Arizona Bears Down On The Territorial Cup & Wins Pac 12 South

All the chips fell for the Arizona Wildcats today.

UCLA was upset at home by Stanford 31-10.

Nobody in Arizona Stadium knew that because Wildcat head coach Rich Rodriguez ordered that the score of that game not be shown on the stadium scoreboard.

All the focus was on Arizona State.

Then today at Arizona Stadium the Wildcats defeated arch rival Arizona State 42-35 to claim the Pac 12 South title.




“I didn’t know if this would happen in year three." Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez said.  "But I knew it could happen, otherwise I wouldn’t have come here."




Did you hear what Rich Rod said?  He told the players in the locker room the Wildcats may have three games left to play.

Rodriguez believes Arizona has an outside chance of breaking into the College Football Playoff.

But first thing's first.

Here we are, we’re where we want to be, playing for a Pac‐12 Championship."Rodriguez said. "Our goal every year is to win the Pac‐12 South and then win the Pac‐12 Championship. We don't talk about much after that because we don't know.”

Arizona State could never figure out Nick Wilson who was the top Cat on the field.  Wilson rushed for 178 yards and three touchdowns to lead the way to the Pac 12 Championship game for Arizona.

Southern California Survives In Tucson 28-26, Missed Last - Second Field Goal Dooms Wildcats

Southern California had a 21-6 lead mid-way through the third quarter.  Then the game was wild.

Arizona's Jared Baker would not be denied the end zone all three of his touchdowns in the second half.

Baker's third touchdown with just over a minute left in the fourth quarter had the Wildcats trailing by two.


Then Arizona recovered the on side kick.

Wildcat kicker Casey Skowron had a chance to win the game with a 36 yard field goal.  It was wide right.


"God’s got a plan, and we’re not exactly sure what his plan is for us yet but he is testing our will, leadership and character."  USC head coach Steve Sarkisian said.  "I couldn't be more proud of our team, just to continue to fight."

"Losing on the last play is not easy. "Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez said.  "We just didn't make a play at the end to win it."

Southern California should give it's game ball to running back Javorius Allen who rushed for 205 yards and three touchdowns.

Allen's third touchdown, a one yard run late in the third quarter to give the Trojans a 28-13 lead proved to be the game winner.

Arizona quarterback Anu Solomon put up some big numbers.  Soloman attempted 72 passes vs Southern California, completed 43 of his throws for 395 yards and a touchdown.

"Anu Solomon competed well."  Rodriguez said.  "Everyone says he struggles and doesn't make every play, but we put a lot on the guy. He didn't make all the big plays in the first half, but for a redshirt freshman playing in a big arena, Solomon has accounted for himself pretty well."

Maybe Oregon Should Stop Playing Arizona When They're Ranked (UPDATED W/Locker Room Reax)

((HT: Pac-12 Network))

You could see the signs early on...

Constant pressure in Marcus Mariota's face and keeping all the receiver activity in front of the secondary. In addition to that, the Arizona defense made sure that Mariota didn't get loose in his own and break off a big run.

Arizona traded punches with Oregon and won in Autzen Stadium- again...

Whaddya want to bet that folks ni Michigan are REALLY rueing the idea that Rich Rod ended up in Tucson and wasn't around in Ann Arbor for all this Brady Hoke mess...


Great strip and steal by Scooby Wright and:

WHAT IS UP WITH THOSE UNIFORMS???!!!

Yes, the HQ knows despite their hideousness, they will sell out and some of the proceeds will hopfully go to a great cause.

Here's the reaction in the Arizona locker room...
((HT: Arizona Wildcats their own selves))

Hail Mary Pass A Game Winner For Arizona

Arizona was down 28-6 at halftime to California at home.

Rich Rodriquez must of had a hell of a halftime speech.

“There wasn’t any panic at halftime,” Rodriguez said. “We’re in shape. I told the guys before the game that we were going to have to play for 60 minutes.”

Arizona outscored California 43-27 in the second half and that would have been a story however the way the game ended trumped all of that.

With the Wildcats down 43-45 on the games final play Anu Soloman, who threw for a school record 520 yards, threw the Hail Mary and Austin Hill caught it to win the game for Arizona 49-45.


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"Anu (Solomon) threw a great ball and I'm just happy I was able to make the
catch." Hill said.  "The whole time I was hoping that I wouldn't get bumped into or anyone land on top of me so I could secure the catch. It means a lot to me that I was able to secure the catch."

"Winning on a Hail Mary is so improbable." Arizona head coach Rich Rodriquez said.  "At first you are exhilarated and then you're thinking ‘how did that just happen?’ I'm so happy for Austin Hill who is a senior that bounced back. You're happy for Anu Solomon) who was off tonight, but kept battling and executed the last play. I'm happy for   the people who stayed and watched the game. It's a good day to be an Arizona Wildcat."

"We’re sorry we didn’t find a way to win the ball game tonight, but I told them it won’t ever happen again." California quarterback Sonny Dykes said.  "It is part of growing up, and getting a program turned around.”

Oh, by the way, it might have taken a Hail Mary, but Rich Rod is 4-0 at Arizona. Michigan isn't 4-0.
— Pete Fiutak (@PeteFiutak) September 21, 2014

NCAA Drops 10-Second Rule Proposal--For Now

((ht: usatoday.com))

So the Rich Rodriguez/Arizona/Speed video from Monday was for naught?



Damn!

The NCAA Football rules committee decided today (Thursday) they will not present a rules proposal to slow down the growing "Hurry-Up" offenses currently en vogue.

For those unaware of what we are talking about--said rule would require a minimum 10-seconds after a ball is placed down before it could be snapped.

And based on the vociferous reaction from an awful lot of coaches, the idea was not a good one. Not to say there weren't supporters, the biggest being Alabama head coach Nick Saban who's vaunted defenses have struggled against hurry-up teams.

Read the full story from USA Today RIGHT HERE

Note that the rule won't be formally presented THIS YEAR. There are a small percentage of coaches saying the hurry-up causes more injuries. There's been no legitimate proof of that. The majority seem to think it's the regular pace teams trying to get control of the game's pacing. And yes, the rule was designed for "No-Huddle" too.

We think you haven't heard the end of this debate, if for no other reason than that Saban is a primary proponent of it. Yes, Bret Bielema of Arkansas has gone on record--albeit awkwardly--to back up Saban, and that will be enough to keep it out there. Our guess is next year or when the "Power Schools" breakaway from the NCAA is the time you'll see this rule become the norm.

Rich Rodriguez's 10-Second Rule Speed Parody--Hilarious

((ht: cbssports.com))

Oh, this is priceless.

The creative sorts at the University of Arizona came up with a way to have their head football coach, Rich Rodriguez, voice is dislike of the proposed "10-second" rule in quite possibly the best way possible.

They dubbed over some lines and inserted Rich Rod into various scenes from the Movie speed.

For those of you unfamiliar with the 10-second rule, it's a proposal by College Football administrators to require at least 10-seconds between plays during the regular flow of a football game. Proponents argue it's to reduce injuries and allow defenses to substitute. Those who disagree, say the hurry-up is now part of the game, it doesn't change anything and allows offenses to stay ahead.

Either way, major props to Arizona for the video:

A Long Day For BC In Shreveport

((HT: Pac-12 Digital/ESPN))

The ACC is having their problems this year in bowl games- and they may have more tonight, depending on the level of motivation of JFF...

Ka'Deem Carey and the son of some guy named Griffey had a big day for RichRod and Arizona as they rolled Boston College in the Independence Bowl, 42-19...

Arizona never trailed and was up 42-6 in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats held BC's Andre Williams to only 75 yards, but that figure still has him as the 5th best all-time in NCAA history with 2,177 yards.

William Parks put a stomp on the game early with this 69-yard pick-6 to give Arizona a 14-6 lead and they never, really, looked back...

Ducks Lay an Egg: Arizona Stomps Oregon 42-16

Well, if you really wanted to still be taken seriously University of Oregon, this probably was not a good way to go about it.

The Ducks squared off with a feisty Arizona Wildcat squad Saturday afternoon, and Arizona sent them quacking with a 42-16 win. And while Oregon could arguably state they were blinded by the Arizona uniforms, that argument would be a wash considering some of the jersey's they sport their own selves.

Arizona kept the ball for 35 minutes and ran for 304 yards in their dismantling of a seemingly uninterested Oregon squad. Ka'deem Carey got 48 carries, ran for 206 yards and 4 Touchdown's to lead the Wildcats to the biggest win in the Rich Rodriguez era.

The win moves them to 7-4, 4-4 in the Pac 12, as for Oregon, they may have gagged away a potential Rose Bowl berth while dropping to 9-2, 6-2 in the Pac 12.

ESPN provides the highlights:

Strange But True: Arizona Promo Spot Includes Rich Rod and Mascot in Shower

((ht: coachingsearch.com))

This is sort of funny on one level, but entirely creepy on another.

The University of Arizona appears to have taken to a marketing campaign based on the famous "This is SportsCenter" ESPN commercials which often feature mascots.

And this piece posted by CoachingSearch.com, is a bit strange to us. It features Wildcats coach Rich Rodriguez arriving at his office for work and going to use his restroom only to find the Arizona's mascot Wilbur the Wildcat already in the bathroom--using his shower.

Disturbing.

More Coaches Gone Wild: Rich Rod and the Arizona Danceoff

((ht: biglead.com))

Yeah, so training camp is over. And the new "In" thing apparently is college football coaches starring in funny team videos.

On Friday, we posted a handful of videos ranging from pranks to belly flops and more.

And with that in mind, one we missed earlier.

Check out the University of Arizona football team and their end of camp "Dance Off". The highlight comes at the end of the video, when coach Rich Rodriguez tries...for a few seconds to compete.

The hilarity ensues...

Upset Saturday In Pac-12: Arizona Bears Down On USC

((HT: ESPN/Pac-12 Network))

The bottom line was that if you had Southern Cal WR Marquise Lee (like the HQ did) in your fantasy league picks, you had a good day...

16 catches for 345 yards and 2 scores as Matt Barkley went 31-for-49 for 493 yards in the air for three scores, but in a game that featured 1,206 yards of total offense it came down to a Hail Mary attempt to try and get the win in Tucson...

Here's the quick version of what happened...


So, four teams are now in play (if you include Arizona) in the Pac-12 South for the P12CG berth- when someone loses to the winner of Oregon-Oregon State.

The 9th-ranked team in the country is now looking from the outside for their Bee-Cee-Ess bid. But, hey, buck up little Trojan fan... there's always the Holiday Bowl...

Record-setting performances don't get you much if you don't get the duke...

Arizona Wins A Close One In OT In Rich Rod's Coaching Debut

It was a white knuckler but the Arizona Wildcats will take it defeated Toledo 24-17 in Tucson Saturday night in Rich Rodriguez’s debut as Arizona’s head coach.

“It was a good win, all of them are good.” Rodriguez said. “As coaches, we take the losses too hard and don’t enjoy the wins enough. I’m trying to enjoy the wins more.”

Here are highlights of win number 1 of the Rich Rod era.

Bear Down Rich Rod, You Now Lead The Arizona Wildcats

Rich Rodriguez was officially introduced Tuesday as the new head coach of the Arizona Wildcat.

Here's the presser from Tucson. (Thanks KVOA-TV)

REPORT: Return of Rich Rodriguez: Heading to Arizona

Rodriguez family with Arizona AD Greg Byrne

((cbssports.com/feldman))

**UPDATED**

It appears the University of Arizona may have found the successor to Mike Stoops.

Multiple reports, including CBSSports insider Bruce Feldman say Rich Rodriguez will be named the head coach in Tuscon sometime in the next 48 hours.

Rodriguez has been working at CBS Sports Net after being fired last season from the University of Michigan.

More when we know more.

**Was unable to post this last night**---Arizona AD Greg Byrne took an almost unprecedented approach in announcing the hire...he posted it on Twitter.

That post said: "And the new Arizona football coach and his family is...." and he posted a photo...of him with the Rodriguez family wearing Arizona hats.

Bravo Greg Byrne