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Dear Mr. Football: Has Arizona ever scored 50 points in a season opener?

A: A few days before the UA's 1983 opener against Oregon State, then-Wildcat offensive coordinator Steve Axman said, "I'd like to get a big enough lead early so we can get some of our younger quarterbacks in the game."

Whether he meant it or not, head coach Larry Smith saw the inflammatory quote in the papers and declared, "I almost fired Steve for that."

Arizona beat OSU 50-6 in its most lopsided opening victory since the '50s. Axman, who was only 36 and had four young daughters, kept his job.

Dear Mr. Football: Whatever happened to Axman? Has he ever been fired?

A: If you look closely at the Idaho sidelines tonight, you'll see him wearing headphones and calling plays for the Vandals. Axman, 61, is in his second year operating Idaho's offense. He is a survivor of survivors.

Since leaving Arizona after the '84 season — he is the longest-tenured offensive coordinator (five seasons) in the UA's Pac-10 years — he has lost his job in various stages of turbulence at Washington (twice), UCLA and when the USFL's old Denver Gold folded. He has also been fired at Illinois and coached one season each at Maryland and Minnesota.

In '05, he did not coach, living in Flagstaff as his wife, Marie, was principal of an elementary school. In '06, he accepted $15,000 to spend one season, about four months, at Montana.

Dear Mr. Football: Can you get rich coaching football at Idaho?

A: Axman's annual salary is $113,214, which isn't half of what UA offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes is paid. The Idaho staff (10 assistants) has a cumulative payroll of $581,000, in which $41,558 is the low scale.

By comparison, Arizona's 10-member staff under Mike Stoops earns $1.52 million annually.

Dear Mr. Football: Who is the most famous person ever at the University of Idaho?

A: Whoever it was until Thursday lost that reputation Friday when Idaho alumna Sarah Palin, class of '87, was designated as John McCain's vice presidential candidate.

The Most Famous Vandal Before Palin probably wasn't former UA lineman and Salpointe Catholic football coach Jerry Davitch, who was Idaho's head coach from 1978 to 1981. When Davitch was asked to leave, the Vandals hired the young and unknown Dennis Erickson, who precipitated a remarkable 17-year run of Idaho football in which he and his successors —Keith Gilbertson, John L. Smith and Chris Tormey — made Idaho, not Boise State, the leading college football program in that beautiful state.

The new order of Famous Vandals: 1, Palin; 2, Erickson; 3, W. Mark Felt, a former FBI executive who was, of course, "Deep Throat'' in the Watergate scandal.

Dear Mr. Football: Is Idaho the worst team in college football?

A: This is the way I separate "worst'' from "pretty bad." Rice and Baylor both have yielded 50 or more points 13 times over the last five seasons. They are the co-worst teams. Idaho has given up 50 points or more eight times in that span, which is fewer than Western Michigan, Temple and Florida International (all with nine).

Idaho is pretty bad. Rice and Baylor are really bad.

Dear Mr. Football: Who beat whom in the negotiations for this game?

A: Idaho athletic director Rob Spear somehow got the UA's Jim Livengood to pay a $600,000 guarantee to be fodder for the Wildcats.

That's above market rate in 2008. Texas Tech, for example, paid Eastern Washington $450,000 and UMass $475,000 to play in Lubbock, this season. Iowa is paying Maine $450,000 for a game in Iowa City, and Coastal Carolina accepted the low-ball bid of $450,000 to play at Penn State.

But there have been bankrolls far greater than Arizona. Tennessee is giving Louisiana-Lafayette $750,000 for a game this year, and Notre Dame agreed to pay Utah $950,000 for a date in South Bend, Ind., in 2010.

Dear Mr. Football: Has Stoops taken any tangible steps in attempt to avoid sideline outbursts?

A: I suspect he will try to eliminate some clutter and confusion on the sidelines by suiting up only 60 or 65 players, leaving about 40 others idle and out of harm's way. Most teams suit up everyone at home, as many as 100 players. If indeed Stoops goes with a traveling squad-size roster at home, it will be viewed as an attempt to keep the Wildcats sideline under control.

That's good for Stoops, but it wouldn't be as good for the 15 or 20 scholarship players who have spent a month training for opening day.

Dear Mr. Football: Is it important for Arizona to score 50 points tonight?

A: Forty will be enough to generate buzz and sizzle in Tucson and add about 5,000 fans for next week's game against Toledo.

You want some bad luck?

Three times this decade Arizona has scored 50 and bad things followed. In '02, Arizona beat Cal 52-41 the week of the team's mutiny against John Mackovic. It then lost to ASU to close the season.

In '00, Dick Tomey beat Wazzu 53-47 and then lost five consecutive games and his job, too.

In '05, Stoops ripped UCLA 52-14 and then lost to Washington and the Sun Devils to end the year.

Arizona 40, Idaho 21. That should be enough.