Wildcats fighting to regain composure

Aaron Wickenden Arizona Daily Wildcat Junior defenseman DaShon Polk (31) goes forward to attack UCLA players while Joe Tafoya (99) hits UCLA senior Ryan Neufeld during Saturday's game. Polk has had 16 unassisted tackles and one sack this season.

The reason for that was largely in a complete inability to grab onto Foster and then hang on to him.

"We didn't tackle the whole game," UA head coach Dick Tomey said.

Tomey gave Foster some praise, calling him a "good, strong back," but added "at the same time our tackling was atrocious."

On one play Foster broke four tackles en route to his first touchdown of the game.

All told, the UA defense gave up 297 yards on the ground to the Bruins, 118 of that to Foster.

"We've got to get back to basics," UA redshirt freshman defensive end Eli Wnek said. "We have to keep having confidence in ourselves."

Things might not be much easier this weekend as the Wildcats go up against Oregon State redshirt freshman tailback Ken Simonton, who has rushed for 641 yards on 136 carries, an average of 106.8 yards per game.

Wnek called Simonton "as good or better" than Foster.

"We've got to make the best of this and not focus on the past," Wnek said.

Junior quarterback Keith Smith said it might be more of a mental than physical problem with the defense.

"Our defense has to play with a lot more emotion," he said.

Smith said Arizona faced a problem in that the Bruins were able to convert turnovers into scores, burning the Wildcat defense quickly with big plays.

"You want to attack right away," he said. "That's what UCLA did to our defense. We can't let it happen again this week."

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On the opposite side of the ball, the Arizona running game struggled, gaining only 90 yards for the game.

"We have to run or we can't win," Smith said.

Right guard Yusuf Scott said the Bruins surprised Arizona's offensive line by constantly bringing seven or eight men up in the box, which they had not been doing in previous games.

"We're trying to do something different," Scott said. "We're trying to widen our splits this week."

The man figuring to benefit from the offensive line's planned changes is junior running back Trung Canidate, who leads Arizona with 337 yards on the ground this year.

"The main thing for us to do is put the emphasis back on running," Canidate said. "It's going to take the right kind of attitude from everyone. From myself and the other running backs to the offensive line, the wide receivers, the quarterbacks, everyone. It's going to take a team effort."

Sophomore quarterback Ortege Jenkins said the effect of a weak running game is one he can feel.

"It doesn't put pressure on me, it puts pressure on the passing game itself," he said. "They (the Bruins) had a good defensive scheme. They threw a lot of blitzes at us. So we couldn't throw a lot of high percentage passes, just a lot of fades."

Canidate said that if the Arizona running game could have materialized, the outcome of last weekend's game could have been different.

"But I'm not a could've been, should've been, would've been kind of guy," he said.

Scott said that despite a game that saw Canidate rush for just 16 yards on 13 carries the running back remained in a positive frame of mind.

"He's always upbeat," Scott said. "He knows he's ready to explode."

Smith said that Canidate's time for a big game might come at OSU.

"He is due for a big game," Smith said. "He's not going to get 30 carries like other college backs do, but we've got three good backs here. The speed's still there, though."

Canidate's philosophy in approaching the game is rather simple.

"Running is the first and foremost part in the game of football," he said.

As for his chances to explode this weekend, Scott had the best response.

"He's always due for a big game," he said.

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If the Wildcats are looking for a good scouting report on OSU quarterback Terrance Bryant, they need to go no further than their own offensive line.

Right tackle Manuia Savea and Bryant played together at San Francisco City College for two years before they headed to different Pac-10 schools.

Savea said that during their time there they amassed a 21-2 record, winning one state title and finishing as runner-up the other year.

"He's a good, physical guy," Savea said of Bryant. "A good passer, a good scrambler. When there's nothing there he can make something out of it."

Bryant is left-handed, so Savea spent his two years at SFCC protecting Bryant's back.

"He's a person that gets into your face," Savea said. "He was in my face every practice."

While Savea was full of compliments for his former QB, he did note that there was one thing that always bothered him about Bryant.

"He probably won't like me to say this but he had like a size 26 waist. He's one of those guys who doesn't care about his weight," Savea said. "When he was in JC he was 180 to 190 pounds."

Bryant, though, has bulked up a little. OSU lists him at 203 pounds going into this weekend's game, but lack of size or not Bryant does have OSU off to its best start since 1968. That team finished 7-3, and was one of the last Beaver teams to finish over .500.

"He said he was going to go there and turn the program around," Savea said of Bryant. "Maybe he's just keeping his word."

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Tomey said that no player is "definitely out" for this weekend's game at OSU.

Junior cornerback Leland Gayles has returned to Tucson and is up and about, but the timetable for his return has not yet been set.

Tomey said that strong safety LaChaux Rich, who has been out since the Iowa game with a foot injury, has a good chance to come back Saturday.

"He's got a chance," Tomey said. "He may not practice all week but Jeremy McDaniel didn't practice at all last week and he was able to play."

McDaniel and fellow wide receiver Brad Brennan will be even healthier for OSU than they were last week against UCLA.

Two special teams players, Reggie Hardy and Robert Bonillas, have their status up in the air. Hardy is likely done for the year after injuring his knee at Washington, while Tomey said Bonillas could likely return in time to face the Beavers.

Chris Jackson can be reached via e-mail at Chris.Jackson@wildcat.arizona.edu.