Arizona Football: Wildcats Try To Recover From Hangover Performance

If you had to point out the biggest factors as to why Arizona went down so quickly to UCLA, what would they be?

The Bruins exposed the Wildcats' front line. They bullied their way on the line which later opened up the passing game; and then back to the rushing game; and the back to the passing; and so on... And UCLA took care of the ball. Arizona managed takeaways in games against USC and Washington and managed zero against the Bruins.

Was there anything to be encouraged by from the performance?

Absolutely! It's over. That's literally the only takeaway I can come up with from that one. Maybe that they didn't get shut out like they did in Autzen. I'm not sure, but the ‘Cats find themselves possibly - if not likely - without their starting quarterback. Maybe I'm being doomsday over here but watch the Colorado game with an eye on the future. BJ Denker likely isn't next year's QB but he's equally raw. It'll be an adventure.

After seeing how Matt Scott performed, should the Wildcats have sat him out and given the backup a chance to be the starter last week?

It was over before it started. Or at least following the opening touchdown then three-and-out. Scott didn't look terribly sharp but UCLA was swarming on defense. Fall out from a concussion? Maybe. And now he's hurt again. It's a bummer of a situation Scott and the Wildcats are currently in. Take care of the kids, though.

Looking ahead to what should be a much easier contest in Colorado, what are you looking for the Wildcats to fix this week?

Defensive discipline. It was just loose and sloppy against the Bruins. I ultimately don't worry a ton about the offense, they were put in a tough spot last week and without Scott we really can't put true expectations on them. But the defense? That has to improve.

What's your score prediction for Colorado vs. Arizona and why?

Is Matt Scott healthy? If not I'm going to call this game 24-17 in Arizona's favor. I think there's enough firepower that should Denker get hot and Carey plays as he should, the Wildcats can put up some points. Defensively, I'd expect the Wildcats to get at least SOME stops against these Buffs.