After Arizona’s spine-tingling 34-28 upset over UCLA at the Rose Bowl Saturday night, the Odyssey offers the following observations:
The Wildcats are the best team with a losing record (4-6) in the country with no close second. With their upset over UCLA, Arizona added its win over the Bruins to quality wins over North Dakota State and San Diego State
With whirling dervish Jayden DeLaura at QB, there is no more entertaining team in the country. He can be erratic with his never-say-die scrambles in the pocket, but DeLaura is incredibly dangerous and always great theater.
The Wildcats may have the best receiving corps in the country. Some great receivers are going to be the recipient of single coverage. Jacob Cowing broke UTEP’s heart by transferring to UA this year. Freshman Tetairoa McMillan is one of the most heralded recruits in Wildcat history. Sophomore Dorian Singer has had a breakout campaign. De Laura also has a talented safety valve in tight end Tanner McLachlan, another sophomore. While Cowing may opt for the NFL, this crew is going to continue to be a headache in 2023.
Arizona’s downfall in 2023 has been the byproduct of a porous defense and an unrelenting schedule (Their last 5 games have been against Washington, Oregon, USC, Utah and UCLA. YIKES!!!). The Wildcat D finally showed up in the Rose Bowl. Dorian Thompson-Robinson was under pressure all night. As the expected point total for UCLA was 48.5 per our friends in Las Vegas, this Wildcat D was not supposed to make its presence felt in Pasadena.
With home games left against Washington State and Arizona State, Arizona has a chance to become bowl eligible. The last time their archrivals paid a visit to Tucson, the Sun Devils laid a historic 70-7 humiliation on the Wildcats that brought shame all the way to Bisbee. If somebody offers you UA+62 against ASU in the 2022 Territorial Cup, my advice is to take the wager! Arizona will be sky high for this year’s ASU tilt!
Arizona’s combined record in 202o and 2021: 1-16, lowlighted by their ASU 2020 humiliation and a loss to Northern Arizona. Congrats to Jedd Fisch for resurrecting a once proud program! 2023 cannot come soon enough for the Arizona football program.