When the No. 7 Bruins travel to Tucson, Ariz., to take on the
Wildcats this weekend, they will be faced with the Pac-10’s
third-ranked pass defense, which has already contended with such
fearsome passing attacks as USC and Oregon. While the numbers
indicate that Arizona is ranked behind UCLA and Cal in passing
yards against, the Wildcats have arguably the best defensive back
talent in the Pac-10. Arizona coach Mike Stoops, the younger
brother of Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, was the co-defensive
coordinator of the Sooners for five years and has successfully
brought his aggressive play to Arizona. The Bruins don’t need
any more incentive to avoid a letdown this weekend after nearly
falling to the Cardinal last week. They merely have to consider the
fact that their passing attack, which has propelled senior
quarterback Drew Olson into the Heisman Trophy race, will face one
of the stingiest secondaries in the Pac-10. “It’s
definitely going to be a challenge for us,” Olson said.
“They’ve played some pretty good teams. It’s
going to be fun to go up against them.” The Arizona secondary
is led by senior free safety Darrell Brooks, who is on the watch
list for the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the best defensive back in
the nation. Brooks is leading his team with 69 total tackles. The
Wildcat defense also features sophomore cornerback Antoine Cason,
who leads a secondary with Brooks that has accounted for eleven
interceptions on the season and only 228.8 passing yards allowed
per game. “We’ve watched the tape,” UCLA coach
Karl Dorrell said. “They’re good. What more can I
say?” The Wildcats limited Oregon senior quarterback Kellen
Clemens to 187 yards on Oct. 22. Although junior Oregon State and
former Bruin quarterback Matt Moore threw for 436 yards and a
touchdown last week, the Wildcats also forced him to throw six
interceptions to offset any damage. A key match-up will be strength
versus strength, as the Bruins come into the game riding the arm of
Olson, who has only thrown three interceptions on the season. Olson
has thrown for thirteen touchdowns in the last three games, and
ranks second in the Pac-10 in pass efficiency with a 165.3 rating.
From a numbers standpoint, something is going to give. “They
changed their defense this year. They use one more linebacker now,
but it doesn’t change things much,” tight end Marcedes
Lewis said. “We don’t feel like our offense can be
stopped. At this point in the season, it doesn’t matter who
we play, it’s always going to be a challenge.” It will
certainly be a challenge if the offensive line cannot provide
enough pass protection to give Olson enough time to find his
receivers. Olson was sacked four times against Stanford, and many
of his passes were rushed because of impending hits. If the
offensive line plays the same way against Arizona, it may be a long
day for the Bruins. “We had a lot of hurried passes the last
game,” receiver Marcus Everett said. “Our o-line is
definitely going to have to do a better job this game.”
Not making the trip: Senior center Mike McCloskey will not be
traveling with the team to Arizona. Freshman Jimmy Stevens has been
suffering from back strains and will also not make the trip to
Tucson. With reports from Sagar Parikh and Seth Fast Glass,
Bruin Sports senior staff.