Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez was hardly the happy camper Saturday night. In fact, he was downright upset.
With less than three weeks left before the season opener, Rodriguez declared that his offense was not ready for prime time and a primary reason (was there more than one?) for not having a scrimmage at Fort Huachuca in Sierra Vista on what is typically a day reserved for a public scrimmage.
"I'm concerned with everything on offense -- everything," Rodriguez told
the gathering media after the 90-minute practice. "I guarantee you, I
can get 10 guys off the post here that can block better than we're
blocking. I can do that tomorrow, maybe tonight."
Rich Rod warned earlier in the week that a scrimmage might not be forthcoming, and if one did, it would likely be short. Still, Arizona reported that a few hundred fans showed up. And while they did see some moments of 11-on-11, those were very limited.
So it'll be back to work Monday in Tucson.
Rodriguez's concerns have been consistent since camp started more than a week ago. His critical eye has been focused primarily on a lack of effort and/or offensive execution, depending on the day.
And on Saturday night, he seemed even more frustrated than usual when asked about his team, which has been predicted to finish fourth in the Pac-12 South.
"Do I look annoyed? ... Well, I am," he said.
Rodriguez later said his players could call him a "mean guy or whatever, but I'd rather be called that that than a loser."
He added, "They've got to be competitive. What they'd better be is competitive, or they won't last in this program. End of story."
Arizona is scheduled to have an open scrimmage next Saturday at its annual "Meet the Team" function.
