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“For the loser now, Will be later to win, Oh the times they are a-changin”  – Bob Dylan

Those lyrics sum up the UW vs UA game this past Saturday perfectly.  In my recent memory I can not remember a game dominated by one team so single handedly (UA outgained UW by 205 yards and held the ball twice as long) only for that team to lose.

I won’t talk about other games this week as I really did not see any others.  I have been in Seattle and only caught bits and pieces of the other match ups of this weekend at the bar I went to before the UA/UW game.

Instead I will focus on providing you my overall impression of the UA vs UW game.

Stadium-  Husky stadium is set in an absolutely gorgeous location.  Lake Washington, Rainier in the background on a clear day.  Hard to beat.  My seat was in the endzone with Huskies written on it.  The stadium definitely needs remodeling as fans are a good 30 yards away from the action due to the track.  The fan noise was lessened somewhat for the players by how far removed the fans were.  It did get quite chilly during the game and made me long for those nice October, November Tucson games where you still sport shorts and flip flops.

Game -  UA dominated for 57 plus minutes of the game.  They outgained the Huskies by 205 yards and held the ball for almost 40 minutes.  Normally that is a recipe for a blow out.  Tonight  offensive ineptitude in the red zone killed the Wildcats.  The Wildcats kicker had field goals of 18, 23, 24 and 29 yards.

Was the Arizona offensive line just abysmal on the goal line or did the Husky D just step up?  It was probably a combination of the two.  On one instance two straight QB sneak attempts from the 1 failed for the Cats.  On neither did the O line for Arizona get any push and on the second Foles did not get anywhere close to low enough with his shoulders to be effective. It should go without saying that Arizona misses the presence of 6′6″ 270 lbs all universe Rob Gronkowski in the red zone.

After the Huskies scored with 2:55 left (I think UA made a mistake of having the DE’s pin their ears back to attempt to sack locker instead of playing contain as he is very dangerous outside the pocket) the improbable happened, which is often the case for teams who fail to punch in touchdowns in the red zone.  A quick pass which was low and behind Delashaun Dean hit off his foot (debatable from some camera angles but I’ll let the mouth breathers yell about it) and bounced right into the arms of a Husky player who raced for the go ahead TD.  A two point conversion later and Arizona was down 3 with plenty of time to drive the field on the sieve which had all night been the Husky D (well at least until the red zone).  On 2nd and short Foles took a sack.  After an incomplete pass on third down an interception followed on forth and that was all she wrote.

Exciting game, heartbreaking for me (reminds me of 2003 against WSU at home) but kudos to UW for not giving up.

Players of the game:

Washington – Locker, the numbers were not spectacular only 140 passing but he also had 92 rushing yards.  Key stat however was he did throw for 3 TD’s and rushed for 1 more.  This guy IS the Washington offence and from what I have heard is the number 1 QB prospect according to many NFL scouts.  His passing still looks a bit iffy at times but he did have a few balls dropped by his receivers. Opening drive INT did not kill the team.  The guy is big time and should receive some Heisman attention but probably won’t receive much because most are sleeping when his games are on.
Arizona- Foles, another good game from the first year QB.  384 yards passing a passing TD and a rushing TD.  Of the two interceptions one was a fluke and the other was on a fourth and long for the game where he at least gave his receiver a chance to make a play on the ball (I’d rather have my QB get the occasional pick when his receiver lets him down than have a QB who is too chicken to throw it up for his guy to make play).  The kid throws seeds has a confidence in his arm and in his receivers which is great to see  and it is nice to have a quarterback that you can tell goes through his reads.  Overall a fairly mistake free game, only bad mistake was a drive killing delay of game. Did not get much help from his O-line on goal line situations when attempting to sneak (although should have gotten lower on one as I mentioned earlier) or hand the ball off.   I am still very pleased at Arizona’s QB play (Thanks Texas for messing up and overlooking this kid) and look forward to 2 more years of it.

*Additional note, I had the pleasure of meeting Nick Foles dad in a bar before the game.  Had a great time meeting and talking with you.  For the 3 readers we have, don’t worry I wont go soft on Foles if he starts throwing Interceptions by forcing the ball into triple coverage.  His play to this point however has been great and deserving of praise.

Chip

When The British group The Buggles released “Video Killed The Radio Star”  who knew that years later the same could be said of the creation of sports video games and the end of realistic fan bases?  In 1991 Nintendo released Tecmo Super Bowl (TSB) and it has been a quick decent ever since.  I remember playing the first Tecmo Super Bowl.  I used to play it at my friend/neighbor TJ’s house.  I used to switch between taking the Raiders and tearing it up with Bo Jackson (The Mike Vick Madden video game character before Madden and Mike Vick) or taking the Eagles and playing with Randall Cunningham.  TJ used to pick the Browns and loved Webster Slaughter.

You used to be able to drop back all the way to the endzone and throw the ball 100 yards into the other endzone, and if you had Bo Jackson or Christian Okoye you could truck almost anyone.  The graphics at the time we thought were insane.  As the years passed along came Madden (you could create yourself as a player) and the games became more and more complex (more than 6 defensive plays) and looked more and more real.  The NCAA football series also started.  Allowing people to play as their favorite college programs.  I believe that this extra connection of making feel like the coach of their favorite team has led to fan bases with astronomically high expectations.

Now I am only 25 years old so maybe I just did not realize how delusional fan bases (fan comes from the word fanatic by the way) were during this time period.  I doubt it however as even over the past 10 years I have seen fan bases show less and less patience with new coaches and have insanely unrealistic expectations of players.

I bring this up because I am currently living in Southern California and the LA media and many others are going nuts over USC dropping a game to UW.  College football fan bases these days of large programs seem to believe that their teams should win EVERY SINGLE GAME and not just when they have a senior heavy class but EVERY SINGLE YEAR.  Some of them honestly believe that their team should win National Titles 8 out of 10 years.    USC going undefeated this year was not realistic.  They had to start an unproven QB, they went with true frosh Barkley over 8 passes in his career Corp.  USC also lost their number 2 receiver for the season with a collarbone break and after going on the road and beating OSU they lost their starting QB (Barkley) and their All World safety Taylor Mays.  To top it off Carroll had to replace coordinators as they became head coaches elsewhere (the price of any successful program).

From how many talk about it (especially fans) you would think that the Trojan loss caused the world to fall off it’s axis.  It is an in conference loss on the road to a former assistant of yours who had a superior QB to you.  You lost the turnover battle and still only lost by 3.  In fact if I remember correctly in the past 7 years Carroll has not lost a game by more than 7 points.  That is a phenomenal statistic as it means that in every loss you were in the game.  Oh yeah, by the way all of Carroll’s losses come against conferences opponents with the exception of their loss to Texas in the BCS game.  And in each game his team lost the turnover battle.  If I remember correctly Carroll isn’t the one fumbling.

So why all the sky is falling talk?  Because the media fans the flames of whatever the rabid over emotional fan bases want.  And what these fans want is undefeated seasons constantly.  And why wouldn’t they?, they lead their favorite teams to 10 straight undefeated seasons and 10 straight national titles or Super Bowl titles.  In fact in college football they can replace 7 starters on offense and 5 on defense and start a true freshman and still go undefeated.  I am a University of Arizona season ticket holder.  During my stay at UA we were at one time the worst Division 1 team in the nation.  We then hired Mike Stoops and by the way I heard many students talk you thought we would be winning National Titles in year 2 or 3.   When that didn’t happen Stoops was on the hot seat.  In fact I heard people talking about their video game seasons and why couldn’t Stoops do that.  I also heard them complain at every incomplete pass because in “their season” apparently Willie Tuitama went 48 for 50 every game with 10 touchdowns.   Luckily for Stoops he made a Bowl in year 5 which should be the benchmark for how you are as a coach as you have now graduated one class.  Although I have a feeling now that he replaced his 3 plus year starting QB that the fans will grow incredibly impatient if they are forced to sit through a 6-6 or 7-5 season.

In sports teams have windows.  Your goal as a coach is to win titles be they conference or national in those windows.  Then you have down years.  That is the rule of sport.  The team on the top today falls tomorrow.  This is true in the NFL and in College.  When you are successful you are everyone’s circled game on the calender and you lose players/coaches to the draft/other teams and retirement.

I will be providing a side by side of the real UA football season with a video game season I will be playing to show how far from realism these games can be.  So keep checking back to see how I do compared to the real Arizona Wildcats  In closing I ask that people give their teams and coaches a break.  No competitor wants to lose and your pressure on administration/owner just leads to additional stress put on the coaches/players.   And finally these guys are people.  Please treat them as such.  Don’t destroy their property if they make a mistake and cost a team a game (HELLO BILLS FANS!!!!!!!),  they didn’t want to lose that game either.

A list of the three biggest questions facing each Pac 10 team heading into the season

Arizona Wildcats

1. Who’s the quarterback?

Matt Scott or Nick Foles?  Whoever it is one will need to establish itself within the first two games before heading to Iowa.  UA had success with a two QB system before (Keith Smith and Ortege Jenkins went 12-1 in 1998) but traditionally schools struggle without a definitive starter.  It could be the difference between 4 wins and 10 wins.  Whoever it is just needs to find Rob Gronkowski.

2. Can this team build on an 8 win season?

This team has talent and depth and the pressure seems to finally be off Mike Stoops.  The bowl curse is over.  These are now all Stoops’ recruits and the system has been in place.  However, this team has lost to New Mexico and Stanford two straight years so while steps have been taken the Cats have still floundered against lesser teams.  If the team shows any complacency or satisfaction the grumblings could start again.

3. How will this team finish games?

Last year the five losses Arizona suffered were by a combined 28 points.  All five were one possession games in the final two minutes.  Defensive breakdowns cost UA against Oregon State and Stanford and turnovers against New Mexico.  UA must learn to finish games to crack the top third of the conference.

Arizona State Sun Devils

1. Is the offensive line fixed?

Rudy Carpenter took a beating the last two years and whether it’s Danny Sullivan or someone else, the line has to protect the quarterback better.  Coach Erickson’s spread offense is designed for much shorter passes and quicker reads.  We’ll see what happens.  That trip to Athens is the tester.  If Georgia’s defense racks up 5 or 6 sacks, it could set the tone for another long season for the Sun Devil signal caller.

2. The defense will be good, but can it maintain all game?

Dennis Erickson has always had smothering defenses.  Dexter Davis and Lawrence Guy could prove to be a force on the d-line and if freshman Vontaze Burfict (assuming he’s cleared) is as good as advertised, could become a major run stuffer.  Last year’s inept offense led to a lot of poor field position and wearing down in the second half.

3. Could momentum in the desert be shifting?

Arizona State could hold their rivals to the east in check with one phrase: 10 years.  Now it’s ASU who went bowless due to a loss to UA, while the Wildcats went on to win the Vegas Bowl.  If ASU struggles and UA does a repeat performance or improves, that 10 win season in 07 will be a distant memory.  The Tempe faithful will be on edge if the streaks are at two both ways.

California Golden Bears

1. Will Jahvid Best win the Heisman?

Doubtful.  Considering the three Heisman finalists from last year all returned it could be tough for the Cal RB to make it to New York.  You’d have to figure Tim Tebow will be there and the QB from the winner from the Texas-Oklahoma game is a lock as well.  For Best to make it to NY, I think he needs as list 1700 yards and 20 TDs and Cal will have to have at least 10 wins.  The one thing that will play into Best’s favor is that he’ll get the majority of west coast Heisman focus with no USC player at the forefront.

2. Is Kevin Riley ready to solve the QB problems?

Since Aaron Rodgers left the Tedford quarterback phrase doesn’t have the same merit it once did.  Now that (as Bears fans will say) Nate Longshore has expired his 8 years of eligibility it’s Riley’s job to lose.  If he can avoid injury and establish consistency at the position, the Bears can flourish.  If musical quarterbacks continues the Bears will continue to hover around that 6-8 win plateau.

3. Can Cal dethrone USC?

The Bears get them at home.  USC will be breaking in a new quarterback.  Cal will have the best offensive player on the field and USC is replacing 8 starters on defense.  This is the year for the Bears to do it.  They could be favored in the game.  In order to dethrone USC, Cal will have to avoid the upset bug.  Beat the Trojans and the schedule is perfectly aligned for Cal to run the table and get to its first Rose Bowl in 50 years.

Oregon Ducks

1. How will the Chip Kelly era begin?

Mike Belloti build up Nike U into the program it is now.  Chip Kelly takes over and has already tapped the recruiting efforts to SEC territory.  Oregon replaces a lot of starters on both sides of the ball but the one constant is Jeremiah Masoli which will make the transition easier.  Oregon will be fine this season.  What we’ve seen with coaching changes at West Virginia and Wisconsin, first year success with an established quarterback is normal.  What happens after that is where it’ll begin.

2. Can Oregon stop the pass?

The Ducks were dreadful last year against the pass ranking 111^th in the nation.  In the Ducks three losses they surrendered almost 400 yards a game in the air.  Walter Thurmond III is a solid cover corner and playmaker and safety T.J. Ward is a big hitter.  The questions loom.  Boise St. threw for over 400 yards last year in Eugene.  We should know in week one.

3. Will Oregon lead the country in rushing?

Last year the Ducks finished second to Navy in the country on the ground at over 280 yards a game.  Coach Kelly’s spread offense will be ideal for LeGarrette Blount and Jeremiah Masoli to eclipse over 1,000 yards each.  Jeremiah Johnson graduated but he will be replaced by the fast and big LaMichael James.  The Ducks lost their two starting WR’s and if Masoli does not improve his passing ability you could a lot more ground attack.  Either way, 300 yards a game is realistic.

Oregon State Beavers

1. Can the Beavers avoid a bad start?

For some reason, OSU thinks 2-3 is the way to start.  However, there are no road games at Utah or Penn St. on the docket.  OSU should roll through its non-conference schedule with Portland St., at UNLV, and Cincinnati.  Pac 10 play starts with Arizona, at Arizona State, and vs. Stanford.  The Beavers could be 6-0 heading to the Coliseum.  If the Beavers start 3-3 a bowl may not be in the works this season.

2. Is there a QB controversy?

Two seniors, one position.  Lyle Moevao was the starter last year and led the Beavers to a 7-3 record and a Rose Bowl opportunity before injuring his shoulder against Arizona State on November 1^st.  Fellow senior Sean Canfield kept the Rose Bowl dreams alive with a last second win at Arizona.  But Moevao was off the following week in a blowout loss to Oregon to kill the Rose Bowl dreams.  Since then the shoulder has lingered all spring and Canfield won the job.  There will be a short leash but Mike Riley has managed these quarterbacks well over the last two seasons.

3. How will the defense be?

The Beavers lost 8 starters from a defense that ranked 23^rd nationally, 2^nd in the Pac 10, including their entire secondary.  Senior LB Keaton Kristick was a 2^nd team all-conference selection and he possesses the playmaking ability as a run stuffer and pass rusher.  He should eclipse 100 tackles and 5 sacks.  The lack of experience in the secondary could be the backbone of the defense.  Senior CB Tim Clark has most experience having appeared in 26 games, including 6 starts.

Stanford Cardinal

1. Can Stanford finally get to a bowl game?

Six wins is very achievable this season.  The way the schedule sets up though, the Cardinal needs to get off to a good start.  The Cardinal’s season could swing on back-to-back home games against Washington and UCLA.  If the Cardinal sweep they could be 4-1 or 5-0 by the time the killer part of the schedule hits.  In all likelihood Stanford will be an underdog in six of its last seven games.

2. How much of difference will Andrew Luck make to the QB position?

Stanford ranked 103^rd in the nation in passing efficiency last season.  Luck was a highly touted recruit and the coaching staff did not burn his redshirt last year despite the temptation.  At 6-4 225 he possesses the strong arm and size for a future NFL quarterback.  This is clearly his team.  If he struggles, there is still senior Tavita Pritchard waiting in the wings.  However, expect the coaching staff to let Luck continue to blossom and play through the bumps and bruises.

3. Will the secondary be fixed?

Stanford’s front seven accumulated 33 sacks last season, but that didn’t matter.  The secondary only racked up seven interceptions and was burned for numerous big plays.  The coaching staff has switched WR Richard Sherman to CB in hopes of adding some playmakers on that side of the ball.  Each spot is an open competition.

UCLA Bruins

1. Will the offense improve?

It can’t get any worse.  Kevin Craft was awful.  As bad as the quarterback play was, the running game was putrid ranking 116^th in the nation.  Kahlil Bell is gone and Aundre Dean transferred to TCU as well as Raymond Carter to Colorado State.   Norm Chow has the resume as an offensive coordinator but he’ll be starting from scratch.  UCLA stayed the course and kept the redshirt on Kevin Prince.  He won the QB competition early and will get to ride it out.  As for the RB landscape redshirt junior Christian Ramirez will get first crack but this will be by committee all year.

2. Will Chuck Bullough replacing Dewayne Walker make any difference?

Walker was a mainstay as UCLA’s defensive coordinator.  Though statistically it might not say so, Walker’s defense kept the Bruins in a lot of games before wearing down with no offensive support.  Bullough may have the best core of LB’s led by all-conference selection Reggie Carter.  Alterraun Verner, CB, and Brian Price, DL, are both steady forces and all conference performers.  Expect the transition to be a smooth one and for the defense to shoulder the load again this season.

3. Any signs of the monopoly ending?

UCLA has been picked as high as 3^rd and as low as 8^th by experts.  UCLA is not ready to compete with USC.  However, Coach Rick Neuheisel has matched the recruiting efforts establishing a top 20 class and taking some of the players from across the city.  For the optimist, if UCLA can reach at least six wins and remain competitive in each game, the Bruins maybe ready to jump into the top tier of the Pac 10 and challenge their rivals in 2010.  If UCLA remains at the bottom of conference this season, continuing to struggle on offense, it could very well be a full five-year rebuilding process in Westwood.

USC Trojans

1. Is starting Matt Barkley the right move?

I’m not one to question Pete Carroll.  He has had the best program in college football since taking over in LA.  The only thing that surprises me with going with Barkley is he’s going all in.  When you start a true freshmen, there is no going back.  He has told Aaron Corp and Mitch Mustain this is our quarterback for the next three years.  I thought he would certainly want to redshirt Barkley and let the talent sit and save a year, similar to Mark Sanchez.  When you look at the pedigree of USC quarterbacks, if this kid is good enough to start as a true freshmen, he’s the real deal and should be worth the hype.

2. Can USC win the National Championship if they lose in Columbus?

No.  It has nothing to do with not going undefeated.  Even if USC runs the table the rest of the way and finishes 11-1, cracking into the top 2 will be a challenge.  In all likelihood Ohio State will not lose two Big 10 games.  If both teams finish with identical records, don’t expect a Texas-Oklahoma situation.  Speaking of those teams, as has been shown in the polls and computers, the SEC and Big 12 get the benefit of the doubt.  The Trojans only hope would be a rematch with an undefeated Ohio State and the likes of an SEC or Big 12 team looking very unimpressive in their conference title games or two losses.

3. Will USC survive the road tests?

According to preseason rankings, the Trojans face four Top 25 teams on the road.  I wouldn’t be too concerned about Notre Dame.  They have to prove they’re a real program and can match USC’s speed before that’s a marquee game.  However, the other three games the Trojans could be underdogs.  They lost the last time at Autzen, in fact they haven’t worn in the state of Oregon since 2005, and Cal looks like the team that will challenge USC for the Pac 10 crown.  But come on, there’s no way USC is losing four games, can they?

Washington Huskies

1. When will the losing streak end?

The Huskies finally scheduled one cupcake non-conference.  They will beat Idaho in Week 2.  If they somehow lose that game, oh boy, another 0-12 season is very possible.  UW still has non-conference tilts with LSU and Notre Dame.  UW will be an underdog is every game until the Apple Cup.

2. Is Jake Locker ready for a pro-style offense?

Locker is a terrific athlete.  He’s the best athlete at quarterback in the conference (sorry Oregon fan).  However, he’s not a good passer.  It’ll be interesting to see if he’s forced to sit in the pocket and become more of a west coast feed.  USC has traditionally possessed pocket passers but Aaron Corp is a dual threat that may have started if he was healthy.  Locker’s game should not change drastically.

3. Any hope for the defense?

I guess when you’re 0-12 things can only get better right?  The Huskies ranked 110^th in total defense, 115^th in passing, 116^th in scoring, and 119^th in turnovers gained.  Yuck.  A reason for optimism is the return of LB E.J. Savannah from suspension and all four starters back on the defensive line.  So yes, this team could become a top 100 defense.

Washington State Cougars

1. Could this year’s team be worse?

For the loyal fans in the Pullman, this is going to be another long and trying season.  Point blank: this team sucks!  The only thing that saved the Cougars from being the worst team in Pac 10 history was beating Washington.  I wouldn’t expect to see the margins of defeat to be as big as last year.  However, the record could be worse.  Hawaii and SMU are trap games.  Hawaii beat WSU last year and who knows how much improvement June Jones will provide in his second year.  Realistically, 2-10 is a best case scenario and 0-12 is a possibility.

2. Are there any Cougars worth keeping an eye on?

There’s nothing in Alex Rodriguez’s bio on this, so you’re guess is as good as mine.

3. Why the hell should I watch this team?

I’ll give you three reasons: 1) You’re a loyal fan of your team and will enjoy these 3.5 hours of your life, 2) It beats getting kicked in the balls by a mule, 3) It’s kind of like watching college football.