The Matt Minkus Show

Arizona lost a heartbreaker last night 44-41 in double overtime and have now lost two in a row. The Wildcats are in a weird position where they could end up going to the Holiday Bowl and representing the Pac 10 as the number two team to not bowling at all. But now after this game you leave scratching your head and wonder how close this team really is. Did Arizona benefit from a relatively easy front half schedule and now when the tougher opponents appear the Cats are folding or is this team a legitimate contender that is very close to turning the corner.

Yesterday’s game was exciting and it gave the fans everything they wanted- high score, touchdowns, crazy catches, good defensive stops, and two overtime periods. Seemingly everything unless you were a Wildcat fan it didn’t give you the all important victory.

Arizona has always been built as a strong defensive team but not being able to shut Oregon down with a few minutes left and on their own twenty yard line is startling. The U of A had an opportunity to close the game out, continue to control their destiny to the Rose Bowl and have a party with a national audience watching. Instead Oregon’s offense proved to be superb, drove eighty yards to tie the game and eventually won with a touchdown in the second possession of OT. Oregon made the plays when they needed to and showed they have the “heart of a champion.”

Back to the question at hand- Is Arizona for real and really close or are they just benefactors of scheduling. Probably a little bit of both is answer. The rest of the season will also help answer that question because if they can win the last two games it makes this season much more sweet and in a position to slip into the Holiday Bowl. One key step when building a program like UA finds themselves in right now is beating opponents that are beneath you. ASU is just that team they are slowing putting some pieces together but still have not found a solid quarterback and have an unimpressive record at 4-7. It is vital that Arizona wins next week because if not, then the answer becomes more evident that the Cats are still many pieces away from being a legitimate contender.