It’s been back to the drawing board this week for Arizona football. After a disappointing loss to UCLA in which everything seemed to go wrong, the Cats now have to go on the road to Stanford, hoping to try and keep pace in the Pac-12 South.
Without Scooby Wright and possibly Anu Solomon on the field, it’s not going to be easy.
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That doesn’t mean it won’t be fun.
As a fan, these games are great. Knowing your team is in a do or die situation makes watching every snap exhilarating and unbearable at the same time.
If the Cats lose, the season is not over, but it will be very difficult to continue to compete in the Pac-12 South.
A loss would mean the Cats would most likely have to win their last seven games for a chance to play in the Pac-12 Title Game, but nothing is impossible.
Here are five things you should know going into this weekend’s matchup between Arizona and Stanford:
1. Red Zone Defense
If the Cats want any chance to win at the Farm they need to stop the Cardinal in the Red Zone, or at least hold them to field goals
The Cats have been pretty awful defensively in there this year.
In the last three games, Arizona’s opponents are a perfect 11 of 11 in the Red Zone with nine touchdowns.
On the season, Arizona’s opponents are 16 of 17. The only time the other team failed to score was when UTSA missed a field goal in the first game of the season.
So far this season Stanford is 13 of 17 in the Red Zone with ten touchdowns.
Arizona Wildcats
2. Defense By Committee
Without Scooby Wright for most of the season, the Arizona defense has taken their share of lumps from opposing offenses.
The Cats are 11th in the Pac-12 in total defense giving up 424 yards per game, but it might make you feel a little bit better knowing that dead last in total defense is the Oregon Ducks. They have given up 474.8 yards per game.
On a positive note, when the Cats have been successful defensively, it has come spread out among many different players.
Jamar Allah, DeVonte Neal, and Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles all have one interception each.
In the sacks department Tellas Jones, Sani Fuimaono, Luca Bruno, Calvin Allen and Jeff Worthy have all taken down the quarterback once a piece.
Anthony Lopez and Cam Denson both have a sack and interception.
One thing to keep in mind for Saturday. The Cats are 9-0 under Rich Rodriguez when the defense scores a touchdown.
3. Running Game
One thing we know the Cats can do is run the ball.
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They lead the Pac-12 in total offense at 555.5 yards per game, but that is mostly because of their gaudy rushing stats.
They also lead the conference in rushing at 329 yards per game.
Thank you, Nick Wilson and Jerrard Randall.
The Cats have rushed for over 300 yards in three straight games.
Against the Bruins the Cats had 353 yards on the ground. Even after beating the Cats by 26, Arizona’s ability to run at will made UCLA head coach Jim Mora a little upset (via upi.com):
“For a team to be able to run the ball on us like that, it’s inconceivable to me,” Mora said. “I’ve never seen anything like it. It makes me sick to my stomach.”
Let’s hope he can figure it out when Sparky visits the Rose Bowl this weekend.
In the last three games, Arizona has rushed for 1,153 yards on the ground. That’s 19 more yards than the Cats had the entire season before Rich Rod arrived in Tucson.
4. A Tucson Son
One player that has made Tucson proud so far this season is former Canyon Del Oro football great Blake Martinez.
The bad news is this kid plays inside linebacker for Stanford.
Martinez has been phenomenal with double-digit tackles in his last four games.
He also leads the Pac-12 with 50 tackles.
Hey Blake, can you please take it easy on us this Saturday, for old times sake?
5. Please Don’t Say ‘When Is Basketball Season?’
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Friday is media day for basketball. This is what Tucson waits through unbearable summers for, but remember football season is not over, and there is still a lot to play for.
Keep this is mind if you are still pouting about bad snaps and injuries after last Saturday’s loss.
A year ago this week, UCLA went into Sun Devil Stadium and spanked Sparky black and blue.
Final Score: UCLA 62 Sparky 27
Thanks to a Bruins loss to Stanford, it was Sparky who had a chance to win the Pac-12 South on the last day of the season when they came to Tucson, not the Bruins.
We all know how that went.
Anything is possible, so please give these football kids the time of day before your brain flips the switch to basketball.