"Tell them … tell the team to bear down"

Weekly poll will determine fans’ pick for best play of season

By Javier Morales

Will Juron Criner‘s over-the-shoulder touchdown catch while falling to the ground Friday at Toledo stand as the UA’s top play of 2010? Or maybe another play from Arizona’s 41-2 drubbing of the Rockets catches (no pun intended) your fancy?

Every week, WILDABOUTAZCATS.com will run a poll of the best play involving the Wildcats for that particular game. The winning play from each game will be part of a season-ending poll to determine the fan’s pick for the best play of 2010.

To add some spice to this feature, we will award an Arizona T-shirt to the fan who picks the player responsible for the play of 2010. Entry for that award is below this post in the comments section. Simply write the name of the UA player who will top the Pick the Play at the end of the year with a reason why you picked that individual.

The winning reader will be determined by raffle because chances are many fans will pick one player. The deadline to provide your 2010 Pick the Play player is Fri., Sept. 17, a day before the UA hosts Iowa.

Some might ask, “Who gets the nod with Pick the Play, if for example, Nick Foles connects with Criner on a spectacular touchdown pass? Is it Foles or Criner or both?” WILDABOUTAZCATS.com will determine the player most responsible for the play being remarkable. If a clear determination does not exist, both players will be equally mentioned in the poll question. If that play is the winner at the end of the season, the readers who picked for example Foles or Criner will be entered into the raffle.

Also, please make sure to enter the 2010 College Football Pool, administered by WILDABOUTAZCATS.com and operated by CBSSports.com. The first set of games is this weekend. To enter that contest (which is free), please e-mail us at wildaboutazcats@gmail so we can return with an invitation to your e-mail address.

Longtime UA basketball beat reporter Steve Rivera (check out his blog: Steve Rivera Ventures) has secured free pizza coupons from Tino’s Pizza and dinner vouchers at Casino del Sol as some of the weekly awards that will be presented to our readers who top the field.

We plan to round up more prizes, including an attractive season award. Any Arizona fan or follower of this site who owns a business or is in a management position and can share coupons or discounts for our readers, we will publish an ad for your establishment.

Note: We will run a similar game-by-game Pick the Play feature during the basketball season.

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RELATED LINK @ TC.com:

Criner is Arizona’s most important player the rest of the season

A replay of the game is showing at ESPN3.com. Click on the photo of Nick Foles to access highlights of the game.

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1986 offered best play in football and baseball, and perhaps hoops too

1986: BEST YEAR FOR UA PLAYS?
Basketball: Craig McMillan’s “McClutch” shot at the buzzer following a length-of-the court pass from Steve Kerr beats Oregon State 63-62 on Jan. 23, 1986, at McKale Center.
Baseball: Dave Shermet’s two-run, two-out home run in the bottom of the ninth May 30, 1986, caps a comeback from a seven-run deficit and sinks Maine 8-7 in the opening round of the 1986 College World Series (of which the Wildcats eventually won in Omaha).
Football: Chuck Cecil’s thrilling 100-yard interception return for a touchdown in a 34-17 victory against No. 4 and previously unbeaten ASU at Arizona Stadium on Nov. 22, 1986.

By Javier Morales

I recently concluded my pick for the best UA football play in history, and according to a survey at TucsonCitizen.com, it appears many are in agreement that Chuck Cecil‘s electrifying 100-yard interception return for a touchdown against ASU in 1986 takes the prize.

Something tells me choosing the best basketball play in UA history will be much more difficult. Why? Basketball is more of an individual sport, especially when it comes to the amount of memorable plays that change a game’s outcome. More opportunities for brilliance happen with basketball than its baseball and football counterparts.

To me, the best play in UA baseball history is hands-down Dave Shermet‘s two-run, two-out home run in the bottom of the ninth against Maine in the 1986 College World Series opening-round game. It capped a comeback from a 7-0 deficit as the Cats won 8-7. The UA ultimately captured the CWS title that year.

Where were you in 1986? The best football and baseball play at Arizona in at least the last 40 years both occurred that year with the heroics of Cecil and Shermet. Did a memorable UA hoops play occur that year also? A resounding yes, with the “McClutch” shot at the buzzer against Oregon State on Jan. 23, 1986.

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What players to watch at the Glass Bowl on Friday night

>>24/7 Network message boards are active >>Scouting Toledo: Wildcats vs. Rockets >>Commentary: Vinzetta on Arizona’s defense

The talent rundown for the game according to CBSSports.com. NOTE: Players are ranked by their position in each class. For example, Colin Baxter is the fourth-rated center among senior centers. The *-asterisk denotes player projected to be drafted in first three rounds:

ARIZONA SENIORS			TOLEDO SENIORS
No. 4 Colin Baxter, C, 6-3, 295			No. 7 Kevin Kowalski, C, 6-3, 298
No. 5 Keenyn Crier, P, 6-1, 200			No. 41 Archie Arnold, ILB, 6-1, 242
No. 16 Ricky Elmore, DE, 6-5, 260			No. 77 Desmond Marrow, CB, 6-2, 202
No. 23 Nic Grigsby, RB, 5-11, 195			No. 94 Nate Cole, OG, 6-2, 305
No. 24 Brooks Reed, DE, 6-3, 255			No. 109 Alex Johnson, DE, 6-2, 259
ARIZONA JUNIORS			TOLEDO JUNIORS
No. 4 Nick Foles, QB, 6-5, 245			No. 15 Danny Noble, TE, 6-5, 233
No. 7 Robert Golden, CB, 5-11, 200			No. 19 Bill Claus, P, 6-0, 189
No. 8 Trevin Wade, CB, 5-11, 182			No. 34 Isaiah Ballard, SS, 5-11, 210
No. 13 Alex Zendejas, PK, 5-11, 190			No. 38 Mike VanDerMeulen, OT, 6-7, 315
No. 16 Matt Scott, QB, 6-3, 195			No. 62 Mark Singer, SS, 6-1, 195
ARIZONA SOPHOMORES			TOLEDO SOPHOMORES
No. 11 Taimi Tutogi, FB, 6-1, 250			No. 12 Jermain Robinson, FS, 6-2, 195
No. 21 Adam Hall, SS, 6-4, 212			No. 23 Eric Page, WR, 5-10, 165
No. 30 Kyle Quinn, C, 6-2, 310			No. 40 Austin Dantin, QB, 6-2, 190
No. 56 Greg Nwoko, RB, 6-2, 228			No. 40 Robert Bell, OLB, 6-0, 227
No. 59 Jake Fischer, ILB, 5-11, 220			No. 53 Dan Molls, ILB, 6-1, 222
ARIZONA FRESHMEN			TOLEDO FRESHMEN
No. 6 Marquis Flowers, FS, 6-3, 200			No. 41 Ross Madison, SS, 6-0, 198
No. 6 Trevor Erno, ILB, 6-1, 230			No. 49 Erik Carlson, C, 6-2, 285
No. 44 Trent Spurgeon, OT, 6-7, 276			No. 60 James Green, WR, 6-2, 204
No. 54 Jack Baucus, TE, 6-6, 250			No. 81 David Fluellen, RB, 6-0, 198
No. 73 Austin Hill, WR, 6-3, 200			No. 103 Ben Pike, DT, 6-3, 254

TALENT SCORE
The average ranking by position in this chart is 24 for Arizona. The number is 49.9 for Toledo. What it means: CBSSports.com scouts believe the Wildcats have superior overall talent than Toledo, which is a no-brainer considering this is a Pac-10 school facing a Mid-American Conference program. Arizona, which beat Toledo in Tucson 41-16 two years ago, is expected to win soundly. It is a 16-point favorite. But this is a season-opener on the road at a smaller stadium than the Wildcats are accustomed to playing in (26,242 is the listed capacity at the Glass Bowl). It will take a couple of games for the young and inexperienced defense (with new coordinators) to get in sync. Prediction: Arizona 34, Toledo 21.

Colin Baxter

CENTERS OF ATTENTION
Two of the higher rated players in the game will be Arizona senior center Colin Baxter and Toledo senior center Kevin Kowalski. Anthony Gimino of TucsonCitizen.com reported recently that Baxter’s size might hinder his future with the NFL. “Here’s the thing: He’s listed at 6-4 and 295 pounds … but he might not really be that tall … and that could be the problem,” Gimino writes. “Not for this season at Arizona, but his future beyond it in the NFL. He and offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh admit that.”

MATCHUP BEHIND THE SCENES: One aspect of the game to watch is how Arizona punter Keenyn Crier neutralizes dangerous punt returner Eric Page. Crier has a 42.9-yard punting average. Page averaged 25.4 yards per kick return as a freshman last season. He returned only nine punts, including one for 41 yards.

DID YOU KNOW?: The University of Toledo procured a genuine rocket from the U.S. Army missile program in 1961 and placed it outside the Glass Bowl? The one-ton rocket is aimed to hit the 50 yard line of arch-rival Bowling Green’s Doyt Perry stadium.

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This is part of a reprint from an Aug. 17 blog published at TucsonCitizen.com

By Javier Morales
TucsonCitizen.com

Arizona’s football team usually starts camp banking on another team traveling to arid Tucson to play the Cats in their environment to start the season.

In their first 10 seasons in the Pac-10 (and throughout the Larry Smith era), the Wildcats opened their season at Arizona Stadium. The UA did not fare all that well, winning only six of those games and suffering upset losses to Fresno State and Colorado State in the process.

Dick Tomey did not care about the supposed advantage of starting the season in front of the home crowd. In his 14 seasons as head coach, the UA opened the season seven times on the road, including four consecutive years at the end of his tenure (from 1997 to 2000).

In that four-year span, the UA opened at Oregon, Hawaii, Penn State and Utah. The UA beat Hawaii and Utah, but the losses to Oregon and Penn State took a toll on Tomey’s program.

Revisit the entire blog at TucsonCitizen.com

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>>24/7 Network message boards are active

What’s more beautiful? The Catalinas in the background or the scoreboard indicating Arizona 31, ASU 10, after Chuck Cecil’s 100-yard interception return for a touchdown in 1986. Photo courtesy of Anne Greasley

Arizona by the numbers with only 1 day until kickoff:

Robert Golden

• No. 1 for Arizona is junior cornerback Robert Golden, who was a 13-game starter at strong safety in 2009 after switching to the position from cornerback in spring ball. Highlight to season was 79-yard interception return for a touchdown two and a half minutes into the victory over Stanford. It was the seventh-longest INT return for a touchdown in school history and longest in 13 seasons.
• Arizona won its first game against a No. 1-ranked team on Oct. 10, 1981. The Wildcats upset USC and Marcus Allen 13-10 at The Coliseum. Overall, the UA is 2-6 against No. 1 teams in the history of the program.
• Twice, Arizona has attempted only one pass in a game and both were against Oregon in 1978 and 1993.
• The renowned Desert Swarm defense was No. 1 in the nation in 1993 with only 236.9 yards allowed.
• Other national rankings of which the UA finished No. 1:
  • Team rush defense, 30.1 yards allowed, 1993
  • Scoring defense, 8.9 points a game, 1992
  • Team passing offense, 177.7 yards a game, 1941
  • Punt returns, 17.7 yards per return, 1960
  • Kickoff returns, 26.7 yards per return, 1954
  • Fourth-down conversion defense, 10 percent allowed, 2006
  • Total offense (individual), Fred Enke, 1,941 yards, 1947
  • Rushing offense, Art Luppino, 1,359 yards, 1954
  • Rushing offense, Art Luppino, 1,313 yards, 1955
  • Passing efficiency rating, Eddie Wilson, 140.8, 1960
  • Passing efficiency rating, Eddie Wilson, 134.2, 1961
  • Pass receiving, Hank Stanton, 50 for 820 yards, 1941
  • Pass receiving, Dave Hibbert, 61 for 606 yards, 1958
  • All-purpose rushing, Art Luppino, 2,193 yards, 1954
  • All-purpose rushing, Art Luppino, 1,702 yards, 1955
  • Scoring, Art Luppino, 166 points, 1954
  • Punt returns, Dennis Northcutt, 18.96 yards
  • Kickoff returns, Art Luppino, 20 for 632 yards, 1954

NOTE: Statistics and records reflect information provided in the 2009 Arizona football media guide online. The 2010 media guide has yet to be made available on the Internet.

No. 1 best play in UA history

(in my lifetime, according to me … By Javier Morales)
And the winner is … Chuck Cecil‘s 100-yard interception return for a touchdown against ASU in 1986. Arizona Stadium has never been more loud in my almost 35 years of experience attending games there. The legendary interception came with 8:56 remaining, as the fourth-ranked Sun Devils, unbeaten and heading to their first Rose Bowl, drove for a touchdown that could have narrowed Arizona’s lead to 24-17. Cecil stepped in front of Jeff Van Raaphorst‘s pass 7 yards deep in the end zone. He eluded a few ASU tacklers, broke free to the right sideline, and then sprinted to the end zone in what is the most electrifying moment in UA football history, especially in Tucson. The Wildcats won 34-17 and afterward, Cecil remarked: “I hate ASU.”
Why is this play No. 1?: It is the signature play of “The Streak” which turned the tide in the modern era of the series following ASU’s dominance of Arizona in football in the 1960s and 1970s. How often does a former walk-on intercept a pass and run the entire length of the field for a touchdown? Answer: Practically once in a lifetime. Last-second kicks happen all the time — not to take anything away from Max Zendejas and his numerous, important clutch performances — but what Cecil did in 1986 may never happen again in our lifetime. It has not to this point.

TOLEDO BLADE: >>A familiar name on Cats’ staff >>Dantin named starting QB for Toledo vs. Arizona >>Lake High graduate Mathews pushes past tough times. >>Back to basics: UT’s Beckman returns to defensive roots >>Rockets use grayshirts to boost depth Toledo Truth: >>This will mark the first time in history that a Pac-10 school will visit a MAC school’s stadium for a football game. Toledo is also the first MAC school to host a Big Ten school when Indiana visited the Glass Bowl in 1996. In 1997, Toledo became the first MAC school to beat a Big Ten school at a MAC stadium when the Rockets defeated Purdue 36-22. Purdue finished 9-3 and played in the Alamo Bowl that year. Toledo is also the first MAC school to host a game with Ohio State. It was not at the Glass Bowl, but Toledo hosted a neutral site game against Ohio State last season, the first of its kind for a MAC program against the Buckeyes. Toledo is also the first MAC school to defeat Penn State in 2000, a 24-6 win at Happy Valley. Toledo was also the first MAC school to defeat Pittsburgh, when the Rockets shocked the No. 9 Panthers 35-31 in 2003. Lastly, in 2008, Toledo became the first MAC school to defeat Michigan, when the Rockets beat the Wolverines at the Big House with a final score of 13-10.

E-mail WILDABOUTAZCATS@GMAIL.COM to inquire about placing an ad for thousands of Wildcat fans to read. >>Dish HD for Life: Great specials on HD TV from Dish. >>Arizona Cancer Center: Ways to give. >>St. Baldrick’s Organization: Help children with cancer.

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Pac-10 rival UCLA enters recruiting picture for UA’s coveted prospect

Arizona’s coveted Class of 2011 recruit Josiah Turner, a 6-2 point guard from Sacramento (Calif.) High, has crossed UConn off his list and will officially visit UCLA the weekend of Sept. 10-11, according to his mother Doris Ward.

Turner will also officially visit Louisville on Sept. 3-4, Arizona on Sept. 17-18, Oregon on Oct. 8-9 (tentatively) and Kansas on Oct. 15-16.

Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy guard Quinn Cook is still scheduled to visit Arizona Sept. 24-25 despite a knee injury that might potentially sideline him for the upcoming season.

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