In 2003, the Arizona Wildcats were defeated by 20 or more points eight times.
The losses prompted the school to replace coach Mike Hankwitz with Oklahoma defensive coordinator Mike Stoops. Since Stoops’ hire, the Wildcats have proven they are no longer a team opponents look forward to playing.
The Wildcats were 3-8 last season for the second consecutive year. Despite the poor record, the Wildcats showed signs of improvement, losing five games by seven points or less.
Arizona returns 16 starters from last season, and Stoops said losing close games is a necessary stage in his team’s growth.
“Before you beat those teams, you’ve got to learn how to play them close,” Stoops said in a news release. “And I think we did that.”
At quarterback, the Wildcats are expected to start sophomore Willie Tuitama.
As a true freshman, Tuitama started the last four games of the season with a 2-2 record. He completed 64 of 108 passes in his starts, throwing seven touchdowns and four interceptions.
Stoops said Tuitama gives his team something it has lacked each of the past two seasons.
“We’ve never had a quarterback that we can build an offense around,” he said. “That’s something that we have for the very first time.”
At running back, junior Chris Henry is expected to be the starter. Henry will be replacing Mike Bell, who went to the NFL after gaining over 1,000 yards last season for the Wildcats. Henry gained 148 yards last season on 34 carries.
At wide receiver, the Wildcats return all of their top receivers from 2005. Sophomore Mike Thomas led the team in receptions with 52, but junior Anthony Johnson and senior Syndric Steptoe each had over 30 receptions.
At tight end, the Wildcats are expected to start junior-college transfer Brandyn McCall. McCall had 45 catches in his two seasons at Golden West College in Huntington, Calif.
The Wildcats return all five starting offensive linemen from last season. Junior offensive tackle Peter Graniello, who was an Honorable Mention All-Pac 10 selection last season, leads the group. Stoops said he believes the linemen’s experience playing together will yield better results than in the past.
“I think our offensive line will be much improved,” he said. “I think we have quality players across the board with depth at a couple of positions.”
On defense, the Wildcats return nine starters from last season’s defense, which struggled giving up more than 26 points per game. Senior safety Michael Johnson said because of the experience, the defense will function better as a unit.
“I think before all of the experienced players knew what we were supposed to be doing on the field,” he said. “But now everyone knows what they’re supposed to be doing on the field, because we’re all experienced.”
Arizona’s defensive backfield was the anchor of the Wildcat defense last season, ranking second in the Pac-10 in passing yards allowed.
Along with Johnson, preseason All-American cornerback Antoine Cason is expected to lead the secondary. As a sophomore last season, Cason had 50 tackles with three interceptions.
Despite being called the catalyst of the defense by the coaches, Johnson said the defensive backs do not feel more important than anyone else on the field.
“We don’t really separate ourselves from the rest of the defense,” he said.
At linebacker, sophomore Ronnie Palmer is expected to join juniors Dane Krogstad and Spencer Larson as the team’s starters.
On the defensive line, the Wildcats are trying to improve on last season’s unit, which only recorded 24 sacks. The Wildcats also had problems controlling the running game, giving up over 100 yards to seven different running backs. Stoops said he will utilize his depth along the line, and he expects several players to see playing time.
In the kicking game, the Wildcats return senior kicker Nick Holt and senior punter Danny Baugher.
Although they won only six games in his first two seasons at Arizona, Stoops’ Wildcats have made marked improvement since his first season.
In 2004, the Wildcats were outscored 138-29 against Utah, Southern California, California and Oregon State.
Against the same opponents in 2005, the Wildcats were only outscored 124-74. Johnson said last season’s experiences will help the team improve this year.
“Some teams have a nack for winning, and they just come out on top on those types of games,” he said. “Having experience in those close games will help us close them out this year.”
Stoops said every program has to go through certain stages in order to become a top program, and he believes last season’s difficulties are a necessary step in his team’s growth.
—–Contact Casey Gisclair at [email protected]