The Game: The Arizona Wildcats (2-2, 0-1 in the Pacific-10 Conference) play their first league road game Sept. 25 in Pullman, Wash., against the Washington State Cougars (0-3, 0-1). Kickoff in 37,600-seat Martin Stadium is set for 1 p.m. PDT/MST. The game will be produced by Fox Sports Net Arizona for televising on a tape delay twice Sunday, at 10 a.m. and 9 p.m. on KWBA-58 in Southern Arizona. Dave Sitton and Chuck Cecil will describe the play. A crowd of 30,000 is expected.
Some Game Themes: ... Who's most resilient? An Arizona team coming off a 50-22 whipping at the hands of league leader Stanford, or a winless WSU club which was clipped 28-17 in Martin Stadium Saturday by neighboring Idaho... Two teams looking to prove they're capable of a 60-minute performance... Each team could climb to .500 in early league play with a victory, so no one in either camp is looking for the exit door... Arizona is hungry to forget its last game, Washington State is working to snap a school-record 11-game losing streak...
The Series: Arizona leads the series 18-9 and has won five of the last six games including a 41-7 victory over the Cougars last year in Tucson. Arizona is 8-5 in games played in Washington (2-2 at Spokane). The Cougars won the last game in Martin Stadium, 35-34, in overtime in 1997.
The Coaches: Arizona--Dick Tomey (DePauw '64) is in his 13th year at Arizona (86-54-4) and 23rd overall (149-100-7). He is the winningest coach at both Arizona and Hawaii. Tomey is 8-4 against WSU, all while at UA. Washington StateMike Price (Puget Sound 69), 11th year at Pullman (56-60) and 19th year overall (102-104). Price is 3-7 against Arizona.
Last Week:No. 19 Arizona played host to unranked Stanford and the Cardinal rushed for six touchdowns in two different sprees to drill the Cats, 50-22. SU scored 30 points in the last 20 minutes of the first half and 20 more in the fourth quarter. Arizona gave up a total of 578 net offensive yards, the eighth-most ever accumulated against the Cats in 100 years of football. It came on the ground for most of the scoring, but evenly otherwise the Cardinal rushed for 218 and passed for 364. The Cats made the game exciting for a time with 14 quick points in the third quarter to pull within eight at 30-22, and accumulated a season-high 428 yards, but suffered three turnovers which led to 14 Cardinal points. For the second consecutive week penalties hurt Arizona's momentum on both sides of the ball. The Cardinal had six quarterback sacks, while UA could not get to the quarterback once. Arizona's once notorious run defense was battered for a 5.5 per carry average by Cardinal backs, including scoring runs of 49 by Casey Moore and 44 by Coy Wire and three short-yardage rushing scores by freshman Kerry Carter. UA's Dennis Northcutt checked in with 242 all-purpose yards including 139 on eight receptions, two for touchdowns. Meantime, Stanford's Troy Walters caught eight balls for 168 yards and helped the Cardinal move up and down the field. Arizona came up empty on two superb chances 1st-and-goal at the Stanford 7 yard-line and 1st-and-10 at the Cardinal 12 yard-line without any points. The Cats' goal-line defense was not staunch: Stanford entered UA's red zone six times -- five touchdowns (four after 1st-and-goal) and a field goal. The Cats' Trung Canidate ripped off a trademark 73-yard run on the first play of the second half to set up a quick UA score and finished with 123 yards on 14 carries (8.8), his 10th career 100-yard rushing game. Ortege Jenkins threw three scoring passes and was 15-23 for 200 yards.
More on the Match Up; Cougar Notes...The winner gets a nice jolt of pride and the loser drops to 0-2 in conference action... Possibly the club with the most discipline this week will emerge victorious; Arizona averages nine and WSU 10 penalties per game... WSU has been hurt by turnovers, with seven lost fumbles and three interceptions, but had only one fumble last week and intercepted two passes to record a plus- game. The Cougs have intercepted five passes, led by safety Lamont Thompson with two... Quite recently this game featured two of the league's best teams in putting pressure on the quarterback. So far this year Arizona has seven sacks in four games and WSU has three sacks in its three games... UA faces a second consecutive (after SU's Troy Walters) all-purpose threat in WSU wide receiver Leaford Hackett. He had 221 yards on receiving (10 catches) and returns against Stanford two weeks ago... Juco transfer linebacker Curtis Holden has 34 tackles in three games, compared to UA leader Marcus Bell, who's notched 36 in four games... WSU coach Mike Price is third among active Pac-10 coaches in career victories (102) behind UA's Dick Tomey (149) and ASU's Bruce Snyder (114)...
Arizona Coach Dick Tomey:
Tomey, a member of the American Football Coaches Association Board of Trustees, has led Arizona to 18 victories in its last 21 games. A 1998 national Coach of the Year finalist of the Football Writer's Association of America and Football News, Dick Tomey led Arizona to its best record in history, competing the year 12-1 and ranked No. 4 in the polls. UA became only the fourth team in 83 seasons of Pac-10 football to win 12 games. Beyond that, a more important honor was receiving a University of Arizona Provost's Award for outstanding accomplishment in teaching. He is the first coach in Arizona history to receive the honor, which are garnered by a special few and always in the interest of academic and personal excellence. Tomey is the dean of Pac-10 coaches and has seen 25 head coaches paraded at the other conference schools during his tenure. In his 13th year in Tucson he carries an 86-54-4 record and in his 23rd year overall he is 149-100-7. He has a 57-21-2 slate at Arizona Stadium and a 29-32-2 road record. His Pac-10 record is 54-40-4, making him No. 9 on the all-time list of winningest Pac-10 coaches by conference victories. He is the winningest coach at both Arizona and Hawaii, making him only the third coach in history to achieve the mark at two schools (Bear Bryant at Alabama and Kentucky, George Welsh at Virginia and Navy). Tomey's 7-1 league mark in 1998 and his 6-2 slates in 1993 and 1994 are Arizona's top three Pac-10 season records. Under Tomey, Arizona players have won six major national awards the 1990 Thorpe Award (Darryll Lewis), the 1993 Outland Trophy/FWAA Bronko Nagurski/UPI Lineman of the Year (Rob Waldrop), the 1994 Lou Groza Award (Steve McLaughlin) and the 1998 Mosi Tatupu Special Teams Player of the Year (Chris McAlister). Under his guidance the Wildcats were ranked in the polls for 20 consecutive periods until this week.
Cats in the Polls
Preseason rankings have proved a bit hasty, so far. UA entered the season ranked No. 4 by Associated Press and No. 3 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll. This week neither poll put the Cats in the Top 25, dropping from the list after 20 consecutive ranking periods. This year's opening ranking was the Cats' second highest. The 1983 team was No. 3 in both polls in the first week of September. Arizona's two final top 10 rankings from 1993-1998 are the most for any Pac-10 team.
Injury Report:
Starting wide receiver Brad Brennan aggravated a hamstring injury against Stanford and is a candidate for a medical hardship season, with limited play in only two games. He had missed the TCU and MT games. QB Keith Smith (ankle) missed the MT game and was used sparingly against SU but should be okay for WSU. Starting CB Leland Gayles (shoulder) missed the MT and SU games and is doubtful for WSU. Backup WR Malosi Leonard had orthoscopic knee surgery Sept. 3 and missed TCU/MT but played against SU. Juco transfer OL Kevin Barry had surgery Sept. 15 on his right foot and will redshirt. Redshirt freshman cornerback David Hinton had shoulder surgery Aug. 26 and will miss the season. Incoming freshman Matt Perry has a knee injury which kept him from reporting. Lost starts due to injury: (11): (FS Rafell Jones at TCU/MT; WR Brad Brennan at TCU/MT; SS Greg Payne at PSU; FB Jim Wendler at TCU; QB Keith Smith vs. MT; CB Leland Gayles vs. MT/SU; DT Keoni Fraser vs. MT; DT Idris Haroon vs. MT.
Arizona Travel PlansThe team departs Tucson via charter at 3:30 p.m. Friday, with scheduled arrival at Lewiston, Idaho, at 6:10 p.m. The team stays at the University Inn (208-882-0550) in Moscow, Idaho. The return leg after the game arrives in Tucson about midnight.
Troubling Trends
In a number of team categories typically strong for winning teams, Arizona ranks in the lower half of Division I-A -- scoring defense (89th), rushing defense (95th), pass efficiency defense (91st), total defense (87th), scoring defense (89th), turnover ratio (89th), kickoff returns (78th), rushing offense (71st), scoring (67th) and net punting (67th). The Cats are 52nd in total offense and 27th in passing yardage per game.
Red Zone Offense and Defense: A view at opponents success inside UA's red zone and at Arizona's missed opportunities explains some of the Cats' frustration a third of the way through the season. UA lost two red-zone scoring chances among its three ventures inside Stanford's 20 yard-line. (Stanford was 6-for-6 with 5 touchdowns and a field goal). UA scored three TD on three trips inside Middle Tennessee's 20 yard-line. (MT was 2-for-3 with 2 TD). Arizona scored from outside the red zone four times at TCU and was successful on its lone trip inside the 20. (TCU was 2-for-2 with touchdowns on both possessions). At Penn State the Cats had three possessions inside the Lions' 20 yard-line and came up with one touchdown. (On PSU's four red zone possessions it came away with a field goal and two touchdowns).
Arizona in the Red Zone: 12 trips, 8 TD; 1st-and-Goal: 8 (6 TD)
Opponents in the Zone: 15 trips, 11 TD, 2 FG; 1st-and-Goal: 8 (6 TD, 1 FG)
Sudden-Change Possessions...
Arizona did not create a turnover against Stanford while the Cardinal scored 14 points after two of its three interceptions against the Wildcats. UA blocked a field goal but had the play negated by penalty and the Cardinal made the ensuing FG try. Arizona scored a touchdown after recovering a fumble vs. Middle Tennessee -- the lone turnover in the game. The Cats had a disastrous ratio at TCU, allowing 21 turnover points including two safeties. The Cats had three lost fumbles and suffered an interception, leading to 17 points by TCU. UA did score a TD after recovering the Horns' fumble. UA managed the only turnover points in the game at Penn State -- its lone touchdown came following a mid-field fumble recovery. However, the Nittany Lions blocked a punt on the first play of the second quarter to get superb field position at the UA 16 yard-line and subsequently kicked a field goal.
1999 Turnovers: Arizona 8, Opponents 5
1999 Miscue points: Arizona 21, Opponents 38 (Includes turnover-, safeties, blocked kicks- possessions)
Dennis Delivers
WR Dennis Northcutt has caught a pass in 34 consecutive games dating to the Oregon State game in his 1996 freshman season. That's a school record and not far off the Pacific-10 Conference mark of 37 set by John Jackson of Southern California from 1986-89... He notched 242 all-purpose yards against Stanford in a decent individual duel with SU standout Troy Walters (208)... Dennis had an 80-yard punt return for a score against MTSU and had another one of 71 yards negated by penalty. Northcutt's 314 all-purpose yards at TCU (257 receiving, 13 rushing, 44 returns) is the third best in UA history and gave him 21 yards every time he touched the ball. (More on Northcutt's weekly exploits can be checked at the Biletnikoff Award web site (biletnikoff.com).
Blocked Kicks
Arizona blocked a field goal (Joe Tafoya) and a PAT kick (J.J. Joppru) against Middle Tennessee. Joppru had a FG block against Stanford negated by a penalty. Last year, Arizona blocked eight kicks including two against Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl. Including bowl games, since 1990 Arizona has blocked 33 punts, field goals or PAT tries. Penn State blocked an Arizona punt earlier this year, giving it field position at the UA 16 yard-line to set up a field goal a few moments later.
A Few Notes
...Freshman walk-on kicker Chris Gray of Irvine, Calif., (Irvine HS) was a roster addition last week and saw his first collegiate action as the kickoff specialist... He did a fair job on four kicks, helping limit Stanford to one return for 24 yards, plus kicked two deep enough for touchbacks and had one out of bounds, for an opponents' average start-of-drive at the 26 yard line...
...UA opponents' average rushing yardage 207 yards seems like a misprint for many who remember Desert Swarm of the early to mid-90s. The Cats have allowed three games of more than 200 yards, led by Penn State's 262. Most compelling is the average of 5.5 yards per carry that the UA's run defense has allowed so far this year. In all three of its games, Arizona has allowed opponents 100 yards rushing -- and two individual century-mark outings. Chafie Fields carried three times and popped for 110 yards at Penn State, while LaDainian Tomlinson carried the ball 28 times for 170 yards at Texas Christian
...Sophomore tight end Brandon Manumaleuna has 10 receptions for 128 yards and a touchdown (his career first, vs. Middle Tennessee). Last year the Cats' leading tight end, Mike Lucky, had 11 receptions for 142 yards...
...True freshman running back Lance Briggs saw his first action of the year against Middle Tennessee, carrying the ball on three successive goal-line plays in the third quarter. One was a five-yard run on 3rd-and-3 and the next two were up the gut and culminated in his first career touchdown run. Against Stanford, though, he and the mates in front of him were turned back on a fourth-and-goal dive from the 1 yard-line...
...Do-all dude: Scooter Sprotte started at fullback and at inside linebacker at Texas Christian. That gives him three different starts -- he started at strong safety at Penn State. He also has returned punts and been a deep man on kickoff returns, among other special-teams duty...
...The two safeties TCU recorded against Arizona tackling RB Sprotte on the game's second play and later sacking QB Ortege Jenkins early in the third quarter is believed to be an opponents record...
...Arizona's quarterbacks are combining for a solid 155.25 team pass efficiency rating. The NCAA keeps track only of yards when it comes to team passing prowess, but UA's mark likely would compare well... Both Keith Smith and Ortege Jenkins are in the top 20 nationally in the category... Smith had a rough day with two interceptions in nine attempts vs. Stanford -- his first interception since the ASU game last year... Smith's passing at a 72 percent clip, while Jenkins has shown solid improvement in the young season with a 64 percent completion percentage... Smith set a school record (minimum 20 attempts) by posting an .810 completion percentage mark against Penn State (17-21), besting a Tom Tunnicliffe performance (21-27, .780) against Pacific in 1982...
. Middle Tennessee had some fourth-quarter success to total 128 net team rushing yards.
...H-back/fullback Jim Wendler, who was awarded a medical-hardship final year of eligibility after a series of appeals to the NCAA (based on an illness he had during his first year at the Air Force Academy), ran the ball three times for 19 yards and had the first reception (22 yards) of his career at Penn State. He missed the TCU game with a rib injury. Wendler has 15 career rushes for 60 yards and three touchdowns...
... One reason for the UA running game's modest start this year is the loss of five guys who played a huge role: guard Yusuf Scott, tackle Edwin Mulitalo, tight end Mike Lucky and backs Paul Shields and Kelvin Eafon. All but Eafon survived final NFL cuts...
... Arizona has played a number of new people in its games. Among them: JuniorsDE Austin Uku (1 start), LB Antonio Pierce (1 start), WR Marvin Brown; SophomoresCB Anthony Banks (1 start); Redshirt FreshmenOG Aaron Higginbotham, FS Jarvie Worcester (2 starts), OT Darren Safranek, DB Chidi Daniel, ST Scott McKee, TE James Hugo, WR Mike Hairgrove, DT Robert Ramsey; FreshmenWR Bobby Wade (1 start), TB Leo Mills, DT Young Thompson, RB Lance Briggs, KOS Chris Gray. Mills carried the ball 9 times and led the Cats with 54 rushing yards at PSU. Pierce led the team with 11 tackles at Penn State. Uku had two tackles for loss (1 sack) and a fumble recovery vs. the Nittany Lions. Wade caught his first TD pass at TCU.
Dick Tomey on Pac-10 Teleconferences:
Media can obtain phone number by calling the Pac-10 Office, 925-932-4411, or the UA media relations office. The conferences feature each Pac-10 coach in succession and begin at 9:30 a.m.
Tomey's sessions:
Tuesday, Sept. 28, 11:05 a.m. MST/PDT
Tuesday, Oct. 12, 11:05 a.m. MST/PDT
Tuesday, Oct. 26, 11:05 a.m. MST/PDT
Tuesday, Nov. 9, 12:05 a.m. MST/11:05 PST
The Last Time Arizona...
Returned a punt for a TD: Dennis Northcutt vs. Middle Tennessee (80 yards), 1999
Returned a blocked punt for a TD: Trung Canidate vs. Wash. State 1996, (Canidate block)
Returned a kickoff for TD: Chris McAlister (100 yards) at Hawaii, 1998, (also vs. UCLA '96)
Returned an interception for a TD: Chris McAlister (68 yards) vs. Washington State, 1998.
Scored a safety: at California (sack by Idris Haroon/Joe Tafoya), '98
Did not score: at Washington, 1991 (UW 54-0)
Did not score a touchdown: at Oregon, 1994, (UO 10-9)
A back ran for 100 yards (last 3): Trung Canidate (14-123) vs. Stanford, 1999; Canidate (16-102) vs. MTSU, 1999; Canidate (22-101) vs. Nebraska, 1998.
Blocked a punt (last 3): Brandon Nash vs. Nebraska; Chris McAlister vs. ASU, 98; Chris McAlister at Cal, 98
Blocked a field goal (last 2): Joe Tafoya vs. MTSU, 1999; Peter Hansen vs. Nebraska, 1998
Blocked a PAT kick (last 2): J.J. Joppru vs. MSTU, 1999; Peter Hansen at Washington 1998
Scored a 2-pt. conversion (last 2): QB Ortege Jenkins run vs. Stanford 99; Jenkins run at TCU 99
Recovered a fumble for a TD (last 2): Scooter Sprotte (12 yards) vs. ASU, 98; Mikal Smith, (75 yards) at Oregon, '96
Beat a ranked team (last 3): 23-20, Nebraska (No. 14); 38-3, Oregon (No. 12), 98; 31-28, at Washington (No. 20), '98
Lost to a ranked team (last 2): 7-41 at Penn State (No. 3), '99; 28-52 vs. UCLA (No. 3), '98
Beat an unranked team: 34-19 vs. Middle Tennessee, 1999
Lost to an unranked team: 50-22 vs. Stanford, 1999
Won as a ranked team: 34-19 vs. Middle Tennessee, 1999 (Arizona No. 19)
Won as an unranked team: Arizona State, 28-16, '97
Lost as a ranked team: 22-50 vs. Stanford (UA No. 19), 1999
Lost as an unranked team: Washington State, 35-34 (OT), '97
Played in tie-breaker game: 41-38 vs. California, 98
The last time an Opponent...
Returned a punt for a TD: Eric Guliford (68 yards), at Ariz State '91
Recovered a blocked punt for a TD: Frank Primus, Stanford '97
Returned a kickoff for TD (last 2): JaWarren Hooker (89), Washington '97; Saladin McCullough (93), Oregon '97
Returned an interception for a TD: Jermaine Smith (91), Washington '97
Scored a safety: at TCU 1999, twice: (Sprotte by Shannon Brazzell and Chad Bayer; Jenkins by Aaron Schobel)
Did not score: Illinois, '96 (UA 41-0)
Did not score a touchdown: Oregon, 98 (UA 38-3); previous: Illinois, '96
A back ran for 100 yards (last 2): LaDainian Tomlinson (28-170), TCU 1999; Chafie Fields (3-110), Penn State '99.
A back ran for 200 yards: Saladin McCullough (25-223), at Oregon 1996
Blocked a punt (last 2): Eric Sturdifen, Penn State '99; Pat Tillman, ASU '97
Blocked a field goal: Terrance Carrole, Oregon State '97
Blocked a PAT kick: Duane Clemons, Andy Jacobs, Regan Upshaw (3, California), '95
Scored a 2-pt. conversion: QB Marques Tuiasosopo run, Washington '98
Recovered a fumble for a TD: Kendrick Patterson (51), at Texas Christian 1999
Some Arizona Honors Canidates
Dennis the Menace
* Wide Receiver Dennis Northcutt - A Biletnikoff Award candidate, this senior who began his career as a running back and defensive back, is Arizona's all-time reception leader with 166 catches, which breaks the previous record of 153 that was held by "T" Bell (1972-75)... In the past three games, he has caught 23 passes for 465 yards and five touchdowns... Overall, he has a 31 receptions for 522 yards and five touchdowns (130 ypg)... He has caught a pass in a school record 34 consecutive games, dating back to the Oregon State game in 1996... The Pac-10 record is 37 straight games held by John Jackson of USC from 1986-89... He also has a punt return for a TD this year -- an 80-yarder against Middle Tennessee... That is tied for the ninth-longest punt return in school history and it's the longest punt return at the UA since 1980... Only moments earlier, he had a 71-yard punt return for a score called back because Arizona was flagged for roughing the punter... One of the top all-purpose men in the country as well, he averages 201 all purpose yards per game... On the UA career all-purpose yardage list, he ranks No. 5 with 3,957 yards... Northcutt had a career-game against TCU, catching 10 passes for 257 yards and three touchdowns... The yardage total was the second best in Arizona history and tied for sixth on the Pac-10's single game charts... Included in the three scores were receptions of 38, 59 and 30 yards -- the latter of which was the game-winner with 2:10 left to go... On the night, he had 314 all purpose yards and was named the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Week for the performance... Hauled in a game-high eight passes for 86 yards at Penn State... In his career, he has 21 receiving touchdowns (also has one rushing TD and one punt return for a TD) to go with 2,352 receiving yards... The yardage mark is good for third on the UA career chart -- he needs 64 more yards to move past John Horton (1983-86) and into second... His 922 receiving yards last season are No. 4 on the single season chart and his 63 receptions are No. 2... He caught 58 passes as a sophomore, a total that is No. 4 on the single season list... Was the Pac-10's all-purpose yardage leader last season with 1,647 yards... He returned 38 punts for 437 yards and 11 kickoffs for 219 yards... As a redshirt freshman in 1996, he had two interceptions against Illinois, which was one pick short of a freshman record... Took one of the interceptions back for a 63-yard touchdown... That season also saw him go on to haul in a touchdown reception at California, making him the first Arizona player to score both an offensive and defensive touchdown in the same year since 1975.
A Canidate For Fall Seasons
* Running Back Trung Canidate - A preseason Doak Walker Award candidate, this speedster has two 100-yard games this season, upping his career 100-yard games to 10... His second of 1999 came in the Stanford game last week, as he rushed for 123 yards on 14 carries... That output was aided by a season-long 73-yard carry... On the year, he has carried the ball 54 times for 312 yards... Last season, he led the nation in rushing yards per attempt, averaging a whopping 7.3 yards per carry and this year he is at 5.7 ypc... Became just the third 1,000-yard rusher in the 83-year history of Pacific-10 Conference football to average more than seven yards per carry... Against Middle Tennessee State, he had his first 100-yard game of the season -- and ninth of his career... Ran for 102 yards on 16 carries (6.4 ypc)... His 15 career touchdown runs have averaged 51.7 yards per carry... Ran for a UA record 288 yards on just 18 carries (16.0 ypc) in last year's regular season finale against Arizona State... After missing last season's opener at Hawaii, he still managed to finish as the Pac-10's rushing champion with 1,220 yards... He is the fourth all-time leading rusher in school history with 2,607 yards after surpassing David Adams (2,571 from 1984-86) last Saturday night... Next in line is Hubie Oliver (1977-80), who is at 3,096... Ontiwaun Carter (1991-94) is the school's all-time leading rusher with 3,501 career rushing yards and is 894 yards ahead of Canidate... First career touchdown was as a redshirt freshman when he blocked a punt and recovered it for a score against Washington State.
For Whom the Bell Tolls
* Linebacker Marcus Bell - A Butkus Award candidate, he led the Pac-10 Conference in tackles last year after racking up 139 hits... This season, he has a team-high 36 tackles and leads the team with five tackles for a loss and 21 solo hits... His game-high 13 tackles against Stanford tied for the third-highest single game total of his career... Team high-nine tackles against TCU and eight versus Middle Tennessee... Only had six tackles against Penn State, as his time in the second half was limited after injuring his left ankle (he missed the entire fourth quarter)... His tackle total last season was the most for an Arizona defender during the Dick Tomey-era, surpassing the 136 tackles All-American safety Chuck Cecil had in 1987... Had 83 solo stops and was a first team All-Pac-10 selection... Broke up six passes, forced two fumbles and led the team in tackles for a loss with 14... Had a double-digit tackle output in nine of the UA's 13 games... Had 21 tackles in a game twice last season against Washington and Arizona State... His 139 tackles in 1998 were twice as many as Arizona's second-leading tackler (59)... A two-time Pac-10 Conference Player of the Week selection (Washington and Iowa games)... An extremely hard worker, UA head coach Dick Tomey calls him the best inside linebacker he has coached...Started every game but one over the last two seasons (at WSU as a sophomore)... Has 317 total tackles in his career (212 solos/105 assists)... Football News 1999 preseason All-America first team.
The "K" in the O
* Quarterback Keith Smith - The senior part of the Arizona two-headed quarterback rotation with Ortege Jenkins, Keith Smith entered the season after setting Arizona completion records in two of the past three years... He looks like he is on target to do it again this season, as he is 33-of-46 (71.7%)... He has thrown for 382 yards and two touchdowns... He sat out the Middle Tennessee win after re-aggravating an ankle sprain against TCU -- he injured the ankle during the second half of the season opener at Penn State, but practiced the entire following week and started against the Horned Frogs... In the TCU win, he was 12-of-16 for 174 and two touchdowns, including the gamewinner -- a 30-yarder to Dennis Northcutt with 2:10 left in the contest... Against Penn State, he started and was on target throughout the day, completing 17-of-21 passes for 128 yards... He completed his first nine passes in a row... Against Stanford, he was 4-of-9 for 80 yards, as Jenkins got the start and the majority of the work... He completed a school-best 68.5% of his passes last season (113-of-165) and during his sophomore campaign, he completed passes 60.6% of the time (117-of-193)... His pass efficiency rating of 174.17 last year is also a school record and if he would have had just 15 more attempts, that would have been the nation's No. 2 mark... He is the UA's No. 3 career leader for total offense (5,344 yards) and No. 5 for passing yards (4,451)... A second team All-Pac-10 pick last year... Pin-point passer and elusive rusher as well... Has rushed for 893 yards in his career and scored 13 touchdowns on the ground... Offensive MVP of the 1998 Holiday Bowl, as he completed 11-of-19 passes for 147 yards and one TD, while rushing for 25 yards.
Big Play O.J.
* Quarterback Ortege Jenkins- Arizona's other quarterback in the UA two-man rotation, he was the man in the TCU win after guiding the Cats out of a 25-7 third quarter deficit... He engineered three quick scoring drives that resulted in 21 points in six plays, giving Arizona a 28-25 lead in the middle of the third stanza... In the game, he completed 5-of-9 passes -- three of which were for touchdowns and finished with 163 yards... He also saw time at receiver and caught two passes, while his improvisational skills on the ground helped Arizona keep the chains moving... In the game-winning final drive, he was used as a wide receiver to keep the TCU defense from double-teaming Dennis Northcutt, who in turn, ended up catching the game-winning pass... He has started the past two games in a row and on the year is 44-of-69 for 585 yards and seven touchdowns... He played the majority of the Middle Tennessee game (Keith Smith was held out due to an injury), before giving way to third-stringer Jason Johnson late in the game... Jenkins went 16-of-23 for 118 yards and one touchdown and ran the ball four times for 21 yards, scoring on an 8-yard run that put Arizona up 20-0... Against Stanford, he was 15-of-23 for 200 yards and three touchdowns... O.J. directed Arizona on its only scoring drive of the Penn State game and ended up completing 8-of-14 passes for 104 yards... He also carried the ball 11 times (but his rushing total was only 16 yards because of sacks)... Threw for 1,011 yards last year and five touchdowns, but was probably best remembered around the nation for his leap and flip into the endzone over three defenders to beat Washington with four seconds left in the game... Top game of 1998 was against UCLA, when he passed for 260 yards and one touchdown... The starting QB in three games last season, while starting another at slot receiver... Worked on his game in the offseason with former Arizona offensive coordinator Homer Smith... Spent 13 days in Smith's hometown of Tuscaloosa, Ala., and worked on the mechanics and techniques that Smith helped develop during Jenkins' first year as the Arizona quarterback (1997)... That season, he began the year as a wide receiver and No. 3 quarterback, but injuries to both Keith Smith and Brady Batten gave him the starting QB nod... Went on to pass for 1,669 yards and 19 touchdowns that season... The 19 touchdowns are the second-best single season total in UA history and a Pac-10 freshman record... Has 31 touchdown passes in 26 career games and has been intercepted just 12 times in 454 career attempts... Thirteen of his 31 career TD strikes have been 26 yards or longer... In his first career start, he completed 17-of-25 passes for 285 yards and three touchdowns against San Diego State... Rallied the team from a 21-0 deficit for a 31-28 win... Played on the Arizona basketball team during its 1997-98 Elite Eight campaign.
Arizona's Polk Hero
* Linebacker DaShon Polk - Along with Marcus Bell, this senior LB is also on the Butkus Award watch list... Is tied for second on the team this season with 19 tackles and has three for a loss... Had a game-high three tackles for a loss in the TCU win and accounted for seven tackles on the evening... Was in on six tackles versus Middle Tennessee State... His time against Penn State was limited after missing a portion of the game due to dehydration (he had three tackles)... The flex linebacker in the UA's Double-Eagle flex defensive scheme, he has a tremendous physical presence with great speed on the outside... In the UA's scheme, it is his job to funnel the action to the core of the defense... A second team All-Pac-10 pick last year as a junior, 23% of his tackles were for a loss... Had 56 tackles overall, 13 of which were for a loss... Had 4.5 sacks... Has started the last 28 games in a row and 128 career tackles.
Anchors Away
* Offensive Linemen Manuia Savea & Bruce Wiggins - Savea, the senior offensive right tackle, and Wiggins, the junior center, are the two anchors of the Arizona offensive line... Two of the major players in last year's dominating line, Savea, Wiggins and their mates helped the Wildcats average 444.9 yards of total offense per game, which was a school record and the 18th best mark in the land for 1998... The Middle Tennessee game saw the Arizona gameplan focus on establishing the run, and they did just that, running for a season-high 265 yards on 46 carries... The offensive line did not give up any sacks as well... The Cats rushing total of 113 yards against Stanford could have been higher, if not for the minus-63 yards quarterback Ortege Jenkins suffered, mostly on six sacks... They helped open holes for the Pac-10's leading rusher in 1998, Trung Canidate, who averaged 110.9 yards per game and the nation's best 7.3 yards per carry average... Head coach Dick Tomey heaped a ton of praise on this duo in fall drills and they will be looked to for upper class leadership throughout 1999 to make up for the loss of a some of key parts of the blocking from 1998 who are all playing in the NFL this year -- guard Yusuf Scott (Arizona Cardinals), tackle Edwin Mulitalo (Baltimore Ravens), tight end Mike Lucky (Dallas Cowboys) -- and blocking back Paul Shields, was released from the Indianapolis Colts last week.
