Ex-Cats will play it safe and not attend ASU game
Football alumni will let loose at a Phoenix residence instead
By Anthony Gimino and Javier Morales
The usual contingent of diehard Arizona football alums in the Phoenix-area — including Heath Bray, Donnie Salum, Ty Parten, Tony Bouie, Paul Glonek, Eric Johnson and at least a few dozen more — won’t be going to the Arizona-Arizona State game Saturday, but it won’t be for a lack of interest. “We had to decide if we want to risk going to jail to just get together and have a good time,” Johnson said. Instead of having their passions get the best of them inside Sun Devil Stadium — and be targets of the home crowd — they will instead gather to watch the game at a residence. “It feels like the only safe place in that building is on the sideline,” Johnson said. “And there aren’t enough sideline passes to go around.” It’s not like there won’t be good seats available, though. A crowd of about 55,000 is expected. …
Everybody talks about Chuck Cecil’s 106-yard interception return for a touchdown in 1986 as the best play in the UA’s rivalry with ASU. That play certainly deserves its merits. If someone were to rank the UA’s top defensive plays in it series with the Sun Devils, that 1986 game might have the top two in history. Cecil’s interception of a Jeff Van Raaphorst pass preserved the lead for the Cats in their 34-17 victory over the Rose Bowl-bound Sun Devils. However, an earlier defensive play was a game-saver for the Cats. UA cornerback James DeBow stopped ASU fullback Channing Williams, on a solo tackle on fourth-and-goal at the 1 in the third quarter. That is arguably the most important tackle in UA history. You can view the DeBow tackle and the Cecil interception in the accompanying YouTube video starting at the 2:30 mark. If you don’t get goosebumps watching this video, you are either not an Arizona fan or you are not human. … DeBow presently works for the County of Riverside in California as a Children’s Social Service Worker. He contacted us recently for our feature of ex-Cats and what they are most thankful for as they celebrate Thanksgiving. “I am most thankful to a loving family and God’s mercy and grace,” DeBow said. …
ASU coach Dennis Erickson has suffered his first back-to-back losing seasons in 21 years of college coaching. But he is consistent in one area — his teams continue to play undisciplined football, filled with penalties. The Sun Devils are second-to-last nationally — 119th — in penalties per game (9.18) and penalty yards per game (84.82). That’s about the area in which Erickson’s teams live. His 2008 ASU team was 112th in penalties. His 2007 ASU team was 54th (hey, not bad!). Before that, his 2006 Idaho team was 109th, his 2002 Oregon State team was 115th, his 2001 Oregon State team was 92nd and his 2000 Oregon State team was 97th. … National stats before that aren’t readily available on-line, but that’s a pretty good trend of penalty-prone teams. “I think what has hurt them offensively is just the inconsistencies with penalties and giving up big plays — interceptions for touchdowns,” Arizona coach Mike Stoops said. “I think the penalties have really hurt them offensively in terms of sustaining drives and getting scores deep in the red zone.” … Stoops said he wasn’t concerned about a “hangover” from the tough Oregon loss. “We’ve played pretty consistently all season and played hard and prepared well,” he said. “We’ve done a good job with that when you look at our overall body of work.” Not everything has gone right for Arizona in the past two-and-half seasons — especially at the end of games — but you can’t say that UA has had one absolute stinker in the bunch. The Wildcats have gone 29 games since losing by more than 10 points. They compete with everyone. …
Detroit Country Day School point guard Ray McCallum has become more selective with his contact with the media as he tries to concentrate on his senior season. McCallum, however, talked recently with HighSchoolHoop.com about what he is most thankful for heading into Thanksgiving. If you can read between the lines, you will notice that McCallum’s desire to play for his father Ray McCallum Sr at Detroit Mercy is obvious: “I would have to say that my leadership is the skill that I’m most thankful for. I truly believe that it’s a skill to be a good leader. A lot of guards out there can score and do everything like that, but they just can’t lead. I’ve been blessed to have a dad that was a great point guard and a great coach and has been around the game for so long and he’s taught me so much. It’s just raised my IQ on the court and given me the tools I need to be a great leader. I know that being a strong leader has elevated my game a lot. When it really comes down to it and you need someone to get out there and do whatever needs to be done to get the win, that’s leadership. That’s what I’ve got, and that’s what I’m most thankful for.” … Potential Class of 2011 recruit Mark Overdevest, a 7-foot-2 center from New Zealand, took his first recruiting visit recently to South Florida. He joined three of his Montverde (Fla.) Academy teammates for an unofficial visit of the South Florida campus earlier this month. Does South Florida and a big man ring a bell? It should because JC All-American center Jerrid Famous chose the Bulls over Arizona earlier this summer. Famous is a significant reason why South Florida has started the year 6-1. He averages 10.9 points and 7.2 rebounds a game. If Famous would have signed with Arizona he likely would be starting. His addition probably would have forsaken Derrick Williams, however, because Williams committed to the Cats after Famous made up his mind. ….
It’s a foregone conclusion that Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis will be fired, but where will that leave former Arizona assistant and recruiting coordinator Rob Ianello? He has been with Weis for all five seasons and was promoted to assistant head coach of the offense after last season, while still serving as recruiting coordinator and receivers coach. He is still known as one of the top recruiters in the business, and he has coached some big-time wideouts at Notre Dame, such as Jeff Samardzija, Maurice Stovall, Golden Tate and Michael Floyd. Ianello’s wife, former UA women’s basketball assistant coach Denise Dove, is now a scout in the WNBA. … UA softball signee Chelsea Suitos, an infielder from Elk Grove (Calif.) High School, missed most of her junior season because of a severe concussion, but told the Elk Grove Citizen that Arizona coach Mike Candrea didn’t waver with his scholarship offer. “Coach Candrea is a man of his word,” Suitos said. Elk Grove assistant softball coach Amanda Buck, who coaches Suitos in basketball, told the newspaper that Suitos is the most talented athlete she has seen at the high school. “I’ve never met a more dedicated athlete than Chelsea,” Buck said. “She’s pretty much the hardest worker I’ve ever coached, basketball or softball. She just wants to get better every day. In the four years I’ve coached her, Chelsea’s never taken a day off.” …
Friday Night Lights (playoff edition): Matt Brown’s high school career came to a thrilling end last weekend as his Allen (Texas) team lost to Carroll in double overtime. Allen coach Tom Westerberg decided to go for a two-point conversion to win the game. Brown was stalled on a keeper, reversed field and was tackled just inside the 2 as Allen’s perfect season ended. Brown carried the ball 27 times for 161 yards. … UA recruit J.J. Whittaker, a multi-purpose threat with Oceanside High School, beat the Sun Devils — Mt. Carmel, that is — on Friday night in the CIF San Diego Section quarterfinals. Whittaker caught a 54-yard pass and had a solid game in the defensive secondary. Oceanside is in its 16th consecutive playoff semifinal. The Pirates are also on a 36-game winning streak. … Offensive lineman recruit Mickey Baucus of Carmel Catholic in Mundelein, Illinois, is one of the more athletic linemen to sign with Arizona. Baucus, the younger brother of UA freshman tight end Jack Baucus, can run the 40-yard sprint in 5.3 seconds. That’s not bad for a kid who is 6-8 and 270. Carmel coach Andy Bitto recently said that when the younger Baucus committed to Arizona in April, Notre Dame was in hot pursuit. “When he got offered by Arizona, he accepted that night,” Bitto said. “Notre Dame came in the next day, and Mickey didn’t even want to talk with them.” …
Tags: Chuck Cecil, James DeBow, Mark Overdevest, Mike Candrea, Ray McCallum
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November 28th, 2009 at 9:41 AM
What struck me in this incredible video is the UA’s top defenses in the 1980s — which really brought the Wildcats notoriety as well as their special teams — included Chuck Cecil and Byron Evans on the same team. That’s almost criminal. Has there ever been two tacklers as good as them on the same unit in the history of UA football? Those two guys had to put fear into receivers catching a ball over the middle or a running back trying to break free on a sweep.