Well, that was a football game people will be talking about all through this bye week, so let's jump right into it.
Football team
Many people want to know why head coach Rich Rodriguez did not take a final chance in regulation with Arizona backed up at its own 18-yard line and 41 seconds left.
Rodriguez was not satisfied with the field position and saw more risk in possibly turning the ball over on the wrong half of the field.
While it's debatable either way, it's tough to fault him for that decision - even when so many already have done so. This wasn't a matter of starting at his own 40 and having to do the same thing with the same amount of time to play.
Things to take into consideration:
* The offensive line was banged up to the point that left guard Chris Putton had moved around so much that the junior was even playing left tackle at one point. The line, which was already missing Trace Biskin (toe) and Kyle Quinn (ankle), both of whom did not make the trip, was not exactly doing the greatest job protecting quarterback Matt Scott but did an admirable job under the circumstances.
"You've got to give credit to them," sophomore running back Ka'Deem Carey said. "We're not with our full lineup up front."
A lot of those throws Scott was finding success in were short, quick passes, and the Wildcats were likely not going to produce enough yards in that span to the point that place-kicker John Bonano would be in range to attempt a potential game-winning field goal.
* That's the next thing - Bonano and the field goal unit. Even on the perfect drive down the field, it still would've come down to a kick to win the game. Yes, the senior was already 2 for 2 on the afternoon, but both were from inside 35 yards and the 'Cats would've had a tough time just getting it to around a 45-yard attempt with the Cardinal coverage dropped back.
This is only midway through my second season covering this program, but even I am aware of the troubles when it comes to field goals and Arizona. It's not even necessarily fair to place all of these struggles on Bonano. Looking at some of the kicks from past games on the DVR, there looks to be a lack of consistency - something - in the hold by Kyle Dugandzic, who also had the same job last season. Whatever it is, something is not 100 percent sound.
There are those that say it would've been tough to blame Rodriguez had he just tried and at least failed doing so. But we all know that is not true. It's a perfect case of damned if you, damned if you don't.
The conversation would have turned into: Why did he put trust in a kicker who has been inconsistent? Or, should Scott have turned it over, why did he not just take his chance in overtime? That short window of time to make a decision is over before you know it, and Rodriguez went with his gut and did not look back.
* And, oh by the way, Arizona had the first crack in overtime.
Instead of playing from their own 18 with time against them, the Wildcats had a fresh start from the 25 and got it inside the red zone, where they had converted all eight opportunities to that point. As a coach, he put those players in a spot to succeed and Scott made his only mistake all game, partly because the ball was tipped, after not making too many poor throws in his first 68 pass attempts.
"It was just unlucky that there happened to be three or four Stanford players right there under the ball," UA receiver Austin Hill said. "It could've gone any other way. It could've been batted any other direction. That was also one play that just went wrong."
It's tough to put it on Scott because asking him to go 46 for 69 as opposed to 45 of 69 is just simply asking too much. The guy broke the school records in both categories, posted 491 passing yards - 19 yards shy of tying another one of Willie Tuitama's single-game records - and has been limited in the running game. At the half, Scott was on pace for a mind-boggling 82 passing attempts.
Scott said he was unsure whether it was in the game plan to throw that often.
"At one point, I think we could've thrown a little more, maybe," Scott said.
When asked about his quarterback's final passing numbers, Rodriguez replied, "Did he? Oh. Just trying to get a first down, trying to score. I didn't even realize that. That's a lot of throws.
"He'll be all right. They've got ice for his arm."
* Which leads to the game should have never got to that point, and everybody in that Arizona locker room knows it. Nobody after the game would take the media's bait when asked if 48 points on the road should have been enough to win, but it should have been enough to win.
With a two-touchdown lead and less than seven minutes to play, the defense had chance after chance to get one final stop on a third- or fourth-down conversion opportunity. Against the quarterback with the worst passer efficiency rating in the Pac-12 Conference, the Wildcats' defense made Josh Nunes look like a star - and, to his credit, he displayed plenty of poise and put the Cardinal on his back at key moments.
"That's what's disappointing," UA linebacker Jake Fischer said of the multiple opportunities to close the deal.
For as much as the UA offense had its way, the Stanford offense produced an identical 617 yards of total offense. Add up the last three losses, and the Wildcats have allowed 1,725 yards (575 per game) and it was the No. 2 team in the nation, Oregon, that surprisingly gained a mere 495 yards in that stretch.
Welcome back to reality, Arizona's defense.
"But we're going to go back to work, and there's no quit in any of our guys," Fischer said. "So we're going to come back and we're going to try to beat the hell out of whoever we play next."
* Even when the UA offense did get the ball back while clinging to a seven-point lead, the Stanford defense forced a critical three-and-out against a unit that pretty much had its way to that point in the second half. One conversion takes some more time off the clock and anything beyond that likely gives Stanford too little time to force overtime.
"I've been in some high-scoring games before. It's disappointing," Rodriguez said. "But had the offense made another play at the end, we wouldn't have had to go down to the last drive.
"It's a team deal all the way around. Nobody's happy right now and they shouldn't be. But I'm proud of their effort, proud of the way they battled, and we've just got to go and try to get better."
Added Carey: "One more play. That's all we had to make was one more play, and we didn't make it so we came up on the short side."
* The explanation not many people seem to point to, however, is the number of injuries this team had to overcome just to even be in position to lead in the fourth quarter, on the road against the 18th-best team in the country. Pick a player, especially on defense, and he went down for at least brief moment. Fischer, Marquis Flowers, Tra'Mayne Bondurant, Kirifi Taula - all banged up.
That doesn't include the fact that backup nose tackle Tevin Hood had his ankle drained, or that both Jared Tevis and Dominique Austin were sidelined and left in Tucson, altogether, with Biskin and Quinn. Aside from maybe Fischer, Tevis is the team's best player on defense, after all.
"It wasn't that it was so physically tough," Fischer, barely moving his battered left shoulder, said of the contest. "It's just - we had so many players beat up already and we don't have the depth that we would like."
As for his own bum shoulder, Fischer added: "I'm not going to really talk about that. I just wanted to stay out there with my team. I wanted to fight with them because they were fighting for me."
It was a bit of fool's gold at the start of the season, only because they were at least healthy, and now the lack of depth that Rodriguez has mentioned for months is finally starting to catch up to the Wildcats. It's one thing to look decent for three quarters, but it's tough to finish games when you do not have the legs or bodies to do so.
Stanford ran 45 more plays in the second half, when it racked up 425 of its total yards. Hardly a coincidence, and not a recipe for winning games. But one stop is not too much to ask for.
Yet, all Rodriguez can do is throw his hands up in the air because he said that he cannot blame the effort - and he's right when you look at the size of Stanford compared to the MASH unit that has become the Wildcats' depth chart.
"We've got to get healthy," Rodriguez said. "We needed an open week about a month ago. I'd like to have four open weeks, as banged up as we are.
"We were thin from the get-go. It's ridiculous how razor thin we are, but whoever's in there is expected to compete and perform. I thought the guys that went in there battled."
Translation: Thanks a lot, Mike Stoops.
* Ultimately, it's a case of what have you done for me lately? Very few people had sky high expectations for this team and an unexpected 3-0 start quickly changed that. It's very understandable.
But it's tough to be surprised when things eventually start to even out. To paraphrase former Arizona Cardinals head coach Denny Green's infamous line: The Wildcats are starting to slowly turn into who we thought they were.
Realistically, most people would have been satisfied with a competitive team that finishes somewhere around .500. Guess what? That still just might happen, and Arizona has really only played a collective quarter-and-a-half of uncompetitive football this season.
Did the game slip away, much like last week? Yes.
Does everybody deserve a slice of the blame? Yes.
But it's tough to point the finger solely on Rodriguez's one decision with 41 seconds left in regulation - regardless of whether it was right or wrong.
* The adjustment nobody is talking about
Rodriguez's decision to play Johnny Jackson in the slot more over Richard Morrison was all but forgotten by the final whistle.
Nine of Jackson's 10 catches and 67 of his 75 yards were amassed by halftime, which led the team at the break.
As we said in last week's War Room, the staff knew it had to play Jackson more and that game plan does not look like it's changing any time soon.
* By The Numbers: Arizona at No. 18 Stanford
10 - Rushing touchdowns by UA running back Ka'Deem Carey to lead the Pac-12
13 - Total kick return yards by Arizona, as Stanford booted it into the end zone each time except for the final kick of regulation, which was returned to the 18 by Daniel Jenkins
200 - All-purpose yards for Carey against the Cardinal
205 - Combined receiving yards for Stanford tight ends Levine Toilolo and Zach Ertz
494 - Total plays now this season against the Arizona defense to lead the nation, edging Marshall by five snaps
Basketball team
While last week's workout gave us an idea of what this year's team looks like on the floor together, players like T.J. McConnell and Matt Korcheck also participated as they are allowed to, per NCAA rules.
McConnell is one of those guys that everybody loves to play with because of his unselfishness. He does not care about scoring, although he can shoot when he needs to, and he is everything the Wildcats need in a point guard.
On defense, McConnell's presence will only add to the competitive backcourt and the knack it has on that end of the floor
Meanwhile, Korcheck is pure strength and hustle, plus he has a nice touch on his jump hook. Korcheck could be one of those glue guys that those championship teams each seem to have.
Now, here's Matt Moreno's recruiting breakdown for the week:
Football recruiting
With Arizona's bye week coming up, the coaching staff will have some time to work on making the necessary adjustments for the second half of the season, but it will also have a chance to take a better look at recruiting for the upcoming classes. Because much of the focus this season has been on getting the current Wildcats ready to play each week, the staff has had to balance both things and this week gives it a chance to put a little more focus on the future of the program.
* When it comes to recruiting there haven't been any commitments recently, and that might not change for a little while longer. But that's not to say the wheels aren't turning on the future of the program. As of now it's best not to worry about the scholarship situation in the 2013 class despite the 'Cats already holding commitments from 25 prospects.
Right now the plan is to take two more prospects in the class of 2013 - with a possibility of one more - between now and National Signing Day.
There are a handful of targets UA continues to be involved with, but the biggest thing to remember about whomever the 'Cats do add is that they won't be run-of-the-mill prospects. The Wildcats are only planning to add difference-makers for those last spots.
Now, of course, the meaning of difference-makers to those outside the program and to those inside the program could differ, but in this case the meaning is probably similar for both groups.
As for who to keep an eye on and who could potentially be those difference-makers UA adds to the class, here's an idea of who those recruits are.
* Elijah Qualls, Dashon Hunt, T.J. Johnson, Mario Alford (Georgia Military College), Trenton Brown (GMC), and Brandon Golson (GMC) are a few of the names.
The three prospects from GMC (Alford, Brown and Golson) are planning to make their visits later this season for the Wildcats' game against USC. Ole Miss is the school sticking out to Alford right now and Brown is considered a Florida lean. However, getting them on official visits and on campus in Tucson could certainly have an effect on their recruitments.
UA is planning to head to Milledgeville, Ga., this week to check in on the Wildcat recruits.
"It's pretty good with Arizona because I believe I would fit in with their offense," Alford told GOAZCATS.com. "I still haven't made up my mind yet as far as where I think I fit in the most, so I still have a good amount of time to think about it before I make a decision."
As for Qualls, we spoke with him Friday night in Petaluma, Calif., about his recruitment and he said his plan right now is to take his official visit to UA after the season. At this point, Qualls feels his commitment to Washington is still firm, but he is definitely open to checking out his other options.
With the way things appear to be headed, I feel confident in saying that it doesn't look good for UW to hold onto the four-star defensive tackle recruit. UA is just one of the programs Qualls is looking at right now, but if it heads down that road the Wildcats' chances of landing the big-time prospect would definitely increase.
It doesn't sound like Qualls is close to making that decision yet, but it wouldn't surprise me in the least to see him sign with a program other than Washington on National Signing Day.
Here is our full video interview with Qualls after his team from Petaluma (Calif.) Casa Grande won its game 35-10 Friday night.
While Qualls is planning to take his official visit to UA after the season, it's looking more and more like Hunt will make his trip to Tucson later this season. Hunt told GOAZCATS.com this weekend that it's looking like the regular-season finale against Arizona State will be the game he attends.
That date hasn't been set in stone, but that is what he has discussed with the staff. The four-star, Rivals250 prospect made no secret that having a good visit could be important to his future plans.
"I just like how the coaches are," Hunt told GOAZCATS.com this weekend. "I think all the coaches are really great guys, people who have talked with them and people who are committed there tell me. I just want to see it firsthand and see what they're all about in person."
Hunt is a recruit UA would definitely take, so getting him on campus is the next big step in his recruitment. The cornerback recruit said his decision will "come down to the wire" so don't expect this thing to be over any time soon.
Johnson is another recruit UA will continue to pursue. The three-star all-purpose back from Florida is another prospect who will take his official visit this season. Co-offensive coordinator Calvin Magee is expected to be in attendance during the bye week for Johnson's game Friday night.
Normal (Ill.) Normal Community offensive tackle Randy Heideman and Cerritos (Calif.) Gahr safety Patrick Enewally are two other names to keep an eye on moving forward in the 2013 class.
The current crop of UA commits continues to go through its final year of high school ball, and many of those prospects are on teams who are competing for playoff positioning and are really in a good spot when it comes to competing for championships.
This week was no different as there were plenty of important matchups involving UA commits. Here is our weekly rundown of the notable games and performances by future Wildcats from Friday night.
Pierre Cormier and Lee Walker: It was a nice day all around for the two UA commits from San Diego (Calif.) Madison Friday night. But the night belonged to the Walker as the UA athlete pledge reached the end zone three times in a 42-20 win over San Diego (Calif.) Mission Bay.
Walker led the team in receiving with six catches for 106 yards, with his longest reception being 25 yards. The 2013 recruit now has seven receiving touchdowns this season.
While Walker was having his big night, the Wildcats' running back commit wasn't too bad himself, either. Cormier finished the night with 142 rushing yards, which included a 50-yard scamper. The three-star prospect also scored a touchdown in his team's big win.
2014 UA target Michael Garner also had a big night as he had a couple of touchdowns of his own in the victory.
Paul Elvira and Mauriece Lee: Another set of future UA teammates, Elvira and Lee's squad from Tempe (Ariz.) Marcos de Niza had another nice outing Friday night in a 49-7 victory over Gilbert, Ariz. It was a team effort, but Elvira had himself another nice night as the UA receiver commit pulled in two more touchdown passes to help the Padres earn such a big win.
Elvira finished the game with seven catches for 147 yards. The 2013 commit is closing in on 1,000 yards receiving as he now has 887 on the season to go along with 10 touchdown grabs for Marcos de Niza this year.
2014 UA defensive back recruit Dominique Fenstermacher intercepted two passes in the win to go along with five tackles for the Padres.
Samajie Grant: The UA commit has been moved around a bit this season at Ontario (Calif.) Colony but he has remained consistent with his production. It continued Friday night as the Wildcat pledge scored a couple of touchdowns - including an 87-yard rushing score - to help give his team a 57-34 win over Chino (Calif.) Don Lugo.
Grant also caught a 40-yard touchdown pass in the big win.
Zachary Green: The three-star UA running back commit has had a very productive season for Ventura (Calif.) St. Bonaventure and it continued over the weekend. Green scored an 84-yard rushing touchdown on the Seraphs' first play from scrimmage and the team never relinquished its lead on the way to a 42-0 win over Simi Valley, Calif.
The future Wildcat also added another rushing touchdown late in the game for St. Bonaventure. In the end, Green racked up 170 yards on the ground for his team on eight carries in the team's sixth win of the season.
Nate Phillips: Like Elvira, the UA receiver commit has been a standout for his team this season when it comes to catching the ball. It was no different Friday night for Phillips and his team from Chandler (Ariz.) Basha, but the Bears came out on the losing end of a 48-28 contest with Mesa (Ariz.) Desert Ridge.
Phillips finished the contest with two receiving touchdowns, coming from 14 and 27 yards out, respectively. It was another 100-yard game for the future Wildcat as he caught seven passes for 107 yards in the loss. His longest reception in the game came from 27 yards out.
Anu Solomon: The UA four-star quarterback commit and his team from Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman have been rolling this season, as of late, and it continued Friday night with a 54-0 win over Las Vegas (Nev.) Cimarron. In the win Solomon completed nine of his 11 pass attempts for 150 yards and two touchdowns.
Solomon's two passing touchdowns came on plays of 6 and 50 yards, respectively, and both came in the first quarter.
2014 UA running back target Nathan Starks had nine carries for 76 yards in the win. He had two rushing touchdowns in the game.
Tommy Woodson: Despite having two of the more impressive signal callers on each side Friday night, the contest between Monroeville (Pa.) Gateway and Wexford (Pa.) North Allegheny came down to who could run the ball better. The UA commit played OK for Gateway, but he couldn't find the end zone in a 14-3 loss.
Woodson finished the game by completing 10 of his 22 passes for 127 yards in the loss. It was the first loss for Gateway this season, which moved to 5-1 on the year.
Basketball recruiting
UA's annual Red-Blue game is quickly approaching and the visitor list for that game has already begun to take shape - and is it ever impressive.
Here's a look at who is expected to attend the Oct. 21 scrimmage, which is shaping up to be a huge recruiting weekend for the Wildcats.
* We'll start with the 2013 class since that is the current recruiting class the 'Cats are working on at the moment. The Wildcats have two commitments already in the current recruiting class with three-star guard Elliott Pitts from Concord (Calif.) De La Salle and five-star wing Rondae Jefferson from Chester, Pa.
Both are expected to take unofficial visits to UA for the Red-Blue game, and with Pitts' ties to the Bay Area he is sure to try and get another Northern California recruit to join the Wildcats' class while at Red-Blue.
That's because five-star prospect Aaron Gordon from San Jose (Calif.) Archbishop Mitty will be taking his official visit to UA during that weekend. Gordon continues to look at all of his options, but his official visit could potentially have a big impact on the future of his recruitment.
* With the 2013 class well on its way to being completed, why not bring out some of the top members of the 2014 class as well during the big recruiting weekend for the 'Cats? UA has invited four-star point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright and five-star wings Stanley Johnson and Justise Winslow out for unofficial visits during the Red-Blue weekend.
The trio of prospects is very high on the list for UA in the class, so having them all on unofficial visits at the same time could be huge for the future of those recruitments. All three have visited Tucson before on unofficial visits, but there is always more to see - especially with school now in session.
Jackson-Cartwright and Johnson both saw campus during the summer after the July evaluation period was over but prior to classes starting at UA.
* 2015 point guard prospect Isaiah Briscoe is also expected to attend UA's Red-Blue game on an unofficial visit. The Newark (N.J.) St. Benedict standout has been wanting to get out on a trip to Tucson for quite some time.
Briscoe is a big-time talent who has confidence, but can back it up with his play. At this point it seems like it will be a difficult task to pull him away from the East Coast, but getting him out on a visit is big for the future of his recruitment - much like the other prospects.
As you can see the Wildcats are not messing around when it comes to visitors for the contest. Along with the current commits, all of these prospects expected to attend the game are high-priority recruits for the 'Cats.
It will be interesting to see how this scrimmage plays into the recruitments of the prospects, because - as you may remember - the Red-Blue game played a part in current freshman big man Kaleb Tarczewski's recruitment last year.
Time will tell, but it is sure to be a big weekend for the 'Cats.[/B]
Football team
Many people want to know why head coach Rich Rodriguez did not take a final chance in regulation with Arizona backed up at its own 18-yard line and 41 seconds left.
Rodriguez was not satisfied with the field position and saw more risk in possibly turning the ball over on the wrong half of the field.
While it's debatable either way, it's tough to fault him for that decision - even when so many already have done so. This wasn't a matter of starting at his own 40 and having to do the same thing with the same amount of time to play.
Things to take into consideration:
* The offensive line was banged up to the point that left guard Chris Putton had moved around so much that the junior was even playing left tackle at one point. The line, which was already missing Trace Biskin (toe) and Kyle Quinn (ankle), both of whom did not make the trip, was not exactly doing the greatest job protecting quarterback Matt Scott but did an admirable job under the circumstances.
"You've got to give credit to them," sophomore running back Ka'Deem Carey said. "We're not with our full lineup up front."
A lot of those throws Scott was finding success in were short, quick passes, and the Wildcats were likely not going to produce enough yards in that span to the point that place-kicker John Bonano would be in range to attempt a potential game-winning field goal.
* That's the next thing - Bonano and the field goal unit. Even on the perfect drive down the field, it still would've come down to a kick to win the game. Yes, the senior was already 2 for 2 on the afternoon, but both were from inside 35 yards and the 'Cats would've had a tough time just getting it to around a 45-yard attempt with the Cardinal coverage dropped back.
This is only midway through my second season covering this program, but even I am aware of the troubles when it comes to field goals and Arizona. It's not even necessarily fair to place all of these struggles on Bonano. Looking at some of the kicks from past games on the DVR, there looks to be a lack of consistency - something - in the hold by Kyle Dugandzic, who also had the same job last season. Whatever it is, something is not 100 percent sound.
There are those that say it would've been tough to blame Rodriguez had he just tried and at least failed doing so. But we all know that is not true. It's a perfect case of damned if you, damned if you don't.
The conversation would have turned into: Why did he put trust in a kicker who has been inconsistent? Or, should Scott have turned it over, why did he not just take his chance in overtime? That short window of time to make a decision is over before you know it, and Rodriguez went with his gut and did not look back.
* And, oh by the way, Arizona had the first crack in overtime.
Instead of playing from their own 18 with time against them, the Wildcats had a fresh start from the 25 and got it inside the red zone, where they had converted all eight opportunities to that point. As a coach, he put those players in a spot to succeed and Scott made his only mistake all game, partly because the ball was tipped, after not making too many poor throws in his first 68 pass attempts.
"It was just unlucky that there happened to be three or four Stanford players right there under the ball," UA receiver Austin Hill said. "It could've gone any other way. It could've been batted any other direction. That was also one play that just went wrong."
It's tough to put it on Scott because asking him to go 46 for 69 as opposed to 45 of 69 is just simply asking too much. The guy broke the school records in both categories, posted 491 passing yards - 19 yards shy of tying another one of Willie Tuitama's single-game records - and has been limited in the running game. At the half, Scott was on pace for a mind-boggling 82 passing attempts.
Scott said he was unsure whether it was in the game plan to throw that often.
"At one point, I think we could've thrown a little more, maybe," Scott said.
When asked about his quarterback's final passing numbers, Rodriguez replied, "Did he? Oh. Just trying to get a first down, trying to score. I didn't even realize that. That's a lot of throws.
"He'll be all right. They've got ice for his arm."
* Which leads to the game should have never got to that point, and everybody in that Arizona locker room knows it. Nobody after the game would take the media's bait when asked if 48 points on the road should have been enough to win, but it should have been enough to win.
With a two-touchdown lead and less than seven minutes to play, the defense had chance after chance to get one final stop on a third- or fourth-down conversion opportunity. Against the quarterback with the worst passer efficiency rating in the Pac-12 Conference, the Wildcats' defense made Josh Nunes look like a star - and, to his credit, he displayed plenty of poise and put the Cardinal on his back at key moments.
"That's what's disappointing," UA linebacker Jake Fischer said of the multiple opportunities to close the deal.
For as much as the UA offense had its way, the Stanford offense produced an identical 617 yards of total offense. Add up the last three losses, and the Wildcats have allowed 1,725 yards (575 per game) and it was the No. 2 team in the nation, Oregon, that surprisingly gained a mere 495 yards in that stretch.
Welcome back to reality, Arizona's defense.
"But we're going to go back to work, and there's no quit in any of our guys," Fischer said. "So we're going to come back and we're going to try to beat the hell out of whoever we play next."
* Even when the UA offense did get the ball back while clinging to a seven-point lead, the Stanford defense forced a critical three-and-out against a unit that pretty much had its way to that point in the second half. One conversion takes some more time off the clock and anything beyond that likely gives Stanford too little time to force overtime.
"I've been in some high-scoring games before. It's disappointing," Rodriguez said. "But had the offense made another play at the end, we wouldn't have had to go down to the last drive.
"It's a team deal all the way around. Nobody's happy right now and they shouldn't be. But I'm proud of their effort, proud of the way they battled, and we've just got to go and try to get better."
Added Carey: "One more play. That's all we had to make was one more play, and we didn't make it so we came up on the short side."
* The explanation not many people seem to point to, however, is the number of injuries this team had to overcome just to even be in position to lead in the fourth quarter, on the road against the 18th-best team in the country. Pick a player, especially on defense, and he went down for at least brief moment. Fischer, Marquis Flowers, Tra'Mayne Bondurant, Kirifi Taula - all banged up.
That doesn't include the fact that backup nose tackle Tevin Hood had his ankle drained, or that both Jared Tevis and Dominique Austin were sidelined and left in Tucson, altogether, with Biskin and Quinn. Aside from maybe Fischer, Tevis is the team's best player on defense, after all.
"It wasn't that it was so physically tough," Fischer, barely moving his battered left shoulder, said of the contest. "It's just - we had so many players beat up already and we don't have the depth that we would like."
As for his own bum shoulder, Fischer added: "I'm not going to really talk about that. I just wanted to stay out there with my team. I wanted to fight with them because they were fighting for me."
It was a bit of fool's gold at the start of the season, only because they were at least healthy, and now the lack of depth that Rodriguez has mentioned for months is finally starting to catch up to the Wildcats. It's one thing to look decent for three quarters, but it's tough to finish games when you do not have the legs or bodies to do so.
Stanford ran 45 more plays in the second half, when it racked up 425 of its total yards. Hardly a coincidence, and not a recipe for winning games. But one stop is not too much to ask for.
Yet, all Rodriguez can do is throw his hands up in the air because he said that he cannot blame the effort - and he's right when you look at the size of Stanford compared to the MASH unit that has become the Wildcats' depth chart.
"We've got to get healthy," Rodriguez said. "We needed an open week about a month ago. I'd like to have four open weeks, as banged up as we are.
"We were thin from the get-go. It's ridiculous how razor thin we are, but whoever's in there is expected to compete and perform. I thought the guys that went in there battled."
Translation: Thanks a lot, Mike Stoops.
* Ultimately, it's a case of what have you done for me lately? Very few people had sky high expectations for this team and an unexpected 3-0 start quickly changed that. It's very understandable.
But it's tough to be surprised when things eventually start to even out. To paraphrase former Arizona Cardinals head coach Denny Green's infamous line: The Wildcats are starting to slowly turn into who we thought they were.
Realistically, most people would have been satisfied with a competitive team that finishes somewhere around .500. Guess what? That still just might happen, and Arizona has really only played a collective quarter-and-a-half of uncompetitive football this season.
Did the game slip away, much like last week? Yes.
Does everybody deserve a slice of the blame? Yes.
But it's tough to point the finger solely on Rodriguez's one decision with 41 seconds left in regulation - regardless of whether it was right or wrong.
* The adjustment nobody is talking about
Rodriguez's decision to play Johnny Jackson in the slot more over Richard Morrison was all but forgotten by the final whistle.
Nine of Jackson's 10 catches and 67 of his 75 yards were amassed by halftime, which led the team at the break.
As we said in last week's War Room, the staff knew it had to play Jackson more and that game plan does not look like it's changing any time soon.
* By The Numbers: Arizona at No. 18 Stanford
10 - Rushing touchdowns by UA running back Ka'Deem Carey to lead the Pac-12
13 - Total kick return yards by Arizona, as Stanford booted it into the end zone each time except for the final kick of regulation, which was returned to the 18 by Daniel Jenkins
200 - All-purpose yards for Carey against the Cardinal
205 - Combined receiving yards for Stanford tight ends Levine Toilolo and Zach Ertz
494 - Total plays now this season against the Arizona defense to lead the nation, edging Marshall by five snaps
Basketball team
While last week's workout gave us an idea of what this year's team looks like on the floor together, players like T.J. McConnell and Matt Korcheck also participated as they are allowed to, per NCAA rules.
McConnell is one of those guys that everybody loves to play with because of his unselfishness. He does not care about scoring, although he can shoot when he needs to, and he is everything the Wildcats need in a point guard.
On defense, McConnell's presence will only add to the competitive backcourt and the knack it has on that end of the floor
Meanwhile, Korcheck is pure strength and hustle, plus he has a nice touch on his jump hook. Korcheck could be one of those glue guys that those championship teams each seem to have.
Now, here's Matt Moreno's recruiting breakdown for the week:
Football recruiting
With Arizona's bye week coming up, the coaching staff will have some time to work on making the necessary adjustments for the second half of the season, but it will also have a chance to take a better look at recruiting for the upcoming classes. Because much of the focus this season has been on getting the current Wildcats ready to play each week, the staff has had to balance both things and this week gives it a chance to put a little more focus on the future of the program.
* When it comes to recruiting there haven't been any commitments recently, and that might not change for a little while longer. But that's not to say the wheels aren't turning on the future of the program. As of now it's best not to worry about the scholarship situation in the 2013 class despite the 'Cats already holding commitments from 25 prospects.
Right now the plan is to take two more prospects in the class of 2013 - with a possibility of one more - between now and National Signing Day.
There are a handful of targets UA continues to be involved with, but the biggest thing to remember about whomever the 'Cats do add is that they won't be run-of-the-mill prospects. The Wildcats are only planning to add difference-makers for those last spots.
Now, of course, the meaning of difference-makers to those outside the program and to those inside the program could differ, but in this case the meaning is probably similar for both groups.
As for who to keep an eye on and who could potentially be those difference-makers UA adds to the class, here's an idea of who those recruits are.
* Elijah Qualls, Dashon Hunt, T.J. Johnson, Mario Alford (Georgia Military College), Trenton Brown (GMC), and Brandon Golson (GMC) are a few of the names.
The three prospects from GMC (Alford, Brown and Golson) are planning to make their visits later this season for the Wildcats' game against USC. Ole Miss is the school sticking out to Alford right now and Brown is considered a Florida lean. However, getting them on official visits and on campus in Tucson could certainly have an effect on their recruitments.
UA is planning to head to Milledgeville, Ga., this week to check in on the Wildcat recruits.
"It's pretty good with Arizona because I believe I would fit in with their offense," Alford told GOAZCATS.com. "I still haven't made up my mind yet as far as where I think I fit in the most, so I still have a good amount of time to think about it before I make a decision."
As for Qualls, we spoke with him Friday night in Petaluma, Calif., about his recruitment and he said his plan right now is to take his official visit to UA after the season. At this point, Qualls feels his commitment to Washington is still firm, but he is definitely open to checking out his other options.
With the way things appear to be headed, I feel confident in saying that it doesn't look good for UW to hold onto the four-star defensive tackle recruit. UA is just one of the programs Qualls is looking at right now, but if it heads down that road the Wildcats' chances of landing the big-time prospect would definitely increase.
It doesn't sound like Qualls is close to making that decision yet, but it wouldn't surprise me in the least to see him sign with a program other than Washington on National Signing Day.
Here is our full video interview with Qualls after his team from Petaluma (Calif.) Casa Grande won its game 35-10 Friday night.
While Qualls is planning to take his official visit to UA after the season, it's looking more and more like Hunt will make his trip to Tucson later this season. Hunt told GOAZCATS.com this weekend that it's looking like the regular-season finale against Arizona State will be the game he attends.
That date hasn't been set in stone, but that is what he has discussed with the staff. The four-star, Rivals250 prospect made no secret that having a good visit could be important to his future plans.
"I just like how the coaches are," Hunt told GOAZCATS.com this weekend. "I think all the coaches are really great guys, people who have talked with them and people who are committed there tell me. I just want to see it firsthand and see what they're all about in person."
Hunt is a recruit UA would definitely take, so getting him on campus is the next big step in his recruitment. The cornerback recruit said his decision will "come down to the wire" so don't expect this thing to be over any time soon.
Johnson is another recruit UA will continue to pursue. The three-star all-purpose back from Florida is another prospect who will take his official visit this season. Co-offensive coordinator Calvin Magee is expected to be in attendance during the bye week for Johnson's game Friday night.
Normal (Ill.) Normal Community offensive tackle Randy Heideman and Cerritos (Calif.) Gahr safety Patrick Enewally are two other names to keep an eye on moving forward in the 2013 class.
The current crop of UA commits continues to go through its final year of high school ball, and many of those prospects are on teams who are competing for playoff positioning and are really in a good spot when it comes to competing for championships.
This week was no different as there were plenty of important matchups involving UA commits. Here is our weekly rundown of the notable games and performances by future Wildcats from Friday night.
Pierre Cormier and Lee Walker: It was a nice day all around for the two UA commits from San Diego (Calif.) Madison Friday night. But the night belonged to the Walker as the UA athlete pledge reached the end zone three times in a 42-20 win over San Diego (Calif.) Mission Bay.
Walker led the team in receiving with six catches for 106 yards, with his longest reception being 25 yards. The 2013 recruit now has seven receiving touchdowns this season.
While Walker was having his big night, the Wildcats' running back commit wasn't too bad himself, either. Cormier finished the night with 142 rushing yards, which included a 50-yard scamper. The three-star prospect also scored a touchdown in his team's big win.
2014 UA target Michael Garner also had a big night as he had a couple of touchdowns of his own in the victory.
Paul Elvira and Mauriece Lee: Another set of future UA teammates, Elvira and Lee's squad from Tempe (Ariz.) Marcos de Niza had another nice outing Friday night in a 49-7 victory over Gilbert, Ariz. It was a team effort, but Elvira had himself another nice night as the UA receiver commit pulled in two more touchdown passes to help the Padres earn such a big win.
Elvira finished the game with seven catches for 147 yards. The 2013 commit is closing in on 1,000 yards receiving as he now has 887 on the season to go along with 10 touchdown grabs for Marcos de Niza this year.
2014 UA defensive back recruit Dominique Fenstermacher intercepted two passes in the win to go along with five tackles for the Padres.
Samajie Grant: The UA commit has been moved around a bit this season at Ontario (Calif.) Colony but he has remained consistent with his production. It continued Friday night as the Wildcat pledge scored a couple of touchdowns - including an 87-yard rushing score - to help give his team a 57-34 win over Chino (Calif.) Don Lugo.
Grant also caught a 40-yard touchdown pass in the big win.
Zachary Green: The three-star UA running back commit has had a very productive season for Ventura (Calif.) St. Bonaventure and it continued over the weekend. Green scored an 84-yard rushing touchdown on the Seraphs' first play from scrimmage and the team never relinquished its lead on the way to a 42-0 win over Simi Valley, Calif.
The future Wildcat also added another rushing touchdown late in the game for St. Bonaventure. In the end, Green racked up 170 yards on the ground for his team on eight carries in the team's sixth win of the season.
Nate Phillips: Like Elvira, the UA receiver commit has been a standout for his team this season when it comes to catching the ball. It was no different Friday night for Phillips and his team from Chandler (Ariz.) Basha, but the Bears came out on the losing end of a 48-28 contest with Mesa (Ariz.) Desert Ridge.
Phillips finished the contest with two receiving touchdowns, coming from 14 and 27 yards out, respectively. It was another 100-yard game for the future Wildcat as he caught seven passes for 107 yards in the loss. His longest reception in the game came from 27 yards out.
Anu Solomon: The UA four-star quarterback commit and his team from Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman have been rolling this season, as of late, and it continued Friday night with a 54-0 win over Las Vegas (Nev.) Cimarron. In the win Solomon completed nine of his 11 pass attempts for 150 yards and two touchdowns.
Solomon's two passing touchdowns came on plays of 6 and 50 yards, respectively, and both came in the first quarter.
2014 UA running back target Nathan Starks had nine carries for 76 yards in the win. He had two rushing touchdowns in the game.
Tommy Woodson: Despite having two of the more impressive signal callers on each side Friday night, the contest between Monroeville (Pa.) Gateway and Wexford (Pa.) North Allegheny came down to who could run the ball better. The UA commit played OK for Gateway, but he couldn't find the end zone in a 14-3 loss.
Woodson finished the game by completing 10 of his 22 passes for 127 yards in the loss. It was the first loss for Gateway this season, which moved to 5-1 on the year.
Basketball recruiting
UA's annual Red-Blue game is quickly approaching and the visitor list for that game has already begun to take shape - and is it ever impressive.
Here's a look at who is expected to attend the Oct. 21 scrimmage, which is shaping up to be a huge recruiting weekend for the Wildcats.
* We'll start with the 2013 class since that is the current recruiting class the 'Cats are working on at the moment. The Wildcats have two commitments already in the current recruiting class with three-star guard Elliott Pitts from Concord (Calif.) De La Salle and five-star wing Rondae Jefferson from Chester, Pa.
Both are expected to take unofficial visits to UA for the Red-Blue game, and with Pitts' ties to the Bay Area he is sure to try and get another Northern California recruit to join the Wildcats' class while at Red-Blue.
That's because five-star prospect Aaron Gordon from San Jose (Calif.) Archbishop Mitty will be taking his official visit to UA during that weekend. Gordon continues to look at all of his options, but his official visit could potentially have a big impact on the future of his recruitment.
* With the 2013 class well on its way to being completed, why not bring out some of the top members of the 2014 class as well during the big recruiting weekend for the 'Cats? UA has invited four-star point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright and five-star wings Stanley Johnson and Justise Winslow out for unofficial visits during the Red-Blue weekend.
The trio of prospects is very high on the list for UA in the class, so having them all on unofficial visits at the same time could be huge for the future of those recruitments. All three have visited Tucson before on unofficial visits, but there is always more to see - especially with school now in session.
Jackson-Cartwright and Johnson both saw campus during the summer after the July evaluation period was over but prior to classes starting at UA.
* 2015 point guard prospect Isaiah Briscoe is also expected to attend UA's Red-Blue game on an unofficial visit. The Newark (N.J.) St. Benedict standout has been wanting to get out on a trip to Tucson for quite some time.
Briscoe is a big-time talent who has confidence, but can back it up with his play. At this point it seems like it will be a difficult task to pull him away from the East Coast, but getting him out on a visit is big for the future of his recruitment - much like the other prospects.
As you can see the Wildcats are not messing around when it comes to visitors for the contest. Along with the current commits, all of these prospects expected to attend the game are high-priority recruits for the 'Cats.
It will be interesting to see how this scrimmage plays into the recruitments of the prospects, because - as you may remember - the Red-Blue game played a part in current freshman big man Kaleb Tarczewski's recruitment last year.
Time will tell, but it is sure to be a big weekend for the 'Cats.[/B]
