Nick Foles threw two costly interceptions against Utah. Photo by Chris Morrison-US PRESSWIRE
Arizona drops to 2-7 with the 34-21 loss to Utah and can’t be bowl eligible. That ends Arizona’s three-year postseason streak, which was tied for the longest in school history.
Only one other team in the Pac-10 had been to the postseason in each of the past three seasons — Oregon.
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Sophomore Daniel Jenkins comes up with a nifty 29-yard touchdown run in the final minute, changing directions, making quick cuts and tightroping the right sideline for the final few yards.
The future of the running back position looks solid with Ka’Deem Carey, Jenkins, Taimi Tutogi and Greg Nwoko coming back from a knee injury next season.
Arizona is down 34-21 with 23 seconds left.
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Utah scores after the interception on an 11-yard rush by John White. The Utes put this one away, leading 34-14 with 2:50 to play.
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Nick Foles throws a costly interception when Arizona had first-and-goal from the 2. Foles tries to hit Austin Hill in the right side of the end zone, but perhaps the two weren’t on the same page.
A play earlier they had tried to connect on a fade pass into the corner. This time, Foles put the pass on a line, and Utah’s Conroy Black was able to step in front of it to make the interception.
He had a lot of green grass ahead of him, but running back Ka’Deem Carey was part of a group that chased him down and forced him to change course. He ended up with a 57-yard return.
That looks like it was Arizona’s last, best chance.
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Another penalty break for Arizona. Utah gets called for pass interference on an incomplete pass on third-and-7 from the 9.
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Arizona on the march. On third-and-10, David Roberts catches a 7-yard pass and then Utah gets flagged for a late hit out out of bounds. The Cats are in the red zone.
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Just when Arizona was gathering some momentum, running back Keola Antolin fumbles on what looks to be a promising run, with Utah recovering at the Arizona 45.
On the next play, Utah QB Jon Hayes fumbles while attempting a pass, with the ball bouncing behind him and to his right. Linebacker Derek Earls has a shot to pick it up, but can’t, and Utah recovers.
The defense holds, though, and Utah has to punt with 10:58 left.
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Defense pumped up after a third-down sack to force a Utah punt as the third quarter ends. Utah up 27-14. Can anybody see a 28-27 final?
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Arizona does indeed did a touchdown following Utah’s missed field goal, with Nick Foles connecting deep to David Douglas. Foles, on a play-action fake, rolls to his right and fires a long pass back toward the middle of the field to Douglas, who catches the ball inside the 5 and goes in for the score.
Arizona gets within 27-14 with 5:02 to play.
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The pace of the game has slowed and the stands have thinned (about 25 percent of the Zona Zoo came back for halftime), but Arizona is hanging around with 6:42 to play in the third quarter. Utah PK Coleman Peterson just missed a 47-yard field goal, doinking it off the left upright.
A touchdown here from the Cats could do wonders.
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Ka’Deeem Carey is in the game after serving a first-half suspension for an unspecified violation of team rules.
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It’s hard to hide bad cornerback play. Utah scores on a 44-yard pass play to a wide-open Reggie Dunn, who badly beats Lyle Brown down the right sideline.
Brown is playing after Jourdon Grandon handled the spot in the first half with Shaquille Richardson and Cortez Johnson sidelined by injuries (as well as Jonathan McKnight, who has been out all year).
Utah leads 27-7 early in the second half.
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And now pass interference against Arizona. The Cats have nine penalties for 91 yards.
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And on the first play of the second half, Arizona DT Justin Washington is flagged for an unnecessary roughness penalty at the end of a short running play.
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Arizona leads in total yardage, 215 to 190, but the Utes have made almost all the big plays — punt block, interception, two sacks on third down, etc., etc.
The Utes also have been penalized only once. Arizona has seven penalties for 51 yards.
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Utah connects at a 35-yard field goal to end the first half, giving the Utes a 20-7 lead.
Seems like we have seen this show before. Arizona plays poorly early, looks like a mess on special teams, falls behind by double-digits and then starts to play a bit better.
Arizona is still within range for a comeback, although the Utes do start the second half with the ball.
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Arizona gets on the board with a pretty 23-yard reception from Nick Foles to David Douglas, who makes a diving over-the-head catch near the left sideline of the end zone, stabbing the ground with a foot to get himself in bounds.
Arizona trails 17-7 with 3:45 to go before half.
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Defense actually playing pretty well, holding Utah to 142 yards with five minutes to go in the half. It’s just that the Utes have taken advantage of turnovers and special teams miscues.
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Surprised that Arizona hasn’t more of its full-house backfield today; it would seem to be a better way to protect Foles against a talented Utah front.
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With Arizona playing this poorly and Mike Stoops fired, we don’t even have sideline antics to entertain us.
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Oh, special teams. Utah gets a partial block of a Kyle Duganzic attempt, although he ends up getting a decent roll on it. The Utes get an extra 10 yards at the end of the punt because of holding on Arizona. It all could have been much worse for the Cats.
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Utah turns the interception into a touchdown as running back John White zooms through a hole on the left side for an 18-yard touchdown. It’s all going wrong for the Cats, who trail 17-0 with 11:41 to play before halftime.
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Utah’s defensive line, not surprisingly, is winning the battle up front and harassing Arizona QB Nick Foles, who has had to scramble much of the game. Under pressure on the last drive, Foles doesn’t get much on a throw to the sideline and is intercepted by linebacker Matt Martinez.
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Looks like a mix-up in the secondary as first-time starting cornerback Jourdon Grandon sits down on an out-and-up pattern by DeVonte Christopher, but Grandon has no deep help. QB Jon Hayes easily finds a wide-open Christopher for a 65-yard TD and a 10-0 lead with 14:18 to play in the second quarter.
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Rob Lantz of 1290-AM says via Twitter that Ka’Deem Carey has been talking to trainers on the sideline. He did go through warm-ups; did he get hurt there.
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Arizona’s defense gave up only 34 yards and one first down in the first quarter but trails 3-0 because of the short field created by the blocked punt. This could be unlike all other Arizona games this season in is shaping up to be low-scoring defensive struggle.
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Arizona was at the Utah 29 but Nick Foles is sacked for a big loss on third down, forcing a UA punt. Utah’s defense, statistically the best in the Pac-12, winning the war right now.
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No Ka’Deem Carey so far as Daniel Jenkins gets the backup carries (and Taimi Tutogi rushes twice in short-yardage situations). Offensive coordinator Seth Littrell said this week that Carey needed more touches. Hmmm. No word on any injuries or such.
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Utah scores first with a 32-yard field goal with 6:08 left in the first quarter, set up by the blocked punt. Sloppy game for fall, with Arizona dropping a few passes in addition to the special teams mistakes (and the slip on the opening kickoff).
Utah on third-and-4 tries a reverse off an end around, but it goes nowhere as the Utes settle for the field goal.
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More special teams misadventures. After the failed fake field goal, Arizona’s next possession ends with a blocked punt. Utah takes over at the UA 21.
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Jourdon Grandon gets the start at cornerback, moving over from nickel back to take over for injured Shaquille Richardson (ankle) and injured Cortez Johnson (concussion).
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Arizona’s first drive comes up with nothing, with Nick Foles missing Juron Criner over the middle on third-and-7 from the Utah 15. Lined up for a 32-yard field goal, Arizona was penalized for a delay of game, making it a fourth-and-12 situation.
That’s an odd time for a fake, but holder Kyle Dugandzic flipped the ball between his legs to kicker John Bonano, running to his right. He was stopped easily.
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Arizona looked as it it had something cooking on the opening kickoff, with speedy Garic Wharton taking a reverse handoff from Keola Antolin. He had maybe one man to beat, but he slipped and fell at the UA 35. Must be the frosty turf in these chilly temperatures.
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This just in from ASU-land. The Sun Devils will hold their second blackout of the season for the No. 19 game against Arizona. ASU is encouraging fans to wear black and will wear its all-black uniforms for the second time this season. ASU also donned those for the Missouri game.
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Game time temperature is 59 degrees. Speaking for Tucson … brrrr.
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WR Dan Buckner, who was called “out” for this week by interim coach Tim Kish on Monday went through warm-ups and looked as if he had a chance to play. Buckner has 38 catches for 568 yards and two TDs.
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The new class consists of swimmer Simon Burnett, swimming coach Frank Busch, cross country/track athlete Robert Cheseret, swimmer Lyndon Ferns, volleyball player Kim Glass, baseball player Trevor Hoffman, softball pitcher Alicia Hollowell, basketball player Shawntinice Polk and swimmer Marshi Smith.
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This will be the spot for our in-game updates and analysis on the Arizona-Utah game. As always, have your say in the comments section.
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PREGAME
Arizona Wildcats senior receiver Juron Criner has 21 catches for 219 yards and five touchdowns in the past two games. That marks the most receptions he has ever had in back-to-back games.
The big difference? Health.
“He can tough it out during games, but when he is able to practice better, he is going to get more catches,” said receivers coach Dave Nichol. “That’s a big part of it.”
Criner was slowed by appendicitis, a hand injury and a knee injury in the first half of the season. As he got healthier during last month’s bye week, coaches also re-emphasized to him how important the second half of the season was to him and to his career.
He appears to have responded with the right attitude.
“Criner having back-to-back games is going to muscle him through the rest of the season,” interim head coach Tim Kish said.
Criner has 29 career touchdown receptions, one off the school record set by T Bell from 1972 to 1975.
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Arizona and Utah haven’t met since 2005, when the Utes won 27-24 in Salt Lake City in coach Kyle Whittingham’s coaching debut.
Facing fourth-and-5 at the Utah 42 with a little more than 3 minutes left, second-year Arizona coach Mike Stoops elected to punt, showing a conservative side that would mark his tenure with the Wildcats.
Danny Baugher’s punt went into the end zone for a touchback, Utah broke off two long runs and eventually punted the ball back to Arizona, which was hopelessly pinned at its 9-yard line with 28 seconds remaining.
A stranger game came in the 1994 Freedom Bowl. Arizona’s Tedy Bruschi-led defense had six sacks and held Utah to 75 total yards (75!) … and still lost 16-13. After that mess of an offensive game, the Freedom Bowl folded.
An even stranger meeting came two decades earlier. TucsonCitizen.com blogger Javier Morales recounted the “Snafu of ’72” last year.
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