Arizona Wildcats News

Almost two years ago, Nick Foles walked away from a potential starting quarterback job at Michigan State to join struggling Arizona. Now, the sophomore might be the biggest star on campus in Tucson — he has averaged better than 300 passing yards over his four starts and has the Wildcats in the thick of the Pac-10 race. He dishes on his life and his school with Sporting News: On learning he'd become the starting QB: After the Iowa game, I came in on Sunday to watch film and throw a little and do... a little workout. Coach Dykes, the offensive coordinator, he pulled me into his office and told me he was going to start me. I was excited. You grow up dreaming about starting for a major Division I program. On Sonny Dykes: He's a character. He keeps our meetings pretty interesting. We might be watching a lot of film, and you start to get a little tired. He'll hit the pause button and tell us a funny story about something that happened at Kentucky. He's so laid back, but he has a lot of knowledge. He's been around the offense for so long. The best story Dykes tells: I don't know if I can share those on the phone. The door's closed when we talk about those. Why stay in touch with the guys at Michigan State? I just have a lot of respect for that program. I still keep in touch with a few of the guys and (coach Mark Dantonio). When I left, Coach understood why. It had nothing to do with them, or playing time, or opportunities. So you transferred to Arizona because: I have family in Phoenix. My dad has some business stuff in Phoenix. It's easier for them to get to see me here, and that was important to me. Plus, coach Dykes being here, that made it perfect. On Dykes' boss, coach Mike Stoops: His intensity is amazing. On film, you see him on the sidelines, and he's going through the play like he's in the game. He's always moving around. It can look a little crazy. On former Westlake High (Austin, Texas) star Drew Brees: I didn't get to know him personally. I had shoulder surgery with the same doctor that's worked on him, Dr. Andrews. Drew left a message on my cell phone and told me what everything would be like. In Westlake, Drew Brees is the man. He was a big-time guy at that school. Are we talking statue or anything? Nah. They don't even retire jerseys out there. But there is a big state championship sign for the 1996 team. Everybody knows he had a lot to do with that. On-campus reaction to the Wildcats: Yeah, people are sill wearing the Arizona football shirts and jerseys. Near this time of year, people usually forget about football and look at basketball season. We've got a lot still to prove, but we're keeping them interested this year. On watching the USC-Oregon game: They're both great teams with so much talent. We've got to take care of business before we play them. But that's two really tough games. So what about a Pac-10 title? We can do it if we keep playing as a team. Is that enough? That's enough to get it done.more>>

Each week, Sporting News' Matt Hayes ranks the Division I-A conferences and the teams within each league. Conf. rankings No. 1 SEC No. 2 Pac-10 No. 3 Big Ten No. 4 ACC No. 5 Big 12 No. 6 Big East Nos. 7-11 2. Pac-10 1. Oregon 2. USC 3. Arizona... 4. Oregon State 5. Stanford 6. California 7. Arizona State 8. Washington 9. UCLA 10. Washington State Rising Oregon: Ducks have outscored their last five Pac-10 opponents 208-58 and are primed for first Rose Bowl in 15 years. Falling USC: All that talk about USC's dominating defense has come to this: In the last three games, the Trojans have given up 110 points and 1,462 yards. Yikes. Matt Hayes covers college football for Sporting News. E-mail him at mhayes@sportingnews.com.more>>

Each week, Sporting News' Matt Hayes ranks the Division I-A conferences and the teams within each league. Conf. rankings No. 1 Pac-10 No. 2 SEC No. 3 ACC No. 4 Big East No. 5 Big Ten No. 6 Big 12 Nos. 7-11 1. Pac-10 1. USC 2. Oregon 3.... Arizona 4. Stanford 5. California 6. Oregon State 7. Arizona State 8. Washington 9. UCLA 10. Washington State Rising USC: QB Matt Barkley gets more comfortable and confident with each game, and the offense now is doing what everyone thought it would: carrying the defense. Falling Arizona State: Sun Devils are limited offensively, and struggle to string together consecutive successful plays. Now, the problem: The heavy lifting of the schedule looms. Matt Hayes covers college football for Sporting News. E-mail him at mhayes@sportingnews.com.more>>

The first set of BCS standings released this week shows that college football remains an aristocracy. If Florida, Alabama and Texas keep winning, no other team will crack the national title chase. "We should just close down all the other football teams and just have six teams play for it," Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly said sarcastically this week. "And we'll all play for something else." Kelly's team is one of the pleasant surprises of this season's first half. No Big East team appeared in the... preseason Top 25 and, despite being the defending champion, the Bearcats weren't expected to win their own league. And Iowa? A New Year's Day bowl looked like a reasonable goal. Just not the New Year's Day game called the Rose Bowl. Arizona and Boston College, meanwhile, were supposed to reside near the basement of their leagues, and both are in the hunt for a conference title at the midway point. No. 7 Iowa (7-0, 3-0 Big Ten) What's working: Second-half comebacks. The Hawkeyes have trailed by double digits three times this year and rallied for wins. Despite eight interceptions, QB Ricky Stanzi has grown quite clutch. Can it last? No. Two tough road games with Michigan State (Saturday) and Ohio State (Nov. 14) will prove too much. No. 5 Cincinnati (6-0, 2-0 Big East) What's working: A thriving front seven. New defensive coordinator Bob Diaco has mixed 4-3 and 3-4 looks and turned linebackers Alex Daniels and Walter Stewart into stars. "It looks like they've borrowed a lot of ideas from the Patriots," Louisville coach Steve Kragthorpe said on a teleconference. Can it last? Yes. If the Bearcats can slow WVU's Noel Devine and Pitt's Dion Lewis, they might play for a national championship. Arizona (4-2, 2-1 Pac-10) What's working: QB Nick Foles. Foles has averaged 351 passing yards in three starts and excels in offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes' four-WR sets. "The quick game is his forte," UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel said on a teleconference. "He makes you kind of dance to his tune." Can it last? No. The Cats will struggle late against the Cal, Oregon and USC defenses. Boston College (5-2, 3-2 ACC) What's working: Montel Harris and the run game. With inconsistency at quarterback and a young defense, Harris' 5.6 yards per rush makes him an All-ACC candidate. Can it last? Yes. The Eagles' remaining leagues games (at Virginia, UNC, at Maryland) give them a chance to win the Atlantic Division. Dave Curtis is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at dcurtis@sportingnews.com.more>>

Sporting News staff reports Arizona QB Nick Foles, nose tackle Jurrell Casey of USC and punter Bryan Anger of California have been named Pac-10 players of the week. Foles completed 40 of 51 passes (.784) for a career-high 415 yards and three touchdowns of 43, 11 and 1 yard, with no interceptions in the win over Stanford. The 40 completions are the second-highest single-game total in Arizona history. Casey played a leading role in USC's... 34-27 win at No. 25-ranked Notre Dame with a game-high 10 tackles, including one tackle for loss, and forced a fumble. Anger averaged 50.0 yards on seven punts, with four of the seven punts traveling 50-plus yards, with a long boot of 72 yards.  more>>

Each week, Sporting News' Matt Hayes ranks the Division I-A conferences—and the teams within each league. 2. Pac-10 1. USC 2. Oregon 3. Arizona 4. Oregon State 5. California 6. Stanford 7. Arizona State 8. Washington 9. UCLA 10. Washington State Rising Arizona: Wildcats have become the epitome of the Pac-10 (outside USC) reputation: last team with the ball wins. Why knock it? They're in the BCS rankings for first time under coach Mike Stoops. Falling UCLA: First it was... struggles on offense, then a stout defense caved last weekend vs. Cal. Lack of consistency has pushed UCLA back to the lower half of the league.more>>

The first BCS standings are out and that can mean only one thing: let the sweet symphony of complaining begin. Four surprises from Week 1's standings: No. 2 Alabama: The Nicktator will find out who kept his Tide and No. 2, and heaven help them. No. 4 Boise State: Highest ranking for a non-BCS team—and one of five non-BCS teams in the standings. No. 7 USC: Computer polls don't like USC, the highest-ranked one-loss team. No. 22 Arizona: Two-loss Cats are ranked 37th (Harris) and 40th (coaches)... by human polls but a lot higher by geeks with slide rules. Matt Hayes covers college football for Sporting News. E-mail him at mhayes@sportingnews.com.more>>

Each week, Sporting News' Matt Hayes ranks the Division I-A conferences—and the teams within each league. Conf. rankings No. 1 SEC No. 2 Big 12 No. 3 Pac-10 No. 4 ACC No. 5 Big Ten No. 6 Big East Nos. 7-11 3. Pac-10 1. Oregon 2. USC 3. Oregon... State 4. Stanford 5. Washington 6. Cal 7. Arizona 8. UCLA 9. Arizona State 10. Washington State Rising Oregon State. Haven't we seen this movie before? Beavers struggle to begin the season before taking down a Pac-10 leader (Stanford last week) on the way to another strong—eight or nine wins—finish. Falling UCLA. The situation at quarterback is an absolute mess no matter who plays. In 17 games under coach Rick Neuheisel, Bruins quarterbacks have thrown 26 interceptions against 11 touchdown passes. Matt Hayes covers college football for Sporting News. E-mail him at mhayes@sportingnews.com.more>>

Dave Curtis Washington, winless a year ago, has become a much-watched team in 2009 thanks to some of the season's craziest finishes. The Huskies' trend continued Saturday night, when linebacker Mason Foster intercepted a pass off an Arizona receiver's foot with less than three minutes to play. He returned the pick for 40 yards to the end zone, the deciding points in a 36-33 UW victory. The whole thing came after 1:30 a.m. Sunday on the... East Coast. Here's some inside perspective on the big play: The huddle Arizona had dominated the second half, building a 33-21 lead and closing in on a key Pac-10 road win. Huskies QB Jake Locker hit Kavario Middleton for a touchdown with 2:55 left, and UW needed a defensive stand to give its offense a last crack at victory. Mason Foster said he wanted to make something happen. Cats quarterback Nick Foles had looked good all day, completing 35-of-46 passes for 357 yards until that point. Still, Washington, which had scored on defense in its last two games, talked of making more magic. "I told (UW linebacker) Donald (Butler) before the play, 'Let's make something happen,' " Foster told reporters in Seattle on Saturday. "Do something crazy." The line of scrimmage For a kill-the-clock situation, the Wildcats' trips-right formation seemed a bit strange. But Washington wasn't fooled – the Huskies suspecting pass after holding Arizona to 75 rushing yards on 28 carries to that point. UW cornerback Desmond Trufant told Sporting News on Sunday that the Huskies lined up in cover-3 on the play, which brings the linebackers underneath to guard against a short pass or draw. Foster was a step ahead of even that and smelled a bubble screen. "We had stuffed their run plays, and that was their go-to play all game," he said Saturday night. "So I was kind of sitting on it." The play Foles takes a shotgun snap and spins right – sure enough, it's a screen. Foster, who lined outside the right tackle, darted between Foles and intended receiver Delashaun Dean. Foles pump faked, then tried to hit Dean further upfield. But Dean lost his balance trying to catch a poor throw, and as he fell to the ground, the spiral ricocheted off his right foot and into Foster's tummy. "I thought it was incomplete," Trufant said. "And then the ball somehow just flies in the air. He just caught it and started running." With a bevy of Huskies, including Coach Steve Sarkisian, doing their best third-base coach imitations, Foster sprinted down the sideline untouched for 37 yards. As television replays rolled, Fox Sports play-by-play man Tim Glasgow deemed the play "Immaculate Reception variety." Perhaps defensive lineman Daniel Te'o-Nesheim provided the most appropriate description. "The only thing I can say," he told reporters in Seattle, "is that it was just Mason being awesome." Related Links What we learned: Tebow has done it all Sporting News' top 25 The hangover cure: Week 6 The aftermath Foster's play stood after a replay review, and the ensuing two-point conversion gave UW 15 points in 18 seconds. The Husky Stadium crowd noise reached USC-upset decibel levels. But 2:37 remained, and Arizona would rally to drive into Washington territory. Then Trufant snagged an interception, the first of the true freshman's college career, to ice the win. The victory, he said, counts as another early step in a so-far exciting revival in the Northwest. "It's been great, this season," Trufant said. "We couldn't ask for anything more." Dave Curtis is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at dcurtis@sportingnews.com.more>>

Each week, Sporting News' Matt Hayes ranks the Division I-A conferences—and the teams within each league. Conf. rankings No. 1 SEC No. 2 Big 12 No. 3 ACC No. 4 Big Ten No. 5 Pac-10 No. 6 Big East Nos. 7-11 5. Pac-10 1. Oregon 2. USC 3.... Stanford 4. Arizona 5. Washington 6. UCLA 7. Oregon State 8. California 9. Arizona State 10. Washington State Rising Stanford. Jim Harbaugh has completely changed the culture of the program from a finesse team hoping to stay close to a physical team looking to punish. Yeah, that $70K bathroom was worth it. Falling Arizona State. Sun Devils offense can't find a groove and can't help an underrated defense stay off the field. Teams don't win games with a quarterback completing 51 percent of his passes.  more>>

Conf. rankings No. 1 SEC No. 2 Big 12 No. 3 ACC No. 4 Big Ten No. 5 Pac-10 No. 6 Big East No. 7 Mountain West No. 8 C-USA No. 9 WAC No. 10 MAC ... No. 11 Sun Belt Each week, Sporting News' Matt Hayes ranked the Division I-A conferences—and the teams within each league. 5. Pac-10 1. Oregon 2. Stanford 3. USC 4. California 5. UCLA 6. Arizona State 7. Arizona 8. Washington 9. Oregon State 10. Washington State Rising Oregon. Ducks destroyed the league's No.2 defense (Cal), and sent a not-so-subtle message to the rest of the Pac-10: the Week 1 debacle against Boise State is history. Good luck stopping dynamic QB Jeremiah Masoli. Falling California. As bad as it looked for the Bears against Oregon, they must refocus and embrace a very winnable game against USC in Berkeley. Another loss, and Cal – again – wilts under the hype of a potential big season.more>>

Each week, Sporting News' Matt Hayes ranks the Division I-A conferences—and the teams within each league. Conf. rankings No. 1 SEC No. 2 Big 12 No. 3 ACC No. 4 Pac-10 No. 5 Big Ten No. 6 Big East Nos. 7-11: Non-BCS 4. PAC-10 1. California 2.... Oregon 3. USC 4. UCLA 5. Oregon State 6. Washington 7. Arizona State 8. Stanford 9. Arizona 10. Washington State Rising Cal. Can't underestimate the mental value of traveling cross-country and winning in a tough environment at Minnesota, especially considering the results of the two previous cross-country trips for the Bears (blowout losses to Tennessee and Maryland). Falling USC. Trojans are extremely fortunate they're not 1-2 and in a deeper hole. Fortunately, there's Washington State this week before consecutive road games (Cal and Notre Dame) dictate the remainder of the season. Matt Hayes covers college football for Sporting News. E-mail him at mhayes@sportingnews.com.more>>