Checkin’ on the Pac: Arizona

Our Pac-10 interviews continue with Jeff Dean of the Phoenix eccentric sports blog, Fanster.com. Jeff, a native of Tucson, grew up listening to and watching U of A basketball and football games with his grandfather. At the age of 5, he watched in amazement as his favorite NFL team, the San Francisco 49ers, held the Bengals on a 4 down goalline stand to claim their first ever Super Bowl title. He then knew immediately what he was destined to do and in 2004 he realized that dream when he landed his first on-sports talk radio gig at Xtra Sports 910 AM. Informed and opinionated, Jeff brings his passion and love for competition to a new medium.

Therefore, with a diehard Arizona fan on board in Jeff, we will discuss many topics ranging from the replacement for Willie Tuitama and whether this year’s Arizona defense can resemble the Desert Swarm in some capacity. Thanks to Jeff for participating in this interview.

Q: Who do you see as the better replacement for QB Willie Tuitama? Sophomore Matt Scott, Sophomore Nick Foles, or Sophomore Bryson Beirne?

A: The guy they went with last season as the #1 off the bench should, and I think will, be the starter going into the home opener vs. Central Michigan, Matt Scott. He gives them an extra dimension with his scrambling ability and he surprised a lot of people at the spring game with his accuracy on 20+ yard passes. Besides, all he really needs to do is find Mackey Award candidate Rob Gronkowski 4 or 5 times a game to give the Cats a chance to win.

Q: A year ago, Nic Grigsby had a breakout season rushing for 1,195 yards and 13 touchdowns. Is he the real deal or was his strong performance a product of teams focusing on Tuitama and the passing game?

A: The young man from Whittier, CA can be the real deal if he controls his penchant for fumbling the ball. He’s shown home run speed against Pac Ten foes and has very good vision. He’s also a strong finisher with a good nose for the end zone. But if he fumbles early, you can bet he’ll be taking a back seat to Keola Antolin (Soph. Las Vegas –Bishop Gorman). Who showed a lot of promise last season as well.

Q: Tight end Rob Gronkowski is arguably Arizona’s best NFL prospect. Do you expect a big year out of him, and if so, will he be off to the NFL in April?

A: If anything is going to slow Gronkowski down it will be the loss of Tuitama. Tui looked for Gronk in key situations last season and it would be wise of the team to do more of the same this season. I do believe he will leave for the NFL Draft following this season however. His stock is just too high and with the competition for supremacy with the other tight ends in college football this year, there could be a frenzy on Draft Day to fill that position.

Q: Are you a little worried about the offensive line, as they three starters in RG Joe Longacre, LT Eben Britton, and RT James Trethway?

A: There would definitely be cause for concern at this position, especially when you see the players they lost at the 23rd hour the past 2 seasons at offensive line to teams like Arizona State and Colorado, but Mike Stoops has done a good job of recognizing weak links in the chain and addressed them immediately with the additions of: Vaughn Dotsy (Soph. Ventura-St. Bonaventure) and Jack Julsing (Jr. College of the Desert). Plus, it never hurts having a Senior and 2-year starter at the anchor position in Blake Kerley (Sr. Garland-South Garland).

Q: At least on paper, the strength of the Wildcats is the running game. But offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes comes from Texas Tech and has been known to emphasize the pass. Can the ‘Cats adjust their schemes?

A: I don’t believe they need to adjust anything. People have mistaken this offense as a finesse, run-n-shoot style like you see with Mike Leach at Texas Tech, but make no mistake about it, they are a running team first that likes to run between the tackles and then when the defense starts to bunch up, they beat you out wide with a quick pass or deep over the middle. Scheme-wise, I don’t think anything needs to, nor will, change.

Q: On paper, the defense looks pretty tough with 7 returning starter, and in each season under Stoops, it has improved steadily. Do you anticipate a return of the Desert Swarm defense?

A: Wildcat fans don’t throw that term around very lightly, just because the Desert Swarm was so special, but this defense is going to give every offense they face some fits. They’re very athletic in the backfield, instinctive and tough linebackers and a young, but growing (I mean that figuratively and literally) defensive front. Key player in this scheme is safety Cam Nelson.

Q: There was a lot of hype last year regarding then-freshman SS Robert Golden, the replacement for Antoine Cason. Now, a sophomore, do you anticipate Golden fullfilling the hype?

A: I’m going to let you all in on a little secret. I saw Cason as a freshman and watched him get better and better each year under Stoops’ tutelage. I think Robert Golden, at this stage, is a better player than Cason was as a Sophomore and Mike Stoops agrees with me on this. Cason and Golden have one common denominator between them off the field as well. They’re both humble.

Q: Before last season’s 8-5 record and Las Vegas Bowl victory over BYU, Mike Stoops was on the seat, but now he seems to be safe? How many years did last season’s performance buy him?

A: I think last year’s team bought him another 2 years at least. Many fans feel that they should have never lost that game @ New Mexico and the 1-point loss to Stanford where the defense basically could not stop Stanford on 3rd and shorts. Had they pulled out even 1 of those 2 we’d be talking about the first 9-win season at Arizona since 1998!

Q: A year ago, UA went 5-2 at home. Is Arizona Stadium going to become one of the tougher venues in the Pac-10? Is it already?

A: Well, let’s ask Oregon (2007 #2), Cal (2006 #4), and UCLA (2005 undefeated BCS #3 and lost 52-14) how difficult it is to play at Arizona Stadium. It has the largest student section in the Pac Ten and the ‘Zona Zoo never rests. They’re just, flat-out, a better team at home.

Q: After glancing into your chrystal ball, how do you see the 2009 season playing out? 

A: They key game for this season is September 19th @ Iowa. Arizona has gotten thumped in the past when travelling to Big Ten country and they’ll have their hands full with a team I think is the sleeper in that conference. If they can beat Oregon in Tucson on November 21st they have a really good chance of going 6-0 at home this year. Sprinkle in road wins at Washington and possibly at Iowa, ‘Cats fans will be looking at another 8 win season and a bowl bid for the 2nd consecutive year.