The Odyssey looked forward to a fantastic “under the radar” game as 11th ranked Oregon State paid perhaps its last trip to Tucson to face a feisty Wildcat team.
We cannot hide our pain at the demise of the Pac 12 nor the Odyssey’s affection for its 2 orphans, Oregon State and Washington State. The Odyssey has added affection for any coach at its alma mater, such as the Beavers’ Jonathan Smith. Which makes our diatribe at Smith doubly painful.
Oregon State had the ball at the UA 20 in what would be the final play of the first half. In a 10-10 game, Smith called for a fake field goal to try to score a TD. OOPS! To boot, the ball was toted by somebody significantly slower than Usain Bolt. Arizona was relieved to stay knotted at 10. Did we mention that Arizona won the game, 27-24?
Smith manned up after the game, indicated his call was an error. Such chicanery might have been excusable if Oregon State was a massive underdog but the Beavers traveled to the desert as a highly regarded 3.5 point favorite. On the Cristobal meter of 0-10, where a stupid play call can get as high a score as 10, we have to tag Smith with a rank of 9 on that call. As in truly rank!
Oregon State seemingly lost everything Saturday night. If the Beavers win out, a Pac 12 title game tilt is remotely possible but the Beavers can kiss the playoff goodbye.
As for Arizona, their latest win was tantalizing when one looks in the rearview mirror. Two of the Wildcat losses were in overtime and their third defeat was a 1-score loss to undefeated Washington. Arizona was unheralded heading into the 2023 campaign but the Odyssey had a hunch that the Wildcat renaissance was continuing. Their over/under win total was at 5. Bingo! The Odyssey also took a flyer at Arizona winning the Pac 12 at 75-1. While this wager will wind up in the same scrap heap as most 75-1 flyers, the bet was awfully live.
One big consolation prize for the Zona Zoo: Smith’s coaching gaffe played a large part in the field storming in Tucson late Saturday night!