How is Arizona going to score points in the Holiday Bowl?

Meaningless.

What is the best way to attack Ndamukong Suh?

Inconsequential.

Will the UA D let up against a struggling offense? Will Nic Grigsby be able to play? Can the special teams win the field position battle?

Not interested, don’t know, don’t care.

Only one question matters as Arizona prepares for the Holiday Bowl.

What are we going to wear?

That’s right, the uniforms. I’m not talking about looking good on TV or trying to impress recruits. I want cold hard facts.

If the Wildcats were the designated home team the answer would be easy: wear blue jerseys. The UA hasn’t lost wearing blue shirts in three full seasons. Since the start of the 2007 campaign Stoops’ troops are 3-0 when wearing blue jerseys and white pants (the Central Michigan and NAU games this year), and an eye-opening 5-0 in Blue-on-Blue (including this year’s Stanford game). I don’t want to hear anyone complaining about the “blueberry” look ever again.

But what about the “lucky” red jerseys? We wore then in the Vegas Bowl and that turned out well, right? True, the Cats were in Red-on-Red for the victory over BYU, but that’s also the combination we wore in last year’s USC and OSU losses and this year’s Oregon heartbreaker. We’ve only gone with Red-on-Blue once the last two years and that was this year’s UCLA win.

(The one potential home combo yet to be used is Blue-on-Red. Could we be waiting to break it out in a key November game next year? It would probably look top-heavy with the blue helmets but, hey, sometimes when you need a little magic you’ve got to play the colors you’re dealt.)

On the road the chromatic schemes get trickier and, of course, Arizona is the designated away team against Nebraska.

My favorite road look, White-on-Red, is on a three-game losing streak. In fact, our two most lopsided losses in the past two years (Oregon in ’08 and Iowa this year) came on the road in red pants. Beauty knows not wins.

White-on-White was even worse, losing five straight games from ’06 to ’08 before finally breaking through against ASU this year. Can we count on another last-minute muff?

That leaves white jerseys and blue pants. This combination has had its ups and downs: 0-3 in 2005 but 3-0 in 2006. It went 1-3 in ’07-08 but bounced back nicely with a 2-1 record in 2009.

So there you have it. My official recommendation of the uniform combination that gives us the best chance of success is White-on-Blue.

It’s the combo we wore when we beat the Beavers in Nick Foles’ first start. It was the uniform in action when we took down USC. It’s hot.

Granted, White-on-Blue is also what we wore in this year’s Washington game.

To be safe, maybe we should change the color of our shoes.

If you’re like me you love both Arizona Football and Arizona Basketball. You live for the hardwood just as much as the gridiron. You cherish the ’97 championship and you loathe Santa Clara and Illinois. Wildcat hoops are a big deal.

But if you’re like me you also have a short attention span and are attracted to shiny things. This year UA football has held its sparkle a lot longer than usual and the hoops team has temporarily lost its sheen. You don’t love the BasketCats any less, you just weren’t in as big a hurry to dive into the season.

Well, here we are. Smack dab in the middle of the three-week lull before the Holiday Bowl. There’s no more denying it. It’s time to see what’s up with the basketball team.

Feeling a little out of touch? Don’t worry, we’re here to help.

What did I miss?
Not a whole lot, actually. The Cats are 3-1 at home, 0-2 on the road, and we finished 6th in the Maui Invitational.

How are the freshmen looking?

If you have not yet seen Mr. Derrick Williams play, go do it. Now. Williams is by far the Cats’ best post presence and he’s hit double-figures in seven of the nine games. Derrick scored 25 against Wisconsin and 28 against UNLV, the double-overtime game he almost won by himself.

At 6-7 he’s a lot more Taj Gibson than Kevin Love but he’s aggressive around the rim and he draws fouls (seven free-throw attempts a game). He can also do this.

The other young fella to watch is Solomon Hill. He’s a 6-6 wing who shoots 53% from the floor, 79% from the line, and contributes nine points and five boards a game. His assist numbers are a little light right now but he’s already made some Luke-Walton-esque passes so you could see him flirting with a triple-double at some point.

Is it hard to envision Williams and Hill as key guys on a Pac-10 title contender in two years? Not at all. And that’s the kind of thinking we need this year.

Are the returning players any good?

The best-case scenario for this squad was a repeat of 1999 with Nic Wise as Jason Terry (22 points per game, Pac-10 Player of the Year), and Jamelle Horne as A.J. Bramlett (14 and 9 a game), leading the talented freshmen along.

It just hasn’t happened. Nic’s scoring is up but his shooting percentages are down (except from the line) and he’s struggled to consistently hit his shot.

You want a black-and-white stat? The Cats are 4-0 when Wise shoots at least 50% from the floor and 0-5 when he doesn’t.

How does the Pac-10 look this year?

About as well as the housing market. It you want to feel dizzy take a look at the current Pac-10 standings. WSU is on top with its 8-2 record. Arizona has the 9th best overall record. UCLA is in the basement. Stand on your head and it looks like, oh, 1986-2006.

The problem for the league is nobody has beaten anybody and almost everybody has been beaten by a nobody. The Pac-10’s best wins thus far? You have ASU over a 5-2 LSU team and Cal over 7-2 Pacific. That’s it.

The worst losses? Take your pick. Oregon against Montana and Portland. UCLA against Portland, Fullerton and Long Beach. USC to Loyola Marymount. Stanford to San Diego and Oral Roberts. OSU to (avert your eyes) Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Sacramento State. The Pac-10’s RPI might be lower than Brandon Jennings’ test scores.

You may have noticed that Arizona isn’t on that second list so if you’re looking for something positive you can start there. The Cats have five losses. Three are to teams currently ranked (Wisconsin, Vandy and UNLV) and the other two are to 7-3 Oklahoma and 8-2 SDSU. Of course, our best win is against a Louisiana Tech team that has feasted on things called UTPA and UALR so we didn’t make the first list either.

Give it to me straight: NCAA Tournament streak?

Let it go, my friend. Let it go. The Wildcats are 4-5 right now with three remaining out-of-conference games, all at home. Lipscomb should be a win, but NC State and BYU are a combined 15-2. A 5-7 non-league record is very possible and that’s not going to be close to getting it done.

The last two years Arizona went 9-9 and 8-10 in Pac-10 play. What makes you think we’re going to improve on that with a worse roster? This squad, like most young teams, is going to struggle on the road. The first two tests were Oklahoma and San Diego State and both resulted in 17-point losses. Factor in hiccups at home due to inexperience and an overall winning record is a more realistic ceiling than 19 wins.

When the Pac-10 tournament rolls around Arizona will be looking to duplicate USC’s run of a year ago. If it can’t the quarter-century of sustained excellence will come to an end.

And there’s nothing wrong with that.

Giving someone a clean slate usually implies wiping away something like a scandal or prolonged losing. For Sean Miller it means erasing the pressure of a great thing. Lute Olson’s NCAA tournament streak is at 25. Sean Miller’s is at zero.

Don’t get me wrong, Miller is expected to do great things here. Pac-10 championships are expected. Final Fours are expected. Building a team good enough to play on the final day of the tournament is expected. Lots of pressure will be there. Just not right now.

So what are we supposed to do this year?

Same thing we always do.

Cheer on the Cats, and Bear Down.

We’re still three weeks away from the Cats’ next game but fear not, football friends, there are plenty of warm-up bowls with West Side pride at stake. Let TMIT-Pac (it just doesn’t have the same ring to it) be your guide!

Las Vegas Bowl
#16 Oregon State (8-4) vs. #15 BYU (10-2) – Tue. Dec. 22, 6 p.m. (all times Arizona/Mountain), ESPN
I know this game officially has a new corporate name but I don’t care. It still annoys me that in Arizona Stadium we have a plaque for going to the Sun Bowl in ’69 and ’85 and then a separate plaque for going to the “John Hancock Bowl” in ’92. It’s the same bowl, people!

Anyway, back to the Brigham Young Invitational. In the past four years in Vegas the Cougars have lost to Cal, smoked Oregon, squeaked by UCLA, and been absolutely dismantled by Arizona (OK, we won by ten). How will they fare against the Fly Sweep and the Quizz?

Poinsettia Bowl
Cal (8-4) vs. #23 Utah (9-3) – Wed. Dec. 23, 6 p.m., ESPN
Why is the 6th place bowl played after the 5th place bowl? Why did Cal look so bad against Washington? If the Bears had won they would’ve had nine wins and a great case for the Holiday Bowl. Perhaps the better question is: Where do we send our thank-you cards?

Emerald Bowl
USC (8-4) vs. Boston College (8-4) – Sat. Dec. 26, 6 p.m., ESPN
Cal saved USC from 6th place but the Trojans can’t be happy. The last time USC played in a non-BCS bowl they scored six points against Utah. This year’s team might score that few even if they’re fired up.

EagleBank Bowl
UCLA (6-6) vs. Temple (9-3) – Tue. Dec. 29, 2:30 p.m., ESPN…maybe
Don’t you dare put a space in that name. They should have gone all-out and called it TheEagleBankBowl.

Army has an automatic tie-in to this game so UCLA only gets to play if the Cadets lose to Navy this Saturday. I wonder how the Bruins feel about being EagleBank’s fallback team. Are they just going to put up with it or will they finally stand up for themselves and wait for someone who loves them for who they are?

Holiday Bowl
#22 ARIZONA (8-4) vs. #20 Nebraska (9-4) – Wed. Dec. 30, 6 p.m., ESPN
Can the Wildcats play with the spirit of Chris McAlister and Trung Canidate? The Huskers on the other hand would gladly take Eric Crouch back at quarterback, even at 31 years old.

Nebraska came this close to winning the Big 12 and playing in the Fiesta Bowl. Add in their 16-15 loss to Virginia Tech and 9-7 loss to Iowa State and the Huskers were this close to being 12-1 and possibly playing for a national championship. So, yeah, Arizona better be ready.

Sun Bowl
#19 Stanford (8-4) vs. Oklahoma (7-5) – Thu. Dec. 31, 12 p.m., CBS
Bob Stoops got his wish and won’t have to play his brothers, but he may end up playing the Heisman Trophy winner instead. Big Toby has rushed for at least three touchdowns in each of his last four games and his per-carry average has gone up each of his last five games. I’m very glad to hear him accidentally say he’s leaving early for the NFL.

Rose Bowl
#7 Oregon (10-2) vs. #8 Ohio State (10-2) – Fri. Jan. 1, 2:30 p.m., ABC
The Big Ten hasn’t won this game since the 2000 season. Oregon hasn’t won the Rose Bowl since 1917. The Ducks are also the only team to lose in the Rose Bowl against Harvard. Now you know.

Who do we root for?
This is the time of year when you put rivalries aside and root for your conference cousins. Posting a record similar to last year’s 5-0 would be great for the Pac-10’s national perception.

But I would gladly take 1-6 if that one came on Dec. 30.

[Coming Monday…are you ready for this?...BASKETBALL!]

The Holiday Bowl tickets have been purchased. The time off from work has been secured. The countdown has begun.

Christmas will be coming five days late for Arizona fans this year.

Not only is the Holiday a battle of ranked teams it now features a Heisman Trophy finalist in the Huskers’ Ndamukong Suh. If you get invited to the Downtown Athletic Club as a defensive player it means you’re really, really good. If you’ve got “kong” in your first name you’re a downright monster.

Suh doesn’t have history on his side, however. Did you know that Nebraska has never beaten Arizona? 836 all-time wins and not one against the Wildcats. Of course, the two schools have only played twice. They tied us in 1961 and we beat them in Holiday Bowl, Part I.

The Cats certainly won’t be intimidated. NU will be Arizona’s sixth opponent in the final BCS top 25. The UA is 3-2 against the first five.

With the USC win Mike Stoops continued his streak of beating a team ranked at the time of the game every year. He just took his show on the road this time.

Trevin had an interception and nine tackles. Devin broke up two passes and had nine tackles of his own. I’m going to go out on a limb and say we have the best pair of cornerbacks whose first names rhyme.

This next stat comes from reader wildcatfight83. Here’s the last time each Pac-10 school beat Pete Carroll:

ARIZONA – 2009
Stanford – 2009
Oregon – 2009
Washington – 2009
Oregon State – 2008
UCLA – 2006
Cal – 2003
WSU – 2002
ASU – Never, ever, ever

Ah yes, that glorious victory over Southern California. I can’t get over how quickly things turned around. USC had just taken its first lead. The UA defense was exhausted. You just felt that the Cats were one punt away from having USC punch it in and end the game.

But the next time Keenyn Crier took the field it was to hold for an extra point.

Let’s relive Arizona’s heroic drive, shall we?

1st & 10, ball on the UA 20, 7:13 left in the game
Foles tries to hit David Roberts along the right sideline but Taylor Mays breaks up the pass by almost breaking Roberts.

2nd & 10 – UA 20 – 7:08
Foles attempts a pass to a tightly-covered Juron Criner running a short slant. The game is slipping away fast.

3rd & 10 – UA 20 – 7:04
Sonny Dykes guesses right, the line and receivers execute their blocks and Keola Anolin turns a screen pass into a 13-yard gain and a first down. The huge play that set up the hugest play.

1st & 10 – UA 33 – 6:38
Foles completes an underneath pass to Roberts.

2nd & 7 – UA 36 – 5:59
Terrell Turner runs an end-around to the short side of field. This was Turner’s only touch of the game.

3rd & 2 – UA 41 – 5:15
Foles slides to his right to open a passing lane (no more batted passes!) then fires an 11-yard strike down the middle to Roberts between two defenders. The burliest throw on the drive.

1st & 10 – SC 48 – 4:41
Foles moves left to evade pressure, doesn’t have anyone open and throws it safely into the ground in the general direction of Greg Nwoko.

2nd & 10 – SC 48 – 4:35
USC has 12 men on the field and has to take its final timeout. Thank you kindly!

The Cats run another end-around, again to the right, this time with Criner. Our running receivers do a good job of cutting upfield behind blocks instead of trying to get to the sideline every time.

3rd & 3 – SC 41 – 3:54
Nwoko behind Taimi Tutogi, straight up the middle for five yards. A redshirt freshman behind a true freshman. And the boys shall run like men.

The Cats are now three for three in third-down conversions on the drive. They will not see third down again.

1st & 10 – SC 36 – 3:30
Foles starts under center. He backs into the shotgun and changes the play. He looks to the two receivers on his left and waves his Skywalker. A jolt of anticipation rockets through the crowd.

Nick signals for the snap and quickly turns his shoulders to the left. Is it a short pass to the slot? Taylor Mays runs in for the big hit. No! It’s a fake! The collective breath of the spectators is whisked away!

Foles lofts a fade pass down the left sideline. It hangs in the air like an angel feather on the breeze. Mr. Juron Criner rises up and grasps the ball firmly with both hands. Complete! The Trojan DB fails to push Criner out of bounds. Juron stumbles, straining to maintain his balance. He staggers forward…leaning…lunging…leaping…into the end zone.

TOUCHDOWN, ARIZONA!

The Arizona faithful from sea to shining sea go berserk and ABC commentator Brock Huard asks, “Will that be the drive that gets this program over the hump?”

Only three weeks until Christmas.

Quarterbacks are defined by wins. The more dramatic the win, the better the quarterback. There’s a reason they keep stats on late-game comebacks.

With comeback #1, Nick Foles has officially arrived.

It was the missing piece from a successful rookie season. He had led the way to securing a bowl bid and put up decent stats but up until this point Foles had failed with the game on the line and the ball in his hands.

If you don’t count the muff drive Nick Foles was 0-3 on potential game-winnings drives in the final four minutes. Down three at Washington (post-foot) with 2:29 on the clock he took a sack with 43 seconds left and threw an interception with 26 seconds left. Down two with 2:06 left at Cal was the Faux Pass. Tied with 1:54 to go at ASU (pre-muff) was a three-and-out.

Throw in the horrid display of offense in the third quarter of the USC game and you’ll have to forgive us for doubting a bit when the final four minutes rolled around.

To say the game-winning drive came out of nowhere would be an insult to nowhere. After taking a 14-7 lead in the second quarter the Cats had five consecutive drives that didn’t even get to midfield. We had 27 yards of offense in the third quarter. That overthrow of C.Gronk on third down was the type of play that can haunt you for months. The game was tied heading into the fourth but it felt like a two-touchdown deficit.

So, naturally, Nick Foles manufactured a 4-minute, 10-play, 80-yard drive to retake the lead. Of course he orchestrated three third-down conversions. Without question he audibled into a fade route and threw the pass perfectly.

That’s what heroes do.

Heroes also don’t let a little pain get in the way. Nick’s Luke Skywalker glove looked twice as big this week. He couldn’t even hand the ball off with his left hand. To top it off Matt Scott wasn’t in uniform due to injury so if Foles had been unable to finish we would’ve had to turn the game over to a guy without a single collegiate pass attempt.

And did I mention all this was on the road against a team that was 48-2 in its last 50 home games?

The defense deserves a lot of credit too. Don’t brush off the fact that we just won two consecutive road games after scoring just 20 and 21 points. No, we weren’t exactly facing Jake Plummer and Matt Leinart but that side of the ball could have folded after the Oregon game and it has instead done just the opposite.

The Arizona defense did not end the USC game by barely holding on. The Cats made quick work of the final Trojan threat. Sack, incomplete, incomplete, incomplete. We only had to sweat for 54 seconds of game time.

(Well, that’s not entirely true. Arizona continues to make up its own click-killing strategies. Taking a knee too soon, calling timeouts, falling down before contact. Someday Mike Stoops will get over that ’04 Washington State game.)

You could argue the ASU game was merely surviving against a bad team, but don’t even try to dismiss this Trojan team as worthless. USC hasn’t been USC! this year but they still went into Columbus and beat the Big Ten champs. They still throttled Cal and beat Oregon State. They were still ranked coming into the game.

They were still ranked. Is there extra significance to Arizona re-entering the top 25 the same week USC’s 130-poll streak ended? We’ll have to wait until the fall of 2010 to find out.

What we do know is the fall of 2009 is officially a success. Even if Nebraska blows us out in the Holiday Bowl (which, for the Huskers, would mean a score like 11-3) this has been a very good season. Anytime you finish with a winning record and beat USC and ASU (both on the road! in back-to-back weeks!) you have to feel good about yourself.

For you fans of the Territorial Cup you’re going to want to write this one down: In the past 50 years the UA has finished a season with twice as many wins as ASU only three times. 1994, 1998, and 2009. Enjoy every second of it.

Enjoy the day Nick Foles became a hero.

Dream of the day he becomes a legend.