All right, that's it. My inner Wildcat nut-job is coming out.
Wildcat faithful, time to stop the hand wringing. Stop it immediately. Ok, so conference-leading QB Nick Foles is gone. Maybe for two weeks, maybe for two months. Yeah, the final four game stretch (@ Stanford, USC, @ Oregon, ASU) looks a lot scarier now. Who cares? Nick Foles will return when he can. All indicators, from the day he showed up in Tucson, have been that Foles is a classy, dedicated, hard-working young man. So lets trust him to do what he needs to do in order to be game ready as soon as possible. Until there is some real news about a return date, let us focus on what is important.
Arizona can win without him. Yeah, I said it. Arizona is a much better team than the nation realizes. Look at the depth at every skill position. The amazing WRs and DBs that can barely get any game time. Arizona has finally reached the point of the rebuilding process where they can and will plug in a guy and move on.
Matt Scott is no Nick Foles. So what? He doesn't need to be. Embrace his different QB style 'Cat fans! Based on his performance this past Saturday against the Cougs, he obviously has improved his accuracy, delivery, footwork, and decision-making skills. And that makes those speedy feet of his that much more dangerous.
Go ahead, Huskies, blitz him. Leave one of Arizona's much-better-than-advertised receivers open, I dare you. Or maybe you want to cover the receivers tight, and let him run all over you? Oh wait, you're going to have to run a zone defense against the Wildcats, aren't you? Good luck with that. I have a feeling Juron Criner and 'Bug' Wright will make you pay dearly for that.
Washington Head Coach Steve Sarkisian certainly won't be taking the Arizona game lightly. He is an intelligent coach, who will see the game for what it really is. A trap. If the Huskies defense comes into that game cocky, they will be annihilated in front of the 10,000-plus strong Zona Zoo.
The Huskies offense had better come to Tucson prepared, as well. They will be facing the best defense they've seen since Nebraska came calling. A defense thats biggest issue appears to be that they have too many good players. I'll go on record, yet again, in calling Washington QB Jake Locker a highly over-hyped player. He isn't Tim Tebow. He isn't the best QB in the Pac-10. And he isn't capable of single-handedly winning a game, nobody is.
This Saturday, Locker will be facing a defense that is desperate, rabid to prove a point. The Arizona defense can and will win games if they have to. Some have even begun to question how good the Arizona defense really is. The usual result of playing in the hyper-competitive Pac-10. Lose one game? You must have been over-rated. Lose your Pac-10 leading QB? The nation assumes you will crumble.
Stop being nice Wildcat fans. Stop taking it on the chin. Stop saying 'We'll see'. Stand up for your team! This is one Arizona fan that fervently hopes the Wildcats make a deafening statement this Saturday. One that says the Wildcats aren't going anywhere, anytime soon.
The Wildcats are here to stay, ladies and gentlemen. Get used to it.