Expectations climb after 70-0 win

What will the Arizona Wildcats do for an encore?

In the days following Arizona’s 70-0 dismantling of Idaho, the Wildcat faithful have seen their expecatations reached a rarified state.

It had been 87 years since a Wildcat team had crossed the 70-point barrier (a 74-0 destruction of Texas College of Mines and Metallurgy — now known as UTEP — in 1921). No squad racked up a more lopsided win last week.

Of course, it must be mentioned that Idaho isn’t exactly the most fearsome foe in college football. The Vandals stumbled to a 1-11 record last season and didn’t offer much resistance to the Arizona attack.

However, many of these same Vandals opened last season against perennial Pac-10 power USC, battling the Trojans in a 38-10 defeat.

Make no mistake — Arizona was supposed to soundly beat Idaho. But the efficiency and relentlessness showed by every member on the depth chart made Mike Stoops one of the happiest college football coaches in America last weekend.

“I was really thrilled by how cleanly we played,” Stoops said. “We had no turnovers and we committed only two penalties. Mechanically, we were very sound all day.”

It can be easy for a group of college athletes to lose focus after a one-hour lightning delay, a torrential downpour that kept the football wet through most of the first half and a lopsided scoreboard. But Arizona (1-0) maintained its killer instinct throughout all four quarters, even after most of the starters called it an early evening.

Key statistics

Quarterback Willie Tuitama didn’t let the delay or moisture affect his accuracy one bit. He completed 17 of his 21 first-half pass attempts for 179 yards and three touchdowns.

Had Terrell Turner and Delashaun Dean not dropped three passes that hit them directly in the mitts, Tuitama could’ve conceivably gone 20-21, with his lone incompletion batted down by an Idaho defensive tackle at the line of scrimmage.

“Wille threw the ball with great precision and accuracy,” Stoops said. “His confidence and his decision making are at an all-time high.”

Sophomore tailback Nic Grigsby racked up 169 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries in what is supposed to be a pass-happy offense.

His two-quarter rushing production nearly toppled his career high — the 186 yards he racked up against Washington State last season.

Grigsby confidently burst through the gaping holes the Arizona offensive line was able to open.

Despite Grigsby’s and Tuitama’s outstanding games, the 10-touchdown explosion was the definition of a team effort.

Nine separate Wildcats (Grigsby twice, Mike Thomas, Marquis Hundley, Chris Gronkowski, Keola Antolin, Turner, Matt Scott, Nick Booth and Xavier Smith) found the end zone. Hundley did so on an 87-yard fumbled-punt return.

The 49 first-half points the Wildcats posted would’ve been the highest Arizona point total of 2007.

“I don’t think there’s any question that our offense is way better now than at any time last year,” Stoops said. “There’s simply no comparision.”

Stoops was also quick to point out that this feat was accomplished with one of the squad’s most dangerous weapons — tight end Rob Gronkowski — sidelined with strep throat.

While there is no definite timetable on Gronkowski’s return, Stoops said, he expects to get the sophomore sensation back into the line-up “relatively quickly.”

Lost in the 70-point outburst was the defense’s first shutout in 12 seasons.

The last time the Wildcats blanked an opponent was 1996 — a 41-0 win over Illinois in 1996.

“Our defensive positioning was terrific,” Stoops said. “Everyone stayed true to their assignments and swarmed to the ball.”

The Wildcats forced five turnovers and picked off starting quarterback Nate Enderle three times. Enderle finished 10-25 for 48 yards before giving way to Quin Ashley (0-2, one interception).

The Vandals gained a measley 112 yards of total offense, with Ronnie Palmer spending nearly as much time in the backfield as Idaho tailback Deonte Jackson.

Toledo heads to Tucson

Saturday’s opponent will provide a much stiffer test than Idaho, but the Wildcats should still be favored against Toledo.

The Rockets finished 5-7 last season, but have gone bowling four of the past six seasons.

“Toledo always seems to take down a BCS team every year,” Stoops said. “They have much better overall talent than Idaho and they present a lot of unique challenges.”

The Rockets lost star tailback Jalen Parmele and offensive tackle John Greco to the NFL, but quarterback Aaron Opelt leads a potent Toledo offensive attack.

Among those unique challenges Stoops spoke of? Two NFL-caliber wide receivers — each of whom stands roughly 6-foot-5.

Junior Stephen Williams (6-5) and senior Nick Moore (6-4) will test UA cornerbacks Devin Ross and Hundley in ways the Idaho wide-outs couldn’t.

While optimism might be running high throughout Southern Arizona, all it will take is a slip-up against Toledo for Stoops to return to the hot seat.

Kickoff at Arizona Stadium is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday — as long as the skies stay clear.

nprevenas@gvnews.com | 547-9747

Details

What: Toledo (0-0) at Arizona (1-0)

When: 7 p.m.

Where: Arizona Stadium, Tucson

Radio: 1290-AM