Arizona Wildcats
2010 record: 7-6 overall, 4-5 conference
2010 Bowl Game: 36-10 loss to Oklahoma State in Alamo Bowl
2010 ATS: 6-7
2010 O/U: 8-5
Returning starters: 12 total (5 on offense, 7 on defense)
Over the month of August, our team of writers will be previewing the top teams heading into an exciting 2011 campaign. The college football handicappers at Maddux Sports are also preparing and have season-long packages readily available for clients.
Let’s travel to Tucson and find out how preparation is going under head coach Mike Stoops who is entering his eighth year on campus.
Offense
Arizona returns senior quarterback Nick Foles, who threw for 3,191 yards and 20 touchdowns a year ago. The 6-foot-5 signal-caller has passed for more than 7,600 yards and connected on 39 touchdowns passes during his time on campus.
Foles main target downfield will be senior All-Pac-10 receiver Junor Criner, as he caught 11 touchdowns and finished 2010 with 1,233 receiving yards. He has missed about a month offseason workouts due to “personal and family issues”, but Stoops doesn’t expect it to be a setback.
The receiving corps is definitely a strength for a team that had the ninth-most pass attempts in the country. Another senior, David Douglas, will be on the opposite side of Criner and posted 52 catches for 515 yards last year.
Keola Antolin is a solid option in the backfield, making eight starts and rushing for a team-high 668 yards and seven touchdowns in 2010.
The biggest challenge for all parties is playing behind a completely new offensive line, as all five regular starters are gone. Offensive coordinator Seth Littrell will be spending the entire camp putting linemen in the right spots.
Defense
The defensive scheme runs out of multiple 4-3 sets and relies on getting pressure on opposing offenses from just about anywhere. Arizona ranked fourth in conference and 41st nationally in allowing 22.7 points a game in 2010.
Plenty of holes have been left by the departures of defensive end and NFL draft picks. Optimism picked up a bit during the squad’s spring game, as the youthful group grabbed five interceptions.
The spring game did prove costly in one area, as junior linebacker Jake Fischer suffered a torn ACL. Returning starters Paul Vassallo and Derek Earls will need to lead the group. Vassallo led the Wildcats withy 77 solo stops and 102 total tackles last year.
The deepest part of the Arizona defense will be found in the secondary, where four standouts return and have combined for 100 games played and 50 starts over the last three seasons.
Special Teams
Senior Alex Zendejas will be handling the placekicking responsibilities, converting 14-of-19 field goals, including a 47-yarder against Iowa.
People around the program expect junior college transfer Kyle Dugandzic to step in as punter, as he showed tremendous leg power in the spring game, including a 72-yard effort.
The return game will desperately miss senior Bug Wright, at least early on, but many expect speedster Garic Wharton to take his place.
Against the Spread
Arizona has been a losing venture for bettors over the last two years, posting a combined 10-14 ATS mark. The Wildcats failed to cover the number in four of their last five games last year.
Bet On
Playing in-state rival Arizona State at Sun Devil Stadium has been a great place to cover the number, winning cash for backers in 11 of the last 15 games at the venue.
Fade Away
The program is 1-8 ATS in the first of back-to-back road games and that means trouble when facing the USC Trojans on Oct. 8. Get the most up-to-date information on the college football lines page.
