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Back to basics

By Bryan Rosenbaum

Arizona Daily Wildcat, August 27, 1999

STATE COLLEGE, Penn. - Arizona football took a step backwards in its attempt to become one of the top teams in college football. So big of a step that it nearly puts the team back into the "mediocre" category they've been striving to get out of.

Penn State pummeled the Wildcats in front of a sold-out crowd of over 97,000 people and a national television audience. The Nittany Lions, whose offense was missing for most of last season, seemed as if they could do no wrong.

On the other side of the field, Arizona could do nothing right. Whether it was mistackling, lack of pass coverage, a blocked punt, a missed field goal, a bad penalty or a lackluster offense, Arizona embarrassed itself on its biggest stage.

The mood was summed up early in the first quarter, when Penn State jumped out to an early 14-0 lead. Senior wide receiver Dennis Northcutt caught a screen pass and was tackled immediately. Upon getting up, Northcutt yelled at sophomore wide receiver Malosi Leonard for not blocking his defender.

Senior cornerback Kelvin Hunter, who was the target of opposing quarterbacks a year ago because Chris McAlister was on the other side, showed that he will still be picked on this year. After being burned by senior wide receiver Chafie Fields on Penn State's opening drive, Hunter couldn't bring Fields down and Arizona was in a hole early. It didn't get any better, as Fields fooled a defense that was once labeled "Desert Swarm" and then ridiculed them by slipping past them again and again.

Head coach Dick Tomey talked all last week about how much the defense wanted to hit; during Saturday's game, it looked like Arizona's D was playing in a touch-football game. Penn State, not known as a tricky offensive team by any means, looked like Florida State with the way they sucked Arizona defenders to one side and then cleverly ran to the other. How many times did Fields take the handoff after running in motion and get away with it?

About the only things that stood out as positives on defense were junior linebacker Antonio Pierce's hit on the opening kickoff return and junior defensive end Idris Haroon's work up front. That's it.

The Wildcat defense repeatedly put the offense in dangerous situations, and vice-versa. Senior quarterback Keith Smith played a solid game considering what he was given, while Ortege Jenkins failed to grab a hold of the game's tempo - something few Wildcats were able to do anyway. Tomey's run-up-the-middle tactic was never going to work against Penn State's linebackers, nor should it have been tried. Passes to senior wide receiver Dennis Northcutt let Arizona stretch the defense, and even though he came away with a good play every touch, Arizona failed to pass to him more afterwards.

Instead, Leonard and freshman Bobby Wade, both playing in their first college games, got most of the routes. Trung Canidate was never able to get going because he was suffocated the first second he got the ball. It makes you wonder how much the team really does miss Yusuf Scott, the Pac-10's offensive lineman of the year in 1998 who opted early for the NFL.

On the bright side, maybe the hype will be taken away from Arizona. As Jenkins said as he went into the locker room after the game, Arizona is overrated.

Also, an early loss is better in the world of college football. It was a non-conference loss, so nothing changes in the Pac-10 standings.

But everything changes in the Arizona football team. Forget worrying about injuries or keeping players fresh, this team needs to get back to basics and work on tackling and blocking.

This is only August, remember. There's a whole 11 more games to go.

Arizona Daily Wildcat assistant sports editor Bryan Rosenbaum, who reported from Penn State University in State College, Penn., can be reached at Bryan.Rosenbaum@wildcat.arizona.edu

Letters to the editor about the Arizona-Penn State game can be sent via e-mail to editor@wildcat.arizona.edu or faxed to (520) 626-8303.