It only feels like the Ducks are the only ones on the field.
Photo by Scott Olmos-US PRESSWIRE

The race for the 2012 Pac-12 Championship Game starts now.

OK, it started last week when Stanford beat USC but for the Arizona Wildcats and eight other schools their first conference game is Saturday. (Washington, on the other hand, is just taking its sweet time.)

Get the TV schedule and wee notes on the first full weekend of Pac-12 play now!

This Week in the Pac-12 (TWit-Pac) wants you to watch these games (all times Arizona/Pacific):

The good news is the Pac-12 is playing itself so these games count for real. The bad news is there are fewer games to watch, especially with a couple teams taking the week off.

OSU (1-0 / 0-0) at UCLA (3-0 / 0-0)
It’s not often that a team has to play someone that has played three times as many games. Now is the time of year when you start rooting for teams in the other division to beat teams in your division. Wildcat fans should be either pro-Beaver or anti-Bruin.

Colorado (0-3 / 0-0) at WSU (2-1 / 0-0)
OK, Buffs, this is the easiest game left on your schedule…you hope. But I do know CU is the easiest game left on everybody else’s schedule.

Cal (1-2 / 0-0) at USC (2-1 / 0-1)
Now you know why I don’t make picks. My first and only game prediction of the year and, not only did I say USC would win, but I said the Trojans would “roll” the Cardinal. Oops. I did predict Josh Nunes would be exposed a bit, and he only completed 47% of his passes and threw two interceptions, but Matt Barkley was even worse. The Heisman hopeful threw 21 incompletions, no touchdowns and had two INTs of his own. A couple more games like this and Barkely will have to warm up to the idea of playing in the Holiday Bowl after all.

Utah (2-1 / 0-0) at ASU (2-1 / 0-0)
The Sun Devils’ string of facing a backup quarterback reaches three games. They play Cal next week so Zach Maynard has to be terrified for his health.

ARIZONA (3-0 / 0-0) at Oregon (3-0 / 0-0)
One of four games between ranked teams this weekend and all of them have an Arizona connection: Kansas State at Oklahoma (Mike Stoops!), Clemson at Florida State (Mark Stoops!) and Michigan at Notre Dame (RichRod’s recroots! I mean, recruits!).

Stanford (3-0 / 1-0) – bye
The Cardinal vaulted into the top 10 after sacking Troy but Stanford plays three of its next four and six of its final nine on the road. I wouldn’t put them back in a BCS bowl just yet. Not that I’m picking against them or anything.

Washington (2-1 / 0-0) – bye
This is Stanford’s next opponent. The Huskies will be very eager to take another crack at a ranked team with the beating in Baton Rouge still hanging over them.

* * *

So have you made your decision? For those happily living in Section 2, what must the game look like for the Cats to pull off the shocker in Eugene?

Arizona needs the sloppy Ducks to show up on Saturday. Oregon is tied for the conference lead in penalties committed and third in penalty yardage. They actually have a negative turnover margin (-2) on the season thus far.

The UA can’t expect a gift basket as large as the one Oklahoma State delivered, but cheap yards and extra possessions would be a big help.

Could Oregon’s starters’ stamina be lacking due to not playing four quarters in any game yet? Will there be some missed blocking assignments with senior guard Carson York out due to injury? How about getting someone behind free safety Avery Patterson, the replacement for injured John Boyett?

Arizona absolutely needs to hit some big plays, especially in the passing game. Against South Carolina State the UA’s longest rush was only 19 yards. Matt Scott completed 30 passes but only three of them went for 20+ yards. Scott can’t miss on deep throws this week. If there’s a blown coverage in the Oregon secondary it needs to be exploited for six.

On defense…well, just hope Oregon commits turnovers and penalties. Assuming De’Anthony Thomas hasn’t gone pro maybe the UA can frustrate him by holding him to, I don’t know, only 12 yards a touch.

The Wildcats are the underdogs with nothing to lose and they need to play like it from the opening kick. Arizona was able to survive a two-touchdown hole in front of a supportive crowd two weeks ago. Any hole in front of the Autzen crowd will just get deeper and darker.

Are you feeling this team as a Pac-12 contender? You have my full support if you do. Me? I can’t get myself to put all my emotional eggs in this week’s basket. But, as with every game, as soon as the ball goes in the air, I’ll believe the Cats can win and root like mad for it to happen.

Rich Rodriguez will eventually lose a game at Arizona. What’s one more week?

- – - – -

Scott Terrell is in no hurry to get to the losses. Live the wins on Twitter and Facebook.

I didn’t think we’d need to use this one again so soon.
Photo by Thomas Patterson/Salem Statesman Journal

Friends, Wildcats, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to praise Mike Stoops, not to bury him.

Or something like that.

The 7.5 years of the Stoops regime produced a rollercoaster of surprising wins and shocking losses. The former stopped while the latter continued, and so the ride came to a screeching halt.

Mike Stoops’ effect on Wildcat Football was a net positive. He clearly left the program in better shape than he found it. It also can’t be denied that Stoops engineered some incredible moments, especially at Arizona Stadium:

Mike Stoops’ Wins vs. Teams that Finished Year Ranked

For the first six years the home crowd was treated to at least one field-rushing experience every season. Overall there were more losses than wins but there was always a chance you could see something special.

That final win on the list was the absolute peak of Stoops’ tenure. Second place in the Pac-10 and he still had his best coordinators, Sonny Dykes and his brother Mark, at his side. It looked like Mike Stoops was ready to be The Guy.

But Dykes and the younger Stoops both left for bigger opportunities, the margin of defeat numbers shifted in the wrong direction and here we are.

(For my fellow fans of the uniform sciences, there is visual symmetry in the fact that the first game after the peak – the 2009 Holiday Bowl – and the final game of the Stoops era both featured the Wildcats wearing white-on-white-on-white. A ghostly coincidence?)

In addition to upset wins Stoops could also be counted on for upset losses:

Mike Stoops’ Losses to Teams that Finished with Losing Record

What left UA fans dizzy was the complete lack of logical trends. The 2005 Washington loss came immediately after the huge UCLA win. The 2006 and 2007 ASU losses came after three-game winning streaks. The 7-1 start to 2010 became the 1-10 end to Stoops’ Arizona career. You could never give up on the StoopsCats but they never let you get completely comfortable.

I was in favor of letting the embattled coach finish the season but even as I was typing those words the decision had already been made. It’s fitting that Stoops’ departure produced one last shock.

The in-game antics never bothered me. In fact, the irony is Stoops wasn’t reckless enough. His image on the sideline was that of a madman but his strategy between the lines was overly sane. Punt and play defense. Kick the field goal. Drop back into a zone. Bend but don’t break.

Last Saturday in Corvallis, Mike Stoops finally broke.

You all did love him once, not without cause:
What cause withholds you then, to mourn for him?

I will always remember the Cats dropping 52 points on UCLA in Willie Tuitama’s first home start. Or Antoine Cason racing into the end zone to rip Cal’s heart out. Or standing in the middle of the falling confetti on the Las Vegas Bowl turf.

I’ll remember Mike Stoops as the guy who accepted the challenge of making a winner out of Mackovic’s mess. I’ll remember him jumping into his players’ arms on the nights when everything came together.

Stoops got Arizona back to good but he couldn’t get to great. He was sliding away from good again and so we move on.

The next step is to fill the stadium for the UCLA game. Stoops haters, Stoops supporters, or just plain Wildcats, it is now the job of We The People to help recruit the next coach by putting positive energy on ESPN a week from Thursday.

O judgment! thou art fled to Bruin beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Bear (Down) with me.

- – - – -

Scott Terrell knew those lit classes would come in handy. Speaketh on Twitter and Facebook.

If Mike Stoops’ final chapter is being written, we just found the cover photo.
Photo by Thomas Patterson/Salem Statesman Journal

The new season just started. The new season may have just ended.

Yes, the Arizona Wildcats’ seven-game season is on life support after just one game. That’s what the “must” in must-win means. And this wasn’t even a regular must-win. It was the must-win among the remaining Pac-12 games.

How much time does Mike Stoops have left?

Oregon State was the worst team in the conference. Emphasis on was. There’s an old quote that states, “We have met the enemy and he is us.”

Well, the Wildcats have now met the worst team in the league.

(Right now Colorado is saying, “Hold on! We’re terrible too! When we play on Nov. 12, you’re going up!”)

The season has gone from hoping for a record fourth-straight bowl game to wondering how many wins Stoops needs to keep his job.

I wasn’t expecting this. Not at all. I honestly believed the Cats would beat OSU and start the journey to six wins. Instead, the defense was dominated again, the pass-blocking progress seen against USC vanished, and the follies on special teams upstaged them all.

So the talk builds in earnest. Can Stoops’ survive producing a worse record for the second straight season when his peak was eight wins with a blowout bowl loss?

To add fuel to the fire is the impending North End Zone Project. After the program took a step backward last year (even with senior-heavy lines) the best case scenario was seven or eight wins this year, eight or nine wins next year, the NEZ brings a recruiting bump and everything comes together in 2014.

If you’re in the middle of trying to raise money for massive facilities upgrades you need to be able to sell the future. To do that you either want your program to be trending upward or you bring in a new guy so you can market his potential.

Does that shorten the fuse on the powder keg beneath Stoops?

UA athletic director Greg Byrne has one football coaching change on his resume and he didn’t wait long to make it. Following Byrne’s first football season as the AD at Mississippi State, head coach Sylvester Croom “resigned” after posting a 4-8 record just one year after ending MSU’s six year bowl drought. Croom was 21-38 in five seasons.

What about Byrne’s mentor and gene pool, Texas A&M AD Bill Byrne? The elder Byrne got his start at Oregon in the middle of Rich Brooks’ 18-year run as the Ducks’ football coach. Byrne’s only hire at Nebraska was when legendary coach Tom Osborne retired and was succeeded by his long-time assistant. Byrne was on the A&M payroll when Dennis Franchione was hired away from Alabama but R.C. Slocum had already been fired and the rumors had begun about Franchione’s hiring before Byrne arrived.

News of Franchione’s newsletter scandal broke in September of 2007 but he was allowed to coach the rest of the regular season (including a win over Texas) before “resigning.” Bill Byrne then hired Mike Sherman who is 22-21 in three-plus years with the Aggies.

So the Byrne family tree has had a primary role in the removal of a grand total of two football coaches, and neither transaction occurred before the end of the regular season. As a result it’s a safe bet that if Mike Stoops “resigns” it won’t be before all the games have been played.

That’s the way it should be. We all thought Arizona Football would be further along in year eight of the Stoops era but he took a chance on the UA and cleaned up a big mess. His only outside-the-lines crime has been jumping around a lot on camera. No academic scandals. No player revolts. No NCAA letters of inquiry.

Stoops deserves to finish the year. He has earned one last chance to fight for the right to coach the dream schedule of 2012.

If you want to have hope (and a sports team with hope is a beautiful thing) your model is the 2007 season. The Wildcats were 2-6 with losses to New Mexico and 4-8 Stanford. It looked like Stoops wasn’t going to get a chance to put together his first winning season.

Then, out of nowhere, Willie Tuitama threw for 500 yards at Washington. After a home win against UCLA and the upset of No. 2 Oregon, Stoops had five wins, survived another year and started the three-bowl streak.

Is it likely? Nobody who watched the game against Oregon State is going to bet three cents on that. Is it possible? I’m done roadmapping. Get a home win against UCLA and go from there.

If that doesn’t happen the end of the season will seem very far away.

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Scott Terrell doesn’t charge anything for his “newsletters.” Sign up on Twitter and Facebook.

It hurts.
Photo by Matt Kartozian-US PRESSWIRE

Read the new story; same as the old story.

I wish I had something new to tell you. I wish there was a new storyline, a new angle. You know the scores. You know the trends. Every conversation you’re going have this week about the Arizona Wildcats football team is the exact same conversation you had last week.

The big picture isn’t going to change. So it’s time to focus on the little picture.

I know it’s not fun. Nobody enjoys watching their team get destroyed back-to-back weeks on national TV. Going back to the end of last year it’s been a long 11 months for UA football fans.

It’s like comparing Shakespeare’s tragedies. The plots may be different but everybody dies at the end.

The big-picture question remains: Can Mike Stoops get the UA to the next level? If you say no, you’re not changing your mind no matter what happens the rest of the year. If you’re undecided, waiting until the end of the season will help you determine if you should jump off the bandwagon or figure out how much road the wagon has left before the wheels fall off.

Stoops isn’t going to be fired in the middle of the season. The big picture isn’t going to change in the immediate future. The little picture is making the most of the 2011 season, and that should be the focus.

Six regular season wins, and winning a lower-level bowl game. Forget the two (three? four?) straight blowouts.

I know some will say that’s a “loser’s mentality” and “accepting mediocrity” but it’s merely separating the short term from the long term. Passionately yearning for the Rose Bowl doesn’t change this team’s ceiling.

Here are the steps to emotionally surviving the rest of the 2011 Wildcat season:

Look for signs of improvement.
Be encouraged that Andrew Luck and Stanford were only able to score one touchdown on their first six possessions. Be optimistic that Trevin Wade is back to being a playmaker.

Celebrate individual performances.
Nick Foles completed his first 17 passes. Juron Criner came back and was still dangerous. Ka’Deem Carey showed elusiveness in traffic and finished every run.

Watch for reasonable progress.
Foles helping out the struggling offensive line by turning sacks into incompletions. The run game gradually improving. The passing game finding success in the red zone. Making a 27-yard field goal.

Monitor depth chart movement.
Wildcat Universe, brace yourself for Zendejas: The Return. It makes no sense not to use a guy who made 74% of his field goals last year when his replacement has only made 25% of his tries.

But I would absolutely continue to use Jaime Salazar for extra points, just like John Bonano only does kickoffs. The Cats used three punters in the same game last year. Why not three kickers?

Support the players.
When Alex Zendejas takes the field, root for him. Hard. The Cats need someone who can put three points on the board. As Foles said after the game, “That’s like missing a wide open layup.”

Use your tickets.
Two years ago 53,479 people attended the Stanford game at Arizona Stadium. The reported attendance was only 49,636 on Saturday. I don’t agree with the fan strategy of staying home until the team improves but that line of thought will become increasingly popular.

The UA athletic department is calling for a red/white/blue combo-out against Oregon. The fear is you’ll see way too much gray aluminum.

(I didn’t have the heart to do a full-scale breakdown of the attendance trend. I’ll let somebody else be the bad guy on that one.)

Nobody likes losing. Nobody is accepting losing. There will be plenty of time for foot-stomping, fist-shaking and worrying about Arizona having what it takes to win the Pac-16 Mountain Pod. The big picture stuff will be dealt with in due time.

If the Wildcats can focus in on the little picture they can still have a winning 2011.

Related:

Is it October yet?

- – - – -

Scott Terrell needs a white hat for Saturday. Submit your fashion suggestions on Twitter and Facebook.

Is Mike Stoops' kung fu weakening?
Photo by Chris Morrison-US PRESSWIRE

“All of a sudden we’re no good? I don’t buy that. We haven’t lost a home game by more than seven points in three years.”

Those were the words of Mike Stoops in August. The Arizona Wildcats are about to put them to the test in a big way.

It’s a valid indicator. People may complain about “moral victories” but margin of defeat is a legitimate way to measure progress. That was Stoops’ point before the season.

The problem is the current margins are showing regress.

To look for trends I examined Arizona’s scores against teams that finished the year in the AP Top 25. So, for example, last year’s win against an Iowa team that ended up unranked isn’t included.

To establish a baseline (i.e., rock bottom) here are the scores from the John Mackovic era:

Forget moral victories; those are some immoral defeats.

Now for the scores under Rebuilding Stoops:

Similar totals on offense but significant improvement on the defensive side. On to Average Stoops:

A decrease in point production but another step forward on D to get the margins even closer. Here are the Good Stoops numbers from the two eight-win seasons:

Now the offense gets going to make up for a step back on defense.

You’ll notice one of those scores is not like the others. If you use logic and split things before the Holiday Bowl the good averages change to 25.1 points for, and 25.8 points against. A program appears to be on the cusp of the Top 25 when it can play the Top 25 even.

But the UA has backed off the cusp significantly. Are we back to Average Stoops?

If you look at the raw scores “Average” is generous. The margins are eerily Mackovician.

To be fair the Cats didn’t get a chance to play anyone ranked in the 20s last year. But Average Stoops had a seven-point road loss to #3 USC in 2007 and Good Stoops had a seven-point home loss to #3 USC in 2008 and a 10-point road loss to #7 Iowa in 2009.

Another caveat is the last five games against ranked teams were all away from home. That’s where the above quote comes in and why it’ll be very interesting to see how the Wildcats perform against Stanford at Arizona Stadium this Saturday.

It’s also worth noting that even if the current ugly streak extends to seven games, the last six blowouts will be against the same three teams. Maybe the moral of the story is don’t schedule Oklahoma State anymore (thanks, Jim Click), and be glad Oregon and Stanford are in the Pac-12 North.

The numbers suggest the end of the 2009 regular season was a turning point. What happened between then and the Nebraska game? Defensive coordinator Mark Stoops took another job and offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes ended up leaving to become a head coach. Maybe it’s just that simple. Paging Dr. Anae?

Injuries also can’t be ignored when it comes to the most recent shellacking. If the Cats play a ranked team in the back half of the schedule (ASU?) will they have better results with a few extra starters back?

Blowout losses don’t change anything about this year’s goals. Last year’s Washington squad lost games by 35, 30 (to Arizona), 41 and 37, yet the Huskies still went to a bowl game and won it. So the UA fan motto remains:

“I will not give up on this team before the Oregon State game.”

But long term? People can make Is he the guy? decisions any time they want, and numbers like this are making it easier for folks to answer that question in the negative.

For the record, I have not reached my big-picture conclusion with Mike Stoops. The plan is to judge this entire season when it is complete and then survey the landscape.

Between now and then? The fewer blowouts the better.

Related:

Arizona’s loss to Oklahoma State another example of failing to compete

- – - – -

Scott Terrell hopes for happier math in the future. Cheer up your calculator on Twitter and Facebook.

The Cats will be facing Orange Power without a powerful weapon.
Photo by Matt Strasen-US PRESSWIRE

It’s the shortest possible game week for Arizona fans, a Thursday game following a three-day weekend. On just the third day of the work week the Wildcats are in Stillwater to take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

Well, most of the Wildcats anyway.

The UA will not have Juron Criner for today’s game. As a result the video intro has changed for next week’s home game and I got a sneak peek:

[Envision smoke and dark, ominous music]

2,054 receiving yards… [Clip of Criner beating USC in 2009]

22 touchdowns… [Criner beating Cal last year]

151 yards and a touchdown on Saturday… [NAU highlights]

…mystery illness on Monday.

This… [Willie Tuitama speaking (with a concussion)]

This… [GRONK! speaking (with mono and a broken back)]

THIS… [Mike Stoops speaking (with tears in his eyes)]

…is Arizona Football.

[And cue the fireworks]

TWIT-Pac trudges on with this week’s TV schedule (all times Arizona/Pacific):

ARIZONA (1-0) at Oklahoma State (1-0)
Just two games ago things did not go well for Stoops and the Wildcats. Has enough changed since then? Besides one less Juron Criner playing?

Missouri (1-0) at ASU (1-0)
The Tigers are ranked but Arizona State is the big favorite. Ironically, Sun Devil fans are having trouble understanding how the sun works.

OSU (0-1) at Wisconsin (1-0)
Loss to an FCS team, quarterback controversy, star player still injured. Not the best time to visit the #8 team in the land.

Cal (1-0) at Colorado (0-1)
The first Pac-12 game ever is not a Pac-12 game, as the Bears and Buffs are finishing up a non-conference home-and-home series. Colorado didn’t get the memo that the round-robin schedule is over.

Nevada (0-0) at Oregon (0-1)
The Wolfpack is so fired up they took a bye week before their first game. They’ll probably need the rest after the Ducks are done piling up frustration touchdowns.

Hawaiʻi (1-0) at Washington (1-0)
The Warriors are trying to go to 2-0 in Pac-12 play. The Huskies are hoping Hawaiʻi isn’t as good as Eastern Washington.

Stanford (1-0) at Duke (0-1)
This would be one heck of a women’s basketball game. Just for fun…

Who do Wildcat fans want to win?
Stanford. Because they’re not Duke.

UNLV (0-1) at WSU (1-0)
The Cougars scored 64 points last week. The Rebels gave up 51 points. I’m going to say Wazzu wins by 115.

Utah (1-0) at USC (1-0)
Here is the first ever Pac-12 conference game, for real.

Who do Wildcat fans want to win?
USC. 1) The ineligible Trojans’ can’t win the Pac-12 South. 2) If the Utes survive this one there’s a legit chance they come to Tucson in November with a 5-0 league record. Shouldn’t the new guys have to suffer at least a little?

San Jose State (0-1) at UCLA (0-1)
The only matchup of 0-1 teams on the board. If the Bruins don’t win this one Rick Neuheisel won’t make it to October.

- – -

This is the start of Arizona’s four-week exercise in extreme patience. If the Cats win you get to dance in the streets. If they lose you have to tell yourself, “I will not give up on this team before the Oregon State game.”

And beware of mystery illnesses.

- – - – -

Scott Terrell is already checking his temperature. Say “ah” on Twitter and Facebook.

Would you be fine with Stoops pulling a Tressel to win big?
Photo by Kirby Lee-US PRESSWIRE

Jim Tressel was forced to resign from his position as head football coach at Ohio State after 10 seasons, 106 wins, seven Big Ten titles, five BCS wins and a national championship.

Buckeye fans now have to ask themselves: Was it worth it?

For followers of the Arizona Wildcats, is there a level of penalty that would be worth the ultimate football dream, a trip to the Rose Bowl?

As Tressel’s tenure in Columbus came to a sudden and scandalous end there was certainly a feeling of betrayal among the OSU faithful, but it wasn’t unanimous. There is a portion of the Ohio State fan base outraged not at Tressel, but at those who uncovered the truth. They look at the domination of the Big Ten and the 9-1 record against Michigan and they’re able to overlook the trophies-for-tats transactions.

Let’s say everything about the Terrelle Pryor era is blown up but Maurice Clarett’s accusations remain ignored and the 2002 national championship stays intact. Is Joe Buckeye at peace with the trade? I say, deep down, the answer is yes. And, as a fan of a football program with no crystal footballs to return, I would have to agree with him.

Now, I’m making a big assumption. I’m assuming that Tressel’s crime was running a ship loose enough that this could go on without his knowledge and then lying to cover it up once he found out. If Tressel, however, was steering the ship over to the tattoo parlor it’s not worth any number of wins.

It’s the same with the Reggie Bush situation at USC. If the violations happened under Pete Carroll’s watch but without his consent I continue to be proud of my 2003 and 2004 AP championships if I’m Tommy Trojan. But if Carroll was the one introducing the wolves to the sheep then, as a fan, I want nothing to do with the period.

I, like the vast majority of sports fans, can’t support blatant cheating, such as SMU funneling money to its players, or setting up bogus courses to keep players eligible a la Frank Kush at ASU.

But I’m not naïve enough to expect a program to compete at an elite level without even a minor tussle with the NCAA rule book.

The best Arizona example is newly-crowned NBA champion, Jason Terry. An investigation after the 1998-’99 season determined Terry had been ineligible his senior year because he took money from agents. There were no reports of wrongdoings during Terry’s sophomore season so the UA’s national title was unaffected.

1 vacated tournament + 1 player’s individual honors revoked = 1 championship. Deal.

Where it gets tough is all the gray area in between. In the Cam Newton case the NCAA’s official position is the father violated the rules but the son did not. Newton was eligible for all 14 games of his Auburn career and the 2010 championship is legit. Assuming that ruling doesn’t change, would you accept the next Cam Newton at Arizona if it meant winning the conference?

Right now, I’d think about it, but pass. Stay true to the “Do it the right way” mantra and be patient. But I don’t blame any elder Cat fans who would be willing to sign on the dotted line.

What about a tarnished coach? Would you be open to hiring Pete Carroll or Jim Tressel a few years down the road if the UA is languishing in the Pac-12 South?

That one I’d consider for a long, long time.

It’s a sad testament to the state of college athletics that this is a valid conversation. When the dollars get big (and with the new TV deal the dollars in the Pac-12 are about to get bigger) the temptations get really big.

I applaud UA AD Greg Byrne’s proactive approach to compliance issues, even calling on fans to report violations. It is a noble goal to be the best at everything, including following the rules.

But don’t delay. The sooner Arizona football wins big the better off we – and our consciences – will be.

- – - – -

Scott Terrell will not be vacating this column over the summer. Stay compliant on Twitter and Facebook.

Garic Wharton and the receivers made all the right moves on Saturday.
Photo by David Kadlubowski/The Arizona Republic

If you’re a fan of passing offenses, the Arizona spring football game was the place to be.

If you’re a fan of the 2011 Wildcats, passing is exactly what you want to see if you want the team to have a chance at success in the fall.

Ideally you want your offense to be balanced. In 2008 under Sonny Dykes, Arizona had a record-breaking passer, a 1,000-yard rusher, 33 rushing touchdowns and 24 passing touchdowns.

But life’s a lot easier when you have a future NFL starter at left tackle in Eben Britton and a future NFL starter at tight end in GRONK! Throw in NFL fullback Chris Gronk and you’ve got yourself a running game.

Last year’s offensive line had five seniors but no blue-chippers. Only Colin Baxter and Adam Grant are draft prospects and neither is projected to be drafted until the final round.

The run game suffered as a result. The Cats finished 8th in the Pac-10 in both rushing yards per game and yards per carry last year. And yet, Mike Stoops and his staff never seemed to let go of the dream of churning out first downs on the ground.

Keola Antolin carried the ball 25 times and the Wildcats attempted 43 total rushes in the frustrating-on-so-many-levels loss to Arizona State. It didn’t make sense.

There’s no reason to try and establish the run when you’ve established you can’t run.

Arizona is breaking in five new offensive linemen. The long-term potential is high for this next generation of hogs but they aren’t going to steamroll people out of the gate.

It also doesn’t help that, with Greg Nwoko’s injury, there isn’t a big bruising back on the two-deep. If the size requirements were 5-10 or 200 pounds, neither of the Cats’ top two running backs could go on the ride.

It adds up to three things: Throw, throw and throw.

And on Saturday, throw they did. The team ran 60 plays from scrimmage. Forty-two were passing plays, 13 were running plays, and the remaining five were passing plays that turned into quarterback runs. So 78% of the time the play-caller said, “Let’s put this thing in the air.”

It’s the right thing to do, and this time around Stoops knows it. He admits this year’s team is going to have to pass to set up the run. He’s more comfortable with the fact that the strength of his squad is its quarterback and wide receivers.

Texas transfer Dan Bucker was the guy most Cat fans wanted to see but the pass-catching star in the scrimmage was Richard Morrison. The former quarterback was last seen grabbing six passes in the Alamo Bowl and it looks like he’s ready to be the little speedy guy the UA has been looking for since Mike Thomas left.

What the Wildcats may be looking for next is anybody who can play defense. With linebacker Jake Fischer going down at the very end of the scrimmage the Cats appear to have lost a second starter on a unit that was already trying to plug some holes. Yet another reason to get used to having to throw the ball a bunch of times.

Nobody is calling for a return to the days of 46 pass attempts and only one touchdown like during the Mackovic era. But if you don’t have stars at every position you have to put the stars you have in the best position to succeed.

For the 2011 Arizona Wildcats that means Nick Foles going up-tempo out of the shotgun, Juron Criner on one side, Bucker on the other, and a combination of Morrison, David Roberts, Terrence Miller, David Douglas and Garic Wharton on the inside.

Huck it.

- – - – -

Scott Terrell loves running backs but you gotta do what you gotta do. Go deep on Twitter and Facebook.

Not even Sheriff Lute owned the Territory like this.
Photo by Val Cañez/Tucson Citizen

Some fans want their biggest rival to be really good so there can be more at stake when the teams play. They want both teams to be playing for conference championships, high tournament seeds and elite bowl games.

Not me.

I want one-sided dominance in the rivalry. The game means something every time, in and of itself. So when ASU is down, I want them way down. I want my guys to be the best and their guys to be the worst.

In other words, what we have right now.

If you’re wondering how things have been going for ASU, take your current feelings about Arizona Basketball and turn them upside down. As the Wildcats and Sun Devils prepare to do battle on the hardwood you may have noticed there’s a slight gap between the two teams in the standings. And by “slight” I mean “as huge as possible.”

Arizona is in 1st place. Arizona State is in last place. It doesn’t get any better than that.

Has it ever happened before? Has one school ever held all the bragging cards in this great state of ours?

The worst ASU ever finished during Arizona’s 11 Pac-10 championship seasons was 7th and the Sun Devils did it three times: 1988, ’89 and ’90. The UA’s best finish during ASU’s three 10th-place seasons was 3rd in both 2004 and ’07.

It’s not a surprise that the Devils’ two biggest positive-gap years occurred pre-Lute Olson. ASU was #2 in the conference compared to Arizona’s 6th in 1980 and Arizona State finished tied for 3rd during the Ben Lindsey debacle in 1983 that led to the Cats’ only dead-last Pac-10 finish.

In football it’s interesting that for both sides the biggest gap during the Pac-10 era happened under the current coaches. Dennis Erickson led ASU to a 1st place tie in 2007 while the Wildcats finished in 6th. Mike Stoops produced the biggest standings difference when the UA finished tied for 2nd in 2009 compared to the Devils’ 9th place finish.

So this basketball season has the chance to become historic stuff. Just in case the Cats needed some extra incentive for Sunday.

For the record, forget the record; ASU can absolutely win this game. The Sun Devils have been competitive in their last four games. This will be their biggest home crowd since…the last UA game. ASU won it’s “bowl game” in Tucson this year. Can the basketball team win their version of the Final Four? If the Wildcats want history they’ll have to earn it.

Sean Miller has the chance to do something Lute never accomplished. Arizona in 1st, ASU in last.

Excuse me while I go stare at the standings and smile.

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Scott Terrell may be trying to mask unresolved issues following the football loss. Join in the group session on Twitter and Facebook.

Isaiah Thomas and the Huskies are not expected to be gracious hosts.
Photo by Deirdre Hamill/The Arizona Republic

Who’s up for a little battle for first place?

Arizona/Washington is a showdown of the Pac-10’s only two ranked teams (thank you, Coaches Poll!) but there’s a lot more on the menu.

No random games on random days this week. Just the Pac-10 Thursday/Saturday basketball schedule at its finest.

Thu. Jan. 20
(all times Arizona/Mountain)

FSN = Fox Sports Net
PT = Prime Ticket

Sat. Jan. 22

FSAZ = Fox Sports Arizona
FSW = Fox Sports West

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The mini-previews:

Thu. Jan. 20

ASU (9-8 / 1-4) at WSU (13-5 / 3-3)
It’s a good thing Tony Bennett isn’t around or the score might be in single digits.

ARIZONA (15-3 / 4-1) at Washington (13-4 / 5-1)
The Cats are ranked for the first time in Sean Miller’s UA career. They’re going to have to play really, really well to be ranked for the second time in Sean Miller’s UA career.

Stanford (10-6 / 3-2) at USC (10-8 / 2-3)
USC lost to Oregon to ensure there won’t be a winless Pac-10 team this year. That KO is such a giver.

Cal (9-8 / 2-3) at UCLA (11-6 / 3-2)
I watched the start of the Cal/Washington game and saw the Bears fall behind by eight. I turned it on later to see Cal within one only to watch U-Dub instantly go on an 11-0 run. My fan plus-minus was horrible.

Sat. Jan. 22

Stanford at UCLA
USC beat UCLA so, naturally, the Bruins swept the Oregon schools while the Trojans got swept.

ASU at Washington
If the Sun Devils are going to have one game where they put it all together and rain down the threes, let’s hope it’s this one.

Oregon at OSU
A Beaver win would give them a better Pac-10 record (4-3) than non-conference record (5-6).

ARIZONA at WSU
This is the key game of the week as far as Arizona’s tournament chances go. Whatever happens on Thursday the Cats need to stay focused and get ready to face a tough Wazzu squad two days later.

Cal at USC
College hoops at 11 p.m Eastern? Another item for Larry Scott’s to-do list.

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As if the first-place showdown wasn’t enough we’ll also get to see Derrick Williams sharing the court with his competition for Pac-10 Player of the Year, Washington’s Isaiah Thomas and the Cougars’ Klay Thompson.

Team results are what matters but would it be asking too much to throw in a few highlight-reel dunks and post moves from Mr. Williams? Wildcat Universe says thanks in advance.

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Don’t you love it when the football news is spread out so the season lingers a little longer?

In addition to spacing out the assistant coach hires, Mike Stoops decided to make them increasingly impressive.

Joe Salaveʻa is a young coach with limited experience. The assumption was Arizona would be looking at the same type of guys to fill its other two vacancies.

But then Stoops brought in Robert Anae, the offensive coordinator at BYU the last six years, to coach the UA O-line.

How do you top that? You bring in the Texas Longhorns’ secondary coach to hold the same title here. Oh, and make sure he has 25 years of experience coaching DBs including 14 total years at Arizona.

Welcome back, Duane Akina.

Last year the Cats lost both coordinators but one was a promotion to head coach and the other went to a traditional power. Both moves were seen as another sign the Wildcat program was improving.

This year’s mass exodus looked eerily like guys abandoning ship.

These hires are strong in their own right but they’re exceptional given the way the season ended and the offseason began. Does Stoops have any more surprises in store?

Gentlemen, start your recruiting.

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Scott Terrell is excited about the games at 10:30 Eastern. Follow along on Twitter and Facebook.