SAN DIEGO –  It’s about 20 minutes before kickoff between Arizona and Nebraska. We (Anthony Gimino, Javier Morales and I) spent time mingling in the pregame crowd and saw plenty of familiar faces. Former Tucson mayor Tom Volgy was trying to find his way around the UA alumni area while there were about 1,000 UA fans and alumns in and around a UA tent. Dave Sitton, the television voice of the Cats, Larry Finuff (Wells Fargo regional president), UA vice president Joel Valdez and UA president Robert Shelton were among those in the crowd. … With all the people in the stands it’s clear that there are more Nebraska fans than UA fans.

Key to the game? “The one who has the fewest turnovers wins,” Shelton said.

That said, Arizona is already in trouble. Nick Foles threw a lazy pass and it was intercepted. Two plays later Nebraska quarterback Zac Lee scored on a 5-yard run. Not the best way to start for Arizona. …

We’re not even halfway through the first quarter and Nebraska, a team that averaged 24,5 points per game, already has 10. Arizona needs to establish some sort of drive here or it will be a long first half. UA is down, 10-0, after a Nebraska 47-yard field goal. … The first quarter is over. Arizona can breathe a sigh of relief. It’s only down 10-0. It hasn’t moved the ball well. Something has got to give in this quarter. Just as I write that Rex Burkhead runs for 44 yards and is now close to the 50 yard line. A play later, Niles Paul runs for 20 yards. … Rex Burkhead in the endzone with ease. Nebraska is up 17-0. Where’s the exit?

Predicted UA would lose, but not in this manner. Thought it would be closer… There’s still time, but, …

All of a sudden I’m having flashbacks to Monday’s BYU rout of the Cats in McKale Center… The usally quiet Morales says Burkhead looks like BYU’s Jimmer Fredette. Ouch! No need to remind anyone he had 49 points against the Cats on Monday. … Nebraska is now up 20-0 after a 50-yard field goal by Alex Henery.

Just to make sure you are counting. Nebraska has scored on all but one possession. It’s now 23-0, … Thought this would be a better game. Also reminds me of the UA-Louisville hoop game from last year’s Sweet 16 game. That was embarrassing. This looks to be headed that way. It’s halftime and UA is down by 23.

OK, so you thought Nebraska would let up? Hardly. It just scored on a 74-pass play. Work of art, too. What’s worse is the rain is coming down harder and fans are started to leave…. Beat the traffic back to Tucson…. It’s now 33-0. Last game I saw like this in football was Arizona’s shutout loss to Syracuse in the 1990 Aloha Bowl in Hawaii. UA was shutout 28-0. UA hadn’t been shutout in 214 games and then laid an egg in that one. … Nearly 20 years later, here we are again.

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