Oregon State redshirt senior wide receiver Mike Hass made a splash Saturday against No. 8 UCLA in Los Angeles, catching seven passes for 199 yards - the same yardage Arizona's passing gained the same day against No. 14 Oregon.
"He goes after every play, and you know you have to do the same, or he'll make you look stupid," said Arizona sophomore cornerback Wilrey Fontenot.
Tomorrow, Fontenot and fellow cornerback Antoine Cason will take on primary defense duties for Hass, a player who has put opposing secondaries on the wrong end of highlight reels all season.
In seven outings, the 6-foot-1 wideout from Portland, Ore., has 58 receptions for 1,047 yards with six touchdowns. His 149.6 yards per game ranks fourth in the nation and first in the Pacific 10 Conference.
Hass' ability to put up lofty numbers is something of which the Arizona cornerback duo said they're well aware.
"I'm ready for the pass," Cason said. "Hass, that's their number 1 receiver. We just have to play him as tough as we can."
In OSU's 52-23 win over Arizona last season, the Wildcat secondary limited Hass to 27 yards on three receptions, but one of those catches went for a touchdown.
"You have to know where he is and defend him as well as you can," Cason said.
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Arizona looks to extend its recent defensive success against the Beavers' potent passing game.
Since giving up a season-high 720 yards Oct. 8 at No. 1 Southern California, the Wildcat defense has limited Stanford to 195 yards of total offense Oct. 15 and Oregon to 307 yards Saturday.
"I've liked their defense," said Oregon State head coach Mike Riley in his weekly press conference. "They are very physical, (with an) impressive secondary. Very tough."
Fontenot said the defense does not intend on changing its approach despite Hass' field presence.
"We'll use a variety of coverages, try to throw them off. ... (But) we're just going to be playing it like we've been playing all year," he said.
Stoops said part of the Arizona approach will be keying in on the OSU ground game, a facet of its offense he said is vital to the Beavers' passing game.
"(Riley) has done a nice job with their running attack," he said. "(Sophomore running back Yvenson) Bernard has really ran the ball."
While the running game, behind Bernard's 114 rushing yards a contest, has given the Beaver offense a new tangent, the focus comes back to Hass.
"As well as they run the ball, they throw the ball down the field more than any team we've seen," Stoops said. "Our secondary will get a great test (because) Hass is a great player. He catches everything and really has a knack for making big plays."