By Craig Sanders
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Slipping quietly out of an opponent's stadium is an easy thing to do for a team like Pacific. In the wake of another drubbing by another Top 20 team, none of the home fans cared what happened to the little school that had been paid big bucks to act as fodder for the home team.
But to a team like Pacific, there is life after the crushing defeat. There are still 10 games to go and a conference title to win. The priorities are not those of an Arizona or Nebraska. There are no thoughts of losing a spot in the polls or giving up a chance at being national champions. The game is used by everyone on the team as a learning experience, one to grow on for the rest of the season.
For a team like Pacific, there is no shame in losing to Arizona Ÿ but there was no pride, either.
"The effort was all right, we played hard physically," Pacific coach Chuck Shelton said. "I just think we've reached a time in our program where we cannot accept the fact that we got beat just because it was the University of Arizona."
Pacific comes into these games never knowing what to expect from its opponents. Just two seasons ago the Tigers entered Arizona Stadium, faced what many consider the Wildcats' best team ever and almost came away with a victory, losing 16-13. They enter every game with those same expectations. A team like Pacific never expects to lose, even when it is outgunned at almost every position.
"Oh definitely, I thought we were going to play with them," Pacific quarterback Chad Fotheringham said. "A couple of plays and we might have been right in it. But they made big plays and we have to learn to make big plays."
Arizona made big plays both on the ground and through the air. The Wildcats compiled over 400 yards of offense. Quarterback Dan White threw for 254 yards on only 15 completions and tailback Gary Taylor added 96 yards rushing on 11 carries. Kicker Jon Prasuhn's 57-yard field goal at the end of the first half tied a school record. Yet White's pass to wide receiver Richard Dice with only two seconds remaining in the first quarter may have been the biggest of them all, and it seemed to break the Tigers' spirit.
"I think those (kinds of plays) are killers," Shelton said. "I don't even want to suggest that it made a difference in who won and who lost, but we can't let those things happen."
"We have a tough team and we played them hard," Pacific tailback Joe Abdullah said. "Some execution things didn't happen on the offense and they had some big plays on our defense. I just don't think the score indicated how good we really are.
"By the end of the season we'll put things together and show that we're a good team."
Abdullah and punter/kicker Roger Fleenor were the highlights for Pacific. Fleenor, from Sunnyslope High School in Phoenix, returned to Arizona and had perhaps his finest performance as a punter. Though the sophomore hit a 31-yard field goal, he was most impressive when he booted nine punts for a 45.4-yard average, including a 60-yarder.
"I was really excited, really nervous," Fleenor said. "I enjoyed seeing so many friends and family in the crowd. It was a chance for me to go out there and get a few kicks under my belt."
Abdullah carried the ball 22 times for 63 yards against Arizona's "Desert Swarm" defense. He had several runs over 10 yards and continued to play into the fourth quarter, even though the game was well out of reach.
"Coach wanted me in there and I wanted to be in there," Abdullah said. "This team never gives up and I'll stay in until the last play. I just give it my all and play my hardest. Our whole team does."
Pacific will host Oregon State on Saturday, and the team is entering that game with the conviction that it will bounce back.
"This team can be competitive with anyone," Shelton said. "We don't always play smart, but there is one thing you can count on: We always play hard."