2014 season

BMalo · Post by **BMalo** » Thu Oct 23, 2014 2:21 pm

Tough to see Glover leave. I was hoping he would make an impact.

Georges' injury + being buried on the depth chart is no surprise.

Edit: this is that part where I miss uacats' commentary.

NYCat · Post by **NYCat** » Thu Oct 23, 2014 9:34 pm

Best odds of PAC 12 finish is at 9-3

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Fri Oct 24, 2014 2:08 pm

Great story from the official site on Kylan Butler's move from player to coach.

“One thing I’ve realized is, as a coach, if you know your stuff, the players will be more apt to listen to what you have to say,” Butler said. “I’ve proven that I know what I’m talking about, so they come to me and ask questions and I can give them an answer right away. When I say things to them, they are more receptive to it. I try to give them constant reminders as well.”

azcat49 · Post by **azcat49** » Fri Oct 24, 2014 4:37 pm

So those odds say that it will be ASSU repping the south once again. Lord help us all

azgreg · Post by **azgreg** » Fri Oct 24, 2014 5:40 pm

NYCat · Post by **NYCat** » Fri Oct 24, 2014 8:25 pm

Holly Anderson of Grantland wrote a piece on Rich Rodriguez & the Arizona program. It's Grantland so as usual its good.

Rich Rodriguez and Arizona, Playing From Minute One

Snippet:

Like plenty of other Pac-12 programs, the Wildcats have been bestowed with the occasional miracle this season, but guts and gods can only get them so far. Not that a no. 15 ranking past the season’s midpoint is anything to curl up a lip at; the program’s future looks as sunny as a 10-day Tucson forecast. But the Wildcats’ coaches, like any in their position, would be the first to volunteer this: The best vantage point from which to view a miracle is from a spot where you don’t need one.

Surprised it wasn't posted yet

azgreg · Post by **azgreg** » Fri Oct 24, 2014 9:04 pm

azgreg wrote:

And then there was 1.

Merkin · Post by **Merkin** » Fri Oct 24, 2014 9:22 pm

ANGCatFan wrote:Glover and Georges have left the team.

Tough to see anyone leave the team when we are getting ready for 6 games in a row. Hope they are making the best decisions for themselves.

Never understood leaving a team midseason. They are going to have to sit out a year anyway, and no one is going to give a scrub a full scholarship for half a season of football. If they stay with the team at least they get free meals, conditioning and all the perks that go along with being a Div I athlete.

Unless they have a Div IAA school lined up where they wouldn't have to sit out. But Div IAA schools only get 63 football scholies unlike the 85 Div I teams get.

scumdevils86 · Post by **scumdevils86** » Sat Oct 25, 2014 11:38 pm

Sportscenter tonight...have highlights and reviews of every top 20ish game including Marshall, ASU, UCLA, TCU, Utah etc but no mention of Arizona.

Hell even Arkansas is getting coverage

ASUHATER! · Post by **ASUHATER!** » Sat Oct 25, 2014 11:44 pm

Yeah...highlights from every other top 25 team and soccer and baseball highlights but no mention of Arizona. They've actually cycled around and started playing highlights they already showed, still no Arizona.

EastCoastCat · Post by **EastCoastCat** » Sun Oct 26, 2014 7:29 am

Good. I love it when we get no respect.

We seem to deliver better when everyone shits on us.

OSUCat · Post by **OSUCat** » Sun Oct 26, 2014 8:56 am

I saw the arizona game highlights on college football final on espn. Then they went on to say that even though arizona have one loss that the UTSA game will be hold over arizona and that the Oregon win doesn't matter because Oregon Oline injuries.

6-1 and little respect.

azgreg · Post by **azgreg** » Sun Oct 26, 2014 12:43 pm

PieceOfMeat · Post by **PieceOfMeat** » Sun Oct 26, 2014 12:57 pm

OSUCat wrote:I saw the arizona game highlights on college football final on espn. Then they went on to say that even though arizona have one loss that the UTSA game will be hold over arizona and that the Oregon win doesn't matter because Oregon Oline injuries.

6-1 and little respect.

Well if we hadn't shit the bed against USC we'd be getting all the praise we could handle, even with those caveats.

Next weekend is another great opportunity for this team to show where it is, and how good it is. Beating a ranked UCLA in their house would go miles in proving we're not just a fluke team with 1 big upset.

Beat UCLA and people will start penciling us in on projections at 9-1 heading to Utah.

azcat49 · Post by **azcat49** » Sun Oct 26, 2014 1:21 pm

You beat UCLA on the road and then you show me 1 team who has two more impressive road wins than the cats. I can't think of one team. We should be squarly in the 1 loss playoff team discussion

Chicat · Post by **Chicat** » Sun Oct 26, 2014 2:09 pm

OSUCat wrote:I saw the arizona game highlights on college football final on espn. Then they went on to say that even though arizona have one loss that the UTSA game will be hold over arizona and that the Oregon win doesn't matter because Oregon Oline injuries.

6-1 and little respect.

If I hear one more time about Oregon's o-line injuries meaning their loss doesn't matter I will punch someone elderly. Every fucking team has injuries and Oregon should have more depth than any team not named Alabama.

Why doesn't our loss get the "they had key injuries" treatment?

EastCoastCat · Post by **EastCoastCat** » Sun Oct 26, 2014 3:28 pm

Chicat wrote:
OSUCat wrote:I saw the arizona game highlights on college football final on espn. Then they went on to say that even though arizona have one loss that the UTSA game will be hold over arizona and that the Oregon win doesn't matter because Oregon Oline injuries.

6-1 and little respect.
If I hear one more time about Oregon's o-line injuries meaning their loss doesn't matter I will punch someone elderly. Every fucking team has injuries and Oregon should have more depth than any team not named Alabama.

Why doesn't our loss get the "they had key injuries" treatment?

Really...all I keep hearing is Oregon's O-Line is now healthy so they are back where they were before.

How about talking about their so-so defense? That has been pretty consistent in every game that I've watched.

MrBug708 · Post by **MrBug708** » Sun Oct 26, 2014 8:00 pm

azcat49 wrote:You beat UCLA on the road and then you show me 1 team who has two more impressive road wins than the cats. I can't think of one team. We should be squarly in the 1 loss playoff team discussion

Hey, UCLA is 5-0 on the road

cats101 · Post by **cats101** » Sun Oct 26, 2014 8:49 pm

Chicat wrote:
OSUCat wrote:I saw the arizona game highlights on college football final on espn. Then they went on to say that even though arizona have one loss that the UTSA game will be hold over arizona and that the Oregon win doesn't matter because Oregon Oline injuries.

6-1 and little respect.
If I hear one more time about Oregon's o-line injuries meaning their loss doesn't matter I will punch someone elderly. Every fucking team has injuries and Oregon should have more depth than any team not named Alabama.

Why doesn't our loss get the "they had key injuries" treatment?

Because they're Oregon, they have a brand to protect. It's really fucking annoying that they keep emphasizingthat in the loss to Az.

Harvey Specter · Post by **Harvey Specter** » Mon Oct 27, 2014 12:25 am

azcat49 wrote:You beat UCLA on the road and then you show me 1 team who has two more impressive road wins than the cats. I can't think of one team. We should be squarly in the 1 loss playoff team discussion

The win at Oregon had and will likely remain the season's best road win... No doubt. But UCLA has been garbage at home (1-2, win by 7 PT's vs Memphis), have struggled in almost all of their wins (many against garbage competition), and their only impressive win was against ASU. Unless we were to beat UCLA by a similar margin, I would consider the WSU win a better road win than a modest victory over UCLA.

Our loss was not awful but it was at home, but USC has already lost 3 and is likely to lose 2+ more. Our OOC was weak... despite those here who tried to argue otherwise. We won, but not real convincingly vs marginal competition. Style points matter.

Whether we should be mentioned in the playoff picture yet or not (I don't believe we should) does not matter, we win out and we absolutely will be.

I think we can... just take it one game at a time, though.

Puerco · Post by **Puerco** » Mon Oct 27, 2014 12:26 am

I couldn't care less about the playoff discussion. Every time in a season when I get to a point where I care about national implications something terrible happens. Here's to dispassionate fandom for the next couple of months!

SCCat · Post by **SCCat** » Mon Oct 27, 2014 8:52 am

Heh.

"8. Arizona

Are the Wildcats really the eighth-best team in the country? Got me. But they won at Oregon. And then beat USC. And then won again on the road at Washington State (which still means a tiny something). Now they face an inconsistent, but strangely dangerous UCLA team at the Rose Bowl."

http://espn.go.com/college-football/sto ... e-thinking

Merkin · Post by **Merkin** » Mon Oct 27, 2014 9:00 am

SCCat wrote:Heh.

"8. Arizona

Are the Wildcats really the eighth-best team in the country? Got me. But they won at Oregon. And then beat USC. And then won again on the road at Washington State (which still means a tiny something). Now they face an inconsistent, but strangely dangerous UCLA team at the Rose Bowl."

http://espn.go.com/college-football/sto ... e-thinking

That's pretty poor when he mentions previously:

Arizona: How can you win it all if you lost to a now-unranked USC team and rank 81st in points allowed?

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Mon Oct 27, 2014 4:52 pm

Lots of Arizona mentions in Bruce Feldman's column this week.

Starting with why Arizona should be in the top 10:

6. Arizona: They're really young at a lot of key spots, but they deserve a ton of credit for beating Oregon at Autzen, which is the best road win of the college football season so far, and the Cats’ lone loss was against USC and on a last-second field goal. I know -- they also dodged another L thanks to their Hail Mary against Cal. I'm sure a lot of voters won't be on board, exercising their "best" argument with Arizona, but the Cats have proven more than a lot of top-10 teams have so far.

His play makes you notice him and his name makes him impossible to forget:

CONGRATS, SCOOBY
Props to Arizona's play-making LB Scooby Wright, who was the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week after making three sacks and forcing three fumbles in the Cats’ romp at Washington State.
Wright was quite the recruiting coup for Arizona. UA was the first to offer him and 10 days later he committed. A few Mountain West programs came in on him later while another Pac-12 program straight up told the California native he just wasn't good enough, according to an Arizona source. In four Pac-12 games this season, the sophomore has 11 tackles for loss and five forced fumbles.

We also helped make up his stats of the week:

STAT OF THE WEEK, TAKE II
From old drinking buddy Ted Miller: Pac-12 QBs have thrown 18 TDs with zero interceptions against Washington State.

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Mon Oct 27, 2014 5:11 pm

Gimino's latest at Tucson News Now.

Two months ago, the Bruins were a chic pick to win the national title, and a game in the Rose Bowl seemed like a certain loss for Arizona. But while quarterback Brett Hundley is still an elite talent, UCLA's offensive line and defensive front have been lacking. Hitting the reset button, I'd rank the Wildcats' five remaining games, from easiest to toughest, like this:

5. vs. Colorado, Nov. 8
4. vs. Washington, Nov. 15
3. at UCLA, Nov. 1
2. vs. ASU, Nov. 28
1. at Utah, Nov. 22

UCLA, ASU and Utah are ranked. Washington has four potential first-round picks on defense. Colorado is getting closer to beating somebody, losing to Cal and UCLA in double overtime this season, and by five to Oregon State.

It's daunting, no doubt. But the Wildcats' team effort at Washington State added fuel to the notion that this, finally, could be UA's November to remember.

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Mon Oct 27, 2014 8:21 pm

I am a one game at a time cat, but we are going to start hearing this if we keep winning. Some guy at bleacher report predicts us as a dark horse for the playoffs.

jollything · Post by **jollything** » Mon Oct 27, 2014 9:25 pm

That would be incredible. That would be a huge jump from where we are now. On top of winning out we would need USC to win out to make our loss look better.

But like you I'm just going to look forward to the game on Saturday.

azthrillhouse · Post by **azthrillhouse** » Mon Oct 27, 2014 9:55 pm

Thanks to USC losing to Utah, we're basically right back where we were going into the USC game in some ways....win this next one, and the possibilities definitely become very interesting.

Of course, as I think PoM or Gumby said in the other thread....that's why we'll probably be back here bitching on Saturday night.... :S

azpenguin · Post by **azpenguin** » Mon Oct 27, 2014 10:02 pm

ANGCatFan wrote:I am a one game at a time cat, but we are going to start hearing this if we keep winning. Some guy at bleacher report predicts us as a dark horse for the playoffs.

Back in 2010 ESPN was giving the Cats some run as a BCS title game dark horse. 7-1, top ten win (Iowa) and they were rolling.

Then the gauntlet hit. USC, Oregon, Stanford, ASU. Bowl game against Ok St. 7-6 final record. Then after that in 2011 a win over NAU, and then Ok St. again, Oregon, Stanford, USC, Oregon St. 11 games after ESPN was propping AZ as having a chance to win it all, Stoops is canned.

College football can be a weird business at times.

Puerco · Post by **Puerco** » Tue Oct 28, 2014 1:53 am

Merkin wrote:
SCCat wrote:Heh.

"8. Arizona

Are the Wildcats really the eighth-best team in the country? Got me. But they won at Oregon. And then beat USC. And then won again on the road at Washington State (which still means a tiny something). Now they face an inconsistent, but strangely dangerous UCLA team at the Rose Bowl."

http://espn.go.com/college-football/sto ... e-thinking

That's pretty poor when he mentions previously:

Arizona: How can you win it all if you lost to a now-unranked USC team and rank 81st in points allowed?

It's been fixed. Replaced USC with WSU. Easy mistake to make, no?

azgreg · Post by **azgreg** » Wed Oct 29, 2014 12:34 pm

Pac-12 Power Rankings: Week 10

http://www.ocregister.com/usc/register- ... k-pac.html

1. OREGON (7-1, 4-1 PAC-12; PREVIOUS RANK: 1)

The first CFP rankings were a big victory for Oregon and the Pac-12. By landing at No. 5, the Ducks are in prime position to crack the Final Four. All they have to do, at least in theory, is win out. The toughest game might be the Pac-12 Championship against Arizona or Arizona State. (Sorry, Utah. It’s not going to be you.)

2. ARIZONA STATE (6-1, 4-1; PREV. RANK: 5)

It’s nice to see ASU finally getting some respect from my fellow voters. All it took, apparently, was back-to-back victories in which the Sun Devils allowed a total of 20 points. They had allowed 96 in the two games before that. Still not sure about that quarterback situation, though.

3. UTAH (6-1, 3-1; PREV. RANK: 3T)

Why not Utah? Check out the Utes’ upcoming schedule: at Arizona State, vs. Oregon, at Stanford, vs. Arizona. It’s also unlikely that Utah can sustain its recent success in close games. Its past three victories have been by two, six and three points. Any could have gone the other way.

4. ARIZONA (6-1, 3-1; PREV. RANK: 3T)

The Wildcats are a 36-yard field goal away from being 7-0. As it is, they have as good as shot as anyone to win the Pac-12 South – provided they can get past UCLA this week. I have no idea what’s going to happen in that game. Of course, that’s nothing new.

5. USC (5-3, 4-2; PREV. RANK: 2)

Speaking of what-ifs … as colleague Dan Weber noted, USC would be 7-1 if games were 59 minutes and 30 seconds long. Or if the Trojans could have converted a pair of third-and-2s. Or if Steve Sarkisian’s late-game play-calling weren’t so illogical. I could go on, but I need to make fun of Jim Mora now.

6. UCLA (6-2, 3-2; PREV. RANK: 6)

In defending his team’s recent performances, Mora told the media: “As much gloom and doom as there is out there, I would challenge anyone to go find a UCLA team in the history of UCLA that has done what this group has done in 2½ years.” Challenge accepted! The Bruins are 25-10 under Mora – an impressive .714 winning percentage. It’s also the same as in Bob Toledo’s first three seasons (1996-98). And not quite as good as Terry Donahue’s best three-year stretch: 28-7-1 (.792) from 1986-88. Sorry, Jim.

7. STANFORD (5-3, 3-2; PREV. RANK: 7)

Stanford has beaten Oregon two years in a row. I don’t see this version of the Cardinal making it three. Yes, Stanford’s offense finally showed signs of life against Oregon State. And yes, Stanford’s defense has been pretty consistently good. I just don’t think the Cardinal can keep pace with a Ducks team that should be highly motivated and well rested.

Catstatic · Post by **Catstatic** » Wed Oct 29, 2014 3:00 pm

So we were tied for 3rd, destroyed WSU on the road and dropped to 4th? Okay.

Go Cats!!

azgreg · Post by **azgreg** » Wed Oct 29, 2014 4:08 pm

Catstatic wrote:So we were tied for 3rd, destroyed WSU on the road and dropped to 4th? Okay.

Go Cats!!

We were tied with Utah (in his poll) and they had a better win.

azgreg · Post by **azgreg** » Mon Nov 03, 2014 12:00 pm

azgreg · Post by **azgreg** » Tue Nov 11, 2014 1:08 pm

TuiTouchdown · Post by **TuiTouchdown** » Wed Nov 12, 2014 12:22 pm

According to a story on ESPN's Pac12 Blog about the College Football Playoff picture, ASU should be rooting for us this weekend and we should be rooting for them.

I don't see that happening.

http://espn.go.com/blog/pac12/post/_/id ... ker-nov-12

PieceOfMeat · Post by **PieceOfMeat** » Wed Nov 12, 2014 11:07 pm

TuiTouchdown wrote:According to a story on ESPN's Pac12 Blog about the College Football Playoff picture, ASU should be rooting for us this weekend and we should be rooting for them.

I don't see that happening.

http://espn.go.com/blog/pac12/post/_/id ... ker-nov-12

I guess their Blogger has never heard of the phrase

FUCK ASsU!

UALoco · Post by **UALoco** » Thu Nov 13, 2014 8:27 pm

Well, Cal sucks and there goes one of our chances to win the South. Now we need UCLA to beat USC and Stanford to beat UCLA...and we need to win out.

Merkin · Post by **Merkin** » Thu Nov 13, 2014 8:29 pm

UALoco wrote:Well, Cal sucks and there goes one of our chances to win the South. Now we need UCLA to beat USC and Stanford to beat UCLA...and we need to win out.

That's why many long time fans like myself gave up on them winning the south some time ago. Still fans, and will watch the games, but like someone said (UADevil?) the US used up their luck already this year.

azcat49 · Post by **azcat49** » Thu Nov 13, 2014 8:49 pm

UALoco wrote:Well, Cal sucks and there goes one of our chances to win the South. Now we need UCLA to beat USC and Stanford to beat UCLA...and we need to win out.

I actually like this scenario. I think it can happen

dc4azcats · Post by **dc4azcats** » Thu Nov 13, 2014 9:06 pm

azcat49 wrote:
UALoco wrote:Well, Cal sucks and there goes one of our chances to win the South. Now we need UCLA to beat USC and Stanford to beat UCLA...and we need to win out.

I actually like this scenario. I think it can happen

As do I. Stanford could win a close game with Ucla. Stanford front 7 can certainly get some pressure on Hundley. The folks at Espn pac 12 blog like to compare Utah and Stanford as mirror images of each other. Stay in it till the end and hope you have a chance to win it.

azpenguin · Post by **azpenguin** » Thu Nov 13, 2014 10:09 pm

Stranger things have definitely happened. Mora is a better coach than Sark. Stanford looks better than they did earlier this year. I'm not saying it will happen for sure, but this scenario certainly isn't out of the realm of possibility. All the Cats can do is go out there and win their games.

OSUCat · Post by **OSUCat** » Sun Nov 16, 2014 8:32 am

Someone please put together a YouTube video of all the crazy happenings from this year in one clip. Both wins and the losses, it something that should be remember.

azgreg · Post by **azgreg** » Wed Nov 26, 2014 12:07 pm

azgreg · Post by **azgreg** » Wed Nov 26, 2014 7:39 pm

azcat49 · Post by **azcat49** » Wed Nov 26, 2014 8:08 pm

I like that. Neat tradition. Keep it up RR

azpenguin · Post by **azpenguin** » Sun Nov 30, 2014 11:00 pm

So normally we're at the point where we look back upon the season and wait to see what bowl game we go to.

What a year it's been. The Hill Mary. Skowron's redemption. Fantastic freshmen. Scooby's monster year. The Cup is back where it belongs. Pac-12 South Champs.

But the thing is that this year still isn't over. Not just a bowl game either. We've got a huge, huge game coming up. Oregon is once again favored. Oregon once again has everything to lose - a guaranteed playoff spot if they win, a Heisman for Mariota, revenge for the last two game. Arizona is playing with house money. The program is already in rare air. RichRod and the guys aren't looking at Oregon as an unbeatable colossus. There is actually a shot at the playoffs. This season is already a success beyond what we ever could have dreamed.

These guys are coming out swinging on Friday. If this team has taught me anything, it's that you don't ever count them out. This could be the week when the Cats shock the world. Win or lose, this has been one hell of a wild, fun year. And it's not over yet.

TuiTouchdown · Post by **TuiTouchdown** » Mon Dec 01, 2014 6:55 am

azpenguin wrote:So normally we're at the point where we look back upon the season and wait to see what bowl game we go to.

What a year it's been. The Hill Mary. Skowron's redemption. Fantastic freshmen. Scooby's monster year. The Cup is back where it belongs. Pac-12 South Champs.

But the thing is that this year still isn't over. Not just a bowl game either. We've got a huge, huge game coming up. Oregon is once again favored. Oregon once again has everything to lose - a guaranteed playoff spot if they win, a Heisman for Mariota, revenge for the last two game. Arizona is playing with house money. The program is already in rare air. RichRod and the guys aren't looking at Oregon as an unbeatable colossus. There is actually a shot at the playoffs. This season is already a success beyond what we ever could have dreamed.

These guys are coming out swinging on Friday. If this team has taught me anything, it's that you don't ever count them out. This could be the week when the Cats shock the world. Win or lose, this has been one hell of a wild, fun year. And it's not over yet.

Damn straight!

Catstatic · Post by **Catstatic** » Mon Dec 01, 2014 8:02 am

azpenguin wrote:So normally we're at the point where we look back upon the season and wait to see what bowl game we go to.

What a year it's been. The Hill Mary. Skowron's redemption. Fantastic freshmen. Scooby's monster year. The Cup is back where it belongs. Pac-12 South Champs.

But the thing is that this year still isn't over. Not just a bowl game either. We've got a huge, huge game coming up. Oregon is once again favored. Oregon once again has everything to lose - a guaranteed playoff spot if they win, a Heisman for Mariota, revenge for the last two game. Arizona is playing with house money. The program is already in rare air. RichRod and the guys aren't looking at Oregon as an unbeatable colossus. There is actually a shot at the playoffs. This season is already a success beyond what we ever could have dreamed.

These guys are coming out swinging on Friday. If this team has taught me anything, it's that you don't ever count them out. This could be the week when the Cats shock the world. Win or lose, this has been one hell of a wild, fun year. And it's not over yet.

And some of our key leaders: a RS freshman QB, true freshman RB, and all world sophomore LB ... to name just a few. No way anyone saw this coming.

Go Cats!!

dc4azcats · Post by **dc4azcats** » Mon Dec 01, 2014 8:57 pm

dc4azcats wrote:First off as Merk mentioned I love this guy in regards to his breakdown of each team and keep in mind he hasn't always been kind to the UA in regards to where he has ranked us in the past. Instead of what Merk posted I liked this:

Defense: The numbers simply speak for themselves: Arizona allowed nearly 100 fewer yards of offense and nearly two fewer touchdowns per game than in 2012, not to mention just shy of two fewer yards per carry – and seeing that opponents ran the ball 531 times on the Wildcats, that average is simply outstanding. It's becoming clear – as if this hasn't been said over and over again – that enticing Jeff Casteel to come to Tucson may end up being the difference; Casteel didn't come to Michigan, as you may have heard, but has arrived at Arizona and rapidly altered the program's sense of defensive self-worth. He does it in a most unorthodox fashion: Arizona's 3-3-5 defense is attempted by only a select few other programs in the country, and perhaps no coordinator runs it better than Casteel.

And this is spot on as far as I'm concerned:

In a nutshell: There are enough issues here to keep Arizona out of the top four in the Pac-12 but enough positives to expect another step forward, perhaps into the nine-win range and an end-of-year national ranking. To get there, however, the coaching staff must address five personnel concerns: the change at quarterback, the by-committee backfield, the rotation along the defensive line, the hole at weak side linebacker and the huge decline in experience at cornerback. Hitting on three of the five issues would leave Arizona in great shape – and deserving of a spot in the top half of the Pac-12. Nailing all five would make Arizona a real sleeper in the entire conference, let alone the South Division, and could allow the Wildcats to notch the program's first season with double-digit wins since 1998.

Interesting to go back and look at what some guys predicted pre-season. As I mentioned in the post I think Paul does a great job but you look at his take for the 5 things that had to happen in order for us to hit double digit wins: We nailed it at the QB spot. It has been a RB by committee at times but clearly the emergence of Nick Wilson was a huge deal and a clear difference maker on the season as a whole.

Weak side linebacker has been the LB by committee as we have rolled a lot of guys through there depending on the team we were playing, down and distance and any number of other factors. That being said I think it's more of what Scooby has done than any one thing at the weak side LB spot. Scooby pretty much trumps everything that was said in the pre-season in regards to our defense. Nobody had him doing what he has done this season.

The DB play while spotty at times really hasn't been that bad all things considered. I think McKnight has had a really solid season but again, the play of Scooby has helped out our DB's in such a huge way TY. From forcing guys to throw the ball before they want to and or just sacking guys before they had the chance to throw. At the same time there's been times where we've had coverage sacks and the QB didn't have a guy to throw to and we got a sack out of it.

Last is the DL rotation and while I think it's been pretty solid at times and we've had some guys emerge that we didn't know about in Zellers, and guys contributing in a way we weren't sure that they would like Sani Fuimaono and Pettinato of late, it's still the Scooby factor here as well.

Overall, we hit on the first 2 points and then it's a combination of the last 3 getting it done and the Scooby factor.

ANGCatFan wrote:I may have run across the smartest guy on the inter web in Scott at Football Scoop.

For fun, I took a look at the teams who received zero votes in the preseason poll - somebody explain to me why Arizona didn’t get a single vote? Yes, I recognize the quarterback position isn’t settled, but word out of Tucson is that it will come together and I fully expect Rich Rod and staff to get enough out of that position to challenge some better teams. If they get consistent play from the quarterback position, then look out. Rich Rod’s in his third season and he’s a winner; 8-5 each of the past two seasons. I see 9 (or 10) wins from Arizona this year. People who have studied this stuff don’t see it this way; but have a look at the schedule. It’s never easy, but Arizona could open up with four wins - they then need to find a win or two in the middle (at Oregon, vs USC, at Washington State and at UCLA) - and then they could close with 4 wins. Again, it wouldn’t be easy but if you’re looking for a dark, dark horse (I’m talking black stallion dark), watch Arizona this season. There will be points on points on points.

We open with 4 wins, split the next 4 and then close with 4 wins. This guy nailed it.

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