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Arizona by the numbers with only 4 days until kickoff:

Matt Scott

Marquis Flowers

• No. 4 for Arizona includes junior quarterback Matt Scott and freshman safety Marquis Flowers.
  Athletic ability and running skill put Scott as the No. 1 quarterback after spring ball and fall camp last season. He started the first three games. UA coach Mike Stoops has indicated that Scott will switch with starter Nick Foles often this season to keep defenses honest. He rushed for career-high 91 yards on career-high 10 attempts against Washington State, and another 83 yards in opener against Central Michigan. He finished third on the team in rushing with 309 yards with an eye-popping 7.5 yards per carry.
  Flowers is one of the more decorated recruits in Arizona football history. He played in the U.S. Army All-America game in January in San Antonio. He was selected to the USA Today Tom Lemming’s Top 25 safety list. He tallied 46 tackles, four passes defended, a field-goal block and two interceptions as a senior. On offense, he rushed for 1,247 yards and 16 TDs while catching 13 passes for 162 yards.

• The Wildcats’ best finish in the AP college football is No. 4 following a 12-1 season in 1998 (see accompanying YouTube video) that culminated with a win over Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl.
• Five UA players share the record for most rushing touchdowns in a game with four:
  • Keola Antolin, at Oregon, 11-15-08
  • Richard Hersey, vs. Pacific, 11-15-80
  • Harry Holt, vs. UTEP, 10-9-76
  • Art Luppino, vs. New Mexico St., 11-3-54
  • Don Beasley, vs. ASU, 11-28-53
• Five place-kickers share the record for most field goals in a game with four:
  • Alex Zendejas vs. Central Michigan, 9-5-09
  • Doug Pfaff vs. Stanford, 9-2-89
  • Max Zendejas vs. Washington St., 9-14-85
  • Max Zendejas at LSU, 9-22-84
  • Max Zendejas at California, 10-1-83
  • Charles Gorham vs. Indiana, 9-22-73
  • Steve Hurley vs. UTEP, 10-5-68
• Pfaff. Hurley, Gorham and Zendejas (against LSU) each made all four of their attempts, also a school record.
• The 1971 team returned a school-record four punts for a touchdown that season. Jackie Wallace, had three of those and finished with a record four punt returns for a TD in his career (1970-72).
• Antoine Cason had the most touchdowns by a return in a season with four (two punt and two interception) in 2007.
• Chuck Cecil’s four interceptions against Stanford in 1987 is the most in a game for Arizona.

No. 4 best play in UA history

(in my lifetime, according to me … By Javier Morales)
I yield this portion to Anthony Gimino’s description of the renowned “Leap by the Lake” play in 1998 (WILDABOUTAZCATS.COM’s YouTube video included above):
Arizona was at the Washington 9-yard line. Dennis Northcutt and tight end Mike Lucky were split to the left. Malosi Leonard and Brandon Nash were to the right. Washington had 3-on-2 coverage on both sides. Jenkins took the snap, looking left for Northcutt, his top receiver. Double-covered. He looked right into the end zone. Nothing. Jenkins continued to drift back. Running back Trung Canidate swung out to the right, taking a defender with him. Also covered. Jenkins, still backpedaling, was in trouble, retreating all the way to the 20-yard line. His only choice seemed to be an incompletion to stop the clock. Well, there was one other option. All the defensive pass coverage was deep or to the outside. The middle was invitingly clear. Jenkins could run. Do or die. Score or lose. Hero or goat. With Dick Tomey’s words still echoing – “If you run, you better make it” – Jenkins planted his right foot and charged into history.

TOLEDO BLADE: >>Lake High graduate Mathews pushes past tough times. >>Back to basics: UT’s Beckman returns to “>defensive roots >>Rockets use grayshirts to boost depth >>10 questions with Mike Ward >>UT’s Marrow all about play-making Toledo Truth: >>Toledo’s likely starting quarterback, sophomore Austin Dantin, wears No. 4 and he played in seven games at quarterback last year, starting three.. He completed 66.4 percent of his passes for 962 yards and four TDs. Also ran for 51 yards.

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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Nick Foles

By Anthony Gimino

With the spring game looming on Saturday, Arizona coach Mike Stoops is ready to declare the strength of the team.

“I have been pleased with the progression of all three quarterbacks,” Stoops said after Wednesday morning’s practice. “I think there is a difference in every one of them when you look at them.”

It’s probably no coincidence that for the first time, Stoops has a quarterbacks coach who does not double as offensive coordinator, as Mike Canales and Sonny Dykes did.

Frank Scelfo, who tutored four NFL quarterbacks while at Tulane, can focus solely on improving the mechanics and the minds of Nick Foles, Matt Scott and Bryson Beirne.

“I think it’s a different aspect that we haven’t had for the quarterback position,” Stoops said of having Scelfo as a dedicated position coach. “You can have all the ability, but you still have to have the proper mechanics to throw the football accurately. Frank’s expertise in that area has definitely helped.”

Please continue reading more football notes and quotes at TucsonCitizen.com.

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By Anthony Gimino and Javier Morales

Could Jesse Perry commit to Arizona on his recruiting trip this weekend?

How good is the shooting touch of potential UA recruit Jesse Perry? His reported 48 percent shooting from three-point range only tells part of the story. Despite being a 6-8 frontcourt player, he made 27 consecutive free throws with Logan (Ill.) Junior College this season. “That makes him that much more dangerous,” Logan assistant coach Kyle Smithpeters told us. “He plays with an aggressive style, which means he can draw fouls. For him to be that good of a shooter at the line really makes teams pay.” Perry is visiting the UA campus this weekend. Recruiting outsiders are giving the Wildcats the edge in landing St. Louis product. Tracy Pierson of Scout.com wrote this while analyzing Perry’s recruitment by UCLA: “UCLA got in on Perry a bit late, so there is an uphill battle. He will officially visit Arizona this weekend, and many believe he’ll verbally commit to the Wildcats.” Perry has no other known scheduled visits at this time. …

New Arizona quarterbacks coach Frank Scelfo said he didn’t know about Arizona’s lack of tradition at the position until after he arrived. “You should be able to get a player here with the weather, the availability to practice all the time,” he said. “We should be able to get a good player at that position.” Yeah, like NFL good. Which hasn’t happened since 1973, when Bill Demory played a few games for the New York Jets. Scelfo will have two years to work with Nick Foles, who certainly has the size and arm to project as an NFL guy, and then it will be all about recruiting. The Wildcats have a commitment from Daxx Garman from Jones (Okla.), who will play for powerhouse Southlake (Texas) Carroll High School as a senior. Arizona also has offered Brett Hundley from Chandler, who is picking up offers at a rapid pace, including Texas Tech this week. Scelfo can’t talk specifically about recruits, but regarding UA’s quarterback history he said, “There are a couple of guys we’ve got to sign that we feel like are going to project to the next level. We have to do that.” …

(more…)

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TucsonCitizen.com: Who do the Cats want to be on offense?

By Anthony Gimino

UA coach Mike Stoops announced at his weekly press conference this morning that Nick Foles will start at quarterback in place of Matt Scott this week.

Based on a poll here at our site, this is a popular move.

“Finding continuity within our offense is a pretty big concern,” Stoops said.

“We’re going to start Nick and we’re going to see if we can a little bit of a flow in our offense. By no stretch of the imagination is this any reflection on Matt. I think Matt has done a lot of good things. … We just want to give Nick a chance to start and see what Nick does with that, see if we can settle down and make some plays offensively.”

Stoops said that there would be a package for Scott this week at Oregon State, and that he likely would get a chance to play in the first half.

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… who would you start next week at Oregon State?

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Stoops: Gronkowski out for season

By Anthony Gimino

Frustrating. Spots of bad, costly defense. A thoroughly poor performance by the offense, from the quarterbacks, to the line, to the receivers, to the tempo … you get the idea. A couple of coaching decisions to second guess. Just an unhappy performance by the Cats.

It’s no crime to lose at Iowa, as Arizona did 27-17, but it’s another thing to look so inept offensively. The Wildcats will come back to Tucson with more baggage than they they took to Iowa City. Arizona, hoping to eliminate issues before the start of Pac-10 play (next Saturday at Oregon State) has lots of them.

Coach Mike Stoops, whether he likes it or not, will be fielding quarterback questions all week.

I’ll be back with more later tonight, but feel free to continue the discussion in the comments section.

* * *

Arizona cuts the deficit to 27-17 with 1:53 to go on a fade pass from Nick Foles to Juron Criner in the back left corner of the end zone. Iowa gets the on-side kick.

* * *

Well, that’s pretty much that. A 74-yard drive that takes a staggering 8:30 off the clock gives Iowa a 27-10 lead with 4:40 to go. Even if Arizona somehow manages to unpack its offense, there really isn’t enough time left to come all the way back.

(By the way, Nick Folk’s brother, Erik, just kicked a 46-yard field goal to give Washington a 13-10 lead over USC in the fourth quarter.)

* * *

Uh … time for Bryson Beirne?

* * *

Foles!

* * *

Iowa turns the INT into a field goal and a 20-10 lead with 14:52 to go. And I totally agree with what Craig James said on the telecast — Arizona needs to go no-huddle, up-tempo and change the pace of the game.

* * *

Now, can we see Nick Foles?

When Matt Scott goes deep down the middle with a lollipop throw, he has to have more going for him than fingers crossed for luck. Tyler Sash’s interception has set up Iowa to take control as the game goes to the fourth quarter, with the Hawkeyes up 17-10.

* * *

Iowa goes up 17-10 with a 20-yard field goal with 1:47 to go in the third quarter. The Hawkeyes could have gone for it on fourth-and-1, but took the points, putting a bit more pressure on an ineffective UA offense.

* * *

I’ll say it again: If you’re not going to use QB Matt Scott as a consistent threat to run the ball, then put in backup QB Nick Foles.

* * *
The “Mad Stoops” is back.

* * *

UA offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes said earlier this week that quarterback Matt Scott’s instincts are to look for the pass, that the sophomore isn’t thinking “run” first. There are times when he should be. Let’s see what Nick Foles can do, and what Iowa does, if anything, to adjust.

(more…)

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What players to watch in Saturday’s game at Iowa City

The talent rundown for the game according to NFLDraftScout.com. NOTE: Players are ranked by their position in each class. For example, Devin Ross is the 13th-rated cornerback among seniors. The *-asterisk denotes player projected to be drafted in first three rounds:

ARIZONA SENIORS			IOWA SENIORS
No. 13 Devin Ross, CB, 5-10, 176			No. 4 Pat Angerer*, ILB, 6-0, 235
No. 13 Earl Mitchell, DT, 6-2, 295			No. 6 A.J. Edds*, OLB, 6-4, 244
No. 13 Chris Gronkowski, FB, 6-2, 235			No. 7 Kyle Calloway*, OT, 6-7, 315
No. 23 Cam Nelson, SS, 6-1, 202			No. 16 Tony Moeaki, TE, 6-3, 252
No. 48 Terrell Turner, WR, 6-2, 190			No. 28 Dan Doering, OG, 6-6, 300
ARIZONA JUNIORS			IOWA JUNIORS
No. 1 Rob Gronkowski*, TE, 6-6, 265			No. 1 Bryan Bulaga*, OT, 6-6, 312
No. 4 Keenyn Crier, P, 6-1, 200			No. 3 Ryan Donahue, P, 6-3, 180
No. 5 Colin Baxter*, C, 6-2, 190			No. 8 Ricky Stanzi, QB, 6-4, 218
No. 9 A.J. Simmons, TE, 6-3, 255			No. 10 Brett Greenwood, FS, 6-0, 200
No. 11 Brooks Reed*, DE, 6-3, 255			No. 11 Amari Spievey, CB, 6-0, 190
ARIZONA SOPHOMORES			IOWA SOPHOMORES
No. 6 Robert Golden, FS, 5-11, 190			No. 8 Tyler Sash, SS, 6-1, 210
No. 9 Alex Zendejas, PK, 5-11, 190			No. 22 Trent Mossbrucker, PK, 6-0, 200
No. 12 Matt Scott, QB, 6-3, 190			No. 23 Tyler Nielsen, OLB, 6-4, 232
No. 26 Nick Foles, QB, 6-5, 235			No. 32 Wade Leppert, FB, 6-0, 245
No. 36 Keola Antolin, RB, 5-8, 186			No. 40 Brad Herman, TE, 6-5, 242
ARIZONA FRESHMEN			IOWA FRESHMEN
No. 6 Adam Hall, FS, 6-4, 205			No. 39 James Vandenberg, QB, 6-3, 205
No. 14 Trevor Erno, ILB, 6-1, 230			No. 41 Keenan Davis, WR, 6-3, 200
No. 20 Solomon Koehler, OG, 6-3, 335			No. 48 Adam Robinson, RB, 5-9, 195
No. 26 Chris Merrill, DT, 6-2, 285			No. 61 Brandon Wegher, RB, 5-11, 206
No. 34 Terrence Miller, TE, 6-4, 224			No. 67 Jeff Brinson, RB, 5-11, 215

INITIAL OBSERVATIONS

Two weeks ago, after tying a UA school record with four field goals against Central Michigan, Alex Zendejas dropped one spot among sophomore place-kickers to No. 9. This week, after intercepting two passes, Arizona’s Trevin Wade dropped from No. 35 among sophomore cornerbacks to No. 37. The obvious strengths for Iowa is its linebackers and offensive line. The Hawkeyes’ senior linebacker tandem of Pat Angerer and A.J. Edds is perhaps the best in the country. Jeremiha Hunter, a junior, is another quality linebacker for the Hawkeyes. Each should be drafted by the fourth round in next year’s NFL draft. Expect Iowa to try to control tempo by running the ball behind talented veteran offensive linemen Bryan Bulaga, Kyle Calloway and Dan Doering.

  Ricky Stanzi

FIRST HALF KEY FOR ARIZONA VS. STANZI

The time Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi is most vulnerable is the first half. If the UA trails at halftime, it might be facing a long day because Stanzi heats up in the second half. “The sooner we can learn to start fast and learn to calm down,” Stanzi told reporters this week, “the better that’s going to make us.” In the 11 games since Stanzi became the starter, he has completed 56.4 percent of his passes in the first half compared to 61.2 in the second half. Stanzi has thrown five touchdowns in the first half, and 11 in the third or fourth quarter. The 6-foot-4, 218-pound junior from Mentor, Ohio, has thrown seven first-half interceptions, while being picked off just twice in the second.

MATT SCOTT A THREAT THUS FAR

Athletic quarterback Matt Scott, who leads all Pac-10 QBs in rushing yards with 131 on 16 carries, appears to be a signal-caller who will give the UA chance in each game it plays. Arizona is averaging 300 yards on the ground per game, fourth most nationally. They have a 6.6 yards per carry average on 93 attempts. Scott has also completed 67 percent of his passes (33 of 50) for 352 yards. Remember when former UA quarterback Ronald Veal kept defenses honest with this running ability, but he struggled with accuracy. Scott is a running quarterback with an arm.

THEY SAID IT

• On Iowa OT Kyle Calloway:
  Former NFL GM Gil Brandt, who compiles information for NFL.com: “Calloway, who has good foot speed, will be right tackle. Iowa does a great job coaching offensive linemen and has a great strength program. Calloway should be a solid pro starter.”
• On Iowa LB A.J. Edds:
  • Brandt: “He is a very good athlete, with size and speed for the position. He ran a 4.68 in the spring and was an honorable mention All-Big Ten in 2008. he will take on blockers and make plays vs. the run. He can play in space and is a very good competitor.”

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