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By Kristen Davis
Arizona Daily Wildcat
October 7, 1996
Senior linebacker Armon Williams said Arizona's defense used the bye week to work on toughness and fundamentals after it allowed 31 points against Washington two weeks ago."We didn't sulk about it," Williams said. "We got back to practice and got back to the basics with our defense getting back to feeling like the Desert Swarm."
And during Saturday's win over Washington State, the Wildcats began to look like that defense, too.
Arizona recorded six sacks for 54 yards in losses Saturday night. Junior linebacker Chester Burnett said the coaches stressed putting a lot of pressure on Washington State sophomore quarterback Ryan Leaf.
"It's very important for us to get a lot of people around him because he's real big," Burnett said. "If you let him just sit back there in the pocket with nobody in his face he will just tear you apart."
In addition to putting pressure on Leaf, Arizona was able to make the big defensive plays at key moments.
Sophomore cornerback Chris McAlister intercepted Leaf, returning it 37 yards for a touchdown with just under a minute remaining in the fourth quarter, padding Arizona's lead to 34-20.
With 59 seconds left and the Cougars down by seven, McAlister said the secondary knew Leaf would come out passing.
"I hadn't had that many passes thrown at me so I figured it was about time that they came my way, and when it did, I was there to make the play," he said.
With the score, McAlister was able to make up for a touchdown he allowed Cougar receiver Chad Carpenter to score at the 4:24 mark of the second quarter.
"I had to look past it because I knew I caused my own mistakes for him to get open," he said. "It was a mental breakdown that I knew I had to correct when I came back out on the field."
Burnett said that, although Arizona's fourth-quarter performance was better, the team still has a ways to go.
"This game we won a ton of the battles, which is the most crucial thing, especially in the fourth quarter," Burnett said. "We're not where we need to be, but we are getting better."
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