Wildcats vs. Utes

Well, today is the day - the first game of the 2005 fall football season for my UofA Wildcats. Optimism is running rampant in Tucson at the start of football season for the first time in years (last year we were all hopeful that the new Mike Stoops led team would play well, but I think we were realistic about what Stoops could do with essentially just the remains of a team that went 1-11 the year before). Can this team get to 6-5 or better and go to a bowl game for the first time this Millenium? The reports from fall practice suggest they just might. Mike Stoops is a defensive minded coach. As such, the defense sounds like it is coming along ahead of schedule with a great backfield and a much stronger all around lineup compared to last year. The offense is probably where the big question lies. Can Richard Kovalchek perform the way he did in the ASU game at the end of last season, or will he revert to his less spectacular earlier performances last year? If he plays like he did in the ASU game, he should be able to balance what will probably be an above average defense with an offense than can score enough to be in most games this year. If not, we may be in for a lot of low scoring 17-10 losses. As for tonight, we play the Utah Utes, a team under a new coach and with about 11 starters from last seasons 12-0 team gone. On paper, despite a lot of question marks (like an 18 year old QB making his first start), Utah looks pretty good. We played them last year and if not for a bunch of mistakes in the red zone, we might well have beaten them. I think it was their lowest scoring game of the year. All things being equal, we should be that much better than we were last year. Utah may still win, but if they play a good game, the Wildcats will be in line to be very competative this season. I think they will win tonight in a defensive battle that will probably be low scoring - UofA 17, Utah 14 and the UofA will go on to a 7-4 regular season and its first bowl game since 1999. Go Wildcats! Bear Down Arizona!