Citizen Staff Writer
UA RECAP
JOHN MOREDICH and KEN BRAZZLE
sports@tucsoncitizen.com
Grigsby, Dean shine
Finding silver linings is becoming more difficult with this 2-6 Arizona team, but there were bright spots in the Wildcats’ 21-20 loss to Stanford.
Freshman tailback Nick Grigsby continued to show his moves as he rushed for 126 yards on 24 carries.
“Nick was great,” UA coach Mike Stoops said. “He had quite a night.”
Redshirt freshman receiver Delashaun Dean had a career-high eight receptions, although they were short catches for a total of 51 yards.
“I knew I was going to have a major role and a major part,” Dean said. “We just didn’t put it together as a team.”
Field position woes
The Wildcats did not exactly start offensively in good position in the first half.
They did in the second half and still couldn’t make much of it.
Arizona started drives on its own 6-, 14-, 10-, 16-, 36-, 20- and 20-yard lines in the first half.
It didn’t get much better in the second half, with drives opening on the Arizona 15-, 11-, 14- and 12-yard lines.
The two times that the Cats started in Stanford territory, they managed just a field goal.
Stanford keeps cool
There was no denying Stanford, even when things didn’t go well in the third quarter.
Stanford (2-3, 3-4) was intercepted twice and fumbled once in the period, but UA converted only one of the turnovers, and that was a field goal.
“Coach (Jim) Harbaugh has worked enough during the week that we know how to keep our composure in a situation like this,” said running back Jason Evans, also referring to Stanford’s 24-23 upset win over USC.
After going scoreless in the third quarter at UA, Stanford put together an 11-play, 52-yard drive that tied the score at 20 on a Jeremy Stewart 1-yard plunge before Derek Belch added the go-ahead extra point with 5:54 remaining.
“We didn’t play perfect,” middle linebacker Nick Macalusco said. “We gave up two big plays. But when it came down to it, we made the plays.”
Added Stanford quarterback Tavita Pritchard: “The defense won that game. They stepped up at huge moments. Those last couple of drives, we were trying to get into a rhythm. The defense really picked us up. They played hard the entire night.”
Evans rushed for 84 yards, including a 2-yard TD run in the second quarter. Evans replaced Anthony Kimble and Stewart, who were injured. Stewart’s only carry was his TD plunge.
“Our guys found a way to win,” Harbaugh said.
By the numbers
3 Offensive TDs by UA in the past three games.
14 Tackles by UA linebacker Spencer Larsen
21 Distance in yards of TD run by Pac-10 receiving leader Mike Thomas, on a double reverse. Thomas had three catches for 35 yards.
22 Grigsby’s second-quarter run, in yards, the longest by a UA tailback all season