The final showdown

Ian Mayer Arizona Daily Wildcat Sophomore quarterback Ortege Jenkins (16) runs out of the backfield during the Nov. 27 game against Arizona State. The No. 5-ranked Wildcats will face off against No. 14 Nebraska Dec. 30 in the Culligan Holiday Bowl.

It was supposed to end in Pasadena, with roses clenched in the teeth.

But for the players of the Arizona football team, that is already a distant memory, a what-if which they said they will no longer dwell upon.

"Oh, yeah, most definitely," UA sophomore quarterback Ortege Jenkins said in regard to whether or not the players had gotten over missing out on the Rose Bowl after UCLA's loss to Miami last weekend.

Now Arizona will prepare to face No. 14 Nebraska (9-3), a three-time national champion in this decade, in the Culligan Holiday Bowl in San Diego Dec. 30 at 5 p.m. Pacific time.

The No. 5-ranked Wildcats (11-1) are coming off the best season in school history, while the Huskers are coming off their first three-loss season since the 1970's.

"It'll be good to have on our resume," UA sophomore quarterback Ortege Jenkins said. "They're big, they're fast, they'll run the option all day, and win or lose, it'll look good to play Nebraska."

In an era where strength of schedule can make or break a season, as it did Kansas State's, the Wildcats know they will be going up against a very tough opponent.

"We're going to have to practice hard because they are a hard team to play against," senior wide receiver Jeremy McDaniel said.

Nebraska's defense gives up an average of only 15.2 points per game, while its offense scores 31.9. The defense has surrendered only 1,402 yards rushing, while the offense has racked up 3,045 yards on the ground, behind a multi-player attack of I-back Correll Buckhalter (142 carries, 799 yards, 8 TD), fullback Joel Markovica (97 carries, 458 yards, 2 TD) and quarterback Eric Crouch (96 carries, 459 yards, 5 TD).

"They are totally different from any team we play this year," UA head coach Dick Tomey said. "To give our defense the right look we have to study them carefully. No team we have played this year has run the option."

Arizona can also run the ball, led by the Pacific 10 Conference's top rusher, junior Trung Canidate (167 carries, 1,220 yards, 10 TD), and touchdown-scoring machine Kelvin Eafon (145 carries, 532 yards, 16 TD).

The Huskers' interior defense is led by middle linebacker Jay Foreman (97 tackles, 4 sacks), defensive end Chad Kelsay (72 tackles, 6 sacks), whip linebacker Eric Johnson (70 tackles, 6 sacks) and defensive tackle Loran Kaiser (40 tackles, 6 sacks).

Stopping the run hasn't been Nebraska's problem, stopping the pass has.

The Huskers have given up 2,362 yards in the air, so UA quarterbacks Jenkins (70 of 142, 1,011 yards, 5 TD, 4 INT) and Keith Smith (113 of 165, 1,732 yards, 13 TD, 7 INT) are likely to open it up to wide receivers McDaniel (58 catches, 916 yards, 9 TD) and Dennis Northcutt (63 receptions, 922 yards, 6 TD).

Nebraska coach Frank Solich said while he has not yet seen much tape on Arizona, he has been impressed with the Wildcats as a whole team.

"They have excellent team speed, both on offense and defense," he said. "They've got an excellent QB, a great I-back, excellent receivers. I don't see any glaring weaknesses. They may be as complete a team as we've played, very similar to Kansas State."

The Wildcats became very proficient as the year progressed in stopping the run, leading the Pac-10 with only 1,233 yards given up on the ground.

That could force the Huskers to rely on their passing game, where they have not had much success this season.

With sophomore Bobby Newcombe (50 of 79, 712 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) hurt, redshirt freshman Eric Crouch (49 of 101, 601 yards, 4 TD, 4 INT) will get the call for Nebraska.

But that does not mean the Huskers will be afraid to go to the air, even with UA All-American senior cornerback Chris McAlister covering half the field.

"He's a great player, and the one thing is as the quarterback seeing him on film you know what he can do," Crouch said. "You can either be aggressive or take what they give you. We're an aggressive offense, we're going to run the ball a lot, we're going to try and pass it all over the field. Our offense is designed for big plays. I'm not going to center him out and go after him, it's going to be probably tougher going to his side."

None of the Arizona players are thinking the game is going to be much easier going up against Nebraska's defense.

"You always dream of playing a team like that," Smith said. "It's not like we're going to get an easy team this year. You look forward to it. Last year we were just happy to get into a bowl game."

Crouch said Nebraska's focus is completely on this game.

"We're not thinking about next year, we're thinking about how much better it looks having 10 victories," he said. "We just want to finish this year on top and finish up strong."

Solich echoed Crouch's desire to finish the year on top, but cautioned it will not be easy for his team.

"They have some very explosive offensive personnel, and when you put that all together they're going to be a very tough team to beat," he said.

Chris Jackson can be reached via e-mail at Chris.Jackson@wildcat.arizona.edu.