By
Maxx Wolfson
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Wildcats trying to go 3-0 in the Pac-10
The question still remains - was it a catch or was it not?
Although a year has passed since the now-infamous "catch" by Arizona wide receiver Bobby Wade on the last-second "Hail Mary" pass against Washington State in Pullman, Wash., the controversy still continues.
With six seconds left and the score tied at 24, ex-Wildcat quarterback Keith Smith threw a 42-yard bomb in the direction of Wade and then-receiver Ortege Jenkins. The ball fell through the hands of Jenkins and into the grasp of Wade in the right corner of the end zone.
While replays indicated that Wade might have trapped the ball to give the Wildcats a 30-24 victory, officials ruled the play a touchdown.
Game over.
A year later, Washington State head coach Mike Price is convinced that Wade did not make the catch.
"I feel it wasn't a catch," Price said. "We haven't talked about it much. I am sure we have kids who remember it on what exactly did happen."
Conversely, Arizona would rather focus on tomorrow night's game against the Cougars than discuss last season's game-deciding play.
"I guess he (caught it) because we won," UA senior linebacker Antonio Pierce said. "I don't even like to refer to last year - so all I think about is what we are doing this year."
What the No. 22 Arizona Wildcats have done this year is surprising - a 4-1 overall record and a 2-0 Pacific 10 Conference record has left the Wildcats tied for first in conference play.
The Wildcats will play host to WSU (3-2 overall, 1-1 Pac-10) tomorrow night at 7:07 at Arizona Stadium in conjunction with the 68th annual Family Weekend.
With UA's early-season success and a pivotal conference game against Oregon on the horizon next weekend, the Wildcat players seem firmly focused on the game at hand.
"One day, one practice, one week and one game," junior strong safety Brandon Nash said. "It's just 'let's take care of who we have in front of us first.'
"There is no need to get ahead of ourselves because if you look over your shoulder, that's the team that beats you."
Even though the Wildcats have won six of their last seven games against the Cougars, Saturday's game should be a closely-fought battle.
Seven of the past nine meetings between the two schools have been decided by 10 points or less.
"We have a lot of respect for Washington State," UA head coach Dick Tomey said. "Just the way they play they have got a relentless style that is a credit to coach Price and just how they feel about him."
Price and the Cougars offense will get the chance to try to score against Arizona's "double flex eagle" defense, one that has allowed only two touchdowns in the past 390 minutes of football.
"I think I have a good understanding of the flex defense - as good as anyone," Price said. "It's a difficult scheme to run a sustained drive against."
The Arizona defense will try to put a stop to WSU quarterback Jason Gesser. The sophomore from Honolulu leads the Pac-10 with a quarterback rating of 147.52, good for 10th in the nation.
Gesser knows the Cougars may have their hands full with Arizona's defense.
"The whole defense is a bunch of athletes," Gesser said. "As far as I know, they are solid all around the ball. Watch No. 47 (free safety Jarvie Worcester) - he flies around and looks good to me."
When throwing to his tall wide receivers - Marcus Williams is 6-foot-5 and Milton Wynn is 6-foot-3 - Gesser will likely avoid freshman cornerback Michael Jolivette.
Jolivette was named to CNNSI.com's second-annual "Half-America Team" earlier this week. The redshirt freshman from Houston leads the Pac-10 in interceptions with four picks so far in just 6 games in 2000.
In last Saturday's 31-15 defeat of then-No. 18 USC, the Wildcat offense finally started to hit on all cylinders after struggling earlier in the season.
The Wildcat running game will once again be led by true freshman Clarence Farmer, who will make his third career start at tailback.
"Clarence is going to carry the ball more than the other guys, and he will continue to carry the ball as long as he is healthy," Tomey said. "I think any time a true freshman plays, and plays effectively, you have to be surprised.
"I just think he is showing a lot of maturity and he has done some really great things and he is just scratching the surface."
Fifth-year senior quarterback Jenkins will direct the offense. Jenkins has completed 48 of his last 80 passes, after starting the season completing only three of his first 21 passes.
