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AG's Wildcat Report - Dispatches on the Wildcats, from Anthony Gimino

Stoops favors playing non-conference game in Phoenix (video)

by on Aug. 11, 2010, under Sports

Mike Stoops at Pac-10 media day/Photo by Kirby Lee, US Presswire

There is a nice interview of Arizona coach Mike Stoops posted on FoxSportsArizona.com.

The video clip, with Todd Walsh asking the questions, runs for more than seven minutes. You can also see highlights from last season, including Juron Criner‘s game-winning touchdown catch vs. USC and Nic Grigsby‘s game-winning touchdown run vs. Stanford.

(As a side note and in the interest of full disclosure, I am also supplying Arizona football stories and video to FoxSportsArizona.com, which you can find on the site’s Wildcat page. Today’s story includes quotes about the team’s trip to Fort Huachuca, where the team will practice starting Thursday.)

In the video interview, Stoops talks about:

*Quarterback Nick Foles and the “balance” the junior has in his life.

*Running back Nic Grigsby, who headlines a deep group of runners. “Hopefully, we can have that group healthy,” Stoops said. “We have, I feel, one of the best backfields in the country.”

*His defense. “We have the players to do what we want to do … we’re just going to have to grow up fast,” he said.

*Being picked fifth in the Pac-10 by the league’s media.

*New athletic director Greg Byrne.

*Playing a non-conference game in the Phoenix area. This was an interesting response. Not only did Stoops say he wants to do it, but he would have loved to have played Iowa in Phoenix (or, more accurately, University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale) this season. In the future, though, if the program is at a high-enough level where it can attract a big-name opponent and give up the home-field advantage of Arizona Stadium, Stoops is all for traveling north for that game. “You want to bring this product to Phoenix,” he said.

*Retiring jerseys of former Arizona greats this season.

*His personal and professional development since arriving at Arizona. “I think I’m much better at what I do now than the first couple of years,” he said. “I made a lot of mistakes, and you just learn from it.”

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 11th, 2010 at 3:53 pm and is filed under Sports. Tags for this post: , . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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  • fraser007

    And screw 54,000 loyal fans plus the thousands who cant afford the tickets and have to listen to the game on the radio!! If the Phoenix fans (how many) want to see the game let them come here!!!

  • Mark B. Evans

    Perhaps he should apply for the coaching job at Tempe Normal if he thinks playing a University of Arizona home football game in PHOENIX! is a good idea.

    If UA fans in Phoenix want to see the Wildcats play, they can buy a ticket to Arizona Stadium and drive their butts down here.

    He doesn’t get the rivalry. Never has.

  • Andy Morales

    How would the business community that makes money off of home games feel about this especially in these economic times?
     
    Also, why would the UA president want to reward the legislators who live in Glendale (for the most part) with an economic boost to their community at the expense of ours?
     

  • Aaron

    I’m not opposed to the Cats playing a home game up in Phoenix.  There are big benefits to the school by doing so, or else this wouldn’t come up.  The biggest reason I like this, though, is recruiting.  You go up there, out-sell ASU in their own back yard, and show the Phoenix recruits which school is owning football in the state.  Remember that the hoops team does this periodically, and there’s no outcry about that.

  • fraser007

    Thank you Mark. Glad someone else thinks that way too. Maybe he will read this??

  • Andy Morales

    ” Remember that the hoops team does this periodically, and there’s no outcry about that.”
     
    Those aren’t home games.
     
     

  • Carlos J. M.

     don’t know – is this akin to WSU taking on Michigan in Seattle, thinking strictly in terms of markets and not saying UA and WSU are the same?  This being done elsewhere, some other conference?  Byrne’s  nothing if not astute at raising interest and much-needed dollars.  Always thinking and acting outside the box, like the  new conference commish.  I kinda like that.  Could be good IF done the right way:

    Marquee matchup (so there’s traveling from all around and Corso, Herbstreet and Fowler sightings galore!)

    Competitive game (no repeat of Holiday Bowl ’09 please!!)

    Once every other year or three years (that’ll keep the Tucson and surrounding area businesses happy, and give them time to get creative with their marketing for such a grand event) 

    UA gets its fair share of revenues (to bring back home and build baby build!)

    Sign me up! 

  • fraser007

    Sure there are Andy. And who can afford those tickets? Not me. 54,000 vs 15,000 old people and some students.

  • http://www.wildaboutazcats.com Javier Morales

    My question is Stoops said that a game can’t be scheduled in Phoenix until the program reaches the level where he wants it to be. He’s in his seventh season with two consecutive bowl appearances. When is that time going to be? Why the hesitancy?

  • Drake T

    This is a great idea, long overdue. 
    In addition to all of the obvious benefits, this is fantastic for the rivalry.  IF the Cats can sell-out a non-conference game in asu’s backyard – this is big points for the program, alumni, to recruits, to the sports media, etc.  It would show that the so-called “basketball school” outdoes the other team statewide, even in football.
    It’s really time to get over the pedestrian Tucson second-city inferiority complex.  Seriously – grow up.  For the past 20 or 30 years, this rivalry has been far more about the schools and the students/alumni and not about the cities.  The inter-city rivalry goes only one way and is held by one subgroup of fan – Tucson native, non-alumni.  Almost all of the rest of us don’t care about that aspect of the rivalry.  It’s a non-issue and has no traction.

  • http://tucsoncitizen.com andy morales

    “Sure there are Andy. ”

    OK, name ONE “home” basketball game that was either “moved” or “scheduled” to the Phoenix area.

    And, how much do you want to wager the total financial impact of a home football game for Tucson is?

  • Carlos J. M.

    ‘Drew, I love you man.  You know that.  And you make many good points.  Always.  Wish in fact that you, as the resident high school expert, would do a write up on how this AAU vs. private run camp and tourney circuit thing is impacting the relationship between HSs and colleges, recruiting and college sports in general, but specifically b-ball. 

    That Duke (Gibbons) and Kansas (Pump brothers) can continue doing what they do, and that Arizona can’t do a damn thing about it, is a disparity of the worst kind.  Isn’t it enough that ESPN, ABC, CBS and Fox, not to mention all those in the print media as well, do the bidding for Coach K and Coach Self?  Do they need to have every single last advantage?  And then we get Coach K complaining – whining, make that - about how Duke is hated and for no other reason than the rest of us who love college basketball – pure college basketball – are jealous of them!  But that’s another argument for another day, right?  Wish you would take it up.

    But back to the matter at hand.  One important point you’ve made regarding the UA game in Phoenix and not Tucson has to do with the economic impact.  We don’t want this thing, should it fly, to backfire and take from what was already a decent thing revenue-wise, and that would be 3-4 home non-conference games every year.  Games the Tucson and surrounding area economies depend on. 

    But look at it this way: Like the Super Bowl, there could be a week’s worth of build-up for this made for TV, made for pre-holidays, made for pre-conference extravaganza.  Why not make the Old Pueblo, southern Arizona even, a part of the ticket?  Tucson businesses could market themselves to the state, to the visiting big time team – they who travel in bunches and wouldn’t mind spending some QT and buckage in Tucson before and after The Game – if you catch my drift.  It’s only an hour and a half drive either way, so…it can be done.  

    C’mon, can you imagine UA playing Alabama, Florida, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, LSU or any of the longtime big shots in September or early October and not in any other place but our home state?  In a stadium where Super Bowls are played, in a city where our hated rivals reside, in the fertile ground for recruiting that is the Valley?  Who here hasn’t wanted to redo that Penn State and LSU game from way back and on our terms, finally?  Especially now that we have 6-4, 225 lb. DB s prowling the defensive backfield, go 2-3 deep at all positions just about, have a kicking game that rivals any other, have an NFL-caliber QB or 2 or 3, employ coaches who know how to recruit and coach ‘em up! 

    You’re right, Jay.  Now’s the time.  I don’t know why Coach Stoops is being so gun-shy.

  • WildcatSportsReport

    I would have no problem if they do this once every few years IF it occurs in a year where the team has five Pac-10 home games AND has two other home non-conference games. The Cats almost never play eight home games, preferring to play a road non-conference game. If the Cats can play the eighth game in Glendale, pack UofPhoenix Stadium, preferably with a made for tv event, then I say gor for it.

  • Carlos J. M.

    Interesting.  So instead of Arizona going on the road to play that one non-conference game of the three, they would play it in U of Phx Stadium?  I can see it. 

    The guaranteed sell-out happens if UA has the product on the field, which it is striving for now.  And, if someone like the top tier teams I mentioned above, or Oklahoma, Nebraska (payback?) or Notre Dame, let’s say, were to sign on.  You know, the Irish already have their own network in NBC, they love taking on all comers and I don’t recall the ‘Cats ever playing on that network, so why not?  Would be fun! 

    There’s got to be a huge ND following in the Valley of the Sun and throughout the state.  I know that we as ‘Cat faithful love nothing more than replaying UA announcer Peter A. Solomon’s “Down go the Fightin’ Irish of Noter Dame!” account of Max Zendejas’ heroics all those years ago.  And if  Coach Stoops charges can’t give brand new ND Coach Kelly and his team a fight right now, when will they ever be able to do so?

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