TUCSON, Ariz. -- Arizona Wildcats players and coach Rich Rodriguez have rallied around kicker Casey Skowron in the wake of social media rants and threats against him.
Skowron missed a 36-yard field goal in the final seconds of a 28-26 loss to USC on Saturday, as Arizona suffered its first loss of the season.
In the immediate aftermath, several fans took to social media to thrash the walk-on kicker. One said: "i hope your entire family dies of cancer you (expletive)." Another added: "I hope you get ebola."
"It's never down to one (play)," Rodriguez said Tuesday night after the Wildcats' first practice since the loss at Arizona Stadium. "It's crazy for somebody to take it overboard."
He added that he's "glad people care. It's better than apathy, I guess."
Skowron was not made available to the media on Tuesday, but did take to Twitter after practice:
Appreciate the endless support from family, friends, teammates, coaches, true fans, and even rivals. #ThickSkin #BearDown #OnToTheNextOne
— Casey Skowron (@CSkowron11) October 15, 2014
Arizona athletic director Greg Byrne tweeted after the game:
Proud of Casey Skowron...great kid and glad he's an Arizona Wildcat. #BearDown
— Greg Byrne (@Greg_Byrne) October 12, 2014
Arizona quarterback Anu Solomon, like many teammates, have voiced their support for Skowron, saying one play wasn't the issue. About 50 seconds of game time before the field goal miss, the Wildcats failed on a game-tying two-point conversion on a handoff to Jared Baker. Solomon probably had a better play if he made a different read and kept the ball.
"I partake in the blame, partially my fault for not scoring and not finishing our drives," Solomon said. "Even on that two-point conversion. Would have, could have, should have. You just gotta learn from it."
Skowron, a junior, had made 11 of 13 field goal attempts heading into the USC game, but was just 2 of 5 vs. USC.
Rodriguez said his players deserve better than what Skowron got on social media.
"Don't be ridiculous about it," he said to those who posted negative comments.
Then Rodriguez offered up a challenge, maybe even a free education.
"If you think you can do better," he said, "and you have you college eligibility left and are a good enough student to get into U of A, please come out and we will try you out."
And by the way, yes, he said, Skowron will still be Arizona's kicker when the team plays at Washington State on Oct. 25.
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