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Grandmas? Now those are fightin' words. You listening, Sgt. Stoops?

UA Sports

Opinion by Greg Hansen: Hard times call for calm coach

By Greg Hansen
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 10.07.2006
Dear Mr. Football: Mike Stoops came off as measured, mature and fully collected all week. Is it because his contract runs through 2010?
A: We suspect it's because Stoops met with athletic director Jim Livengood after losing to Washington — a pep talk with some emphatic directives — and the result has been Stage 1 of a damage-control campaign.
Livengood's message to Stoops is clear: Do not point fingers, do not blame the refs, the schedule, the play-caller, the fans or the curvature of the earth. If Stoops exhibits patience while taking full responsibility for a disappointing start, fewer people — players and fans — will panic.
Let's hope the UA can avoid Stage 2.
Dear Mr. Football: Did the Bruins really refer to Arizona as a "Girl Scout'' team?
A: Bruin defensive end Justin Hickman told the Daily Bruin that UCLA will not look past Arizona today. "You should still be focused every week whether it's a Girl Scout team or a team of grandmas.''
This is a dangerous precedent. Before Oregon State played at Arizona in 1983, CBS analyst Jimmy "The Greek'' Snyder called the Beavers a "girls team.'' And the Beavers lost 50-6.
In 1986, Oklahoma linebacker Brian Bosworth told Sports Illustrated that the fourth-ranked Bruins were essentially sissies and soft. "I wouldn't wear that pastel blue,'' he said. "I'd transfer.'' The Sooners won 38-3.
Grandmas? Now those are fightin' words. You listening, Sgt. Stoops?
Dear Mr. Football: What's the biggest change in a UA offense that scored 52 on UCLA last year and averages just 12 points this season?
A: In his first five games last year, tight end Brad Wood caught 16 passes for 232 yards and five touchdowns. He made big plays in meaningful situations. His first-quarter touchdown catch against the Bruins seemed to ignite the entire UA offense.
This year, through five games, Wood has caught five passes for 46 yards and no scores or big plays.
Wood is 10 months removed from major knee surgery and it's clear he has lost his separation speed. He has also added weight in attempt to be a better blocker — that was the knock on him last year — and it has backfired, costing him quickness.
Without the option of throwing to a capable tight end, any offense becomes significantly easier to stop.
Dear Mr. Football: Why did Stoops say playing in the Rose Bowl is not intimidating?
A: After you've played at LSU, a game in the half-empty Rose Bowl comes off as a visit to the library. UCLA's players are the menacing factor; Bruins fans have a bite that ranks No. 9 in the league. Only a game at Stanford is, traditionally, less frightening.
Arizona has played 11 Pac-10 games at UCLA with an average attendance of 50,473. Only once, in 1993, did the Bruins draw in excess of 58,000 for an Arizona game at the Rose Bowl — 66,656.
The Dodgers and USC are home (and on TV) today. If more than 40,000 actually show up at the Rose Bowl, it'll be an upset.
Dear Mr. Football: Is there any tangible sign that the loser's lament — a team meeting — will have any impact today?
A: After the Wildcats were excused from Wednesday's practice and UA coaches had departed, the offensive line stayed an extra 35 minutes, working together on elementary things such as blocking against a padded sled. Receivers also stayed for more than 30 minutes, running patterns.
Why is this important?
Sophomore receiver Mike Thomas, for instance, missed a potential game-changing catch against Washington because he broke too late for a timed pass from Willie Tuitama. The pass was incomplete.
Thomas has not caught a touchdown pass this year.
Dear Mr. Football: Is Salpointe Catholic High School all-galaxy tackle Kris O'Dowd considering an offer from UCLA?
A: The Bruins have offered O'Dowd a scholarship, but he is not scheduled to give them a visit. But that doesn't mean the Bruins haven't hurt Arizona in recruiting this year.
Of UCLA's seven known recruiting commitments, all of them from California, five were offered scholarships by Arizona: four-star defensive end Akeem Ayers, four-star running back Raymond Carter, four-star defensive tackle Brian Price, linebacker Steve Sloan and cornerback Courtney Vincent.
As usual, the Bruins have better players than Arizona, 1 through 85, but the difference between the clubs isn't overwhelming.
Dear Mr. Football: Do the Wildcats have any hope today?
A: Look, Arizona's four best Pac-10 teams — 1986, 1993, 1994, 1998, a combined 39-10-1 — all lost to UCLA.
The Wildcats have won just twice in Pasadena, in 1990 and 1999, when the Bruins were 5-6 and 4-7. The catch in beating the Bruins is getting them when they are down. This looks like a 6-6 UCLA team, one that has to go to Oregon and Notre Dame the next two weeks.
If it's not close, the Wildcats will have a lot of explaining to do.
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