"Tell them … tell the team to bear down"

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.

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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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How many bags of leaves needed for an Iowa farmer to spell “STOOPS”?

  Lute Olson and Mike Stoops during their hey day at Iowa

By Javier Morales

The Arizona-Iowa connection when it comes to coaches is unique. Just imagine what it would be like if a Final Four coach left Arizona for another school and then a few years later, a popular UA football player was hired as head coach of the same school.

And then the Wildcats had to face that school. Would that sit well with you?

That will happen again now. Lute Olson coached Arizona against an Iowa program he took to the Final Four in 1980. Now, it’s Mike Stoops’ turn to return to Iowa City for the first time as Arizona coach trying to beat his alma mater.

No question what the overwhelming answer would be if you polled Hawkeye fans at the game Saturday who they miss the most: Olson (even though he’s retired) or the 15-year string of Stoops brothers wearing No. 41 for Iowa?

Let me put it this way: Don’t expect some farmer to spell out the name “STOOPS” by filling 1,500 trash bags with leaves so people in planes above can read his name. A farmer did that for Olson, who detailed that story in his book Lute!: The Seasons of My Life. That farmer outside of Iowa City spent 80 hours filling those bags to spell, “LUTE!” Olson noticed it flying over the farm one day, but that poor farmer had to haul those bags off to the landfill eventually.

Anything for Lute, even these days in the state powered by corn. Iowa is organizing a 30-year reunion of the Final Four team that will include Olson this basketball season. Fans there will flock to him like he never left.

Tears were shed by Iowa fans of all ages when Olson left the cold of Iowa City for the dry heat of Tucson in 1983. One Hawkeye fan responded to a New York Times story about Olson’s retirement last October by noting that he cried himself to sleep as a 13-year-old when the coach left to Arizona.

The string of 15 years of Stoops brothers (Bob, Mike and Mark) wearing No. 41 for Iowa was also hard to let go for Hawkeye fans but they cared mostly about Hayden Fry.

Now on to the rest of the facts you may not know pertaining to Saturday’s Arizona-Iowa matchup (none of them mindless, mind you, like the fact all polar bears are left-handed):

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NOTE: Hey, all … I’m back at TucsonCitizen.com, heading up the TC.com Sports Network, sponsored by a grant from American University’s J-lab. We will have much more news on this in the coming days, as we add to our roster of sports bloggers at TC.com. I will continue to post original content here and provide links between the sites. I hope you make both sites regular stops to satisfy your craving for Wildcats news. For now, check out this at TucsonCitizen.com: It’s time for Scott to show more at QB, as Dykes says, “One of the reasons we have run it so well is because of the mobility of our quarterback and the threat of him pulling it down.”

By Anthony Gimino

On Monday, Arizona offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes met briefly with a throng of writers and TV reporters, who then moved on en masse to defensive coordinator Mark Stoops.

I stayed behind and spent another 10 minutes with Dykes, asking questions along with Andy Bagnato of the Associated Press. Here are some of the high points of that conversation:

Q: What did you like about what Nick Foles did against NAU?

Dykes: “He’s a calm, cool guy. That is what I like the most about him. He just goes in and does his thing. He operated well. He got the ball to the right guys. Just does a good job of operating the game plan and doing what he is supposed to do. That is, I think, what you’re looking for in a quarterback.”

Q: What do you see from Matt Scott that gives you confidence going into a tough road game?

“What I like about him is he has a calmness about him. He is one of those guys who can make plays happen when things are covered. He hasn’t been careless with the ball, which I’m really happy with. He gives you options when things break down a little bit, which certainly helps you. We’ve had some issues in the past where we didn’t have guys open, and we got sacked or whatever. Matt has done a great job of avoiding getting sacked and getting the ball to the right guys.”

(more…)

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By Anthony Gimino

Just got back from the Arizona postgame interview session, and here are some various quotes and thoughts about the 34-17 victory over NAU:

UA coach Mike Stoops was subdued, a bit dour, during his Q&A session. Very low energy.

“Our inability to really throw the ball downfield is really the one area that I’m probably the most disappointed in. We had some more dropped balls. We’re just not finishing plays the way we need to. Overthrowing some guys who are open. That’s probably the part that is most disappointing right now.”

QUARTERBACK PLAY

Backup Nick Foles played two series in the third quarter, completing 6 of 8 passes for 44 yards and a touchdown. Starter Matt Scott, who re-entered after Foles, was 14 of 20 for 150 yards, with one touchdown and an interception. Foles lost a fumble to end his first possession. He pulled away from center too quickly, and lost control of the ball.

Stoops said he played Foles as much as was originally planned, which is the explanation for why Scott came back in the game.

“Nick presented himself in a very positive way,” Stoops said. “You can see he can throw the ball. I thought his poise and his ability to get us into the right plays was good.”

Stoops cringed when asked if there might be a quarterback “controversy.”

“I didn’t see anything from Matt that wasn’t positive,” he said.

INJURY UPDATE

Wide receiver Delashaun Dean left with the game with what Stoops termed a “mild concussion.”

Wide receiver Bug Wright left with a shoulder injury.

“I don’t think they are too serious,” Stoops said.

One that is serious is the knee injury of defensive back Tito Foster, who plays on special teams. “It looks like he tore the ACL,” Stoops said.

Stoops said tight end Rob Gronkowski could be ready to play at Iowa next week. “He’s a lot closer than he’s been. I think there’s a decent chance he could play some kind of role next Saturday.”

(more…)

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