NCAA Football FanHouse

There's Strong, Then There's Arizona Wildcats Strong. Then, of Course, There's Army Strong

Adam Jacobi — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 23:00:00 EST

The Pac-10, for better or worse, has never been known for particularly intense, physical play. Heck, even their obligatory "conference teams as whatever" topic was, uh, wine. Be proud, left coasters. Be proud.

So Mike Stoops, who loses football games, clearly must have seen a conference-wide toughness deficiency for the Wildcats to exploit during this off-season. How, you may ask? Intensifying their strength and conditioning training? Longer practices? Amped up recruiting?

Well... would you settle for four days of pretending they're in the Armed Forces?

Coach Mike Stoops announced Monday that the UA football team will practice at Fort Huachuca Aug. 13-16 as it prepares for a critical season.

The Wildcats will sleep in army barracks, practice on a pair of artificial-surface fields and spend much of their downtime with the troops. The practices will be open to the public.

Your move, Kellen Winslow.

To be fair, this isn't actually new for the Arizona program; they practiced at Camp Cochise as far back as the 1970s, and they were there as late as 2001, when John Mackovic decided to take the "Wreck The Arizona Wildcats Project" to dizzying new heights.

If the four practices at Fort Huachuca don't prove to be the single factor that pushes the Wildcats back into Pac-10 contention, they can always fall back on praying the opposing star QB's knee implodes. Hey, it worked once.

There's Strong, Then There's Arizona Wildcats Strong. Then, of Course, There's Army Strong originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 01 Jul 2008 23:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Arizona Defensive End Suspended for Public Sex Tape

Brian Cook — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 08:53:00 EST

Filed under: NCAA FB Scandal, Arizona Football

This one does not feature Paris Hilton. Surprisingly. Or Bayern Munich goalie Oliver Kahn.

Arizona defensive end Josh Lewis has been "suspended indefinitely" after a video of him using his hand on a girl in what appears to be an uncomfortable and unwanted fashion. The kicker: it's outside during the day in the midst of a pool party. Which, like... geez, man.

Though Lewis hasn't been charged with any crime, at least not yet, he's a walk-on and his days as an Arizona football player are probably numbered. A warning on the video: though it's not particularly explicit, it's very uncomfortable to watch. Anyone with a tolerance for offense south of "heroic" should probably skip it. It's after the jump.You done been warned:

Arizona Defensive End Suspended for Public Sex Tape originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 07 Apr 2008 08:53:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If Arizona State Is a JUCO, What Is Arizona?

Brian Cook — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 11:31:00 EST

Filed under: Pac 10, Arizona Football, Arizona State Football

Mike Stoops got off a zinger in his signing day press conference when asked about more successful in-state rival Arizona State:

"Each school has to recruit to their school and what kind of requirements they (have)," Stoops said. "Arizona State has turned into a JC, and we're a four-year college. According to all the players, they say it's easier to go to school there, easier to get in."

Stoops laughed. "I thought we all had the same requirements."

This may well be true. Arizona State takes a lot of two-year players. But if there's any BCS school in the country that should avoid the subject of academics at all costs, it's Arizona:

NCAA academic indicators for athletes in school - the Academic Progress Rate - show Arizona football with a score of 883, well below the 925 standard. Arizona State is at 926.

The Wildcats were the only BCS team in the nation to get socked with scholarship penalties from the APR last year; they are the most academically irresponsible program in the country.

All this... and no bowls ever. Arizona! Not a JC! Not even a C!

If Arizona State Is a JUCO, What Is Arizona? originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 08 Feb 2008 11:31:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Breaking: Larry Smith Dead at 68

Brian Grummell — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 17:44:00 EST

Filed under: USC Football, Missouri Football, NCAA FB Coaching, The Word, Arizona Football, Tulane Football

Former USC, Arizona, Tulane and Missouri coach Larry Smith died Monday, succumbing to leukemia and lymphoma.

Smith coached for the greater part of two decades, compiling a 143-126-7 (.531) career record between 1976 and 2000. He is fondly remembered at Arizona for starting the first five of a ten-game win streak against rival Arizona State.

He also coached USC to within two games of the national championship in 1988 before falling to Notre Dame in the season finale and Michigan in the Rose Bowl. The Trojans finished with a 10-2 record that year.

Smith left football after the 2000 season, retiring to Arizona. He spent the last two years as an analyst for an Arizona television station.

Breaking: Larry Smith Dead at 68 originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 28 Jan 2008 17:44:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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US Army All-American Bowl Liveblog (Second Half)

Brian Stouffer — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 14:47:00 EST

Filed under: Georgia Football, LSU Football, Notre Dame Football, NCAA FB Recruiting, NCAA FB Media Watch, Arizona Football

In case you missed the first half, I'll quickly recap it for you: "Notre Dame Notre Dame, Brady Quinn Commercial, Notre Dame Notre Dame".

Quickly recapping the commitments, Ryan Williams (RB) picked Virginia Tech, Covaughn Deboskie (RB) picked Cal, Brandon Smith (DB) picked Michigan, Marquis Gray (QB) picked Minnesota, and Gerrell Robinson, traitor of traitors, spurned the Irish to stay in-state at Arizona State.

East leads 20-10 and has looked like the better team out there. Tyrelle Pryor and Marquis Gray look like they have huge potential running that spread option kind of offense. Also, we have had 7 Army commercials and counting.

Once again, the commitments (actually, the NBC announcers are calling them "declarations", in maybe a sidelong way of highlighting how meaningless they can be before signing day) will be in bold, so you can skim for them.

A.J. Harmon, offensive lineman from Georgia, picks... Georgia! A decommit from Clemson, a good catch for Mark Richt. That guy is a hoss.

Dayne Crist hooks up with Michael Floyd for a 56 yard touchdown over the head of a Michigan defender. Quote from NDNation: "that was like watching porn". 17-20, East.

Army Commercial Count: 8

Tyrelle Pryor is re-freaking-diculous. That is all.

Notre Dame WR John Goodman just caught a touchdown pass over Gerrell Robinson. Take that, traitor!

Solomon Cole, DT from Hawaii picks... Arizona! He chooses to escape from the islands and join the mainland.

Tyrelle Pryor has a Buckeye sticker on his helmet, but he showed up to camp wearing a Michigan sweatshirt. This can only mean one thing: he's going to Duke.

Army Commercial Count: 9 and 10.

Over on ABC, WR Deion Walker just committed to Notre Dame. Maybe that's why Robinson picked ASU, because he saw the writing on the wall?

Tyrelle Pryor wins the MVP award. Very obvious call.

Patrick Johnson, CB from Florida picks... LSU! He feels comfortable with Les Miles. Hey, who wouldn't?

Allright, that's all the excitement for today. East is about to win this one 33-17. Looking forward to seeing these kids play in the big leagues. Pryor is going to be a monster at Duke.

US Army All-American Bowl Liveblog (Second Half) originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 05 Jan 2008 14:47:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dennis Dixon's Oregon Career Is Ovah

Brian Grummell — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 22:33:00 EST

Filed under: Oregon Football, Pac 10, Heisman, The Word, Arizona Football

Finito. No mas. Retire the jersey time. Done.

Dennis Dixon completely tore the ACL in his left knee in Oregon's win over Arizona State on Nov. 3, and convinced Oregon's coaches and doctors to let him try and play in the Arizona game last night.

After leaving last night's loss in the first quarter when the knee faltered again, Dixon will now have season-ending surgery, bringing his UO career to a close. That was the word on a conference call featuring UO coach Mike Bellotti and team physician Dr. Bob Crist this evening.

It was fun while it lasted but that show just came to an end. Oregon's a different team without him and it showed last night. Their runaway Pac-10 Championship and BCS game hopes are now teetering. Dixon's Heisman Trophy crashed the minute he crumpled to the turf last night and Arizona's victory obviously ended their BCS Championship Game hopes.

What a cruel blow to both Dixon and the team. The senior was a middling draft prospect to begin with but this late-season injury will deeply interfere with his ability to train and test ahead of next April's draft. Fortunately for Dixon he has a minor league baseball opportunity to fall back upon, but even that won't last much longer unless he learns to hit the curve ball.

Dixon's final line:

172/254 passing (.677), 2136 yards, 20 touchdowns, 4 interceptions,161.2 rating
105 carries, 583 yards (5.6 average) 9 touchdowns

%Gallery-6072%

Dennis Dixon's Oregon Career Is Ovah originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 16 Nov 2007 22:33:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We Called It: Arizona Over #2 Oregon

Brian Grummell — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 00:59:00 EST

Filed under: Oregon Football, Pac 10, The Word, Arizona Football

Ok so we didn't believe it when we called it, but we saw the signs. Dennis Dixon's unforced leg injury made the upset a mere formality.

I don't credit this to parity, I think that's a lazy description for what's happening this year in college football. College football is a game with uneven matchups but so much more psychologically at play that provides this great variance that we see. And tonight that variance was an injury to Oregon's quarterback absolutely putting his team into a shell.

His backup tossed an interception that was returned for a touchdown, they surrendered a weird punt return touchdown and then basically quit until late in the fourth quarter. That's college kids for ya.

And now the red-shirted college kids are storming the field, reminiscent of Rutgers' upset over Louisville last year.

The effects are far-reaching. With Dixon's injury, Florida quarterback Tim Tebow is the runaway favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. He would be the award's first-ever underclass winner.

Elsewhere, Kansas is now the clear favorite to play LSU in the BCS Championship Game. Kansas! Heaven help us trying to sort things out if one or both of them lose any of their remaining games. This is big.

We Called It: Arizona Over #2 Oregon originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 16 Nov 2007 00:59:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Second Half Live Blog: Oregon @ Arizona

Brian Grummell — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 00:46:00 EST

Filed under: Oregon Football, Pac 10, Heisman, Arizona Football

Oregon @ Arizona | 1st Half | 2nd Half

Welcome back!

Lou Holtz is pep talkin' for Notre Dame. Go figure.

11:02 - Dixon's done.

11:08 - Ahh, memories. Since this game is slowing down a bit, I should tell you that I once attended an Arizona football game. I was visiting the aforementioned Victor, hanging out in Tucson and whatnot and then catching an Arizona/USC game. Because Arizona was so terrible at the time, we were able to get 50 yardline seats in the Arizona student section.

It's a nice, if small, stadium, and a fun place to hang out for a game. But their fans can be a little difficult. I took some heat because I was there in support for the opposite side, but nothing too bad until one immensely liquored up Wildcat fan harassed me for much of the second quarter. I kept my cool, the fan barely did. Eventually he grew tired of me and the game and left around halftime, but not before telling me "I better not see you at Dirtbags after the game"

Dirtbags is a Tucson institution, but also a severe dive. I didn't know what it was before that moment but Victor joked afterwards "don't worry, we wouldn't be going there anyway". And so it went. Anyway, Tucson's a unique town in its own way, cheap food and drink at least coming from the Los Angeles/San Diego area. Their student union is massive and overall it's a chill vibe to the place. It's your typical college town, but set in the Arizona desert.

11:14 - Sorry about that gap earlier, was taking a call from my friend Vicki who had texted just a minute earlier "holy crap". She saw Dennis Dixon run for the touchdown early in the game and turned away to watch some other stuff on TV. Switch back an hour later and it's 31-11 and she wants to know how in the world Arizona was leading. That took some explaining, obviously.

11:15 - Fumble, Arizona. Recovery, Oregon. Huge break there, fumble forced by one Kenny Rowe, a freshman defensive end from Long Beach Poly (CA) HS. Oregon ball at the 17.

11:16 - Touchdown, Oregon! Nice run Jonathan Stewart but there's a holding penalty. That's Oregon's night, in a nutshell. Ne'ermind.

11:20 - Chipping away . . . Field goal Oregon, Dennis Dixon in his weird Beanie thingy hat, cheerleading on the sidelines. Arizona 31 - Oregon 17 (third quarter)

11:24 - Tuitama nearly threw a pick there. Oregon's defense is starting to adjust. That or Arizona is doing what I call "The Relent"

11:25 - And then Tuitama throw a nice third down conversion pass there. Ne'ermind.

11:26 - Victor's still worried. "At least the clock's running now" Haha, great sign in the stands "PLAY BETTER".

11:29 - Another Oregon punt with 4:47 left in the third quarter. Can only do that so often.

11:34 - Oooohhhh, almost another pick by Tuitama just as Arizona enters midfield. As close as Arizona is to blowing this game out, they're nearly putting Oregon right back into it.

11:40 - Great watchdog role by ESPN. They're not catching any "talking" or emotion on the Oregon sidelines. The great teams get themselves into games, they don't just pout on the sidelines like that.

11:42 - Flutie: "The Oregon defense is holding up to their end of the bargain right now"

11:43 - This is THE opening for Kansas, no? I have no idea what to compare it to if they make the championship game. The closest, comparable program top of my head is Georgia Tech in what, 1990? Colorado around the same time? Kansas State nearly made it happen in 1998 but they'd done some things before that.

11:45 - HORRIBLE HORRIBLE timing. Oregon runs a Dixon For Heisman commercial late in the third quarter, two quarters after he injures himself and is out of this game, out of the Heisman Trophy race and likely out for the (regular) season. Someone please tell me you have that recorded and posted it on YouTube. Pretty please?!

11:49 - We've gone from Ryan Leaf sideline shots to Ryan Leaf sideline interviews. That's just bad mojo for Oregon.

11:50 - Oregon just magnificently executed a fake punt, making it down to the Arizona 25 yard line (or so) before perhaps fumbling the ball. The duck player was flipped before hitting the ground, but officials are saying Oregon got the ball anyway. Any now Arizona is ruled to have recovered the ball.

11:51 - First glance at the replay tells me this is an obvious fumble. This is not Oregon's night.

11:55 - Ooooohhhh, that woulda been ballgame. Arizona, perfectly designed downfield play, wide open tight end for what could have been a touchdown but he stumbled for a moment and couldn't haul the ball in.

11:59 - Arte Moreno's the latest sideline interview victim. At least he's an Arizona alum. Also a Wildcat alum? Bob Baffert.

12:01 - Second drop for Jaison Williams tonight. He does this from time to time, not shocked that Duck fans call him 50/50. Big play the next snap, hauling in a third down pass to move the chains.

12:02 - Credit to Dennis Dixon, he's trying to will his team on the sidelines while everyone else has their heads down. Follow the leader, Ducks. You learn this stuff in elementary school.

12:03 - Yikes. Derrick Jones just lost the ball, fumbling a reception along the sidelines. Replay makes it seem like it might have been ground caused. Devastating if Oregon loses this with 10:54 left in the 4th quarter.

12:06 - Oregon ball, correct call in my mind.

12:10 - Oregon is marching . . . and then nearly throws a pick.

12:14 - Huge run by Stewart, running inside for what looks like a first down on the two yard line. That was the 16th play of this drive! Yep, first down.

12:16 - TOUCHDOWN, Oregon. This is a one score game if they connect on the extra point. As Fowler notes, it was a 17 play drive taking 4:26, leaving 7:53 on the clock. Arizona 31 - Oregon 24.

12:20 - Amazingly, Craig James makes a good analogy. "We thought this was going to be a track meet between the two teams, but after halftime they went to the field events. Shot put ... " I can buy that!

12:22 - HUGE third down pass for Arizona, snaking that play with YAC into Oregon territory. That's 73 yards tonight for the Arizona tight end.

12:24 - Yet another incompetent Pac-10 officiating moment. Oregon just got away with the world's most obvious facemask. RIDICULOUS.

12:27 - Nice I formation run there by Arizona to net the first down. 4:55 left on that clock, deep in Oregon territory.

12:28 - My Arizona friend chimes in "tick tick tick tick tick tick tick"

12:29 - And Arizona just fumbled the ball right into Oregon hands. Good Lord what a mistake! Missouri, Kansas, West Virginia and LSU fans everywhere just had a heart attack. Er, this is under review. Arizona friend Victor chimes in "he's down, he's down". Yeh they need to overturn this, Arizona ball, but a short loss.

12:36 - Heeeeeeeyuge field goal for Arizona, taking a 34-24 lead with 3:20 left. The Pac-10 groans, everyone else is celebrating right now.

12:38 - Does Oregon have a comeback in them? First play was a short pass underneath . . . ehhh. Next play, incomplete near the first down marker to Jaison Williams. That's his third drop.

12:39 - pass goes to Williams for no gain, 4th down! 2:35 left (and counting).

12:40 - My Arizona friend has it right "this just cost the school $1.2 million". YEP.

12:40 - It wouldn't be an Arizona game without students storming the field, particularly with plenty of game left. Hilarious. And that is the definition of a party school. Oregon gets the first down.

12:41 - My friend Victor was very proud of the Arizona fans storming the field after a triple overtime victory over a bad Washington State team a few years ago. BTW little trivia here: that same game was playing in the background during a scene of the movie "You, Me and Dupree" Don't ask me how I know these things.

12:42- Interception ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! That is ballgame. Arizona has to just milk the last 1:55, but Oregon WILL go down. Half the stadium is literally on the sideline. This is surreal.

12:43 - So, to summarize. Oregon flew out to a nice lead, then Dennis Dixon injured his leg on a non-contact situation. His team absolutely flattened out after that. Arizona responded by intercepting Brady Leaf and returning it for a touchdown, scoring on a 40-yard touchdown play, then returning a punt for another touchdown. That, for all intents and purposes, was ballgame in the middle of the third quarter with Arizona leading 31-11.

12:44 - Our resident Gator is probably beside himself right now. Barring a disastrous performance, the Heisman Trophy will go to Florida's Tim Tebow, the award's first EVER sophomore winner. Kansas is now the front-runner to play LSU in the BCS Championship game. And yes, I sort of saw this coming, even if I refused to acknowledge it.

12:50 - FINAL: ARIZONA 34 - OREGON 24

Second Half Live Blog: Oregon @ Arizona originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 16 Nov 2007 00:46:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Half Live Blog: Oregon @ Arizona

Brian Grummell — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 21:58:00 EST

Filed under: Oregon Football, Pac 10, Heisman, The Word, Arizona Football

Oregon @ Arizona | 1st Half | 2nd Half

Whoah Nellie, we have the rarest of rare Thursday night opportunities here: not one but two Pac-10 teams are battling tonight.

It's not the sexiest matchup in the world, but there's certainly enough at stake for Oregon to make this dramatic if Arizona wants to make a game of it. The Ducks are closing in on a chance to play for the BCS Championship if they can hang on (a Kansas loss would help) and win out. Quarterback Dennis Dixon has the narrowest of leads over Florida's Tim Tebow in what could be one of the better down-to-the-wire Heisman Trophy races.

It's all there for them, and it's all here on FanHouse starting at around 9 Eastern. I'll be your host, so feel free to bookmark this and visit while simultaneously watching the game. Or, if you're more distracted by other Thursday night programming, just keep the laptop or computer nearby and check in with us to get a feel for what's going on.

We're here for ya.

Vitals, Pregame Notes and Live Blog after the jump . . .

Vitals

- Oregon at Arizona
- TV 9 Eastern ESPN
- Oregon is favored by 11.5

- Phil Steele Facts (Oregon): UA handed UO it's only loss of the season at Autzen LY. The visitor has won 6 of 8. LY marked the 1st time that UO has lost to UA in Eugene during the Bellotti regime.

- Phil Steele Facts (Arizona): Last year the Wildcats won in Autzen stadium for the 1st time since the 1986 season. UA held OU scoreless in the 2H (4th time in '06 they shutout a team in the final 30:00)

* * * * *
Pregame Notes (Continuously Updated)

. . . Dennis Dixon has the smack-talking baby in his corner. Too bad the kid's not old enough to (Heisman) vote . . .

. . . I should probably do an entry on this one: Arizona is better than you think. MUCH better. They've broken into the Las Vegas Sports Consultants' Top 30 this week at #30. In the eyes of Las Vegas they're all but equals with #27 Illinois (who toppled Ohio State last weekend) and #28 Kentucky (who toppled LSU several weekends ago) . . .

. . . Here is what Heisman Pundit says about tonight:

Well, obviously, the Ducks need to win. That's a given. A loss would be devastating to Dixon's Heisman hopes.

Otherwise, yards aren't hugely important, though I think having a high completion percentage while accumulating at least 180 yards with a minimum of two touchdown passes and no more than one pick will keep him copacetic in the eyes of voters. If he can throw for over 200 and a few touchdowns and add some dazzling runs on top of it, then he will have passed this test with flying colors. None of this is a given, of course, as Arizona's defense has the ability to give any team fits.

As for Dixon's quest, remember that there is a tendency for Heisman voters to 'want it all'. They want the guy they vote for to not only have good numbers, but for those numbers to produce meaningful results. They want that guy to be the catalyst in victories that lead to his team contending for the national title.

This is why voters have gravitated toward Dixon and have been a bit slower to flock to Tebow, despite his overwhelming stats. It's not just the simple equation that Dixon is the best player on a championship contender. It's that right now they believe his play is the reason Oregon is a contender. We are all searching for meaning in what we do, right? Heisman voters are no different.

Tonight, they will have a chance to validate, or to invalidate, that belief.

So no pressure or anything, Dennis. Just play football. Riiiiight . . .

9:06 - Um, touchdown Oregon! 4th and three inside Arizona territory, Dennis Dixon simply keeper right and there's absolutely no Arizona defense after that. WOW. Next play, keeper on the two point conversion run to the tight end. WOW.

Did I say wow? Wow. Effortless. Even the commentators are stunned. Oregon 8 - Arizona 0 (first quarter)

9:11 - Ha! Fowler: "(Oregon) caught the cats napping" Indeed.

9:12 - PICK. Arizona's giving this game to Oregon so far. Jairus Byrd on the pick, last year's Pac-10 co-frosh of the year (along with USC's Taylor Mays). Who says the Pac-10 doesn't play defense?

9:14 - Oregon has 7 touchdowns of 18 seconds or less this year. And as I type this Jaison Williams catches a third down pass and breaks some tackles, one more break from being a touchdown. Nice.

9:15 - Derrick Jones! Oregon's got its speed guy back on that reverse. He enrolled at USC once. Think they could use him?

9:16 - Interception! Arizona didn't deserve that, but they'll take it. Oregon had a touchdown there, but its receiver was a fraction late in catching the pass, deflected it and the loose ball ended up in Arizona's hands in the end zone. Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge. Chris Fowler "that one you can blame on the receiver". Well, in the meantime the Heisman voters see Dennis Dixon recording his 4th interception.

9:18 - Um, touchdown (! ! !). Can't sleep on these Pac-10 games. Arizona tosses a screen to Mike Thomas, who shakes a tackle, darts along the sideline then shakes one more half-tackle for the 34-yard touchdown. Freebie, but the Cats will take it. Oregon 8 - Arizona 7. If you don't watch much Pac-10 football, basically ... this is Pac-10 football.

There's good defenses, but once the offenses do their thing, it just doesn't matter sometimes. You think Mike Stoops is thrilled with Oregon's offensive performance so far? No. But what can he do? Pray for a stop or two, that's what. And then engineer a touchdown drive. That's what he can do.

9:22 - One of my best friends Victor is an Arizona alum. I'll see if I can reproduce some of his text message reactions on here tonight.

9:24 - Jonathan Stewart was a broken tackle away from a 40-yard touchdown there. Block, Dennis Dixon, block! Heh.

9:25 - I asked Victor if the generic shots of the Arizona campus bring back memories . . . he responds "yes, and Erin Andrews doing Arizona games on TBS". Heh. Y'all remember TBS college football broadcasts? I'm not her biggest fan, but she's clearly a pretty gal and I remember one of TBS' first broadcasts at USC and noticing her walking through the USC stands and thinking on looks alone she'd go far.

9:27 - Dennis Dixon is DOWN. On a second down play, he had no options on a run left, stopped, turned his leg weird and crumpled to the ground. Hope he's alright but if he's got a severe injury a Heisman campaign ends NOW.

9:28 - Victor texts: "enter Brady Leaf". Someone's cheerful.

9:29 - Sideline shot, Ryan Leaf wearing an Oregon hat. Ummmmmmmmmmm, aren't you a Wazzou alum?

9:30 - Field goal Oregon. Awkward score of Oregon 11 - Arizona 7 (first quarter). What is this, baseball?

9:32 - Erin Andrews is saying Dennis Dixon has some tears in his eyes. Is his Oregon career over? Tim Tebow is all but sealed for the Heisman if true.

9:34 - Nice pass by Arizona to its tight end Rob Gronkowski. He was a major recruit who miraculously ended up at Arizona. What a name.

9:35 - Another ESPN close-up of Dixon. He looks shattered. Tim Tebow, this is your Heisman.

9:36 - "Dennis Dixon has a twisted left knee, he is done for the night. If it's any indication, his father is being brought down from the stands"

9:37 - Doug Flutie: "judging by the reaction of everyone on the sidelines, Dennis Dixon may be done for a lot longer than tonight"

9:39 - Field Goal Arizona. They're keeping it close. Oregon 11 - Arizona 10 (first quarter)

9:47 - The difference between Dennis Dixon and Brady Leaf? Leaf just threw a ridiculous interception on third and three, returned by Antoine Cason for the world's easiest 40-yard touchdown. Arizona 17 - Oregon 11. Dennis Dixon matters.

9:49 - Quoth Victor (about Dixon relative to Leaf's interception): "that might win him (Dixon)) an award. Ugh.

9:50 - Oregon's trying to hit up the run game. Give it two quarters, hard to tell how effective that is right now. And then Jaison Williams drops a poorly thrown but still executable third down catch. Oregon's confidence is faded.

9:56 - And as I type this CSI is getting rid of its "Sarah Sidle" character. I reallllly don't want to talk about that right now. Best to focus on football. thank God for DVR.

9:58 - Engineering grad comes through. Victor informs me of the talk amongst Arizona fans that if Mike (Stoops) wins, Bob Stoops benefits. Arizona drops, Oklahoma moves up to #2 in the BCS. Gotta love brotherly love, except you can't love Philadephia. Or the whole Cain/Able thing.

9:59 - Touchdown Arizona! ! ! Terrible tackling, Oregon defense. That was a nice pass play, but c'mon, make a tackle. Arizona's passing score goes for 46 yards there and ESPN introduces a timely shot of Dennis Dixon limping down the sideline, head down. Big story emerging here. Arizona 24 - Oregon 11 (2nd quarter)

10:01 - Seriously, if Arizona wins tonight the Pac-10 is going to leave flaming bags of dog doo doo on their doorsteps. This is a 10+ million dollar loss for the conference if Oregon loses and the Pac-10 only places one team in the BCS bowls.

10:03 - Victor informs me that Arizona gets $1.2 million if Oregon wins and makes the BCS title game. That money could go towards the buyout of coach Mike Stoops. This is just terrible for the Pac-10 right now, but at least it confirms just how deep the competition is within the conference.

10:04 - Oregon was averaging 9.6 yards/play before Dennis Dixon's injury. After it? 3.8 yards/play. Credit to ESPN for the stats.

10:13 - Chris Fowler is an idiot (but we love ya, sorta . . . let's talk about that playoff stuff later). Pac-10 teams want Arizona to beat Oregon? ! Hayllllll no. Oregon owns the tie-breaker over USC and Arizona State, the Pac-10's other BCS candidates.

If Oregon loses, Oregon probably goes to the Rose Bowl and not the BCS Championship game and only one Pac-10 team gets a BCS bowl bid. EVERYONE in the Pac-10 (including the Arizona administration) is cheering for Oregon tonight. What an idiotic statement.

10:15 - Finally Fowler says something right. "#2 is in deep, deep trouble in the desert." Antoine Cason returns a punt for an easy touchdown against Oregon, turning this game into an Arizona laugher right now. Arizona 31 - Oregon 11. Ballgame? Cason now has a punt and interception return touchdown tonight.

10:21 - I saw Cason play (on TV) in high school when I was living in Los Angeles. He played at a loaded Los Alamitos program that included a nationally regarded safety who ended up getting busted for some kind of drug offense. Cason was fairly ignored by USC and UCLA and ended up at Arizona, a recruiting mistake by both programs. Another teammate, Orlando Scandrick ended up at Boise State is now a corner with the Broncos.

10:38 - Field goal Oregon. Arizona 31 - Oregon 14 (second quarter).

See you at the Second Quarter Live Blog

First Half Live Blog: Oregon @ Arizona originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 15 Nov 2007 21:58:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Trend Watch: Can Arizona Upset Oregon?

Brian Grummell — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 15:47:00 EST

Filed under: Oregon Football, Pac 10, Arizona Football

Personally, I don't see it happening but let's take a look at something interesting here.

What jumps out at me is this Las Vegas Sports Consultants' Top 30 ranking. Scroll down the list a bit. Ok, maybe scroll down all the way. See that, right there at #30? That's Arizona (! ! !)

They're not a terrible team, but Arizona clearly has its issues as their coach may get fired and as recently as three games ago lost 21-20 to Stanford. However, Las Vegas obviously sees something in them and even more notable is the company they keep.

Nearby to them in the rankings are two solid teams who have already knocked off a #1 team this year. There's #28 Kentucky who knocked off #1 LSU a few weeks back. There's also #27 Illinois, victors over #1 Ohio State last weekend. Hmm . . .

Not convincing enough? Well, keep in mind that Arizona is at home and they're red-hot these last two weeks, scoring 48 and 34 points in victories over Washington State and UCLA. As noted by the wise guys, Arizona has turned things around with their offense in a hurry and they are dangerous.

Normally, total overhauls like this take at least a season or two to start showing progress - see Nebraska. However, in Arizona's case, the year-over-year difference is obvious. The Wildcats offense has scored almost 13 more points per game this season, going from 16 points last year to 28.5 points this year.

Finally, this is a weird setting for both teams. The Pac-10 doesn't play very often on Thursday nights so the unfamiliar prep times may cause sluggish play for one or both teams. The last time we saw a Pac-10 team on Thursday, Oregon State was getting manhandled by Cincinnati. Anyway, just something to keep an eye on. This season has been madness and an Arizona victory over Oregon - improbable as it seems - only adds to the insanity. Be sure to stop by our First and Second Half Live Blogs of tonight's game.

Oh, and let it be known that Oregon isn't alone in these worries - Kansas better be on the lookout as well.

Trend Watch: Can Arizona Upset Oregon? originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 15 Nov 2007 15:47:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pac Ten May Not Fill Bowl Slots

Scott Olin Schmidt — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:06:00 EST

Filed under: California Football, Oregon Football, UCLA Football, USC Football, Pac 10, Bowl Games, Arizona Football

Although it is considered by many to be the second-toughest conference in College Football, the Pac Ten looks like it will not fill all of its bowl allotments in 2007.

The Pac Ten has arrangements this year with the Rose, Holiday, Sun, Las Vegas, Emerald and Armed Forces Bowls. That is six bowls before you consider that either Arizona State or USC will likely get a BCS at-large invitation if either team wins its final two games.

Five Pac-Ten teams are already bowl-eligible: Oregon, ASU, USC, California and Oregon State--but coming up with a sixth--or even seventh--will be much more difficult.

Already, Stanford and Washington are mathematically eliminated from bowl contention. Arizona must beat both Oregon and Arizona State--the conference's top two teams--to become bowl eligible, so count them out, which leaves two teams fighting for one or two bowl bids...

UCLA only needs one more win--but their final two games are against Oregon and USC--and the Bruins are running on empty in the skill positions.

Washington State must beat Oregon State and Washington to make it...which seems possible.

However, if USC and Oregon both win their remaining games and earn BCS bids--at-large, Title or otherwise--then the Pac Ten will mathematically not be filling its contractual bowl agreements in 2007.

Pac Ten May Not Fill Bowl Slots originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:06:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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YouTubesDay: Sidelines are Dangerous

Sean Hawkins — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Washington Football, Pac 10, NCAA FB Video, Arizona Football

As if you didn't know already, the sidelines of a football game can be hazardous. It seems like every game there's always a photographer or sideline reporter that gets taken out in the heat of the action. But you always think "nah, that would never happen to me." Here's a first-hand view of what happens when a videographer named Joel Shapiro gets wiped out last Saturday during the Arizona's comeback 48-41 win at Washington:

YouTubesDay: Sidelines are Dangerous originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 30 Oct 2007 11:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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That About Does It for Mike Stoops

Charles Rich — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 22:29:00 EST

Filed under: Pac 10, Arizona Football, Stanford Football

The Arizona Wildcats blew another game. The Wildcats fell to 1-3 in the Pac-10 and 2-6 overall. Stoops is now 14-28 as head coach. The Wildcats still have games with Arizona State, Oregon, at Washington and UCLA. Getting to .500 seems exceedingly unlikely. They stand an excellent chance of going winless the rest of the way.

This time a 21-20 loss to Stanford. The Cardinal lacked their starting tight end because of a knee injury. Yet another starter lost to injuries. The top three running backs on the depth chart were unavailable because of injuries. The number four tailback, Jason Evans still managed to go for 78 yards. The Arizona defense kept giving up key plays.

Arizona outgained Stanford. The time of possession was almost even. Stanford turned the ball over more times. Arizona had more scoring opportunities. Arizona was simply sloppier and had key lapses. That's on the coach and has been a hallmark of Stoops' tenure. The only question now is whether Stoops will be fired before Washington State fires Bill Doba.

That About Does It for Mike Stoops originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 20 Oct 2007 22:29:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Joe McKnight Bails USC Out

Brian Grummell — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 19:11:00 EST

Filed under: USC Football, Pac 10, Arizona Football

USC's play was ugly and uninspiring for the Nth consecutive week, but they may have found a savior this season: Joe McKnight.

The massively hyped recruit, rotting on the bench for the duration of USC's season so far, came alive in the second half against Arizona. McKnight returned a punt 45 yards early in the 4th quarter. The next play, quarterback Mark Sanchez flung a 25-yard touchdown pass to post a 17-10 lead.

Two series later, McKnight took off for a 69-yard dash to set up the field goal that provided USC it's winning margin of 20-13. The offense was uninspiring. Makes you wonder what he's been doing on the bench all year, and whether he might have made a difference last week against Stanford?

USC lives for another week and has a new offensive centerpiece (if they y'know, play him at all next week or opt for subpar veteran Chauncey Washington rinse lather repeat bad offensive performance). However, that offense is still very, very sad. The penalties are still there. The turnovers are still there. But it's a win which looked fleeting for much of this Saturday as the fans once again booed the team off the field at halftime.

Joe McKnight Bails USC Out originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 13 Oct 2007 19:11:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Arizona's Tuitama Torches Hapless WSU Defense

Sean Hawkins — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 11:24:00 EST

Filed under: Washington State Football, Pac 10, Arizona Football

The projected airshow hit Tucson alright, but it was extremely one-sided. Arizona's Willie Tuitama absolutely shredded the hapless WSU passing defense to the tune of 346 yards and five TD passes in the 48-20 domination. All told, Arizona would total an astounding 567 yards of total offense against a WSU defense that is, without a doubt, completely overmatched against above-average competition.

It's not so much that Arizona had success through the air. You knew going in that they would rack up yards in bunches against this Cougar pass defense. But Arizona's ground game took off behind true frosh running back Nicholas Grigsby, who had 186 impressive yards in his first home start of his career. Grigsby averaged 6.2 yards per carry, and oh yeah, he led Arizona in receptions with nine, including a touchdown. Arizona only punted one time, and that's now just one punt over the last eight quarters that the WSU defense has "forced". When you can't get the other team's offense off the field, how can you ever expect to win?

The Cougar offense did what it could, and Alex Brink kept them in the hunt into the 3rd quarter. His TD pass to Brandon Gibson would tie it up at 20 on the first drive of the second half, and it looked like momentum swung WSU's way. But Arizona just kept doing whatever it wanted to, possession after possession, and when the WSU offense stalled, that was all she wrote. Brink would finish with 347 yards and three TD passes, very respectable numbers against a veteran Arizona defense. And WR Brandon Gibson continued his excellent 2007 start with 11 catches for 127 yards and a TD. Gibson is one of the best WR's in the conference and even an all-conference cornerback like Arizona's Antoine Cason couldn't slow him down.

Meanwhile Mike Stoops can at least dial down the temp on his hot seat to medium after Arizona's best offensive show in Stoops' four-year tenure. This new Texas Tech spread offense seems to fit Tuitama like a glove, and after some bumpy spots early in the season, there's no telling how many good things are coming for Arizona the rest of the way. In the offense-happy Pac-10, the Wildcats have the look of a team that could cause some major headaches over the rest of the season. But the temp on WSU's Bill Doba's hotseat is now officially turned up to the max. With Arizona State up next, and the ASU offense under Dennis Erickson rolling into Pullman next Saturday, the 2007 season for WSU is now on life support. A couple of more nights like this one and it will be plug-pulling time in the Palouse.

Arizona's Tuitama Torches Hapless WSU Defense originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 30 Sep 2007 11:24:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WSU, Arizona Airshow Set for Saturday Night

Sean Hawkins — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 08:25:00 EST

Filed under: Washington State Football, Pac 10, Arizona Football

If you are a fan of prominent passing attacks, then tune in Saturday night as WSU faces Arizona down in Tucson. Both teams love to air it out, and while the Cal-Oregon game gets the hype this week for Pac-10 offensive fireworks, the Cougars and Wildcats aren't to be overlooked.

Arizona leads the Pac-10 in passing offense, at just over 318 yards per game. But WSU is third, at 282 yards per game, so, doing a little math, that's 600 total passing yards combined that is a regular day at the office for these teams. With the game starting at 7 PM pacific time, Bill Doba quipped "We might not get back until Monday".

However, often in match-ups like this, it's not necessarily the obvious strengths that will decide this one, but more so it's how teams handle their weaknesses that factor in the most. The most troubling thing from a Cougar angle is that WSU's defense, especially against the pass, has been not only among the worst in the conference, but one of the worst pass defenses in the nation so far this year. As we pointed out earlier this week, WSU is 101st in the country in passing yards allowed, and dead last at 119th in opponent third-down rate, allowing an unfathomable 57.9 percent. That third down rate is especially troubling, as everyone knows, in that it shows how long the opposing team can keep their offense on the field. That's really bad news in that it also plays keep-away from the WSU offense, which is clearly the strength of the team in 2007.

An even scarier proposition is that Arizona QB Willie Tuitama is starting to get a grasp on this Texas Tech Red Raider passing attack that was imported by Mike Stoops. New offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes brought the playbook with him after seven years at Texas Tech, a team known for it's infatuation with spreading the field and throwing it like crazy. How much is Tuitama getting the feel for the new attack? He set school records in completions and passing attempts vs. Cal last week, going a Tech-like 42 for 61 in the 45-27 loss. And Tuitama loves to spread the ball around, as five different Arizona WR's already have double digits in receptions and we're only four games into the season. Senior Michael Thomas has logged 31 catches, good for the top spot in the conference so far. Sophomore Terrell Turner is showing he's one of the best young WR's in the conference, tied for 4th in the Pac-10 in receptions.

But WSU is not to be outdone in the passing offense department. WR's Michael Bumpus and Brandon Gibson are 2nd and 3rd in the conference in total catches. Gibson leads the conference in receiving yards per game and is second in TD catches. And oh yeah, often-overlooked senior QB Alex Brink is #2 in passing yards per game, behind only Tuitama. So, all told, this game at least statistically has the Pac-10's top two QB's in terms of passing yards per game, and four of the top five WR's in the Pac-10 this year in catches and yards.

The weirdest thing about Arizona this year is their defense. With 10 starters back from last year's strong group, there were visions of Desert Swarm dancing in the heads of the Wildcat faithful, but it just hasn't clicked this year. Mike Stoops earlier in the week pointed to a lack of turnovers, and he's right. Arizona is ninth in the conference in turnover ratio, ahead of only Oregon State with a minus-3 in that department. The Wildcats are smack dab in the middle of the conference in other areas, such as passing defense, rushing defense, sacks and total defense. So for reasons that haven't yet been clear, Arizona hasn't performed up to expectations on defense thus far.

This game is beyond crucial for both programs. The Wildcats are a disappointing 1-3 this season, and while slow starts are nothing new for Arizona under Mike Stoops, a loss here would turn up the heat significantly on his already-warm coaching seat. The same could be said for Bill Doba, as a loss here would put the Cougars in a 2-3 hole with several tougher games on the horizon. Many are already saying that this is the Pac-10's version of the "coaching hot-seat bowl", and the loser could be facing the end of the road at their respective program.

WSU, Arizona Airshow Set for Saturday Night originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 28 Sep 2007 08:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mike Stoops Is an Electronic Victim of Unspeakable Forces

Brian Grummell — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 14:35:00 EST

Filed under: Pac 10, NCAA FB Video, The Word, Arizona Football, Arizona State Football

My apologies for the pair of Mike Stoops related entries today. You know how it goes on YouTube: watch one video, then scan down the "related" list. This is a hilarious "related" video. I just can't help myself.

So . . . Either a rip in the time-space continuum, a giant unseen and ominous vacuum cleaner or the Devil himself has it out for Arizona coach Mike Stoops. What's it feel like to be innocently standing on the sidelines and suddenly and hilariously get sucked into a pile of football players? There's only one man in the known universe to answer that question: coach Stoops.

Video documentation below:

It stops being funny after watching about 15 times. Maybe. Or maybe it's just the mood I'm in. Also funny: The top referring link is "asu.facebook.com". Who woulda thunk?

Mike Stoops Is an Electronic Victim of Unspeakable Forces originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 19 Sep 2007 14:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Arizona Football Is Torn

Brian Grummell — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 14:20:00 EST

Filed under: Pac 10, NCAA FB Video, The Word, Arizona Football

Things aren't going so well in lovely (I guess ?) Tucson. Five full years after the end of the Mackovic era, the football team just can't seem to get its act together. Things are a little less mutinous, but there's that whole '3-8, 3-8, 6-6, hey let's open 2007 with losses to BYU and New Mexico' thing to deal with.

Head coach Mike Stoops is feeling the heat.

Cue the Natalie Imbruglia:

Nothing says we love you coach like three minutes of shots of the man grimacing, arguing with officials and popping veins, right?

Arizona Football Is Torn originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 19 Sep 2007 14:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Four Arizona Wildcats Arrested

Scott Olin Schmidt — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 19:04:00 EST

Filed under: Pac 10, NCAA FB Police Blotter, Arizona Football

Mike Stoops has more to worry about than just his job. Four of his players have been arrested for underage drinking.

According to the Los Angeles Daily News, "Tyler Lyon, 20, a redshirt freshman and third-string quarterback who played at Hart High of Newhall; Saugus High product Kyle Monson, 18, a defensive back; and Cole Graybill, 20, a linebacker were arrested on suspicion of being under age with liquor in their systems."

Craig S. Sedoris Jr., 19, was driving. The four were caught Friday morning in a pickup truck with two women in Tucson.

Stoops has suspended four unnamed players for violating the team's behavioral guidelines.

Four Arizona Wildcats Arrested originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 18 Sep 2007 19:04:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mike Stoops Hot Seat Burns

Scott Olin Schmidt — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 18:23:00 EST

Filed under: Pac 10, NCAA FB Coaching, The Word, Arizona Football

While his brother's Oklahoma Sooners are skyrocketing up the charts, Arizona head coach Mike Stoops may be asking for his old job back if things don't improve in Tucson.

After an early loss to Brigham Young, some media reports claim that, "there is already a group keeping an eye on the Arizona job, convinced Mike Stoops is on the way out."

Regular FanHouse readers should not be surprised. We declared Stoops to be on the Hot Seat nearly a month ago! I guess somebody has to keep Lloyd Carr company, eh?

Mike Stoops Hot Seat Burns originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 05 Sep 2007 18:23:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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