By
Ryan Finley
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Mills, Leonard shine in three OT win
In football, some games have the potential to change the flow of an entire season.
Saturday night's tilt between UA and Washington State may have been one of those games.
In a contest marred by penalties and sloppy defensive play, Arizona managed to defeat Washington State, 53-47 in triple overtime.
Arizona's Antonio Pierce intercepted a Jason Gesser pass following a Leo Mills touchdown to vault the Wildcats over the Cougars in front of 50,350 people at Arizona Stadium.
"I've never played in such a wild game," sophomore wide receiver Bobby Wade said. "I never dreamed of playing in a three-overtime game at home, with the home crowd behind us. It was tremendous for the whole Wildcat program."
Senior quarterback Ortege Jenkins and the Wildcats are undefeated in conference play.
"It's a big win because its a conference game," he said. "A lot of teams tend to overlook Washington State, but we knew they had a big game plan for us. We've got them the past two years."
The last two meetings between the two teams have each been settled by a six points.
"When they play us, they bring their "A" game," junior wide receiver Malosi Leonard said. "They have people that want to win. They want to fight, win, do whatever it takes."
The victory - which puts the Wildcats (5-1 overall, 3-0 Pacific 10 Conference) a win away from bowl eligibility - was the culmination of four hours of near-misses and gutwrenching tension.
With the game tied at 33 and 17 seconds left in regulation, UA kicker Shawn Keel lined up for a career-long 52-yard field goal attempt. The kick - which was long enough - plunked off the right upright, sending the game into overtime.
The Wildcats - who started the first overtime period on offense - took all of one play to score. On the first play from scrimmage, Jenkins lateralled to Leonard, who promptly threw the ball back to Jenkins. The quarterback, left open due to WSU's overpursuit, ran the ball 25 yards for the touchdown.
"I know (Leonard) can throw and make those plays," Jenkins said. "My mom could have walked through with that pass."
Keel added an extra point to put the Wildcats ahead, 40-33. After a WSU touchdown tied the game, both teams were forced to play a second overtime period.
Washington State - who started the second overtime on offense - scored when Cougar quarterback Jason Gesser hit wide receiver Nakoa McElrath for a 19-yard touchdown pass, putting WSU ahead, 47-40.
Mills dominated WSU's defense when the Wildcats got the ball, running the ball on all five Arizona plays and scoring on a 1-yard dive. The sophomore from Humble, Texas, ran for 129 yards on 19 carries.
"He did a marvelous job, and he played possessed," UA head coach Dick Tomey said. "It was obvious that he was making things happen for us, and he just had a lot of confidence."
The Wildcats started the third overtime with the ball. Facing a third-and-nine situation, Jenkins connected with Leonard, who caught the ball after leaping over a defender.
Four plays later, Mills plunged ahead for UA's final score.
After missing a two-point conversion, Arizona lined up against the Cougars, which had a chance to win the game with a touchdown and two-point conversion.
WSU's hopes were short-lived, however.
On the Cougars' first play from scrimmage, Pierce intercepted a Gesser pass, ending the game.
A Washington State penalty - the 26th of the game - was declined as the Arizona faithful stormed the field.
"We made plays," Jenkins said. "I'm glad we got a chance to get our fans to come celebrate with us."
Despite facing a near-disastrous scare, the Wildcats are atop the Pac-10 standings.
"This brought some adversity to our team," Leonard said. "This taught us to stay together, no matter what happens, and we won."
Tomey agreed.
"It was an intense game on both sides of the ball," he said. "I am really proud of the guys and the way they hung in there. If you're a good team, you have to win games like that."
