Arizona Football: Wildcats Show Us What Beardown Is All About

The Arizona Football team has had a successful season no matter how you look at it. From high hopes to rocky play in Pac-12 play to a bowl game.

Yes, there is plenty to celebrate for Wildcats Football, was it the season we envisioned? No not by any means did we think that we would be celebrating a 6-6 season going into the start of the season. Now I believe we can all agree that Bowl eligible is something to celebrate.

Before the season started, we knew that each game would be a battle in one of the toughest conferences in the nation. There are many who would argue about how the Pac-12 can be a power conference when their Champion may be a two-loss team. Well, look at the conference as a whole, who wouldn’t want a win against Oregon, Stanford, USC, Arizona, or any other Pac-12 team on their Bowl resume?

Pac-12 pretty much killed itself in conference play. Think about SEC and how great are their teams are looking? After Alabama and Florida, the next best team has three losses, so how does that measure up to the best conference in the country?

On top of playing in arguably one of the toughest conferences in the nation, the deck was already stacked going into the season against the Wildcats Football team. You have heard it plenty of times, but seriously how is a team suppose to survive 12-week schedule with no bye week and no extra time to heal and rest? The Arizona Football team was one of only five D-1 Football teams not to have a bye week or draw a week 13 “bye” week.

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The Wildcats have learned a lot about depth and playing as a team because they have had to endure multiple injuries on both sides of the ball, some learning new positions on the fly, others moving positions throughout the season. Arizona lost a Heisman hopeful on defense in Scooby Wright III early in the season not once but twice. Their starting quarterback and running back were both on and off the injury list in the mix of conference play. And those are just the headline names Wildcats fans recognized throughout the season, there were plenty more.

Add to the bowl game news another topic that is still making headlines and has a lot of us wondering. Will this be the last season we see Rich Rodriguez in Wildcats blue? It’s hard enough as a fan to hear all these rumors, but imagine if you are a player on the team or worse yet a commit. They made a pledge to come play for a coach, and now there’s a whirlwind of rumors about what may happen with their head coach going forward.

To stir the pot, supposed Rich Rod leaves before our bowl game, that would result in so many more questions. Now do I really think that will happen? No! Rich Rod rallied his team and finished a tough three-game stretch with nothing but excitement and fun for a team that had an even cloudier look 3 weeks ago. He also mentioned recruiting and the future many times during his post-ASU game conference.

Rich Rod took a 5-4 Wildcats Football team into arguably one of the toughest venues in the nations and took on USC on their home turf. If going into that game you thought we would be in the lead for three-quarters you were one of the few. Leading up to the game most of the media types projected a massive loss but the Wildcats fought hard and lost by only eight points.

Then came the huge headline, “Arizona beats Utah,” the game Wildcats fans had been waiting for all season and on top of it, it was Senior night in Tucson. The guys came together and shocked the nation by upsetting No.10 Utah in double overtime. The Wildcats are now 5-0 against Top-10 teams while playing in Tucson since 2005.

Finally the tough loss where Arizona not only lost the game but also lost the Territorial Cup to that team up north. The final score of 52-37 is actually mis-leading because 21 points were scored in the last six minutes. The last 14 points ASU scored came off two-pick-six interceptions off of Arizona’s 3rd string quarterback. As a fan you can’t be mad that your 3rd string quarterback who brought you within 8 points and then made a couple of mistakes in the closing minutes trying to lead his team to victory.

After all the ups and downs of the season we now wait on the final weekend of Pac-12 play and to see a new champion crowned in Southern California. Given all the ups and downs, to be able to say we are most likely Bowl bound is a great accomplishment. To be able to know our boys went out and fought for the last part of the season, when they could have laid down and given up is something everyone should be proud of.

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So just like the Wildcats Football team has done all season, and hopefully will do one more time in the 2015 season, lets Beardown and get ready for our Bowl game!!