska who was 5-7 in 2007. Nebraska had a great year winning the Big XII North and going to the Big XII Championship game to face Texas. It seemed as if Nebraska had it sewn up when Colt McCoy threw the ball out of bounds with :00 left on the clock. It was all for not as the replay booth gave the Horns 1 second and that was all they needed to kick the game winning FG. Nebraska will be a tough opponent who has a guy named Ndamakuh Suh. Yeah, you know him.

ARIZONA WILDCATS: HOW THEY GOT HERE

Arizona Wildcats
Record	8-4
AP Final Rank	22
Offensive Rank	40
Defensive Rank	21
Rushing Yards Allowed Per Game	112
Passing Yards Allowed Per Game	204
Rushing Yards Per Game	168
Passing Yards Per Game	240

Arizona started off the season with a different quarterback and a healthy running back in Nic Grigsby. After two and a half games, Nic Foles was at the helm and Nic Grigsby was already fading in the health department. After the mid-game switch to Foles, the Cats took on a new identity and began to rack up offense.

September 5, 2009: The Cats opened up the season starting Matt Scott and took care of Central Michigan at home holding Lefevour to his 3rd fewest passing yards in 40 starts. Grigsby had 118 yards on 23 carries. Starting out stong. Arizona 19 vs. Central Michigan 6

September 12, 2009: Arizona plays a gimme at home. Grigsby ran for 207 yards, including a 94 yard run in the 4th quarter. Matt Scott was 14-20 with 150 yards and a TD and an INT. Foles enters the mix going 6-8 with a TD and 44 yards passing. Arizona 34 vs. Northern Arizona University 17

September 19, 2009: Times are a changing. With Matt Scott struggling most of the game, Stoops looks to Foles to inspire the offense. Foles tried to salvage the Cats going 6-11 with 55 yards and a TD. This was most definitely the turning point of the season. Arizona 17 vs. Iowa 27

September 26, 2009: Coming out party? Definitely. Foles was 25-34 for 254 yards and threw for 3 TD and 0 interceptions. The defense was exploited in the secondary. The Cats start gaining momentum at this point. Arizona 37 vs. Oregon State 32

October 10, 2009: The first of many disappointments to come. Did you see it? Check it out below. That ball definitely hit the turf. One of many offensive play calls that was questionable all season with the Cats up and on offense, we are throwing. Another great performance by the offense. Locker had an incredible game and the ball just didn't bounce our way, literally. Arizona 33 vs. Washington 36

October 17, 2009: Arizona puts on offensive show and goes toe to toe with Andrew Luck. Nick Foles is 40-51 for 415 yards and 3 touchdowns. Defense gets torched for 583 yards. Arizona wins, momentum builds. Arizona is now 4-2. Arizona 43 vs. Stanford 38

October 24, 2009: Domination. Arizona gains 456 yards. Foles gets 247 but has 3 INT's. Rushing game gets 209 from an array of different backs. Still missing Grigs at this point. Arizona 27 vs. UCLA 13

November 7, 2009: Gimme. Arizona puts in a full performance. 294 rushing. Foles 12-19 for 136 and a TD. Defense only gives up 185 total. Arizona 48 vs. Washington State 7

November 14, 2009: Are you kidding me? A double pass? The Cats were poised to win the game by setting up a field goal for Zendejas only to have it disappear in an instant. Sad, sad day for the Cats. The offensive line looked terrible on this day. Arizona 16 vs. California 24

November 21, 2009: Oh no! Not again? The Cats look like they are in control heading into the 4th quarter. There was a 3rd and long that I questioned here where I thought the offense should have run it and then punted the ball, milking precious time off the clock. Instead, Foles throws an INT and gives Oregon the ball on their 20 with no timeouts used. We all know the rest, right? Arizona 41 vs. Oregon 44

November 28, 2009: Agghh. The Cats get a win (that they should not have). Who cares, we beat ASU. On to USC! Arizona 20 vs. Arizona State 17

December 5, 2009: Arizona breaks a 7 game losing streak to USC by winning in the final 3:00 of the game with a 36 yard pass from Nick Foles to Juron Criner. The Cats pulled off an incredible win that brings them to San Diego! Arizona 21 vs. USC 17

And that's how it happened. Arizona had a great, but disappointing season. There were a few games that a more experienced, less injured team should have won this year. The Cats lost to Washington, Oregon, and Cal all within the last 2:00 of the game. Nick Foles solidified himself as the leader of the team and the defense came together as a unit to finish in the top 25 overall.

Next up: Arizona vs. Nebraska: How They Got Here Part II

Arizona vs. USC Preview

joenewby4040 — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 16:24:39 -0000

More photos » by Wily Low - AP

Ricky Elmore is tearing the competition this year.

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The Arizona Wildcats will limp in to tomorrow's game having lost 2 of their last 3 and barely beating ASU on a freak (go figure, a freak play during an Arizona game) play. Arizona will be without running back Nic Grigsby who has been sidelined along with David Douglas. Nick Foles has a hand injury which should not impede his passing as it is his non-throwing hand. Look for USC to throw a lot of complicated looks at Foles and try to bring a number of packages on the defensive side of the ball. As in other weeks, the Cats will use Greg Nwoko and Keoli Antolin as their two headed rushing attack. Brooks Reed and Ricky Elmore have been tearing it up this year and I expect nothing less against USC. Ricky Elmore is leading the Pac-10 in sacks this year with 10.5 sacks and I hope he gets a big one against Matt Barkley.

USC has had a disappointing 8-3 season. So sad, 8-3. USC has been plagued by inconsistent offensive firepower and a defense that was embarassed by Stanford 55-21. Matt Barkley is completing 59% of his passes and has 12 TD versus 11 INT's on the year. Joe McKnight is the explosive back for the Trojans who should eclipse the 1000 yard mark against the Cats as he has 979 yards rushing this year on 155 carries, a 6.3 YPC average.

Keys to the Game:

Kicking Game - Alex Zendejas has been great this year and was the Pac-10's Special Teams Player of the Week last week. Because of USC's gritty defense, sans Stanford, the Cats are going to need to cash in on all of their scoring opportunities. Let's hope that Zendejas likes the SoCal weather in December.
First Downs - Arizona has got to figure out a way to gain more yards on first down than they have been. Our offense is dictated by what occurs on first down and our rushing game has let us down over the past few weeks. I don't mind our WR screen passes to take the place of our rushing game but it would be nice to see a rush for more than 1 yard on first down. I still am not sure who fits our offense better, Nwoko or Antolin. I think against USC, I am going to go with Nwoko's pounding style to try and eliminate USC's speed and just pound it down their throats. (Hopefully).
Nerves - This isn't the USC of old. They have lost their identity, their swagger, and their offense! Try and tell that to opposing teams that go into the coliseum and have to deal with the crowd, the tradition, and the overall atmosphere in SoCal. Arizona's young guys are going to have to walk in with some swagger of their own and have the confidence to know they can beat the Trojans.

Pac 10 holes to fill in 2010

John Berkowitz — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:03:21 -0000

More photos » by STEPHEN BRASHEAR - AP

Washington tailback Chris Polk became the first Husky frosh to ever rush over 1000 yards in a single season. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

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The Pac 10 proved itself in 2009 to be an elite conference with lots of parity for the first time since Pete Carroll's first season at USC. As for 2010 you can usually make a pretty good prediction on what is going to happen next year based on the previous years record, returning starters, and most importantly experience at quarterback.

If you are using that as a guide it is pretty easy to pick the Oregon Ducks as the favorite to win the conference in 2010. Overall the Pac 10 was young in 2009 and that was one reason for all the parity. Washington and Washington State like to point at youth for being a reason they will be better in 2009 but you can say that about any team in the conference next season excluding ASU and Arizona.

At first glance this is an early look at the holes that teams need to plug next season and what the reasonable expectation should be for 2010.

1. Oregon - Offense - 10 - Defense - 9

The Ducks go into 2010 as the favorite to win the conference. On offense they have everyone coming back except for TE Ed Dickson who will be adequately replaced by David Paulson. Defensively they need to replace half of their defensive line which is graduating but they do have the beef in reserve to do that. The defensive backfield will be young but a lot of those players saw considerable action this season.

The big key for Oregon is the return of Jeremiah Masoli at QB and his partner in crime LaMichael James. The Ducks should start next season in the top five nationally and be primed for a national championship run. If you are a duck fan you don't have too much in the immediate future to worry about.

2. Southern Cal - 7 Offense - Defense - 7

The Trojans lose three offensive lineman and their TE so their is some rebuilding to do up front. On defense they need to replace the entire secondary. This was a young USC team with plenty of talent on the roster which will only get better with time. The key to 2010 will be the continued development of QB Matt Barkley and the hope of some playmakers maturing around him on offense.

Pete Carroll has recruited well at USC but he didn't have any actual superstars on the roster in 2010 at key positions like he did in the past. The Trojans need a RB to emerge to compliment what Barkley will bring next season. Expect the improvement at QB to be there as usual. SC needs some serious playmakers if they are going to get past Oregon.

3. Oregon State - Offense - 8 - Defense - 9

On offense the Beavers need to replace Sean Canfield who played himself into a NFL draft pick this past season. The Rodgers brothers are scheduled to return but I could see James leaving early for the NFL. The Beavers lose only one starting offensive lineman. On defense the Beavers lose a LB and one of their CB's so they are in really good shape going into 2010 if Lyle Moevao can get a sixth year to come back and run the Beav offense.

If Moevao can get another season and James Rodgers comes back the Beavers will be very good on offense. If they don't come back I could see this team fall a couple of spots despite having an improved defense. You win with experience at QB in this league. If OSU is breaking in a new QB there will be some growing pains.

4. California - Offense - 9 - Defense - 5

The Bears only lose one offensive lineman and will likely lose RB Jahvid Best who is headed for the NFL early. No big deal because Shane Vereen is just as scary. Other than that the Bears return pretty intact on offense which means trouble for the rest of the Pac 10. On defense the Bears will loose 3/4 of their secondary, half of their LB corps and a DE so there is some rebuilding to be done.

I expect the Bears to do better on offense next season. Kevin Riley has to get better at QB with another year under Tedford. Defensively the Bears are rebuilding and that will ultimately keep them from winning the title. Tedford has recruited well over the years so he has some talent in the depth that is ready to move up to help fill holes on defense.

5. Stanford - Offense - 8 - Defense - 7

The Cardinal lose Heisman hopeful Toby Gerhart who is a huge part of their offense. He will be tough to replace. They also lose one OL and a TE so with the exception of Gerhart they return pretty much intact on offense. On defense they lose the two best players in their secondary in McNally and Sherman. They also lose monster NT Ekom Udofia and LB Will Powers.

Imagine Stanford without Toby Gerhart in 2009. How competitive would this team have been? Gerhart is a generational talent who the Cards won't be able to replace. Harbaugh continues to bring in solid recruiting classes so the Tree will be an improved team. The questions are will Andrew Luck be able to pick up enough of the slack in 2010 for the Stanford offense to be a factor? Can Stanford find an adequate replacement for Gerhart?

6. Washington Offense - 9 - Defense - 7

The Huskies lose Ossai and Homer from the offense. On defense they lose Butler and Savannah at LB plus Jones and Teo Nesheim on the DL. Jones was more of a spot starter because of injuries and the same can be said of Savannah who will petition for a 6th year.

The Huskies have some good returning at the offensive skill positions but they are in year one of rebuilding the offensive line because Sark couldn't find any to sign in year one. It will take at least two years of development until this highly rated OL class is ready to contribute. The only big question on offense is if Jake Locker will return. If he does UW should go to a bowl in 2010. If he doesn't it will set the program back a year or two.

Defensively Washington played a lot of young players in 2010. They also have a lot of talent coming in with the next class which should alleviate depth concerns. Washington will be improved on defense next season even though the losses of Teo Nesheim and Butler will be felt.

If Jake Locker doesn't come back the Huskies would fall to eighth in my early predictions. Not much of a fall but the difference between making or not making a bowl game in 2010 unless a miracle happens at QB.

7. Arizona - 5 Offense - Defense - 4

The Wildcats lose WR Terrell Turner, FB Chris Gronksowski, and most of their offensive line. On defense they lose half the defensive line and all three of their starting LB's. They also lose two starters in the secondary.

Thank god for Nick Foles and Nic Grigsby because this team is going to need them next year. Arizona and ASU are really the only team in the conference doing a major rebuild from an attrition standpoint next season. If TE Rob Gronkowski returns it will be another big plus.

8. UCLA - 8 Offense - Defense - 7

The Bruins lose FB Chane Moline, WR Terrance Austin, and TE Logan Paulsen on offense. Defensively they lose the Bosworth twins and Reggie Carter at the LB spots. Alteraun Verner is always leaving at CB. You can count on Rick Neuheisel to continue bringing in new talent from the recruiting trail. There are some losses on defense but the Bruins have the talent to fill the holes coming back or coming in. T

The big questions are on offense. Can the Bruins develop an adequate starting QB to go along with an adequate running game in 2010. It all starts on the offensive line. Has Rick built up enough talent and depth here to make a difference on the OL in 2010?

9. Arizona State - 2 Offense - Defense - 5

The Sun Devils are in trouble unless Dennis Erickson can plug some major holes immediately. On offense they lose three starting linemen along with the TE, WR's, RB, HB, and QB. As bad as they were on offense maybe starting over is a better idea.

On defense they lose DE Dexter Davis, LB Travis Goethel, LB Mike Nixon, and 3/4's of the secondary. The defense was the only spark the Devils had last year so this is a major area of concern.

Erickson starts 2010 on the hot seat for the first time as a college coach. He really needs to hit the JV trail this off season to have a chance to get this team near .500 in 2010. I don't think he can get it done in the time he probably has left. Breaking in a new QB won't help matters.

10. Washington State - 8 - Offense - Defense 9

On offense the Cougars lose QB Kevin Lopina, RB Dwight Tardy, C Kenny Alfred, and TE Tony Thompson. On defense they lose LB Andy Mattingly and Safety Xavier Hicks.

The good news is that everyone who matters is coming back. The bad news is that really nobody on this roster matters at this point. WSU needs a massive influx of talent to climb out the basement. Wulff needs to put together a remarkable recruiting class this off season or he isn't going to make it out of Pullman alive next season.

Nick Foles has "busted" hand

Smooty — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 04:51:37 -0000

The news out of Tucson is that Nick Foles has a "banged up" hand. Saturday, Foles played with a glove on his left hand and his middle two fingers taped together splint-style. I doubt that Foles, or Stoops, are going to give the media any more information on the subject, but it does raise a few eyebrows. Granted, Foles played well enough Saturday, and his poor stat-line seemed more a result of ASU's tough defense, rather than his inadequacies. But, Saturday is another huge game to conclude a string of "huge games" and Foles will need to play extremely well for the Cats to outscore USC. The difference in a potential Holiday Bowl or Poinsettia Bowl bid depends on it.

Continue reading after the jump

Foles' injury concerns me -- slightly. Call it a three on a scale of ten. If it was his throwing hand, I would be around an eleven. Do you think USC wants to lose a fourth conference game and drag its tail to the Poinsettia Bowl? Me neither. Foles' effectiveness will play a huge role in who wins Saturday afternoon in Los Angeles.

I am more concerned with Grigsby sitting out -- again -- this Saturday. Take away Keola Antolin's 67 yard scamper on Saturday, and the rushing offense was atrocious. That will not cut it against USC. The rushing attack needs to produce to take some of the pressure off of Foles. This offense thrives on balance and the threat of run to open up passing lanes.

So, Cats fans, how concerned are you about Foles' injury? And what are your early thoughts on Saturday's game?

Poll

How worried are you about Nick Foles' injury?

Not worried at all. He played last week. He'll play this week.

26 votes

Concerned. The thought of Matt Scott taking more than 5 snaps makes me lose sleep.

22 votes

Terrified. We still have Bryson Beirne right?

0 votes

48 votes | Poll has closed

Getting to know the Arizona Wildcats: Q&A with Arizona Desert Swarm

jtlight — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:15:16 -0000

More photos » by Greg Wahl-Stephens - AP

Jeremiah Masoli broke out against Arizona last year. Do the Wildcats stand a chance at slowing him down this year?

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Another week, another huge game with the Pac-10 championship on the line. We caught up with Joe from Arizona Desert Swarm to see how Wildcat fans are feeling about the upcoming game. Our questions to their answers can be found here.

1. Oregon offense has been rolling in Pac-10 play, averaging just under 500 yards per game, and over 40 points. How will Arizona attempt to slow down the Ducks, and do they have a realistic shot at keeping the Ducks under 40?

Arizona's defense has been hit or miss all season. Our secondary is legit and our defensive ends are monsters. In order for the Cats to put together an entire game, the interior linemen and linebackers have to step up to the plate. The key to Arizona's gameplan is a solid pass rush from the outside and limiting passes to the middle of the field. Our corners rarely get beat and our safeties do a great job of defending the long ball down the middle. Our weakness all season has been the passing game over the middle and strong counter/iso plays on our linebackers. Depending on the flow of the game, I would expect Arizona to sit back in a zone and try to make Masoli beat them through the air if the game is tight. If it's getting out of hand (one way or another), we may try to bring some pressure.

2. Nick Foles has been a great surprise in the Pac-10. What is his skill set, and what makes him so efficient in the Arizona offense?

Foles possesses a HUGE arm and just enough mobility to buy that extra two seconds when he needs it. He is tall enough to sit in the pocket and makes good pre snap reads. His weakness comes in the long ball and the rushing ability. When he does scramble, he usually throws it even if he does have some real estate in front of him. Our receivers this year are incredible and Sonny Dykes knows how to run routes, creating an offense that allows Foles to key his reads on only a few pre snap looks.

3. The Oregon defense has been stellar all year, outside of the visit to Stanford. Do they Wildcats have the players to take advantage of Oregon's lack of size in the middle? Did the UA coaching staff take anything important from that film?

Arizona's offensive line is incredible but struggle at times with technique on run blocking but have consistently given Foles enough time to make his passes. Nic Grigsby will be another game time decision as he has been since late September. If we can put together ANY type of running game, it should open up Foles to start picking apart Oregon's defense. If no running game, Oregon should make Arizona one dimensional, kind of like Cal. We won't watch the Stanford film if you don't watch the Cal film?

4. Arizona's receiving corp seems to function a lot like Oregon's, with many different receivers sharing the load. Who should Oregon be most concerned with?

Juron Criner, Deleshaun Dean, and Terrell Turner are the burners. David Roberts and David Douglas are our possession guys. Good luck.

5. What is the confidence level of the team and fans after losing to Cal?

I actually think that after the Cal game the team didn't lose much confidence at all. Up until the batted pass/re-pass by Foles, everyone on that sideline, every Cal fan, and every U of A fan thought Arizona was going to win. Then it happened. Oh well. Stoops knows how to keep them in line and playing Oregon at home trying to make it 12 in a row in Tucson is enough for them to be very confident, even after losing to Cal.

6. Mike Stoops has been a butt of many jokes around the interwebs, but his teams have been steadily improving every year. What's been the key to this success over the past couple years.

Recruiting. Recruiting, and Sonny Dykes. Stoops is dialed into the Texas high schools from his days at OU and has cherry picked those looked over and looking to get out of the state. He knows how to run a program and has decided to embrace the Dykes style of offense while still looking for that defensive style that is his mark. Iowa (bad QB), Washington and Cal losses in the last minute of the game have Stoops only a couple wins away from 10 on the season. Ahhh. What ifs.

How the Oregon defense matches up to the Arizona Wildcat offense

jtlight — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:26:27 -0000

More photos » by Ben Margot - AP

Nick Foles will look to continue his passing success against the Ducks, but the Arizona passing attack may play right into Oregon's defensive strength.

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For most of the season, we were ranting and raving about the Oregon defense. It seemed like the Ducks finally had a defense to match the offense. The defense helped the Ducks through many tight games, and excelled in all phases of the game.

And then, Stanford punched our defense in the mouth, and our defense had it's worst performance of the year. The Ducks give up over 500 yards and 7.0 yards per play, when they had not given up over 5 yards per play in any other Pac-10 game.

However, despite that failure, I'm feeling very optimistic for our defense, and think they match up very well with Arizona this weekend.

Arizona has done an excellent job this year, plugging in Nick Foles as a replacement for Willie Tuitama, and Foles has been incredibly efficient, throwing few interceptions, and completing almost 70% of his passes. Yet, his style is very different from Andrew Luck.

Arizona's runs the "Air Raid" offense implemented by offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes. This passing attack is similar to the spread systems run by Texas Tech, and rely on efficiency from the QB position. Arizona also has done a very good job running the ball from their passing formations, and will benefit from the addition of Nic Grigsby, who gets back from injury this week.

In some ways, the Arizoan attack reminds me of the Oregon attack. They do an excellent job spreading the field horizontally, much like the Ducks have done, and run the ball from the same formations. However, they don't have the same commitment to the run that Oregon has, and Arizona has run the same number of running plays as passing plays this season (323 of each).

I have no doubt that Arizona will do a decent job running the ball against the Ducks. Oregon has been solid yet unspectacular against the run this season. However, they have done an excellent job (in every game but Stanford) at getting big plays here and there to force other teams into one-dimensional situations. I believe the same will happen against Arizona. The Wildcats may get some good gains here and there, but it will be only a matter of time until they get into 2nd or 3rd and long situations, allowing the Ducks to concentrate on the Wildcat passing attack.

And when the Wildcat's pass, I like the Ducks chances. First, it's important to note that Nick Foles is not Andrew Luck. Both are asked to do very different things. Luck killed Oregon with the deep ball, and showed accuracy (and a bit of luck) on his deep passes that we likely won't see again this season. Foles does not have that deep threat. In fact, though Arizona has the 2nd best passing attack in the Pac-10, they also have a surprisingly low number of big plays. In fact, though Oregon has roughly 75 less pass attempts on the season, they have roughly the same number of pass plays over 15 yards (45-41 in favor of UA), Oregon has a significant larger number of pass plays over 25 yards (20-12).

This isn't a big surprise, as Foles has not been that accurate when he's gone down the field. But it's also just how the Arizona offense plays. They run a large number of screens and crossing patterns, in an attempt to get one of the many talented receivers in the open field. They find holes in zones, and have a very effective passing game. Without Rob Gronkowski at TE, Arizona just has not had any reliable deep threats, and so they haven't developed this part of their offense.

Yet, I feel that passing game feeds right into Oregon's strengths. After watching the Stanford game, it was clear that Oregon was not truly ready for a deep passing game. While the corners did an adequate job, Luck put many balls right on the money, and though he completed only 60% of his passes, he still average 12.6 yards per attempt. The Cardinal stretched the Oregon defense vertically, and was able to convert enough of the deep attempts to keep the Oregon defense on their heels.

However, Oregon has done an excellent job covering the field horizontally. The Oregon line and linebackers cover the field from sideline-to-sideline as well as any team in the country. They tackle very well on the edge, and any play that does not develop incredibly quickly is able to be chased down by the quick Oregon linebacking corp. Luckily for Oregon, this is the exact type of offense that Arizona runs.

On top of this, some of Arizona's plays do not develop quickly, and it seems that Foles has been slow to make some decisions. For example, in the first offensive play against California, Arizona motioned their FB Chris Grownkowski into the slot, and the pre-snap formation ended up like this:

You can see the cushion Cal is giving both receivers on the bottom of the screen. Jeremiah Masoli has done a spectacular job this season reading this at the line and throwing it over the instant he gets the snap. However, as part of a predetermined screen, Foles hesitated for a few seconds before throwing the ball, allowing Cal to react to this, limiting the play for a 5 yard gain. We have seen Oregon take advantage of defenses in this position for 10-15 yard gains over and over this season. Whether it was indecision, or just how Arizona runs their offense, Oregon will do very well against these predetermined plays.

Against Oregon, a team with incredible linebacking speed, this indecision will be very costly. With the type of offense Arizona runs, they cannot afford plays with little to no gain. They have thrived on efficiency. And the Oregon defense is set up very well to disrupt what Arizona has been doing all season.

A cause for concern is also the pass rush, which was not up to par against USC and Stanford. However, Arizona's offense will make getting pressure on Foles very difficult. They simply get rid of the ball too quickly on many of these plays to get to the QB. However, if Oregon can limit the Wildcat short passing game, then it will be open season. The Wildcats simply have not shown a consistent ability to get open downfield, nor has Foles shown the ability to hit them. After giving up 3 sacks last week (all in downfield passing situations), the Wildcats are vulnerable in that area.

I believe that Arizona will have to work hard for every yard and every first down that it gets. Yards won't come easy for the Wildcats, and when that happens, scoring can become very difficult, especially if the Ducks can keep the Wildcat from starting with good field position.

The Ducks defense is set up very well to limit what the Wildcats can do offensively, and I'm excited to see how they perform this weekend.

College Football Week 11 Morning Open Thread

Avinash — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 12:00:27 -0000

Injury reports for Cal-Arizona: Cal--Jahvid Best and Anthony Miller (out), Derrick Hill (doubtful), Matt Summers-Gavin (probable); Arizona--Greg Nwoko, Conan Amituanal and Nic Grigsby (questionable)

7 AM PST/10 AM EST
College Gameday from Dallas at TCU!

9 AM PST/noon EST
Tennessee at Ole Miss, CBS--Might not be interesting for this season, but the winner of this game could be a team to watch out for going into next season to be an SEC upstart.

Michigan State at Purdue, ESPN--Ugh. No.

Georgia Tech at Duke, ESPN2--You know, I hate Duke basketball almost as much (if you had to put a gun to my head and ask, "Bin Laden or Coach K", I'd probably have to think about it for awhile). But Duke football behind David Cutcliffe, one win away from bowl eligibility? Oh, I can so get behind that. Go Devils!

Florida State at Wake Forest, ESPNU--you're running out of chances to see the ol'football coach.

Texas at Baylor, FSN/CSN Bay Area--if Robert Griffin had been present, this would've been a fun game. Baylor would take a 10-0 lead then blow it in the 4th quarter. As it is, another Longhorn blowout.

Houston at UCF, CBS College TV--I'm guessing if I had to rewatch one team's games this season, it's going to have to be Case Keenum and his Cougars.

Kentucky at Vanderbilt, SEC TV/CSN California--The SEC is on pace to have ten of twelve teams be bowl eligible. Gotta love how beating up on patsies is not only strategically encouraged, but economically encouraged too.

9:30 AM PST/12:30 PM EST
Missouri at Kansas State, Versus HD--A win by Kansas State and a loss by Nebraska punches their ticket to the Big 12 Championship game. Or they can just beat Nebraska next week in Lincoln. All hail Bill Snyder.

Poll

I'm _____________________ about today's games.

excited

7 votes

angry

3 votes

hopeful

26 votes

depressed

36 votes

drunk

11 votes

83 votes | Poll has closed

Is Mike Stoops Really A Good Head Coach? Q&A With Arizona Desert Swarm

Avinash — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:22:03 -0000

More photos » by Charlie Neibergall - AP

Remeber how we used to make fun of this guy? He's four wins away from a Rose Bowl.

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Remember how we used to poke fun at Mike Stoops? The guy who scored a big upset in November (beating UCLA, Cal and Oregon three years straight), but otherwise did nothing of consequence? The guy whose teams screwed the Pac-10 out of God knows how many BCS at-large bids? The guy who lost to New Mexico two years in a row?

Well, now he's four wins away from Pasadena. Where's the Mike Stoops we've come to know and love?

How do Arizona fans feel about their coach, their team, and their conference title chances? We sat down with AZ Desert Swarm, Arizona's SBN blog, and asked him how confident he feels in his team going into the showdown in Berkeley tomorrow. (Check out our interview with them over at their site!)

1) Do you think Arizona will make the Rose Bowl this year??

I think that Arizona has a good shot. We're favored against Cal, and will get to face Oregon at home where we have won 11 in a row dating back to 2007. After watching USC play the last couple of weeks, I believe that it is more than likely that we will be favored in that game and will come out with a win. Long Answer.

Short Answer. Yes. I think we will make the Rose Bowl.

2) Should Nick Foles scare the crap out of me the way his passing stats are doing? He seems like the perfect quarterback for the Airraid.

I have been hoping since July that Foles would be the starter for the Cats. The receiving corps that he has was made for him. Matt Scott's style of offense did not gel with the rest of the team. Foles on the other hand is a sure handed smart QB who rarely makes a mistake. He is tall enough to stand in the pocket and pick you apart if you don't get to him. He is also elusive (enough) to side step pressure and allow his receivers to get open on come back or hot routes during blitzes. I bet your defensive coordinator doesn't get much sleep this week watching our film. Our running game compliments Foles and we are hopeful to get our star Nic Grigsby back for the Cal game.

3) Mike Stoops has been known for dropping total headscratchers. Are you living in mortal fear that the other shoe's about to drop?

Not really. I love the way Stoops coaches. Living in Austin, Texas, there was always talk about the style of "Big Game Bob" Stoops and his aggressive coaching style. Now that Arizona has Stoops, I love that style of coaching. Case in point: 4-2 on the Iowa 23 yard line in the 2nd quarter with the Cats trailing 14-10. Stoops does a fake FG. Unfortunately, Keenyn Crier isn't a running back and forgot to follow his blockers. Should have been a first down and may have changed the game in Arizona's favor. I loved it.

4)Who is the #1 player on D that Cal fans should worry about?

Ricky Elmore. This guy is a beast. He has 28 tackles on the year but has 7.5 sacks and applies pressure like crazy. He also has a crazy mullet. Your tackles better be ready for him or it's going to be a long day.

5)Who would you like to punch in the face and why?

Each and every person that writes a check at the grocery store. No exceptions.

6. Early on, it seemed like Mike Stoops was about two steps from getting canned at Arizona. For now, at least, it looks like he's got the Wildcats going in the right direction. Is Stoops the Younger in Tucson for the long haul?

I think after this latest run and the recruiting class he put together in 2009, Stoops is here to stay. Unfortunately, as college football goes, he will always be looking for a bigger stage until he finds the right fit. I am not 100% convinced that Stoops will stay in Arizona. I just believe that he will not get fired. He is slowly building a reputable program that is a lot of fun to watch and is starting to compete at the top of the Pac-10 again. We all hope that this is his home for a long time.

Arizona vs. Washington State: Keys to the Game

joenewby4040 — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:46:23 -0000

Let's hope the stands are more full than this for homecoming.

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Arizona takes on lowly Washington State tomorrow for a homecoming game that will likely be a one sided affair. I know this aint high school, but let's thank the athletic office for scheduling a manageable opponent for this joyous event that we are going to scrub the floor with. There's nothing like a homecoming with a huge Arizona win to start your night off with

Arizona is currently #18 in the BCS and #21 in the AP Poll. A dominating win over Washington State should jump us a spot or two in each category. Although Arizona's schedule still holds Oregon, Cal, USC, and ASU, the Cats need to take care of business in Tucson and do it in a big way. Earlier I broke down some statistics of where the Cats are and how bad the Washington State run defense is. I'm expecting a big game from Foles as always and Keoli Antolin will get the big rushing game by default as Nic Grigsby and Greg Nwoko are still sidelined with injuries. Also, look for Brooks Reed to get back into the mix for the Cats. He's been sidelined almost all of the last four games and will try to get his game strength back against Washington State.

ARIZONA KEYS TO THE GAME

Stay Healthy. Let's be honest here. Arizona is picked to win this game by 28. Style points are good. Winning big is good. Staying healthy is even more important. I am one of those guys who has a hard time writing this because I think that numbers are important when recruiting as well. When do you take out Foles? When do you let some of the young guys get playing time on the O-Line? I think that if we are able to pass the ball, Foles should be left in until we are up by 21-28 points and he has thrown for over 300 yards. Why not? Strike fear into the hearts of defenses and excitement into young recruits (QB's and receivers) when they see his end of the year tally. If it becomes a running affair, I say let Matt Scott get his reps.
Special Teams. Time for coach Hammerschmidt to try out a few things on special teams to make sure we end our year with no mistakes. We need better kick off coverage, for one. We are 77th in the nation on kickoff coverage. That is RIDICULOUS. When you have as much speed as we do, we should not be anything less than in the top 30. Put in some of those fast wide receivers and let them earn some playing time and pop those pads. Who cares. I'll be watching for solid coverage against Washington State.
Linebackers. Yes, Xavier Kelly is the team leader in tackles with 46. Vuna Tuihalamaka has had some great games. Watching games and finding our weakness has led me to believe it's the linebacking corps. Consistently not filling holes, not great angles to the outside, and the softest under 10 yard coverage in the Pac-10. The linebackers are playing under the system set up for the whole defense so sometimes games can be deceiving trying to figure out the "why" or the "who" messed up on that play; however, other than our soft D-Line for the beginning of the year, the linebackers need to step up and play as well as the rest of the D.

Full Game Preview at Arizona Athletics.

AUDIO: CougCenter Podcast, Episode 12

Nuss — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:26:54 -0000

More photos » by BAHRAM MARK SOBHANI - AP

Scenes such as this have become so common that a lot of Cougs have started to lose interest -- if they hadn't already.

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Back with our weekly recording of us talking about stuff. No table of contents this week, because this edition is more of a conversation than a series of topics. We discuss just how predictably bad the football team has become, how they seem to have committed the ultimate sports sin of becoming uninteresting, and how the basketball team is pretty much the opposite of that. Also includes predictions on the Arizona game.

As usual you can listen to the audio via the player below, or visit our podcast page for myriad subscription options. You can also find us in the iTunes directory under keyword "CougCenter." The advantage of subscribing? Besides having the audio directly delivered to your player of choice, I often upload the audio to the podcast site before posting it here.

By the way, if you've been listening to the podcast for some time, want to hear your feedback. We've been going for a few months now, and would love to know what you like, what you don't like, what you want more of, and what you want us to get rid of. Rather than leaving that feedback in the comments, drop us a line via e-mail. Hopefully that will encourage people to be honest (both good and bad) and expand on their thoughts.