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Like Trevin Wade against Stanford's Ryan Whalen on this play, the UA came up short Saturday. But the Cats are 4-2, not 2-4 like last year.
KELLY PRESNELL / arizona daily star 2008
Looking back
First-half highlight: Cats take L.A. Sporting red pants and a stout defense, the Arizona Wildcats opened Pac-10 Conference play with a 31-10 drubbing of UCLA at the Rose Bowl. Arizona plays conservatively on offense; the Bruins' lone touchdown comes on a Nicolas Grigsby fumble in the UA's own end zone.
"It's nice to go out on the road, not play great, score 31 and win," offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes says.
First-half lowlight: Old routine in New Mexico. Quarterback Willie Tuitama commits four turnovers — two interceptions and two fumbles — in a 36-28 loss to New Mexico in Week 3. The Wildcats are manhandled at the line of scrimmage by UNM tailback Rodney Ferguson, who finishes with 158 yards and two touchdowns.
First-half MVP: Mike Thomas. The Wildcats' senior wide receiver leads the Pac-10 Conference with 6.2 catches and 79 yards per game. Thomas has scored four touchdowns, including one on a punt return, and has rushed for 49 yards.
Looking ahead
Second-half key: The defensive line. Arizona's already-thin front four was manhandled in losses to New Mexico and Stanford. The Cats must develop some depth at defensive tackle and continue to improve at the end spots to avoid being figured out.
Keep an eye on: Terrell Turner. The junior wide receiver caught 10 passes for 175 yards against Stanford, a breakout game for a player who looked great in training camp. Don't be surprised if Turner develops into a much-needed third option for quarterback Willie Tuitama.
Circle your calendar for … Saturday. The Wildcats have a chance to redeem themselves against first-place California when the teams meet this week at Arizona Stadium. The Golden Bears are beatable, and the UA has historically been strong at home.
Up next
• What: California at Arizona
• When: 7 p.m. Saturday
• TV: FSNAZ
• Radio: 1290-AM, 107.5-FM, 990-AM (Sp)

UA Sports

ARIZONA FOOTBALL

Two narrow defeats stick in craw of Cats at '08 midway point

By Ryan Finley
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 10.13.2008
The Arizona Wildcats are on pace for their first bowl game since 1998. They're 48 hours removed from a first-place perch on top of the Pac-10 Conference standings. They're scoring points and blowing teams out.
So why does the UA's 4-2 start feel hollow?
"Honestly, a lot of us think we should be undefeated. We just lost two games to two opponents we shouldn't have lost to," UA safety Nate Ness said. "But you look a year back, and we were 2-4. Now, we're 4-2."
At the 2008 season's midway point, Arizona already has more victories than it had in the entire 2004 and 2005 seasons.
The Wildcats are scoring points at a record clip, and — with the exception of Saturday's 24-23 loss at Stanford —playing defense with purpose.
Yet, Arizona remains largely unproven.
The UA has played its softest schedule in the Mike Stoops era, and has failed to pull off wins in its two close games.
New Mexico defeated the Wildcats 36-28 in Week 3; Stanford rallied from a 10-point deficit to win by one.
While the Wildcats are 11 well-placed points away from a perfect record, they're also staring down the first truly talented teams on their schedule.
Arizona will host Cal and USC in the next two weeks, games that will determine the trajectory of its season.
Stay tuned.
"We're no different than a lot of teams in this conference. I think everybody has one (conference) loss but Cal, and we'll have a chance to give them their first loss next week," Stoops said Saturday. "We've just gotta bounce back.
"We're only halfway through."
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