It was an interesting vibe around practice today. It feels like there's been a bit of a reality check for the team and the feeling of the loss to USC is still lingering a bit, but Rich Rodriguez has continued to stress the importance of this week for the team with it being the last home game for a bunch of seniors.
Here are the practice notes from earlier today when the offensive players and coaches had a chance to meet with the media.
* As Arizona moves on to a new week the team will have to call on some more motivation once again. It seems every week during the Wildcats' run over the month of October had some kind of motivating factor to it. Now that UA will have to rebound from a loss for the first time since Khalil Tate took over as the starting quarterback there is another big motivation this week. Oregon State "whipped" the Wildcats to use one of Rodriguez's words and he said he has already reminded the team of the 42-17 loss to the Beavers last season in Corvallis. Senior receiver Shawn Poindexter said the two games that have stayed with him the longest from last year were the losses to Washington State and Oregon State.
It's clearly going to be a big part of the motivation as the Wildcats look to rebound from the USC game this weekend.
"They played really well and we didn't," Rodriguez said. "It wasn't like it happened in the final seconds, they beat us from start to finish, so we got a lot to prove."
* Arizona obviously showed a lot by not folding and being able to come back in the game against USC and that felt like something we wouldn't have seen from the Wildcats a season ago. Poindexter didn't want to take it that far when I asked him if this year's team is different in that way, but I asked Rodriguez if this team is dealing with adversity better than it did a year ago. The key, as I have suspected for quite a while now, is that Arizona's youth has helped in that sense in that those players almost don't know any better and the naiveté from the group is working as a benefit.
* The punting situation will be an interesting one this week, at this point there doesn't sound like there will be any changes but Rodriguez said he's not ruling out anyone there and it will be something that gets figure out this week.
* Oregon State has yet to win a game under Cory Hall, but the interim coach and the Beavers are presenting quite an interesting challenge for the Wildcats this week. Rodriguez said the team is preparing for a lot of movement as he said Oregon State "has so many formations and motions" than the teams Arizona has played so far combined. The UA head coach said that means having eye discipline and not giving up easy plays.
The other aspect of the Beavers that could present Arizona's defense with some problems is the running back group with Ryan Nall, Artavis Pierce and Thomas Tyner. The Wildcats have not done a good job stopping the run and Rodriguez doesn't expect UA to avoid seeing a heavy dose of the running game this weekend.
"I think until we're able to stop the run at all," he said. "We haven't stopped much of anything, really, the last two weeks but we're battling hard. There's no question with big running backs, big o-linemen and big tight ends I think they'll come downhill at us and they'll do it out of different formations. And they'll do t a lot of jet sweeps too, so if you hang everyone in the box they'll try to get perimeter runs on you.
"So it's going to be a big week for us tackling and getting them down in a hurry."
* Just some odds and ends for you guys. Quarterback Khalil Tate will not speak with the media this week at the decision of the program. It's not something to be alarmed about but rather the program wants to have the focus on the seniors this week so he will not be talking more about the USC game.
- After a week of not using them (and losing) Arizona is back to the non-chrome red helmets for this Saturday's game with Oregon State. The Wildcats had a nice little run with the red helmets going 3-0 in October while wearing them.
- Calvin Magee chatted with the media today and he said Nathan Tilford is just learning and there are three reasons he's not playing more right now "Nick, JJ and Zach." He said it's easier for the team to play three running backs than it is to play four and that is where things stand with it. Magee did say, however, that the freshman "is capable and he's ready" if the Wildcats happen to need him at some point this season. The UA running backs coach said he's had many conversations with the freshman running back to convey that his time will come.
- Rodriguez tried to downplay the importance or magnitude of this weekend from a recruiting perspective saying that postseason high school play and the 8 p.m. kickoff time will hinder how many recruits the program will bring in for visits during the final home game of the year.
"I think we'll have some, but I think there's a lot of high school playoffs going on," he said. "So a lot of guys we're recruiting are probably in playoffs as well and it's hard being Saturday night at 8 to get guys to come because they're getting back so late. But, I think we'll have a handful here."
Here are the practice notes from earlier today when the offensive players and coaches had a chance to meet with the media.
* As Arizona moves on to a new week the team will have to call on some more motivation once again. It seems every week during the Wildcats' run over the month of October had some kind of motivating factor to it. Now that UA will have to rebound from a loss for the first time since Khalil Tate took over as the starting quarterback there is another big motivation this week. Oregon State "whipped" the Wildcats to use one of Rodriguez's words and he said he has already reminded the team of the 42-17 loss to the Beavers last season in Corvallis. Senior receiver Shawn Poindexter said the two games that have stayed with him the longest from last year were the losses to Washington State and Oregon State.
It's clearly going to be a big part of the motivation as the Wildcats look to rebound from the USC game this weekend.
"They played really well and we didn't," Rodriguez said. "It wasn't like it happened in the final seconds, they beat us from start to finish, so we got a lot to prove."
* Arizona obviously showed a lot by not folding and being able to come back in the game against USC and that felt like something we wouldn't have seen from the Wildcats a season ago. Poindexter didn't want to take it that far when I asked him if this year's team is different in that way, but I asked Rodriguez if this team is dealing with adversity better than it did a year ago. The key, as I have suspected for quite a while now, is that Arizona's youth has helped in that sense in that those players almost don't know any better and the naiveté from the group is working as a benefit.
* The punting situation will be an interesting one this week, at this point there doesn't sound like there will be any changes but Rodriguez said he's not ruling out anyone there and it will be something that gets figure out this week.
* Oregon State has yet to win a game under Cory Hall, but the interim coach and the Beavers are presenting quite an interesting challenge for the Wildcats this week. Rodriguez said the team is preparing for a lot of movement as he said Oregon State "has so many formations and motions" than the teams Arizona has played so far combined. The UA head coach said that means having eye discipline and not giving up easy plays.
The other aspect of the Beavers that could present Arizona's defense with some problems is the running back group with Ryan Nall, Artavis Pierce and Thomas Tyner. The Wildcats have not done a good job stopping the run and Rodriguez doesn't expect UA to avoid seeing a heavy dose of the running game this weekend.
"I think until we're able to stop the run at all," he said. "We haven't stopped much of anything, really, the last two weeks but we're battling hard. There's no question with big running backs, big o-linemen and big tight ends I think they'll come downhill at us and they'll do it out of different formations. And they'll do t a lot of jet sweeps too, so if you hang everyone in the box they'll try to get perimeter runs on you.
"So it's going to be a big week for us tackling and getting them down in a hurry."
* Just some odds and ends for you guys. Quarterback Khalil Tate will not speak with the media this week at the decision of the program. It's not something to be alarmed about but rather the program wants to have the focus on the seniors this week so he will not be talking more about the USC game.
- After a week of not using them (and losing) Arizona is back to the non-chrome red helmets for this Saturday's game with Oregon State. The Wildcats had a nice little run with the red helmets going 3-0 in October while wearing them.
- Calvin Magee chatted with the media today and he said Nathan Tilford is just learning and there are three reasons he's not playing more right now "Nick, JJ and Zach." He said it's easier for the team to play three running backs than it is to play four and that is where things stand with it. Magee did say, however, that the freshman "is capable and he's ready" if the Wildcats happen to need him at some point this season. The UA running backs coach said he's had many conversations with the freshman running back to convey that his time will come.
- Rodriguez tried to downplay the importance or magnitude of this weekend from a recruiting perspective saying that postseason high school play and the 8 p.m. kickoff time will hinder how many recruits the program will bring in for visits during the final home game of the year.
"I think we'll have some, but I think there's a lot of high school playoffs going on," he said. "So a lot of guys we're recruiting are probably in playoffs as well and it's hard being Saturday night at 8 to get guys to come because they're getting back so late. But, I think we'll have a handful here."
