Untitled - University of Arizona Athletics

2011 Outlook
Conference:
Pac-12 (inaugural season)
Southern Division: Arizona, ASU, Colorado, UCLA, USC, Utah
Nickname:
Wildcats
Colors: Cardinal and Navy (PMS 200 and 281)
Stadium/capacity/field: Arizona Stadium (57,400), built 1929, grass
Returning Lettermen: 42 (21 defense, 18 offense, 3 specialists)
Returning Starters: 12 (5 offense, 7 defense)
Head Coach Mike Stoops: 40-45, eighth year in 2011
(Iowa ’86); 27-36 vs. Pac-10; 0-2 vs. Utah
Offensive formation: Multiple spread
Defensive formations: 4-3, 4-2-5
Arizona head coach
Mike Stoops has returned
Arizona football to contention
and takes a good team into
the first year of Pac-12 play.
What happens remains to be
seen but the 2011 club has
talent, depth, quality coaching
and a solid dose of chemistry
based on spring practice. UA
expects no less than a fourth
consecutive bowl season and
a shot at the national
rankings.
Stoops’ program has
featured steady recruiting and
outstanding player
development. It’s had some
notable highs – like last year’s
7-1 start and No. 9 AP ranking
– and some difficulty in
closing, but it’s never lacked the belief it could win week to week. The
Cats back down from no one and have established winning as a
cornerstone of the program.
UA’s prospects in 2011 hinge on the playmaking of superior
skill-position players on offense and a smooth transition in charting a
course for a group of younger defenders. The Cats are especially deep
at quarterback, receiver and in the secondary.
The thought of contending for the Pac-10 championship in back-toback
seasons may have seemed like a pipe dream to Arizona football
fans when Mike Stoops was hired in December 2003. Now seven
seasons later, the UA head coach continues to point the Wildcats on
that same upward path he envisioned upon his arrival in Tucson.
Certainly, the last two years have provided a roller coaster of
meaningful wins and a few missed opportunities, but that doesn’t
change the focus: to continue to make Arizona football a
championship-caliber program.
“Football is a tough game,” says Stoops. “It took us a while to
become a good team and it’s hard to become a great team, but we want
to go further. Even though we feel like we’ve treaded water a little bit
(lately), we have to find a way to get through that and to the next level.”
If that breakthrough is to come in 2011, the Wildcats will need
some of the best skill-position guys in the Pac-12 Conference to
produce, while a completely rebuilt offensive line finds its collective legs.
“We’re going to be inexperienced on the offensive line, but
hopefully we make up for that inexperience with our experience at
quarterback, wide receiver, and all our skill positions,” explained
Stoops. “It’s a little bit of a tradeoff, but I like the improvement our
offensive line had made. If we can continue to improve then we can
have a very effective offense with the experience. We’ve got prolific
quarterbacks, wide receivers and great running backs. We’ve got all the
pieces, but you’ve got to have an offensive line that can protect the
quarterback.”
The strength of the defense will be in the secondary, as the
program needs to fill the gaps left primarily by three defensive ends who
were each selected in April’s NFL Draft. All told, look for the Arizona
“D” to be stronger up the middle and rely on the secondary to lock
things down and bring pressure when necessary.
2011 Arizona Football
3 - arizonawildcats.com
“Defensively, it’s a very competitive group,” Stoops said. “I think
we’ll be better inside, we won’t be as good outside on the perimeter
because we just lost three outstanding defensive ends. It’ll be a big hole
to fill, but I like the way our young defensive ends have improved. We’re
going to rely on our corners and our secondary guys because we’re
going to have to create pressure through the second level of our
defense.”
Here is a quick look at some of the guys who will make a
difference for the Wildcats this season, beginning with the offensive side
of the ball.
It all starts with the
quarterback on offense, and
the Wildcats are blessed with
a good one in Nick Foles, a 6-
foot-5 senior from Austin,
Texas. He has been the
starter for most of the last two
seasons, passing for better
than 7,600 yards to go with 39
touchdown passes and a
completion percentage of
better than 65 percent.
Playing behind a
completely new offensive line
will be a challenge for the UA
signal caller, one that will test
his leadership skills. Getting
guys in the right spots and
keeping them focused might
prove more important than
simply delivering the football,
according to offensive
coordinator Seth Littrell.
Quarterback Nick Foles
“He’s going to have to be an unbelievable leader for our offense,
and we wouldn’t put that on his shoulders if we didn’t think he could do
it,” he said. “He’s a great guy, good person, great football player,
studies the game and I feel like he’s definitely the guy on our offense
who is a very strong leader.”
Stoops feels the same way, saying that it’s Foles’ understanding of
the UA offense that sets him apart. “Everyone relies heavily on their
quarterback, but Nick gives us a great leader that understands what
we’re doing extremely well,” he said.
Foles’ primary targets in the receiving corps will be Juron Criner,
Dan Buckner, David Douglas and David Roberts. This quartet anchors
arguably the deepest receiving corps in the conference. Add sophomore
Richard Morrison and junior Terrence Miller to a deep unit.
Criner, a 6-foot-4 senior from
Las Vegas, was a second-team
All-American and all-Pac-10
honoree last year after catching
82 passes for 1,223 yards and 11
touchdowns as a junior. Each of
those totals ranked in the top five
on the UA single season charts.
Buckner, a 6-foot-4 junior
from Allen, Texas, will make his
UA debut this fall after transferring
from Texas a year ago. He
grabbed 49 passes in 25
appearances for the Longhorns in
2008 and 2009.
Douglas, a 6-foot-1 senior
from McKinney, Texas, ranked
second on the team last season
with a career-high 52 catches for
515 yards and five scores. He
continues to improve, as his
Receiver Juron Criner
production has risen in each passing year.
Roberts, a 6-foot senior from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., snagged
44 balls in 2010 for 487 yards and two touchdowns.