It has taken two years, but the program finally appears ready to rock again now that head coach Mike Stoops has his players in place.
Youth and inconsistency were the big problems in Stoops' first two seasons, but there was no question the speed and athleticism were upgraded in a big way. Unfortunately, the potential hasn't translated into wins with only four against D-I teams so far. That should change in a big way this season with the excitement coming from one player: quarterback Willie Tuitama.
A big recruit for the program last year, Tuitama has brought the expectations up to another level just off a few nice performances over the second half of last season. He made plenty of freshman mistakes, and will make plenty as a true sophomore, but he's the type of talent who the program can build around and finally be able to hang punch-for-punch with the rest of the high-octane Pac 10 after averaging a not-getting-the-job-done 18.7 points per game over the last four seasons.
The tackles are there to give Tuitama time to work, the receiving corps is in place with Mike Thomas, Anthony Johnson, and Syndric Steptoe all fast enough to make big plays, the outlet receivers are there with three good tight ends and an emerging safety valve in fullback Brandon Lopez, and the running game should be more explosive with three lightning-fast prospects. In other words, all the pieces are in place to let the young star shine.
The defense should finally be up-to-snuff with ten starters returning led by a linebacking corps that's finally healthy and should be a rock as the year goes on, and a secondary that boasts All-Pac 10 caliber talents Antoine Cason, Michael Johnson and Wilrey Fontenot. The line is bigger and better now that end Marcus Smith is back after missing almost all of last year, and there's more depth everywhere than the program has had in years. If that wasn't enough, the special teams should be among the best in the nation.
Yes, Stoops has his the horses he needs to succeed with. Now we'll get to see if he can actually coach. It has been seven years since the 12-1 season and the last bowl game, but the slide appears ready to come to a halt. For long-suffering Wildcat fans, they're ready.
The Schedule: There aren't too many tougher September games than at LSU and USC to go along with the opener against a good BYU, but things ease up a bit with the easiest part of the Pac 10 schedule coming in October and early November before playing Cal, at Oregon, and Arizona State. To come up with a winning season, the Wildcats likely have to win two of three road games at UCLA, Stanford and Washington State.
What you need to know on offense ... It took a few years, but the Arizona offense should finally be consistently productive. Improvement in the running game will be a key early, but it'll be too tempting not to bomb away. Quarterback Willie Tuitama is one of college football's brightest young stars, and he has weapons to work with thanks to the return of the top four receivers from last year and more speed in the backfield than the Wildcats have had in years. The pass protection should be even better with tackles Peter Graniello and Tanner Bell returning to lead a deep line.
Best Offensive Player: Sophomore WR Mike Thomas. Tuitama is the star of the show and the one who needs to rock and roll to get Arizona back to a bowl level, but Thomas is the best player on the offense ... at least for now. Even though he's not all that big at 5-8 and 178 pounds, he's tough and is too quick to contain with just one defender. He's the type of receiver who has to be game-planned around.
What you need to know on defense ... The piece should finally be in place to have the defense Arizona fans envisioned when Mike Stoops took over as head coach with nine returning starters plus end Marcus Smith, who missed almost all of last year. The biggest improvement will be at linebacker, where Spencer Larsen, Dane Krogstad, and Ronnie Palmer are finally healthy and should finally be on the field at the same time. The line isn't all that big and has to get into the backfield more and generate more pressure. The secondary has the potential to be among the Pac 10's best if a steady free safety can be found; there might not be a better trio in the conference than safety Michael Johnson and corners Antoine Cason and Wilrey Fontenot.
Best Defensive Player: Junior CB Antoine Cason. He's in a salary drive this season with the look of a first day draft pick. He hits like a safety and covers as well as any corner in the Pac 10. With good size at 6-0 and 182 pounds and impressive speed, he has all the tools.
Key player to a successful season: Junior RB Chris Henry. Assuming Tuitama is the real deal and will overcome his mistakes with moments of brilliance, Arizona needs more of a running game to balance things out. Henry is a flash of lightning who'll get help from redshirt freshmen Terry Longbons and Xavier Smith looking for more production than the 122 yards per game from last year.
The season will be a success if ... Arizona gets to a bowl game. While there's a ton of experience, next year will be when the Wildcats can reasonably shoot for the Pac 10 title. Considering how hard it has been for the program to win over the last several years, coming up with six-plus wins and getting to a bowl game would be a tremendous step in the Stoops era.
Key game: Oct. 7 at UCLA. This will be a circle game for the Bruins after the 52-14 atomic wedgie applies by the Wildcats last season, but it's a very winnable road game. Arizona can't assume any Pac 10 wins, but after the conference opener against USC, four of the next five games are against teams that didn't go to a bowl game. A win over UCLA could start a solid run.
2005 Fun Stats:
- Fourth quarter scoring: Opponents 66 - Arizona 23
- Turnovers: Arizona 28 - Opponents 19
- Tackles for loss: Opponents 82 - Arizona 59
The Last Time Arizona …
…played in a bowl game…1998 (Holiday Bowl vs. Nebraska)
…missed a bowl game…2005
…pitched a shutout…1996 (Illinois)
…was shutout…2005 (Cal)
…scored 50 points…2005 (UCLA)
…went undefeated…1945
…won a conference title…1993 (share, Pac-10)
…had a 3,000-yard passer…2002 (Jason Johnson)
…had a 1,000-yard rusher…2001 (Clarence Farmer)
…had a 1,000-yard receiver…2002 (Bobby Wade)
…had a first-round draft choice…2000 (RB Trung Canidate)
