By Richard Cirminiello
CollegeFootballNews.com
There's enthusiasm once again at Arizona thanks to the arrival of Rich Rodriguez as the new head coach.
After eight disappointing seasons under Mike Stoops, the Wildcats were jonesing for a change at the top, and the new regime brings some much-needed fresh energy to Tucson. Stoops finished his tenure nine games below .500, winning just a single bowl game and never managing better than mediocrity in the Pac-12.
With a different regime comes a sense of newness in every crevice of the struggling program. It’s out with the old and in with the new as it pertains to practice, recruiting and just about everything else. The locals might need a quick crash course on the systems, as well.
The Wildcats are making wholesale changes in philosophy in an effort to bring more speed to both sides of the ball. On offense, Arizona is installing Rich Rod’s spread-option, a run-based system that was wildly successful at West Virginia and had intermittent success in the Big Ten at Michigan. UA caught a break when multidimensional QB Matt Scott was redshirted in 2011, preserving one more season of eligibility. He harbors the right mix of athleticism and poise but needs to prove that he can remain healthy for an entire year.
The defense is shifting to coordinator Jeff Casteel’s unique 3-3-5 stack alignment, which also received positive reviews in Morgantown. The next two months will be all about getting the staff better acclimated with the personnel and getting the personnel more comfortable with an unfamiliar playbook.
Change is in the desert air. The question now: What took you so long, Arizona? UA's program has been undervalued for many years, boasting the campus, climate and facilities to perennially attract a different caliber of athlete to town.
Rodriguez’s job is two-pronged: He needs to get his new school to realize its potential while also resuscitating his once-booming career. The coach has the ingredients to deliver, but patience is highly recommended in 2012. Arizona has too many holes and too little depth to escape the ranks of the mediocre this early in such a sizable rebuilding project.
What to watch for on offense: A lot more from the ground game. Arizona threw the ball 577 times in 2011. That will not happen again this year, as Rich Rodriguez’s spread-option is a ground-friendly attack. The coach prefers his quarterback to be nimble and multi-dimensional, much the way Pat White and Denard Robinson were for him at West Virginia and Michigan, respectively. His newest pupil behind center will be Matt Scott, an athletic fifth-year senior who just might be a perfect fit.
What to watch for on defense: The fate of the pass rush. A year ago, Arizona was woefully inept at getting pressure, sacking the quarterback just 10 times in 12 games. An overnight turnaround appears unlikely. The ‘Cats are light on speed and disruption up front, sporting a line that’s typified by lumbering tackle/end tweeners. Junior Justin Washington is a possible exception, though he needs to find a way to play the way he did as a freshman in 2010. If Washington fails to rebound, the defensive backfield will be left naked for a second consecutive season.
The team will be far better if ... the defense gets a firm grasp of Jeff Casteel’s system as quickly as possible. The Wildcats need answers up and down the two-deep in order to begin reversing last season’s hideous results. Arizona ranked no higher than 107th nationally in scoring and total defense, allowing at least 34 points in nine games. That can't continue if the team is to improve on last year's results.
The schedule: Get ready for fireworks right away, with Toledo and Oklahoma State bringing big-time offenses to Tucson to kick things off. It would've been nice to play South Carolina State to tune things up in the opener, but it'll have to serve as a light scrimmage before dealing with the road trip to Oregon. There's also a trip to Stanford after a home date with Oregon State. With two weeks off to prepare, beating Washington is a must before hosting USC and going on the road to face UCLA. In all, there are only four road games, and while going to Utah will be tough, the Arizona State showdown is at home to close things out.
Best offensive player: Senior QB Matt Scott. Scott gets the nod since he meshes nicely with what the offense plans to do ... and partially by default. The Wildcats have a lot of holes to fill after losing last year’s top quarterback, running back and wide receiver to graduation. Scott does have a chance to leave Tucson on a high note, taking over an offense that wants to accentuate his speed and strong arm. If the senior gets enough support from those around him and masters the system quickly, All-Pac-12 honors are not out of the question.
Best defensive player: Sophomore safety Tra’Mayne Bondurant. Bondurant will be to the defense what Scott is to the offense — a surprisingly good match for the new system and staff. The Wildcats’ new 3-3-5 alignment puts a premium on safeties who can pop like a linebacker yet still cover like a defensive back, and Bondurant is one of those. He did all but work the concessions in his debut at Arizona, parlaying 45 tackles, 3.5 stops for loss and six pass breakups into the team’s Newcomer of the Year award and All-Pac-12 honorable-mention recognition.
Key player to a successful season: Sophomore RB Ka’Deem Carey. While the situation is far more dire on defense, one breakout player won't be sufficient to turn things around on that unit. The offense, on the other hand, is liable to get a massive jolt if Carey blossoms into the kind of back many believe he can be. The highly touted 2011 recruit got off to a strong start in his debut season, rushing 91 times for 425 yards and six touchdowns while adding 15 receptions for 203 yards and two more scores. While the sophomore doesn’t play defense, he can help the beleaguered unit by keeping it on the sidelines for long stretches of time.
The season will be a success if ... the Wildcats make it back to a bowl game -- any bowl game. Yeah, the bar is going to be set at a modest level, but that’s exactly where it should be. Not only are the coaching staff new and the playbook drastically different, but Arizona is facing a shortage of playmakers and depth on both sides of the ball. Rich Rodriguez will be forced to use a ton of young and inexperienced players, which is likely to catch up to the team as the season grinds on. At a very basic level, the ‘Cats are simply way behind the Pac-12 powers in terms of overall talent.
Key game: Nov. 23 vs. Arizona State. No game on the schedule carries more weight for a first-year staff than the one against the intrastate rival. Rodriguez & Co. would love nothing more than to grab some attention in the annual “Duel in the Desert." ASU coach Todd Graham will have similar aspirations on the visitor’s sideline, making for an intriguing story in a competitive game that could decide bowl eligibility for both teams.
Breaking down the offense | Breaking down the defense
