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BYU-Arizona Presents Intriguing Early Matchup
Published by MoonDog on December 20, 2008
For Arizona coach Mike Stoops, the long path he and his Wildcat team have taken to regain respect has been a bumpy ride. Arizona will be making their first bowl game appearance since 1998 when the Wildcats face No. 17 BYU in the Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday.
Arizona Head Coach Mike Stoops
Since taking over the Wildcats program in 2004, Stoops has routinely spent time on the proverbial hot seat, with the heat reaching its apex during the 2007 season when Arizona was 2-6 at one point.
Stoops was able to get his team to win three of its last four games, including a 34-24 win over No. 2 Oregon. Even though Arizona finished 5-7 last season, the victory over the Ducks was apparently enough to keep Stoops in Tucson for another year.
Much was expected of Arizona this season, with fans believing this would be the year the Wildcats would break their bowl drought. After easy wins over Idaho and Toledo, Arizona lost to lowly New Mexico 36-28, making fans wonder if the optimism surrounding this year’s team was misplaced.
The Wildcats rebounded nicely, winning three of their next four with the only loss coming on the road against Stanford, losing to the Cardinal by one point 24-23.
Arizona QB Willie Tuitama
Arizona got a huge win over No. 25 California on November 18 and closed out their season with an impressive 31-10 win over in-state rival Arizona State. The Wildcats five losses were by a combined 29 points, leaving them to wonder what might have been had they scored a few more points.
Like his brother Bob at Oklahoma, Mike Stoops had built a reputation as a strong defensive-minded coach. But since installing the spread offense in 2007, the Wildcats have become one of the better offenses nationally.
Arizona averages 415 yards per game, led by quarterback Willie Tuitama. The 6-3 senior has passed for 2763 yards and 21 touchdowns this season while only throwing eight interceptions.
The Wildcats balanced offense features a strong running game led by Nic Grigsby. The sophomore has rushed 1066 yards on 194 carries and scored 12 touchdowns.
Arizona RB Nic Grigsby
Arizona averages 37 points a game and they’ll need to score often to keep up with BYU’s offense.
The Cougars entered the 2008 season with aspirations of earning a BCS bowl bid. BYU was ranked among the Top 25 and returned 14 starters – 10 on offense – including quarterback Max Hall, running back Harvey Unga and wide receiver Austin Collie.
After opening the season with six straight wins, BYU ran into a buzz saw in the form of the TCU Horned Frogs whose strong defense throttled the Cougars en route to a 32-7 win on October 16, all but ending BYUs chance at a BCS bowl.
Despite the loss to TCU, the Cougars still had a chance to win the Mountain West Conference entering the last week of their season. BYU traveled to Salt Lake to take on in-state rival and unbeaten Utah, but fell to the Utes 48-24 on November 22.
BYU QB Max Hall
The Cougars will be making their fourth straight bowl appearance, with all four being in the Las Vegas Bowl. BYU is hoping a win against Arizona can set the team on a path that leads elsewhere next year.
“We had high hopes in the beginning of the year – we had a lot of goals set, and goals that were achievable,” said Collie, a second-team All-American who leads the Cougars with 95 receptions for 1419 yards and 15 touchdowns.
“As the season went on I think we kind of dropped off a little bit. I don’t think that’s because of the teams we played – I think we’re equally if not more talented than the teams we’ve played – it’s just that we beat ourselves,” he said.
“I think we’ve put it behind us, but I think we’re hungry to play again and kind of end the season on a high note,” said Hall, who has passed for 3629 yards and 34 touchdowns this season.
BYU WR Austin Collie
BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said 11 wins in three straight seasons – which BYU would achieve if it beats the Wildcats – would prove the program is moving in the right direction.
“It’s about our preparation, our position mastery and our execution,” Mendenhall said. “We really don’t acknowledge whom we’re playing or where, and so our approach has just been very consistent.”
Still, Mendenhall said he believes Arizona will be the strongest opponent BYU has had in its past four bowl games.
BYU is averaging 453 yards per game, good for 17th nationally. The Cougars strong passing game ranks 9th nationally, but running back Harvey Unga keeps defenses honest.
BYU RB Harvey Unga
Unga has rushed for 1061 yards on 224 carries and scored 10 touchdowns for BYU this season. The Arizona defense will have their hands full – literally – with the 243-pounder.
On the surface, this game appears to have the makings of a high-scoring affair. With both teams averaging over 35 points a game, the defenses could see a lot of time on the field.
BYU has had trouble this season stopping opponents rushing attacks, and the Wildcats’ Grigsby will be the best running back the Cougars have seen. If Arizona can control the clock with their running game, the Wildcats should come out on top.
Conversely, BYU will be the best passing team the Wildcats have seen this year. Look for the Cougars to spread out the Arizona defense and let Hall throw the ball between 30 and 40 times.
Arizona will be hungry to earn their first bowl win since defeating Nebraska in the 1998 Holiday Bowl. BYU will look to make amends for a season that began with hopes of making a BCS bowl appearance.
Prediction: BYU 34 Arizona 27
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Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl: Brigham Young vs. Arizona | Gunaxin on Sat, 20th Dec 2008 15:43
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