Saturday, December 31, 2005

Hec-uva Dawgfight

Tenacious defense, timely offense, and a tough mindset led the Wildcats to a sweep of the Washington schools this week. Today's game against the Huskies was one for all-time, and will be in "Save until I erase" status on my DVR for some time. Hot Sauce and Mustafa stepped it up at just the right time, and if Adams isn't the PAC10 player of the week somebody better check what the voters are smoking. Then again, these Cats play much better when suitably pissed off, so what's another little dagger to the ego. And it's kinda fun to be on the OTHER end of stopping a home winning streak, isn't it? This next week rings in the New Year with the LA schools visiting McKale, with UCLA hot off a loss (at home) to Cal. What a wild way to start the conference season.

Huskies gracious in loss -- but who knows what was said behind closed doors. What's it feel like to go from being THE team to being A team, dogs?

Let's hear it for the big guy -- Kirk Walters gets the game-winning point. Somebody check the Gatorade.

What else is new?
-- Tempe starts the PAC10 season strong.....in their bid for the bottom of the standings. 0-2...whatchagonnado, Rob? At least the girls can play.....

Lonely at the top -- Cats only team unbeaten after the first weekend of conference play. Guess we know who the Daddy is.

We're Number 10 -- in the latest Sagarin rankings. Washington and UCLA both drop after today's losses. Check out the strength of schedule stats, too: UA (18) UW (319) UCLA (148) Tempe, with a lofty 170th ranking in the poll, has a 228 schedule rating.

Marcus Williams goes home -- and helps shut the door on the Dawg house. Look who's smiling now.

Lute slams "Little Sisters of the Poor" -- Washington's "tough" early schedule included Morgan State, American, Idaho, Eastern Washington and Lehigh. Great idea, Lorenzo.

Friday, December 16, 2005

Merry Christmas

Usually at this time of year all the talk is about Wildcat basketball. Lofty rankings, slashing and dashing offense and defense, a team starting to gel. This year's a little different, though. Lack of senior leadership, a shoot first and pass if you have to mentality, and no true leader emerging have all put the brakes on the team's development this season. It's tough to watch even the games against NAU and St. Marys....and with the Utes looming on the horizon tomorrow (in a national ESPN TV game, no less), I'm seriously thinking about playing golf with Wilma instead. What the heck is going on?

There is plenty of good news coming out of the football sector, though. Top recruits lining up to sign, and even a last second loss to Sparky can't dim the optimism for the future. Heck, they're still taking polls in Tempe about whether or not the Dweebles won the game or not. They can't even be good winners up there.

So here's what's been happening in the Wildcat Nation recently:

Recruits, recruits -- Stoops keeps going up against the big boys in recruiting and coming away smelling like, well, Roses. Most of the new kids are on offense, with a real big gun on defense. Get your seats now.

Team leader? -- Hot Sauce turns Hot Head and gets his ass arrested. He'ss till start, though, against the Utes. Nice. Comes from a good school, though.

Punting as an art form -- Danny Baugher, he of the big foot (and untimely broken leg) named first team All American. Way to go, Danny. see you in the NFL.

Bear Down.

Wednesday, December 07, 2005

From GOAZCATS

More help in the defensive backfield.....

Nate Ness told GOAZCATS.com last week that he planned on committing to Arizona on this visit this weekend. He held true to his word and on Saturday night at dinner, Ness told UA defensive coordinator Mark Stoops that he would be a Wildcat.

Nate Ness committed to Mark Stoops and Arizona.
Ness, a 6-foot-1, 180-pound safety from El Camino Community College in Torrance, California, is the 40th ranked JUCO player in the country according to Rivals.com. He's been a first-team All-American at his position two years in a row and is expected to make a big impact on the next level.

The commitment is huge for the UA coaches and Ness is excited to come in and make an impact.

"I committed," Ness said on Sunday afternoon. "I'm a U of A Wildcat now. I told Coach (Mark) Stoops on Saturday night. I told Mike Stoops today. He was excited and happy. It's time for a change. The Stoops are aiming for championships and I'm ready to help."

On the trip, Ness hung out with players such as Adrian McCovy, Wilrey Fontenot, Michael Johnson and Mike Thomas.

"I didn't expect to have that much fun," Ness said. "The atmosphere was just amazing. We hung out and they took me out and showed me around. We all just talked about football and what Coach Stoops wants. We instantly had chemistry. We all want the same thing. We want to win and we're going to do it."

Ness plans on bringing help with him. There are several JUCO players that the Wildcats are recruiting and he's going to do his best to help bring them to Tucson.

"I talked to Louis (Holmes) yesterday and I'll talk to Gabe (Long) tonight," Ness said. "When I talked to Louis on Saturday night I told him that I committed and this is the place to be. I've got two teammates at El Camino that hopefully will come with me too."

The Arizona coaches told Ness that he could be a big part of what they're trying to built and he's anxiously awaiting that opportunity.

"I was happy to commit," Ness said. "The coaches told me that this is the right place to be. The Stoops brothers run an excellent program but it's about to change. The list of defensive backs that they've gotten into the NFL is endless so they know how to coach.

"I'll definitely get an opportunity to play. They have three of their four starters coming back in the secondary and I want to start in that last spot opposite Michael Johnson. I just want to be a part of this team."

And when Ness does arrive on Arizona's campus in May, he'll have lofty expectations of the future of the UA program.

"It's all business," Ness said. "I guarantee to be a part of a Pac-10 championship. Maybe not my first year, but definitely by the time I leave."

It's safe to say that Arizona fans are welcoming Nate Ness into their program with open arms.

Up to Speed

Sorry for the lack of news for the Wildcat News recently. Crashed our POS computer importing our CD collection into ITunes. We're up and running now, so let's get busy!

Volleyball to Sweet 16 -- congrats to Coach Rubio and his ladies for making it out of the tiny gym in Utah for the first round and on to Palo Alto for the next round. With Stanford, SC, and Ohio State all losers last weekend the road looks a little less bumpy, but with plenty of potholes nonetheless.

That tweaking sound you hear -- is Lute working on his team and its chemistry. Poor shooting from the field and foul line, lack of scoring, and a piss-poor record (by AZ standards) have caused a return to the 3 guard offense. Now, find 3 guards who can play together. NAU should provide a nice little test tomorrow.

Best worst of last 3 years -- Amanda Branam of the Daily Wildcat reminisces about covering UA sports.

Intercepting expert gives Cats message of his commitment

Wildcat D-backs add JC transfer tops at picking off opposing QBs. If he qualifies, of course.