Tuesday October 9, 2001

Jeff Lund

Arizona is not a football school - yet.

If there were any arguments otherwise, they were put to rest Saturday when an Oregon team that struggled in its first four games put it all together and embarrassed the Wildcats 63-28. The game was not even close.

The Wildcats used all of their energy scratching out of a hole they dug themselves into during the first minutes of the game, just like the week before.

It's difficult to expect a team to allow 14 uncontested points to the No. 6 team in the country and then come back to win the game. Why? - because Arizona is a mediocre team - at best - in the Pac-10.

While the Wildcats flirted with success under former head coach Dick Tomey, the program never stayed at a high level. Successful seasons were followed by disappointment; fifth-place finishes were the norm. In the past seven years, Arizona has finished with a conference record above .500 only once.

Since 1990, Arizona has averaged a fifth-place finish with a combined Pac-10 record of 48-40, and won only three of six bowl games, none coming since the win over Nebraska in the 1998 Holiday Bowl.

Case in point: 1999. After beating Nebraska and finishing the 1998 season 12-1, the Wildcats were dubbed No. 4 in the 1999 pre-season rankings.

Arizona traveled to Happy Valley to take on Penn State for the first game of the year. After teasing Wildcat fans with a drive down the field following a Nittany Lion touchdown, UA missed a field goal. After that, the team was blown out 41-7 and slapped back to mediocrity.

Within four weeks, the Wildcats were out of the top 25 and finished the season 6-6.

Last season, after a 5-1 start, - the one loss coming to a ranked Ohio State team - promise again turned to pitiful, and Arizona missed a bowl game for the second-straight season because of its five-game skid to finish out the season.

Under new coach John Mackovic, Arizona jumped out to a 3-0 record, which started whispers of Arizona's turnaround and strides back to the top of the Pac-10. Then Washington State mauled UA at home and sent the Cats spiraling once again.

Did anyone really expect the Wildcats to beat Oregon? Sure, upsets are possible, but you can't expect one just because the team is playing at home. Good teams do not turn the ball over five times. Good teams turn five turnovers into 35 points like Oregon did.

One man cannot turn a program around in one year because of his reputation. Rebuilding takes time. Or in the case of the UA football team, building takes time.

Arizona is doing the best with what it has. After the Ducks scored 49 straight points to send even the fanatics in the "Red Zone" packing, the starters remaining in the game - like Clarence Farmer, who had a career-high 158 yards rushing - kept fighting and leaping for every yard.

Backup quarterback John Rattay came in and did his best to make the score less horrid. A lack of heart is not the problem with this team - it's a lack of talent and the lack of the reputation necessary to ensure top talent coming in each season.

Even UA head coach John Mackovic said the team needs more talent to compete with the nation's top squads.

"It's tough for us, and it's going to be tough for us until we get some personnel playing in here," Mackovic said.

Steps are being taken to improve the showings at Arizona Stadium, but Arizona as a team isn't yet ready to ensure the game is as good as the pregame show. Just the presence of a former NFL coach is not going to fix things. It takes time.

Mackovic has already secured some recruits that will hopefully be able to play to his - and the fans' - expectations. Give the coach some time, and Arizona's time should come, hopefully sooner than later.