Bear Down Wildcats

Here we are again. The end of fall camp and the start of the 2014-2015 football season. I for one am very excited about this up coming year. Last year I thought we would score often, but I was never that excited about the offense, Oregon game excluded. Carey would do his normal work, but it felt like the same 6 plays repeated over and over. Last season was probably the only season that I remember thinking that every time the QB dropped back to pass that it was either a wasted play or a turnover.

This year is going to be different. An experience offensive line with three explosive players (Jones, Hill, Neal), the depth at WR, and a new QB (who ever that may be [cough* Anu cough*], I’m excited to see play). Can I also say that I look forward to a QB that can keep his head in check? Foles was good at keeping a level head during the game, Scott and Denker would go through some highs and some very lows. Anu’s “chill” personality could be something team can rely on in big moments. Heck, I’m even interested in what Grigsby v2 can do. We are going to put up points and every minute will be exciting. My only caution about the offense is if we can hold onto the ball (RB’s) and not throw to many Interceptions (QB’s).

I think one of the less talked about stories of this fall camp is the defense. While we don’t know what we will get from the two LB positions, the D-line seems to have taken that step forward (in experience and talent) and could be what this defense has been missing the past two years. I have also stated this multiple times but I am thrilled to see Scooby as a MLB. I loved Fischer’s dedication, hard work, and knowledge, but he lacked some athletic ability that Scooby has. I wonder if Scooby can break the all time tackles and tackles for loss records at Arizona when it is all said and done. Regarding the secondary, I expect big things, specifically from the three safety position. I am very glad that McCall has had such a great off season (coaches rave about the 180 degree turnaround) , which hopefully with McKnight returning to his better playing underclass years and Denson and Holiday providing depth that we should be okay, if not better as whole unit than last year.

On special teams, well who the heck knows how this will go. It has been bad for so long that I just don’t know what to think. The positive is that I don’t think PATs will be an issue. Well there’s at least one real positive to note, Neal as punt returner. Hopefully we all don’t close our eyes this year when Neal catches a punt.

So without further rambling here are my final predictions for the 2014 football season.
UNLV- W, nothing surprising here.
@UTSA- W, Arizona is tested a little more than we thought, but still double digit win.
Nevada- W, again tested more than we thought, but still a double digit win.
Cal- W, not close, and maybe two pick 6’s.
@Oregon- L, If Arizona had beaten Oregon by less last year I would give a higher chance, but revenge will be there. I hope its close, a stomping might cause lag to other games.
USC- W, never been impressed by Sark as a coach, and I don’t think they can keep up.
@WSU- W, the pirate has a better year, but not against Arizona.
@UCLA- L, dang away games. At least Jack isn't the one that hurts us this year.
Col- W, they are better but not there.
Wash- W, thank goodness this game is at home.
@Utah- W, its Utah have they beaten anyone yet?
ASSU- W, its time.

Can Arizona really go 10-2? Hell yes. 9-3 is my cut off for a good year, 8-4 would be okay, but still be a slight disappointment to me. Can we get into the first playoff? Yes. An 11-1 team should make the playoff. If Arizona goes 10-2 and somehow makes the PAC-12 championship and somehow wins it, Arizona would have a legit shot (although the out of conference schedule might do us in). Realistically only UCLA and Oregon are games that I see Arizona losing. I’m not saying Arizona can’t lose to others, but there isn't a high enough reason why Arizona can’t win the other 10 games either. Compared to the past where I had more truly toss up games or favored the opponents.

Bear Down Arizona!

What is your opinion?

UNLV - W
@UTSA - W
Nevada - W
Cal - W
@Oregon- L
USC - W
@WSU - L
@UCLA - L
Colorado - W
Washington - W
@Utah - W
ASSU - W

I think we sneak up and surprise USC but then have a let down the next game against WSU. 9-3 heading into the postseason.

I'm thinking 9-4.

9-4 as well

UNLV - W
UTSA - Closer than we think, but still a W
Nev - W
Cal - W
@ Ore - L but we keep it close
USC - Big W at home
@ WSU - W RR won't allow a repeat of last year's performance
@ UCLA - L They have too many weapons
Colo - W
Wash - W People are giving UW too much credit I think
@ Utah - L Something about this game
asu - W RR and Co. get it done

9-3 headed into postseason, win a bowl game and get double digit wins for the first time since 98. Optimistic as hell, but the preseason is prime time for optimism.

Games we should win: UNLV, UTSA, Nevada, Cal, CU

50/50 games: USC, Wazzu, UDub, Utah and ASSU

Probably trip ups: Oregon, UCLA

Too me, we should win those top 5 and then if we can go 3-2 in the others (3 of those are at home) that should get us to 8 at minimum.

So much depends on the play of our QB. One has to think that it should be improved over last year but I think KaDeem covered alot of the deficiency we had at the position and we don't have him this year.

So I am going with 8-4 and another bowl win.

Prediction: 8-4 or 9-3. I'll go with the 9-3. With a 6-3 conference record.

Rich Rod gets his 1st conf winning record since 2007 (5 straight losing)
Arizona achieves conf winning record since 2009

Loss Column: Oregon, UCLA and either USC or Washington. I'll go with USC earlier in season.

Regardless of the QB, they're seeing FBS action for 1st time. There's going to be a learning curve. But they will learn and continue to improve. Anu going to end up being a fantastic QB. As long as he stays healthy could end up with some Career QB UA records. He will only get better from here. High Ceiling. Latter part of the season I expect to see vast improvement from his 1st start with all the reps and exposure to P12 defenses, reads, speed and hits.

Not to defend Denker because he really frustrated me, but even though Arizona finished near the bottom of FBS passing per game last year, Denker (a ZERO star, unrecruited QB) did produce offense that needs to be not only replaced but spread around and exceeded to progress. Improved defense will help with game management and play count for offense:

In context - all-time Arizona Season records (a lot to do with scheme)
BJ Denker last year: (x) = number of QB's/players who had a better UA season historically
Top5 Total Offense (3) only 3 QBs UA history produced more ttl offense in season
Top 5 Rush TDs (3) only QB in top 10 and had Ka'Deem
Top6 Pass Comp % (3)
Top12 TD Passes (8)
Top 8 Pass Comps (4)
Top 8 Pass Yds (5) this one surprised me

Heart says 9-3, head (and vote) says 8-4.

Bowl game depends on the match up-hoping for at least 9-4 overall.

UNLV - W
@UTSA - I know some out there think this will be close but the biggest loss for UTSA LY was their QB. That and they don't have the talent to cover our skill players. Good road game test for Anu. W
Nev - W
Cal - W
@ Ore - I'm going to say L but I wouldn't be surprised if we make a game of it. Key will be whether Anu can keep his composure in a very tough environment.
USC - I like us winning this one as SC's lack of depth will start to kick in and cause some issues for SC. Guys start to get dinged up and beat up and when you have to play guys the entire game because you have no depth - it takes a toll. W
@ WSU - Tough place to play and RR and company will be playing here for the 1st time. Wazzu was horrible defending the pass LY. It didn't hurt them as Denker sucked but that won't be the case TY. W
@ UCLA - What could be interesting in this game is if Ucla is undefeated and I say that because it's the 9th game of the year and the pressure to stay undefeated could come into play if UA comes in loose and plays well. L
Colo - Improving but not enough to beat us at home. W
Wash - UW plays Ucla the week before Arizona which isn't easy to then come back and go on the road to play Arizona. Tough turnaround for UW. W
@ Utah - Much like Wazzu, Utah had trouble defending the pass LY and lost their entire seconday from a year ago. I guess some could say that's the good news, I think it's very difficult to beat Arizona if you can't defend the pass. Weather could be a factor in this game but I think we get the W. Note: Utah plays at Stanford the week prior to playing Arizona.
assu - Could be the most overrated team in the country simply because they have no D TY. Tough conference to play in when you don't have a D and all of your depth is unproven. W

10-2

What the hell...

UNLV- W. I'd bet on it. (rim shot)
@UTSA- W. More close than we hope, but a wake-up call & some tough practices to follow.
Nevada- W. Nothing to see here, please move along. Most boring game of the year.
Cal- W, very close, another wake-up call.
@Oregon- W. Shock the world game. "We Own Oregon" chanted. Beginning of Helfrich's downfall at Oregon. This will be Oregon's second loss of the season (after their loss to Michigan State).
USC- W. We're clicking at this point. Game sold-out.
@WSU- W. Pirate gives us an over-time game but we pull-out a nail-biter.
@UCLA- W. We go into their house and beat them in an Arizona classic.
Col- W. Come on now, focus guys. Way too close for such a mediocre team.
Wash- W. My wife is a UW graduate and I sleep on the couch for a week... totally worth it.
@Utah- W. Another closer-than-expected game from a fired-up Utes team. Tough week of practice leading to...
ASSU- W. We run it up.

Pac 12 Championship vs. Stanford: we win. BCS Playoff birth.

Rose Bowl. Beat Michigan State.

National Championship Game: lose to undefeated Florida State. Cats finish 14-1.

Best season in Arizona football complete. Rich Rod on every short list for every big head-coaching job everywhere. 0 f#cks given because Rose Bowl drought is over.

Next day, I win the lottery. Buy a beer truck. Paint it Arizona colors and take it to pre-game tailgates. Free beer for all forum posters (for life).

Bear Down.

wilbur1997 wrote:What the hell...

UNLV- W. I'd bet on it. (rim shot)
@UTSA- W. More close than we hope, but a wake-up call & some tough practices to follow.
Nevada- W. Nothing to see here, please move along. Most boring game of the year.
Cal- W, very close, another wake-up call.
@Oregon- W. Shock the world game. "We Own Oregon" chanted. Beginning of Helfrich's downfall at Oregon. This will be Oregon's second loss of the season (after their loss to Michigan State).
USC- W. We're clicking at this point. Game sold-out.
@WSU- W. Pirate gives us an over-time game but we pull-out a nail-biter.
@UCLA- W. We go into their house and beat them in an Arizona classic.
Col- W. Come on now, focus guys. Way too close for such a mediocre team.
Wash- W. My wife is a UW graduate and I sleep on the couch for a week... totally worth it.
@Utah- W. Another closer-than-expected game from a fired-up Utes team. Tough week of practice leading to...
ASSU- W. We run it up.

Pac 12 Championship vs. Stanford: we win. BCS Playoff birth.

Rose Bowl. Beat Michigan State.

National Championship Game: lose to undefeated Florida State. Cats finish 14-1.

Best season in Arizona football complete. Rich Rod on every short list for every big head-coaching job everywhere. 0 f#cks given because Rose Bowl drought is over.

Next day, I win the lottery. Buy a beer truck. Paint it Arizona colors and take it to pre-game tailgates. Free beer for all forum posters (for life).

Bear Down.

I would love for you to be right wilbur1997! I will be at Levi's Stadium holding up this same sign after the PAC-12 Championship game if true:

wilbur1997 wrote:What the hell...

UNLV- W. I'd bet on it. (rim shot)
@UTSA- W. More close than we hope, but a wake-up call & some tough practices to follow.
Nevada- W. Nothing to see here, please move along. Most boring game of the year.
Cal- W, very close, another wake-up call.
@Oregon- W. Shock the world game. "We Own Oregon" chanted. Beginning of Helfrich's downfall at Oregon. This will be Oregon's second loss of the season (after their loss to Michigan State).
USC- W. We're clicking at this point. Game sold-out.
@WSU- W. Pirate gives us an over-time game but we pull-out a nail-biter.
@UCLA- W. We go into their house and beat them in an Arizona classic.
Col- W. Come on now, focus guys. Way too close for such a mediocre team.
Wash- W. My wife is a UW graduate and I sleep on the couch for a week... totally worth it.
@Utah- W. Another closer-than-expected game from a fired-up Utes team. Tough week of practice leading to...
ASSU- W. We run it up.

Pac 12 Championship vs. Stanford: we win. BCS Playoff birth.

Rose Bowl. Beat Michigan State.

National Championship Game: lose to undefeated Florida State. Cats finish 14-1.

Best season in Arizona football complete. Rich Rod on every short list for every big head-coaching job everywhere. 0 f#cks given because Rose Bowl drought is over.

Next day, I win the lottery. Buy a beer truck. Paint it Arizona colors and take it to pre-game tailgates. Free beer for all forum posters (for life).

Bear Down.

That just gave me a woodie LOL

wilbur1997 wrote:What the hell...

UNLV- W. I'd bet on it. (rim shot)
@UTSA- W. More close than we hope, but a wake-up call & some tough practices to follow.
Nevada- W. Nothing to see here, please move along. Most boring game of the year.
Cal- W, very close, another wake-up call.
@Oregon- W. Shock the world game. "We Own Oregon" chanted. Beginning of Helfrich's downfall at Oregon. This will be Oregon's second loss of the season (after their loss to Michigan State).
USC- W. We're clicking at this point. Game sold-out.
@WSU- W. Pirate gives us an over-time game but we pull-out a nail-biter.
@UCLA- W. We go into their house and beat them in an Arizona classic.
Col- W. Come on now, focus guys. Way too close for such a mediocre team.
Wash- W. My wife is a UW graduate and I sleep on the couch for a week... totally worth it.
@Utah- W. Another closer-than-expected game from a fired-up Utes team. Tough week of practice leading to...
ASSU- W. We run it up.

Pac 12 Championship vs. Stanford: we win. BCS Playoff birth.

Rose Bowl. Beat Michigan State.

National Championship Game: lose to undefeated Florida State. Cats finish 14-1.

Best season in Arizona football complete. Rich Rod on every short list for every big head-coaching job everywhere. 0 f#cks given because Rose Bowl drought is over.

Next day, I win the lottery. Buy a beer truck. Paint it Arizona colors and take it to pre-game tailgates. Free beer for all forum posters (for life).

Bear Down.

That was awesome!! Where the hell is the rep button as I laughed out loud reading the last sentence. Thanks for making me laugh!!

I hope I'm right. I can just feel 9 wins this year. I think Rich Rod can make this work.

UAEebs86 wrote:Heart says 9-3, head (and vote) says 8-4.

Bowl game depends on the match up-hoping for at least 9-4 overall.

This is where I'm at.

Figuring L's are Oregon, UCLA, USC, and WSU.

As long as the 4th L isn't ASU, I'm good w/ 8-4 in this tough conference. 8-4 with another ASU loss does not give me warm fuzzies.

8 heading into the bowls. I think we lose up in Utah. Lose to UCLA and Oregon. Then I think we'll lose one of UW, USC, ASU or WSU. The dogs are a bit of a wild card to me. I don't know what kind of impact Peterson is going to have on that team.

wilbur1997 wrote: ASSU- W. We run it up.

Pac 12 Championship vs. Stanford: we win. BCS Playoff birth.

Rose Bowl. Beat Michigan State.

National Championship Game: lose to undefeated Florida State. Cats finish 14-1.

Best season in Arizona football complete. Rich Rod on every short list for every big head-coaching job everywhere. 0 f#cks given because Rose Bowl drought is over.

Next day, I win the lottery. Buy a beer truck. Paint it Arizona colors and take it to pre-game tailgates. Free beer for all forum posters (for life).

Bear Down.

Listen, I understand that this is a message board and speculation and personal opinions (no matter how far fetched) are supposed to be encouraged, but there has to be some basis in reality. This scenario won't happen and spouting nonsense is not only embarrassing for the poster, but it affects the reputation of the entire message board just when we are trying to develop a brand.

Please keep your predictions realistic and don't make them sound like some half-assed, drug induced fantasy.

Wilbur, let me try and set you straight. There is absolutely no way the University of Arizona will face Florida State in the National Championship Game. Period.

Face it, after 2 public encounters with the police over the last 2 years FSU will not be able to cover for Jameis Winston the next time he breaks the law and without Winston Florida State can't make the championship game. I am not sure who Arizona will face in the championship, but it will not be FSU.

Also, you have Arizona, Michigan St, and Florida State as 3 of the final 4 teams. That is sacrilege to SEC supremacy and the cabal of ESPN executives, east coast sportswriters, and customized RV dealers that runs college football will not let that happen. Don't you understand anything?

Replace FSU with any random SEC team not named Kentucky and have them play Arizona for the national championship and I could fully support your prediction. Until you do that, I just can't take you seriously.

But I will gladly drink your beer (for life) if you end up being right.

Where is that dang rep button?!

UNLV - W
@UTSA - W
Nevada - W
Cal - W
@Oregon- L
USC - W RRods upset for the year
@WSU - L We couldn't beat them in Tucson, they return an excellent QB and we don't
@UCLA - L
Colorado - W
Washington - W
@Utah - L The Utes played everyone tough there last year, asu had to luck out and Stanford lost in SLC
ASSU - L Unfortunately the scum have Taylor Kelly and even though their defense is going to be far less potent they still have
2 DL's (Hood & Hardison) better than anything we have.

ANGCatFan wrote:But I will gladly drink your beer (for life) if you end up being right.

Ok, you're in.

dmjcat wrote:UNLV - W
@UTSA - W
Nevada - W
Cal - W
@Oregon- L
USC - W RRods upset for the year
@WSU - L We couldn't beat them in Tucson, they return an excellent QB and we don't
@UCLA - L
Colorado - W
Washington - W
@Utah - L The Utes played everyone tough there last year, asu had to luck out and Stanford lost in SLC
ASSU - L Unfortunately the scum have Taylor Kelly and even though their defense is going to be far less potent they still have
2 DL's (Hood & Hardison) better than anything we have.

Teams who don't have a secondary will have a tough time keeping up with Arizona. Having 2 DL that come back for assu isn't going to get it done when you can't defend the pass. Same with the Utes with a brand new secondary. Not surprised that you have us losing to teams that are replacing their entire secondary in Assu, Wassu and Utah.

I was talking to azcat49 tonight and talking about how Arizona fans really have no idea how good our WR corp is. Case in point is the post above. Neither of the three teams above have the secondary to cover Cayleb Jones and Hill, let alone Neal, Go deep Dave Richards, Phillips, Griffey, Wood and Grant. We will go 5 wide a lot and when you replace your entire secondary it's a tall order to find 4 starters let alone 5 guys who can actually cover somebody.

Utah is a popular trap game pick this year, it seems. I don't see it. I think the fact that the game is on the road is actually a good thing for the Cats, because it takes them out of their comfort zone. Utah is going to come out motivated but they simply don't have the horses to keep up and they're going to go into the fourth quarter already feeling like they've played 60.

UNLV - W. In AZ stadium, the Cats should get it done.

@UTSA - W. An away game is a challenge, but AZ is superior at every position.

Nevada - W. This one will be closer than some of us hope. I'm betting that it provides a great deal of experience for our QB though.

Cal - W. The talent gap is huge. AZ should dominate.

@Oregon- L. Hate to say it. I'll actually be at this game in Eugene. Looking forward to it. I expect us to be within 2 touchdowns.

USC - W. I really like Arizona's chances in this game. At home, RR has already beaten SC.

@WSU - W. Payback.

@UCLA - L. UCLA is just too good. Bluetooth and his son will get the last laugh.

Colorado - W. Again, talent gap. Although, an away game could really hurt us. I have confidence in RR.

Washington - W. Payback again. The Huskies lose too much and have to adapt to a new system and an away game. AZ rolls.

@Utah - L. This will be an absolute squeaker. Utah will be improved. Won't be won by more than 3 points.

ASSU - W. We need this. If RR loses again... I don't even want to think about it. This is a great time for us to pull one against Graham.

9 wins. With a chance at 10.

azpenguin wrote:Utah is a popular trap game pick this year, it seems. I don't see it. I think the fact that the game is on the road is actually a good thing for the Cats, because it takes them out of their comfort zone. Utah is going to come out motivated but they simply don't have the horses to keep up and they're going to go into the fourth quarter already feeling like they've played 60.

Why do you say they don't have the horses? It was a closer game last year than we'd have liked, they return 16 starters to our 14, and the game is going to be played at elevation. I'll be more worried about us fading than them. We're favored by about 3.5 right now, so this one's pretty close to a toss-up.

Puerco wrote:

azpenguin wrote:Utah is a popular trap game pick this year, it seems. I don't see it. I think the fact that the game is on the road is actually a good thing for the Cats, because it takes them out of their comfort zone. Utah is going to come out motivated but they simply don't have the horses to keep up and they're going to go into the fourth quarter already feeling like they've played 60.

Why do you say they don't have the horses? It was a closer game last year than we'd have liked, they return 16 starters to our 14, and the game is going to be played at elevation. I'll be more worried about us fading than them. We're favored by about 3.5 right now, so this one's pretty close to a toss-up.

Last year they kept it close on a few trick plays but we were obviously the better team, I felt.

They're tough at home.

Salty wrote:

Puerco wrote:

azpenguin wrote:Utah is a popular trap game pick this year, it seems. I don't see it. I think the fact that the game is on the road is actually a good thing for the Cats, because it takes them out of their comfort zone. Utah is going to come out motivated but they simply don't have the horses to keep up and they're going to go into the fourth quarter already feeling like they've played 60.

Why do you say they don't have the horses? It was a closer game last year than we'd have liked, they return 16 starters to our 14, and the game is going to be played at elevation. I'll be more worried about us fading than them. We're favored by about 3.5 right now, so this one's pretty close to a toss-up.

Last year they kept it close on a few trick plays but we were obviously the better team, I felt.

They're tough at home.

Also last year, Wilson left early with an injured throwing hand and that was the first real action for Shulz. Wilson was playing incredibly well last year until he got hurt vs Stanford. That's going to be a really tough game if he's playing at the level he was early last year.

dc4azcats wrote:

dmjcat wrote:UNLV - W
@UTSA - W
Nevada - W
Cal - W
@Oregon- L
USC - W RRods upset for the year
@WSU - L We couldn't beat them in Tucson, they return an excellent QB and we don't
@UCLA - L
Colorado - W
Washington - W
@Utah - L The Utes played everyone tough there last year, asu had to luck out and Stanford lost in SLC
ASSU - L Unfortunately the scum have Taylor Kelly and even though their defense is going to be far less potent they still have
2 DL's (Hood & Hardison) better than anything we have.

Teams who don't have a secondary will have a tough time keeping up with Arizona. Having 2 DL that come back for assu isn't going to get it done when you can't defend the pass. Same with the Utes with a brand new secondary. Not surprised that you have us losing to teams that are replacing their entire secondary in Assu, Wassu and Utah.

I was talking to azcat49 tonight and talking about how Arizona fans really have no idea how good our WR corp is. Case in point is the post above. Neither of the three teams above have the secondary to cover Cayleb Jones and Hill, let alone Neal, Go deep Dave Richards, Phillips, Griffey, Wood and Grant. We will go 5 wide a lot and when you replace your entire secondary it's a tall order to find 4 starters let alone 5 guys who can actually cover somebody.

I understand exactly how talented our WR corps is.........What you fail to realize is that we do not have a proven QB to get them the ball. Two of our top 3 QB's couldn't even complete 50% of their passes at the JC level.......and the PAC12 is not a JC league. The presumed starter is a frosh. I doubt our passing game is going to instill fear in our PAC12 opponents. Given the depth/quality of the returning QB's in the conference this year I suspect most defensive coordinators will look at the UA game as a breather.

Oops, that should provoke a response.

dmjcat wrote:

dc4azcats wrote:

dmjcat wrote:UNLV - W
@UTSA - W
Nevada - W
Cal - W
@Oregon- L
USC - W RRods upset for the year
@WSU - L We couldn't beat them in Tucson, they return an excellent QB and we don't
@UCLA - L
Colorado - W
Washington - W
@Utah - L The Utes played everyone tough there last year, asu had to luck out and Stanford lost in SLC
ASSU - L Unfortunately the scum have Taylor Kelly and even though their defense is going to be far less potent they still have
2 DL's (Hood & Hardison) better than anything we have.

Teams who don't have a secondary will have a tough time keeping up with Arizona. Having 2 DL that come back for assu isn't going to get it done when you can't defend the pass. Same with the Utes with a brand new secondary. Not surprised that you have us losing to teams that are replacing their entire secondary in Assu, Wassu and Utah.

I was talking to azcat49 tonight and talking about how Arizona fans really have no idea how good our WR corp is. Case in point is the post above. Neither of the three teams above have the secondary to cover Cayleb Jones and Hill, let alone Neal, Go deep Dave Richards, Phillips, Griffey, Wood and Grant. We will go 5 wide a lot and when you replace your entire secondary it's a tall order to find 4 starters let alone 5 guys who can actually cover somebody.

I understand exactly how talented our WR corps is.........What you fail to realize is that we do not have a proven QB to get them the ball. Two of our top 3 QB's couldn't even complete 50% of their passes at the JC level.......and the PAC12 is not a JC league. The presumed starter is a frosh. I doubt our passing game is going to instill fear in our PAC12 opponents. Given the depth/quality of the returning QB's in the conference this year I suspect most defensive coordinators will look at the UA game as a breather.

I know exactly what we have at QB because I know a couple of people who tell me what they've seen at every practice. You're the one who doesn't have a clue especially if you're looking at what they did at the JC level as the bench mark as to how they will perform at this level. You seriously have no idea what you're talking about in regards to what we have at the QB position but by all means keep believing that you do.

You won't be around but lets revisit the bold part at some point this season.

Azcat49 - this is the poster child of the UA fan I was talking about the other night. He's got it all figured out.

Puerco wrote:

azpenguin wrote:Utah is a popular trap game pick this year, it seems. I don't see it. I think the fact that the game is on the road is actually a good thing for the Cats, because it takes them out of their comfort zone. Utah is going to come out motivated but they simply don't have the horses to keep up and they're going to go into the fourth quarter already feeling like they've played 60.

Why do you say they don't have the horses? It was a closer game last year than we'd have liked, they return 16 starters to our 14, and the game is going to be played at elevation. I'll be more worried about us fading than them. We're favored by about 3.5 right now, so this one's pretty close to a toss-up.

Utah is replacing their entire secondary, a secondary that was one of the worse in the conference LY. Wilson was 3-9 (with 2 ints) for 15 yards before he was replaced and the back-up was 12-23 for 142 yards. Utah had 329 yards total offense against UA LY. Their offense is built around running the ball and they had one guy gain 57 yards (had a 35 yard gain) and overall they rushed the ball 42 times for 171 yards. 4 yards a carry is respectable but they needed more than that if they were going to beat us.

Utah was determined to beat Arizona by making it difficult for Denker which they did as he was 18-30 for 168 yards. Utah was sure that they could stop KaDeem and that's where they were a big fail and they put 9 in the box and they still couldn't stop us from rushing the ball for 300 yards on 58 carries. They dared us to pass and it was a game where Denker wet the bed.

They lose a lot in their secondary that wasn't good to begin with, we have a great WR group and a QB that can get them the ball. They couldn't stop us from rushing the ball and we return our OL almost intact yet they have the horses to beat us? They lose 3 of their top 4 DL including Reilly, Palepoi, and Tuipulotu. I don't see it? Not to mention they will play at Stanford which I'm sure will be a very physical game the week before us. So you go from game planning to the smash mouth style that is Stanford to the no huddle style that is Arizona. Tough, tough match-up for the Utes and ideal for Arizona because of the contrast in styles between Stanford and Arizona that a D has to prepare for in back to back weeks. If you aren't taking that into account then I can't help you.

One more note on that as it relates to Utah's schedule - they play Oregon, Stanford and Arizona over a 3 week period. Over that same period Arizona plays Colorado, UW and at Utah.

dc4azcats wrote:

Puerco wrote:

azpenguin wrote:Utah is a popular trap game pick this year, it seems. I don't see it. I think the fact that the game is on the road is actually a good thing for the Cats, because it takes them out of their comfort zone. Utah is going to come out motivated but they simply don't have the horses to keep up and they're going to go into the fourth quarter already feeling like they've played 60.

Why do you say they don't have the horses? It was a closer game last year than we'd have liked, they return 16 starters to our 14, and the game is going to be played at elevation. I'll be more worried about us fading than them. We're favored by about 3.5 right now, so this one's pretty close to a toss-up.

Utah is replacing their entire secondary, a secondary that was one of the worse in the conference LY. Wilson was 3-9 (with 2 ints) for 15 yards before he was replaced and the back-up was 12-23 for 142 yards. Utah had 329 yards total offense against UA LY. Their offense is built around running the ball and they had one guy gain 57 yards (had a 35 yard gain) and overall they rushed the ball 42 times for 171 yards. 4 yards a carry is respectable but they needed more than that if they were going to beat us.

Utah was determined to beat Arizona by making it difficult for Denker which they did as he was 18-30 for 168 yards. Utah was sure that they could stop KaDeem and that's where they were a big fail and they put 9 in the box and they still couldn't stop us from rushing the ball for 300 yards on 58 carries. They dared us to pass and it was a game where Denker wet the bed.

They lose a lot in their secondary that wasn't good to begin with, we have a great WR group and a QB that can get them the ball. They couldn't stop us from rushing the ball and we return our OL almost intact yet they have the horses to beat us? They lose 3 of their top 4 DL including Reilly, Palepoi, and Tuipulotu. I don't see it? Not to mention they will play at Stanford which I'm sure will be a very physical game the week before us. So you go from game planning to the smash mouth style that is Stanford to the no huddle style that is Arizona. Tough, tough match-up for the Utes and ideal for Arizona because of the contrast in styles between Stanford and Arizona that a D has to prepare for in back to back weeks. If you aren't taking that into account then I can't help you.

One more note on that as it relates to Utah's schedule - they play Oregon, Stanford and Arizona over a 3 week period. Over that same period Arizona plays Colorado, UW and at Utah.

Poster Child???? ROTFLMAO!!

The perennial UA poster child is the preseason fan who predicts 10+ wins and a Rose Bowl!! (How many wins did you predict again?). Not that I hope that you are wrong but I have seen this Rodeo once too often. As far as the Utah game last year, if Wilson wasn't totally dinged silly they win that game (at UA stadium). And we don't have Kadeem to pull it out for us this year.

Put down the Kool-Aid, this is UA football.

Thanks for proving my point.

The fan who doesn't know sh!t and brings the doom and gloom with no insight whatsoever. Oh and KaDeem bailed us out of every game we won LY so I'm still trying to figure out how that made a difference in the Utah game? Utah knew that in order for them to win they had to stop KaDeem. They didn't and they lost.

"They didn't stop Kadeem"..............and you still can't figure out how that made a difference in the game?

What was the line in "Animal House"??? God you're dumb.

dmjcat wrote:"They didn't stop Kadeem"..............and you still can't figure out how that made a difference in the game?

What was the line in "Animal House"??? God you're dumb.

They came into the game wanting to stop KaDeem as did every other team we played - your point is what? Not to mention that is has nothing to do with TY's game. Again, thanks for proving my point. The next time you post something insightful will be the first time.

I never get it when people say "We won only because X was injured, and we had X, who we don't have this year." I'm pretty sure there was a whole bunch of events that lead to either a win or loss. Just as a FYI, Wilson can get injured and the first game and be out the rest of the year or maybe this offense will be better than last year and won't need to rely on a running back to save the day. We also get Hill back that we lost last year, does that factor into your injury theory?

I would like to point out that everyone has Utah below Arizona in records, and USA Today has Utah ranked 66 which is behind UTSA. We can go position by position analysis, but do we really need too?

Utah may win, but I wouldn't claim that your prediction was correct based on just knowing who won.

FYI, the point DC is making (or how I'm interpreting) is that we have the same O-line that opened up the running lanes for Kadeem last year, even with 8 or so always in the box. Unless you are expecting the offense this year to be exactly like last year, then the point is moot.

I went with 10+ wins this season, because we are ahead of schedule with the RR Lose Big, Lose Close, Win Close and Win Big formula outlined in "3 and Out". I'm fast forwarding this years team to Win Big, because we have been ahead of schedule thus far.

Pass the Kool Aid, because I want another round!!

DMJ, I get your point about this being AZ football but when does that change or are you saying we are forever cursed to be who we are.

RR is a really good, innovative football coach who was a few plays away from playing for the NC. He was offered the Bama job and took the Michigan job. That's two of the best franchise jobs in college football.

We have 4 starters back on an offensive line that led the league in rushing. We have an outstanding set of wideout and more talent at QB then we have had in years.

On defense we have improved our numbers and we now have some depth at LB and on the dline so we should continue our climb up statistically.

We have 7 home games and two of our road games are at utah and Wazzu, very winnable games.

If there is a year to drink the koolaid, this is the year. Pass me a cup DC

dc4azcats wrote:

Puerco wrote:

azpenguin wrote:Utah is a popular trap game pick this year, it seems. I don't see it. I think the fact that the game is on the road is actually a good thing for the Cats, because it takes them out of their comfort zone. Utah is going to come out motivated but they simply don't have the horses to keep up and they're going to go into the fourth quarter already feeling like they've played 60.

Why do you say they don't have the horses? It was a closer game last year than we'd have liked, they return 16 starters to our 14, and the game is going to be played at elevation. I'll be more worried about us fading than them. We're favored by about 3.5 right now, so this one's pretty close to a toss-up.

Utah is replacing their entire secondary, a secondary that was one of the worse in the conference LY. Wilson was 3-9 (with 2 ints) for 15 yards before he was replaced and the back-up was 12-23 for 142 yards. Utah had 329 yards total offense against UA LY. Their offense is built around running the ball and they had one guy gain 57 yards (had a 35 yard gain) and overall they rushed the ball 42 times for 171 yards. 4 yards a carry is respectable but they needed more than that if they were going to beat us.

Utah was determined to beat Arizona by making it difficult for Denker which they did as he was 18-30 for 168 yards. Utah was sure that they could stop KaDeem and that's where they were a big fail and they put 9 in the box and they still couldn't stop us from rushing the ball for 300 yards on 58 carries. They dared us to pass and it was a game where Denker wet the bed.

They lose a lot in their secondary that wasn't good to begin with, we have a great WR group and a QB that can get them the ball. They couldn't stop us from rushing the ball and we return our OL almost intact yet they have the horses to beat us? They lose 3 of their top 4 DL including Reilly, Palepoi, and Tuipulotu. I don't see it? Not to mention they will play at Stanford which I'm sure will be a very physical game the week before us. So you go from game planning to the smash mouth style that is Stanford to the no huddle style that is Arizona. Tough, tough match-up for the Utes and ideal for Arizona because of the contrast in styles between Stanford and Arizona that a D has to prepare for in back to back weeks. If you aren't taking that into account then I can't help you.

One more note on that as it relates to Utah's schedule - they play Oregon, Stanford and Arizona over a 3 week period. Over that same period Arizona plays Colorado, UW and at Utah.

This is one of the most solid takes I've seen in a long time - thanks for being a member of BDW and bringing it!!

dc4azcats wrote:

dmjcat wrote:"They didn't stop Kadeem"..............and you still can't figure out how that made a difference in the game?

What was the line in "Animal House"??? God you're dumb.

They came into the game wanting to stop KaDeem as did every other team we played - your point is what? Not to mention that is has nothing to do with TY's game. Again, thanks for proving my point. The next time you post something insightful will be the first time.

LOL!!! I could make a hundred points and I doubt you would get even 1

Like I said, the next time you have anything insightful to say it will be the first time. You keep proving my point. Thanks for playing.

azcat49 wrote:DMJ, I get your point about this being AZ football but when does that change or are you saying we are forever cursed to be who we are.

RR is a really good, innovative football coach who was a few plays away from playing for the NC. He was offered the Bama job and took the Michigan job. That's two of the best franchise jobs in college football.

We have 4 starters back on an offensive line that led the league in rushing. We have an outstanding set of wideout and more talent at QB then we have had in years.

On defense we have improved our numbers and we now have some depth at LB and on the dline so we should continue our climb up statistically.

We have 7 home games and two of our road games are at utah and Wazzu, very winnable games.

If there is a year to drink the koolaid, this is the year. Pass me a cup DC

OL - check
RRod - check
7 home games - check

Best QB talent in years???? This statement is so far detached from reality its hard to know where to start!
Are you saying this bunch is better than Nick Foles???
Are you saying that you would take Anu Solomon over Matt Scott???
Do you realize that QB's #2 and #3 couldn't even complete 50% of their passes at the JC level??
Do you realize that the presumed starter (and Scroggins) couldn't even beat out Denker last year...who
by the way, was villified as the worst QB at the UA in years by about 90% of this board.

Sorry, but you lost me with the QB talent statement. If AS seriously outperforms my expectations then we may win more than the 7 wins I am predicting, just don't tell me he's better than Nick Foles/Matt Scott.

dc4azcats wrote:Like I said, the next time you have anything insightful to say it will be the first time. You keep proving my point. Thanks for playing.

Like I said, the first time you "get" something will be the first (and probably the last) time.

I'm getting really tired of the Anu didn't beat out Denker last year, so he must be bad. It just a really bad argument.

Manziel (scout and rival 3 star), Mariota (scout 3 star, rival 4 star), and Winston (5 star) are just some of the RS freshman that didn't start as a true freshman. So in other words, could not beat out the earlier QBs. Denker was a terrible thrower but was use to play book and TE speed of college ball. Anu did not have that experience. Now if you want to show me a great true freshman starting for their teams, I am all ears.

Also on the QBs.

I'm the biggest fan of Foles. With that said, Foles was not highly recruited an couldn't even start at MSU. If you look at Foles recruitment compared to Anu, you would take Anu. Matt Scott would be more of a push though.

dmjcat wrote:

dc4azcats wrote:Like I said, the next time you have anything insightful to say it will be the first time. You keep proving my point. Thanks for playing.

Like I said, the first time you "get" something will be the first (and probably the last) time.

What's to "get"? KaDeem beat Utah LY. Okay? And that has what to do with TY's game?

dmjcat wrote:

azcat49 wrote:DMJ, I get your point about this being AZ football but when does that change or are you saying we are forever cursed to be who we are.

RR is a really good, innovative football coach who was a few plays away from playing for the NC. He was offered the Bama job and took the Michigan job. That's two of the best franchise jobs in college football.

We have 4 starters back on an offensive line that led the league in rushing. We have an outstanding set of wideout and more talent at QB then we have had in years.

On defense we have improved our numbers and we now have some depth at LB and on the dline so we should continue our climb up statistically.

We have 7 home games and two of our road games are at utah and Wazzu, very winnable games.

If there is a year to drink the koolaid, this is the year. Pass me a cup DC

OL - check
RRod - check
7 home games - check

Best QB talent in years???? This statement is so far detached from reality its hard to know where to start!
Are you saying this bunch is better than Nick Foles???
Are you saying that you would take Anu Solomon over Matt Scott???
Do you realize that QB's #2 and #3 couldn't even complete 50% of their passes at the JC level??
Do you realize that the presumed starter (and Scroggins) couldn't even beat out Denker last year...who
by the way, was villified as the worst QB at the UA in years by about 90% of this board.

Sorry, but you lost me with the QB talent statement. If AS seriously outperforms my expectations then we may win more than the 7 wins I am predicting, just don't tell me he's better than Nick Foles/Matt Scott.

I should have said QB depth. No doubt Foles and Scott were Sunday players but if RR can produce 4000 yards from a QB Of average talent like Denver then I think this year's guy should produce pretty well given the presumed level of talent.

I think it is pretty easy to slot AZ in at 8-4 simply because that is where we have been as a program. But we will have some high level talent infused into our line up this year via transfers and we will have a very good OLine.

I just think that DC 's thoughts could manifest itself and that we might surprise some people .

OSUCat wrote:I'm getting really tired of the Anu didn't beat out Denker last year, so he must be bad. It just a really bad argument.

Manziel (scout and rival 3 star), Mariota (scout 3 star, rival 4 star), and Winston (5 star) are just some of the RS freshman that didn't start as a true freshman. So in other words, could not beat out the earlier QBs. Denker was a terrible thrower but was use to play book and TE speed of college ball. Anu did not have that experience. Now if you want to show me a great true freshman starting for their teams, I am all ears.

Spot on. Folks who think that Anu can't get the job done TY because he couldn't beat out Denker show what little they know. We had KaDeem which made starting Denker an easy decision. Anu is so much better because of the year sitting out and adjusting to the intricacies of RR offense and the speed of the game.

dc4azcats wrote:

dmjcat wrote:

dc4azcats wrote:Like I said, the next time you have anything insightful to say it will be the first time. You keep proving my point. Thanks for playing.

Like I said, the first time you "get" something will be the first (and probably the last) time.

What's to "get"? KaDeem beat Utah LY. Okay? And that has what to do with TY's game?

Whats to get??? How about we don't have Kadeem this year?? Do you GET that??????

azcat49 wrote:

dmjcat wrote:

azcat49 wrote:DMJ, I get your point about this being AZ football but when does that change or are you saying we are forever cursed to be who we are.

RR is a really good, innovative football coach who was a few plays away from playing for the NC. He was offered the Bama job and took the Michigan job. That's two of the best franchise jobs in college football.

We have 4 starters back on an offensive line that led the league in rushing. We have an outstanding set of wideout and more talent at QB then we have had in years.

On defense we have improved our numbers and we now have some depth at LB and on the dline so we should continue our climb up statistically.

We have 7 home games and two of our road games are at utah and Wazzu, very winnable games.

If there is a year to drink the koolaid, this is the year. Pass me a cup DC

OL - check
RRod - check
7 home games - check

Best QB talent in years???? This statement is so far detached from reality its hard to know where to start!
Are you saying this bunch is better than Nick Foles???
Are you saying that you would take Anu Solomon over Matt Scott???
Do you realize that QB's #2 and #3 couldn't even complete 50% of their passes at the JC level??
Do you realize that the presumed starter (and Scroggins) couldn't even beat out Denker last year...who
by the way, was villified as the worst QB at the UA in years by about 90% of this board.

Sorry, but you lost me with the QB talent statement. If AS seriously outperforms my expectations then we may win more than the 7 wins I am predicting, just don't tell me he's better than Nick Foles/Matt Scott.

I should have said QB depth. No doubt Foles and Scott were Sunday players but if RR can produce 4000 yards from a QB Of average talent like Denver then I think this year's guy should produce pretty well given the presumed level of talent.

I think it is pretty easy to slot AZ in at 8-4 simply because that is where we have been as a program. But we will have some high level talent infused into our line up this year via transfers and we will have a very good OLine.

I just think that DC 's thoughts could manifest itself and that we might surprise some people .

I would argue that we had better depth when Foles/Scott were #1/#2 (I would take Scott over all 3 of the backups we have at the moment). A large chunk of the 4000 yards you refer to were a direct result of having a top-flight college back (now in the NFL) that we won't have this year. Regarding our OL, the tackles are quite good (Ebelles and Baucus both have a shot at the league) but the interior of the line was pretty weak last year. We had so many 4th and 1's shoved back into our face it would be hard to count.

I'm all for pre-season Kool-Aid drinking............just as long as we can all understand that its Kool-Aid!

dmjcat wrote: Whats to get??? How about we don't have Kadeem this year?? Do you GET that??????

Seriously? So we can't beat Utah because we don't have KaDeem TY? That's some insight right there.

Let's see Utah doesn't have the same team as LY, and stay with me on this, but we don't have the same team either. We won't be relying on the running game TY like we did LY to win games. Are you still with me? See guys graduate so LY's team has nothing to do with TY's team. Utah had the 3rd best D vs the run LY which goes back to my point that they felt they could stop KaDeem and win the game because they didn't think KaDeem was worth a crap. Denker wasn't worth a crap in that game and they couldn't stop KaDeem. Again, none of that has anything to do with TY's game.

Utah ranked 10th in the conf LY in pass defense. That's a big deal because they lost most of their secondary and they lost their best pass rusher in Reilly. It's also a big deal when you look at what Arizona will have when it goes 5 wide. When you couldn't cover anybody LY and the guys you have coming in are unproven it makes for a tall task to think you can cover what Arizona will bring to the WR position.

Correct me if I'm wrong but you think we don't have a QB to get the ball to the WR's and thus because we don't have KaDeem to run the ball we will lose the game? Is that what you're saying?