2008 Arizona Wildcats Season

2008 Arizona Wildcats Season, Game Recaps, Scores and Reviews

2008 Arizona Wildcats

Dec. 20
2008 Las Vegas Bowl
Arizona 31 ... BYU 21
Arizona broke open the tight game with a 37-yard Delashaun Dean touchdown catch midway through the third quarter and a 24-yard scoring grab from Chris Gronkowski to take the lead for good bringing the program its first bowl win since 1998. Willie Tuitama, who threw two touchdown passes, closed out the 21-point run by weaving his way six yards for a score to put the game away. Tuitama connected with Terrell Turner for a 71-yard pass play to set up the first score of the game, a one-yard Nicolas Grigsby run, and picked apart the Cougar secondary in the second half. BYU managed to outgain the Wildcats, and had a 14-10 lead in the third quarter on a one-yard Andrew George catch, but penalties and turnovers proved costly.
Player of the game: Utah QB Brian Johnson completed 30-of-36 passes for 303 yards and four touchdowns, and he ran 13 times for 28 yards
Stat Leaders: BYU - Passing: Max Hall, 30-46, 328 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Harvey Unga, 17-71, 1 TD. Receiving: Austin Collie, 11-119
Arizona - Passing: Willie Tuitama, 24-35, 325 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Nic Grigsby, 20-87, 1 TD. Receiving: Terrell Turner, 7-111
Inside The Box Score ... 5 Thoughts on the Las Vegas Bowl ... Arizona WR Mike Thomas became the Pac 10's all-time leading receiver making his 259th career catch on the final play of the game. ... BYU WR Austin Collie tied the NCAA record with his 11th straight 100-yard game. He caught 11 passes for 119 yards. ... Penalties: BYU 10 for 76 yards - Arizona 7 for 54. ... Each team had three turnovers.

- 2008 Arizona Preview
- 2007 Arizona Season

2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 7-5
2008 Record: 8-5

Aug. 30 Idaho W 70-0
Sept. 6 Toledo  W 41-16
Sept. 13 at N Mexico L 36-28
Sept. 20 at UCLA W 31-10
Sept. 27 OPEN DATE
Oct. 4 Washington W 48-14
Oct. 11 at Stanford L 24-23
Oct. 18 California W 42-27
Oct. 25 USC L 17-10
Nov. 1 OPEN DATE
Nov. 8 at Wash State W 59-28
Nov. 15 at Oregon L 55-45
Nov. 22 Oregon State L 19-17
Nov. 29 OPEN DATE
Dec. 6 Arizona State W 31-10
Las Vegas Bowl
Dec. 20 BYU W 31-21

2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 5-7
2007 Record: 5-7

Sept. 1 at BYU L 20-7
Sept. 8 No Arizona W 45-24
Sept. 15 New Mexico L 29-27
Sept. 22 at California L 45-27
Sept. 29 Wash St W 48-30
Oct. 6 at Oregon St L 31-16
Oct. 13 at USC L 20-13
Oct. 20 Stanford L 21-20
Oct. 27 at Wash. W 48-41
Nov. 3 UCLA W 34-27
Nov. 15 Oregon W 34-24
Dec 1 at Arizona St L 20-17

Nov. 22
Oregon State 19 … Arizona 17
Sean Canfield connected with Sammie Stroughter on a 47-yard pass play in the final moments to lead to a 24-yard Justin Kahut field goal with no time left on the clock. Kahut made amends for missing an extra point just a few minutes earlier that would’ve tied up the game after Stroughter caught a seven-yard touchdown pass. Arizona had taken a second half lead on two second half touchdown drives with a 16-yard Rob Gronkowski catch and a nine-yard Keola Antolin run, but he defense couldn’t hold in the final five minutes.
Player of the game: Oregon State QB Sean Canfield completed 20-of-32 passes for 224 yards and a touchdown
Stat Leaders: Arizona - Passing: Willie Tuitama, 16-22, 158 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Keola Antolin, 25-114, 1 TD. Receiving: Mike Thomas, 6-50
Oregon State - Passing: Sean Canfield, 20-32, 224 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: James Rodgers, 10-102, 1 TD. Receiving: Jeremy Francis, 7-61
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Just when it seems like Arizona is going to turn a corner, it has problems. Now on a streak of three losses in four games, with the lone win coming against Washington State, the Wildcats are having problems coming through. It’s not like they’re being blown out, all four losses in Pac 10 play have been in close, down-to-the-wire battles, but they’re not able to get the key plays late. They’re still going to a bowl, no matter what happens against Arizona State, but a win over the Sun Devils might be a must to keep Mike Stoops out of hot water.

Nov. 15
Oregon 55 … Arizona 45
In a wild shootout with 1,031 yards of total offense, and 626 of it coming on the ground, Oregon got out to a 48-17 lead helped by two touchdown passes from Jeremiah Masoli, who also ran for scores from 66, 5 and 6 yards out. Patrick Chung returned a Willie Tuitama pass 31 yards for a Duck TD, Terence Scott caught a 44-yard touchdown pass, and Jeffrey Maehl took a pass 65 yards for a touchdown as Oregon appeared to be cruising to an easy win. And then Arizona made things interesting scoring 28 straight points, helped by three Keola Antolin touchdown runs, to pull within three, but LeGarrette Blount was finally able to put it was for the Duke with a 40-yard scoring dash. Arizona held on to the ball for 41:46.
Player of the game: Oregon QB Jeremiah Masoli competed 21-of-26 passes for 298 yards and two touchdowns, and he ran 10 times for 89 yards and three touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Arizona - Passing: Willie Tuitama, 29-45, 328 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Keola Antolin, 20-87, 4 TD. Receiving: Rob Gronkowski, 12-143, 1 TD
Oregon - Passing: Jeremiah Masoli, 21-26, 298 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Jeremiah Masoli, 10-89, 3 TD. Receiving: Ed Dickson, 7-84
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The loss to Oregon was almost like a basketball team that uses all of its energy in the comeback, but doesn’t have anything left in the tank to get over the hump. Arizona was tremendous and breathtaking in the way it was able to make a huge second half comeback, but the offense stalled late in the fourth quarter and now the Cats will have to try to get their season back on track by ruining Oregon State’s dream. The defensive front got ripped up by the Oregon running game; OSU star Jacquizz Rodgers will be licking his chops when he looks at the game film. Far too often the Arizona defensive back seven didn’t come up with the right angle or the big play, but the intensity should crank up a bit on both sides of the ball over the next few weeks.

Nov. 8
Arizona 59 … Washington State 28
Arizona cranked out 531 yards of total offense including 317 on the ground with Nic Grigsby tearing off 189 with a six yard touchdown. Willie Tuitama ran for a score and threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to Rob Gronkowski, and in all, six different players ran for a touchdown with Xavier Smith scoring twice. Washington State had one of its better games, relatively speaking with Kevin Lopina running for two scores and Dwight Tardy and Logwone Mitz each rushing for short scores. The Cougars had it tied at 14, and then Arizona went on a 28-point run.
Player of the game: Arizona RB Nic Grigsby ran 28 times for 189 yards and a score.
Stat Leaders: Washington State - Passing: Kevin Lopina, 8-15, 94 yds
Rushing: Logwone Mitz, 11-57. Receiving: Brandon Gibson, 4-37
Arizona - Passing: Willie Tuitama, 11-15, 214 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Nic Grigsby, 28-189, 1 TD. Receiving: Rob Gronkowski, 4-83, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Is there any reason to worry that the defense had a few problems with Washington State? The running game ran like there wasn’t anyone trying to stop it, while Willie Tuitama did a decent job considering he wasn’t needed all that often. No matter how it happened, Arizona is now bowl eligible under Mike Stoops, a huge accomplishment considering how rough the last few seasons have been. Getting to six wins was nice, but now it’s time to make a statement against Oregon and/or Oregon State.

Oct. 25
USC 17 … Arizona 10
In a tough battle for the Trojans, Mark Sanchez threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Stanley Havili midway through the third quarter for the 17-10 lead, and the defense did the rest, hanging on time and again. Arizona had its chances in the fourth quarter, but the offense couldn’t get anything going with the Trojans forcing four punts down the stretch. Mike Thomas made it very interesting on a last-gasp punt return, but was stopped at the USC 34 as time ran out. The Trojans scored on a two-yard Stafon Johnson run in the second quarter, while the Wildcats answered with a five-yard Nic Grigsby run early in the third.
Player of the game: USC LB Rey Maualuga made nine tackles and a half a tackle for loss
Stat Leaders: Arizona - Passing: Willie Tuitama, 14-30, 88 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Nic Grigsby, 14-69, 1 TD. Receiving: Mike Thomas 6-45
USC - Passing: Mark Sanchez, 21-36, 216 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Stafon Johnson, 19-83, 1 TD. Receiving: Damian Williams, 5-77
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... What happened to the Air Raid offense, or whatever Texas Tech, oops, er, Arizona was calling its spread-like attack? Credit USC’s defense for erasing Rob Gronkowski and Mike Thomas, allowing just 88 passing yards, but Willie Tuitama has been around too long to struggle as much as he did. The star of the show was punter Keenan Crier, who had a whale of a game pinning the Trojans deep time and again. With Washington State up next, after an off-week, the Wildcats will be bowl eligible, but it would’ve been nice to have come up with a signature win over the Trojans.

Oct. 18
Arizona 42 … California 27
Freshman Keona Antolin ran for three touchdowns including two in the second quarter and one in the third from one-yard out as Arizona ran past Cal. Thanks to a 28-point third quarter, the Wildcats overcame a 24-14 halftime deficit with a 56-yard Mike Thomas touchdown catch, a 35-yard Rob Gronkowski scoring grab and a 21-yard interception return for a score from Devin Ross, to go along with Antolin’s third touchdown, to pull away.  Cal got a 67-yard touchdown dash from Jahvid Best in the second quarter and an 18-yard touchdown catch from Cameron Morrah, but Best wasn’t able to play in the fourth and the Kevin Riley, who stepped in for Longshore, couldn’t turn the game around. The two teams combined to convert just 5-of-28 third down chances.
Player of the game: Arizona RB Keola Antolin ran 21 times for 149 yards and three touchdowns
Stat Leaders: California - Passing: Nate Longshore, 18-37, 218 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Jahvid Best, 16-107, 1 TD. Receiving: Sean Young, 6-55
Arizona - Passing: Willie Tuitama, 16-27, 225 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Keola Antolin, 21-149, 3 TD. Receiving: Mike Thomas, 6-104, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Keona Antolin? Arizona now has another weapon to give USC and future opponents something to worry about. Willie Tuitama was fine against Cal, but he didn’t have to carry the offense with his line getting a good push on the Bear front and Antolin took advantage. It wasn’t a smooth win, but it was an explosive one thanks to the 28-point third quarter. That’s going to be the way the team rolls from here on; it’s not going to be consistent, but it should keep on winning.

Oct. 11
Stanford 24 … Arizona 23
Alex Loukas stepped in and hit a big 21-yard pass and ran for 39 yards leading the way to a one-yard Toby Gerhart touchdown run with 25 seconds to play to tie the score, and Aaron Zagory hit the extra point for the win. The Cardinal ran for 286 yards with Gerhart and Anthony Kimble leading the attack, but it was the defense that came through in the second half allowing just two Jason Bondzio field goals. Arizona’s offense only managed one touchdown, a 25-yard Nicholas Grigsby run, and the defense got in the act with a 75-yard interception return for a touchdown from Nate Ness. But the offense struggled from then on as the Cardinal outscored the Cats 17-6 over the final 31 minutes.
Player of the game: Stanford RBs Toby Gerhart and Anthony Kimble combined for 226 yards and two touchdowns on 34 carries
Stat Leaders: Arizona - Passing: Willie Tuitama, 22-34, 259 yds
Rushing: Nicolas Grigsby, 15-66, 1 TD. Receiving: Terrell Turner, 10-175
Stanford - Passing: Tavita Pritchard, 13-17, 113 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Toby Gerhart, 24-116, 1 TD. Receiving: Ryan Whalen, 5-62
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Arizona’s defense isn’t going to be a rock, and there can’t be too much hand-wringing over the way Stanford was able to dominate on the offensive line, but the Cat offense needs to be stronger game-on-and-game-out. Willie Tuitama was fine against the Cardinal, but he didn’t make enough plays happen in the second half and Nic Grigsby wasn’t able to find the room to keep the ground game moving. Now come the real tests against Cal and USC, and while losing to Stanford isn’t a plus, the defeat might mean Arizona won’t be taken seriously.

Oct. 4
Arizona 48 … Washington 14
Arizona had few problems against a Jake Locker-less Washington as Rob Gronkowski caught touchdown passes from 27, nine, and eight yards out, and Nic Grigsby ran for 113 yards and a four-yard score. Washington managed a one-yard Paul Homer touchdown run early in the second. But that would be if for the fun as the offense failed to get back on the board until the fourth quarter. Willie Tuitama completed 17-of-21 passes, and Mike Thomas took a punt 48 yards for a score.
Player of the game: Arizona TE Rob Gronkowski caught five passes for 109 yards and three touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Arizona - Passing: Willie Tuitama, 17-21, 193 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Nicolas Grigsby, 14-113, 1 TD. Receiving: Rob Gronkowski, 5-109, 3 TD
Washington - Passing: Ronnie Fauch, 12-28, 181 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Brandon Johnson, 13-35. Receiving: Devin Aguilar, 4-35
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Arizona did exactly what it was supposed to do with a miserable Washington team. Willie Tuitama was nearly perfect, there was a good balance with the running game coming up with 256 yards, the was only one penalty, no turnovers, and the team held on to the ball for over 36 minutes. Basically, it was a near-perfect performance with a trip to Stanford up next. Just two wins away from being bowl eligible, it might be a must to get next weeks with Cal and USC up next. The last thing the Wildcats need is to go on any sort of a losing streak.

Sept. 20
Arizona 31 … UCLA 10
Willie Tuitama threw two touchdown passes to tight end Rob Gronkowski from 22 and four yards out, and Nic Grigsby and Xavier Smith each ran for short scores in the surprisingly easy win for Arizona. The UCLA offense was held to 196 yards and just 11 first downs, with the only Bruin touchdown coming on a one-yard Korey Bosworth fumble return for a touchdown. Arizona converted 7-of-16 third down plays, while UCLA converted just 4-of-17 chances.
Player of the game: Arizona QB Willie Tuitama completed 16-of-29 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Arizona - Passing: Willie Tuitama, 16-29, 222 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Nicholas Grigsby, 20-59, 1 TD. Receiving: Delashaun Dean, 5-35
UCLA - Passing: Kevin Craft, 15-31, 81 yds
Rushing: Chane Moline, 11-72. Receiving: Terrence Austin, 5-36
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The offense didn’t exactly blow up against UCLA, but it was effective. It was obvious early on that the Bruin attack wasn’t going to do much of anything, and all Arizona had to do was not screw up on offense and to keep moving the ball. Willie Tuitama did that. Eventually, the Wildcat attack will have to blow up in a firefight, but at 3-1 with Washington and Cal up next, the same formula that worked this week should be effective over the next few games.

Sept. 13
New Mexico 36 … Arizona 28
New Mexico rode the bruising running of Rodney Ferguson and capitalized on five Arizona turnovers to pull off the stunning upset. James Aho nailed five field goals for the Lobos including three in the second half to help pull away, and Ferguson ran for touchdown runs from 25 and 10 yards out to go along with a 25-yard scoring pass to QB Donovan Porterie. Arizona struggled to answer. Juron Criner caught a 28-yard touchdown pass with just under five minutes away to pull the Wildcats to within eight, but the final drive stalled after four plays.
Player of the game: New Mexico RB Rodney Ferguson ran 26 times for 158 yards and two touchdown, and he threw a 25-yard touchdown pass.
Stat Leaders: Arizona - Passing: Willie Tuitama, 27-50, 321 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Nicolas Grigsby, 18-72, 1 TD. Receiving: Michael Thomas, 12-136, 1 TD
New Mexico - Passing: Donovan Porterie, 13-17, 89 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Rodney Ferguson, 26-158, 2 TD. Receiving: Chris Hernandez, 4-39
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Where did the offense go? The Arizona defense got beaten up and bruised by Rodney Ferguson and the New Mexico offense, but five turnovers and no running game proved to be a killer for the Cats. The defense might have had problems against the run, giving up 221 total yards, but it did a good job of keeping the Lobos to field goals instead of touchdowns to keep the game close. However, Willie Tuitama wasn’t always able to answer. It’ll go unnoticed, but punter Keenyn Crier blasted the ball on his few opportunities.

Sept. 6
Arizona 41 ... Toledo 16
Nicholas Grigsby ran for three first half touchdowns and Willie Tuitama threw two fourth quarter touchdown passes as Arizona was never threatened. Toledo only got three Alex Steigerwald field goals until midway through the fourth quarter when Aaron Opelt connected with Stephen Williams for a three-yard touchdown. The Wildcats outgained the Rockets 452 yards to 244.
Player of the game: Arizona RB Nicholas Grigsby ran 20 times for 135 yards and three touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Toledo - Passing: Aaron Opelt, 21-31, 170 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: DaJuane Collins, 10-54. Receiving: Stephen Williams, 12-67, 1 TD
Arizona - Passing: Willie Tuitama, 25-33, 292 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Nicholas Grigsby, 20-135, 3 TD. Receiving: Mike Thomas, 9-138, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... If Nicholas Grigsby really can run on a consistent basis like he did over the first two weeks, the offense will be unstoppable. Toledo has a dangerous offense and the Wildcat defense all but shut it down, while offensively, Willie Tuitama remained sharp. Considering the problems in the Mike Stoops era, a 2-0 start by a total score of 111 to 16 is nothing to sneeze at. If the team keeps playing like this, New Mexico won't be an issue next week, and then comes the trip to UCLA.

Aug. 30
Arizona 70 ... Idaho 0
Arizona exploded for 521 yards taking advantage of five Idaho turnovers to come up with one of the highest scoring games in school history. The Wildcats scored 35 points in the second quarter and Willie Tuitama threw three first half touchdown passes leading the offense to a 49-0 lead. Marquis Hundley added a 87-yard punt return for a touchdown and Nicholas Grigsby ran for two short scores. Idaho managed just 112 yards of total offense.
Player of the game: Arizona QB Willie Tuitama completed 17 of 21 passes for 179 yards and three touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Idaho - Passing: Nathan Enderle, 10-25, 48 yds, 3 INT
Rushing: Deonte Jackson, 10-25. Receiving: Eddie Williams, 3-18
Arizona - Passing: Willie Tuitama, 17-21, 179 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Nicholas Grigsby, 19-169, 2 TD. Receiving: Delashaun Dean, 5-77
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Idaho might not be USC, but Arizona has to be doing cartwheels over a near-perfect performance in the win over the Vandals. Everything worked with an explosive offense that didn't make a mistake, an opportunistic defense that set things up in the first half, and even some big plays on special teams. Willie Tuitama was flawless, and Nic Grigsby ran wild. Now the goal will be consistency. Hang 500+ yards on Toledo and New Mexico State over the next two weeks, and then it'll be time to get excited.

2008 Recruiting Class

Star of the Class

Robert Golden CB 5-11 190 9-13-90 Fr. Fresno, Calif. (Edison)
Long Beach Press-Telegram Best in the West… Tacoma News Tribune Western 100… PrepStar Dream Team 2007…All-(Fresno) Bee 2007 Football All-Star… Second-team all-state by CalHiSports and All-Valley first-team honors… U.S. Army All-American game… MaxPreps Division II All-State first team… Helped Edison 10-1-1 record and state semifinals… Among top-rated on Arizona’s list of signees…Three-year starter for Edison, which has turned out a number of D-I defensive backs over the years…Tigers coach Tim McDonald – of USC fame – says hardly anyone completed any passes against lockdown-corner Golden in 2007, who was joined in the secondary by Tim Jr., a safety… In 2006, had 65 tackles and four interceptions playing opposite all-state pick Courtney Viney

Potential Instant Impact Players

Mike Diaz OT 6-5 340 2-22-88 Jr. Montebello, Calif. (Schurr/Cerritos C.C)
First-team all-conference as a sophomore tackle and unanimous first-team All Mission Conference Northern Division in 2006… At Schurr High School he was named 1^st –team All-Almont League on offense as a senior for coach Frank Mazzotta after earning all-league on both sides of the ball as a sophomore and junior… Also caught three passes for 15 yards and had five quarterback sacks on defense his senior year… Was a 2^nd-team All-CIF selection on defense his prep junior season… Pulled in five passes for 25 yards and had two sacks… Spent three years on the basketball team and averaged 11 points a game his senior year.

Phillip Garcia OT 6-7 340 9-2-88 Jr. Montebello, Calif. (Schurr/Cerritos CC)Named 2^nd Team All-Mission Conference Northern Division in 2006… Injured half way through senior year otherwise was en route to similar honors as soph for coach Frank Mazzotta… Teamed with high school teammate Mike Diaz to help anchor the offensive line… At Schuur High School he helped lead his team to three consecutive Almont League championships… Recorded 20 pancake tackles as a prep senior… Was the freshman team’s Lineman of the Year… Was a 1^st Team all-league selection in track and field as a senior after earning 2^nd Team honors as a junior… Also played a year on the basketball team and helped them to the league title.

Rest of the Class
Keola Antolin RB 5-8 180 1-14-90 Fr. Las Vegas, Nev. (Bishop Gorman)
Dominique Austin DE 6-4 255 11-11-90 Fr. La Puente, Calif. (Bishop Amat)
Kenny Barnes DE 6-2 235 10-29-89 Fr. Glendale, Ariz. (Kellis)
Trace Biskin OT 6-5 270 12-3-89 Fr. Westlake Village, Calif. (Oaks Christian)
Juron Criner WR 6-4 205 12-12-89 Fr. Las Vegas, Nev. (Canyon Springs)
Vaughn Dotsy OG 6-5 355 9-7-89 Fr. Ventura, Calif. (St. Bonaventure)
David Douglas WR 6-1 190 6-27-89 Fr. McKinney, Texas (North)
Zander Fabbri LB 6-1 255 6-6-89 Fr. Bakersfield, Calif. (Centennial)
Herman Hall OG 6-3 325 8-11-86 Jr. Houston, Texas (Fort Bend Bush/Blinn College
Solomon Koehler DT 6-3 305 5-1-90 Fr. Kaneohe, Hawa’ii (Castle)
Sterling Lewis LB 5-11 225 12-3-87 Jr. Copperas Cove, Texas CC(HS/Blinn College)
Chris Merrill DT 6-2 275 10-6-89 Fr. Scottsdale, Ariz. (Saguaro)
Greg Nwoko RB 6-2 220 5-29-90 Fr. Pflugerville, Texas (Pflugerville)
Kyle Quinn OG 6-2 275 2-9-90 Fr. Brentwood, Calif. (Liberty)
Matt Scott QB 6-3 205 9-20-90 Fr. Corona, Calif. (Centennial)
Vuna Tuihalamaka LB 6-2 240 2-28-87 Jr. Inglewood, Calif. (Hawthorne/El Camino CC)
Jowyn Ward DT 6-2 265 5-24-90 Fr. Katy, Texas (Mayde Creek)
J’Marcus Webb OL 6-7 310 8-8-88 Jr. Mesquite, Texas (North/Navarro College)
R.J. Young LB 5-11 225 8-3-90 Fr. DeSoto, Texas (DeSoto)

2007 Recap

Recap: That hump Arizona’s been trying to get over since Mike Stoops came on board doesn’t seem to be getting any smaller.  The Wildcats got hot in November, winning 3-of-4, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a sluggish first half of the season, or an inability to close out games.  The season did showcase a change in philosophy for the Arizona offense, which opened up the passing attack for QB Willie Tuitama, who responded by setting school records for touchdown passes, completions, and attempts.     

Offensive Player of the Year: WR Mike Thomas

Defensive Player of the Year: LB Spencer Larsen

Biggest Surprise: Had Oregon QB Dennis Dixon played more than a quarter, the outcome likely would have been different, but don’t expect the ‘Cats to give back their Nov. 15 upset of the nation’s second-ranked team.  Arizona exploded for 21 unanswered points in the second quarter, getting a pair of touchdowns from CB Antoine Cason, starting Oregon’s season-ending three-game slide into obscurity.   

Biggest Disappointment: Losing at home to Stanford, 21-20, on Oct. 20.  The Wildcats fell one win short of that elusive bowl eligibility, making a loss to one of the Pac-10’s lightweights that much harder to digest.        

Looking Ahead: With their quarterback and all of their skill position players back in 2008, the Wildcat offense will be even better in the second year in Sonny Dykes’ system.  However, if a defense that was built for success in 2007 can’t replace the likes of Cason and Larsen, the ‘Cats will hover around .500 again next year.