8Sep/082:53 PM

Wildcats are 2-0…that feels nice to say

By Greg Esposito

Mike Stoops and the Arizona Wildcats are 2-0.

It feels nice to say but I’m not completely sold.

Fact: The Wildcats have dominated their first two opponents 111-16.

Fiction: Idaho and Toledo are decent college football teams.

The Wildcats have been nothing short of dominant in their first two games at home. They have converted on all 15 trips to the red zone (13 touchdowns, 2 field goals), they have 973 total yards of offense and the defense held opponents to 178 yards per game.

It looks great on paper and even ranks them towards the top of the Pac-10 in a large amount of offensive categories. Unfortunately their opponents ranked near the bottom of college football last season. Idaho was the 86th worst total defense in the country while Toledo was the 102nd worst in 2007.

During last season Idaho and Toledo gave up a combined average of 38 points, 243 passing yards and 189 rushing yards per game. The Wildcats did score well above their combined average, 55.5 points average in the two games, but their 277 passing yards and 209 rushing yards were not significantly larger than what Idaho and Toledo gave up to opponents on average in 2007. They gave up those numbers to opponents such as San Jose State, Utah State, Cal Poly, Western Michigan and Buffalo.

Fact: The ‘Cats are improved

Fiction: Arizona is going to be among the elite in the Pac-10

Is Mike Stoops’ team better through two games this year than they were last year? Yes. They have a running game, mostly Nicolas Grigsby, which helps alleviate the pressure on Willie Tuitama and doesn’t force the offense to throw when defenses drop 7 in coverage. The offensive line looks stronger and the entire team looks more comfortable in the spread. All that said, don’t book your tickets for Pasadena just yet, or in the next few years for that matter.

The competition has been weak to say the least. Idaho is currently ranked 117th in college football and Toledo 109th by SI.com. A far cry from non-conference schedules of the past that included the likes of LSU, Wisconsin and BYU.

UofA’s first true test doesn’t come for another week when they visit UCLA. I’m not saying that New Mexico can be overlooked, especially since they beat Ariziona last season, but the Wildcats can’t truly say they’ve taken a step forward into true bowl contention until they beat a traditional Pac-10 power.

If Arizona can keep the offense humming and the defense can be just serviceable against UCLA and throughout Pac-10 play, a late December game should be in the cards.

While I’m not completely sold it’s nice to know that for the first time since Dick Tomey roamed the sidelines and Lute Olson was still relevant there is reason to be optimistic about the ‘Cats. Just don’t get too carried away.