By Patrick Klein
Arizona Daily Wildcat
The saying goes that you're only as good as your last game.
If Arizona's last game, a 16-13 loss to Utah in the Freedom Bowl, is any indication, the Wildcats need serious help on the offense but can always fall back on a solid defense.
Arizona will need both sides of the ball to be in full gear if it hopes to make a serious run at its first-ever Rose Bowl bid and get back to the level of national prominence it enjoyed briefly in 1994.
The Wildcat offense was spotty at times last season and demonstrated serious problems scoring touchdowns inside the 20-yard line. With the loss of Steve McLaughlin and his seemingly automatic field goals, Arizona will need to put the ball in the end zone and take away the adventure of using a new kicker.
But the biggest problem for
the Wildcats will be to put together a tackle-to-tackle offensive line, as all five starters last season graduated. Without a line, this could be a long season for the Wildcats, and for quarterback Dan White, who could be buried under a sea of opposing jerseys every Saturday.
The defense again will be solid, and will probably be counted on to win a few games for UA next season. The defensive line, led by All-American Tedy Bruschi, could be one of the best in the Pacific 10 Conference, if not the country. The secondary was vulnerable at times last season and will again be under the spotlight, especially with the graduation of free safety Tony Bouie.
The nonconference schedule, at this point anyway, seems to favor the Wildcats. Home games against Pacific and Georgia Tech should get the UA tuned up to travel to Champaign and meet Illinois Sept. 16.
The Pac-10 schedule is difficult as always, but Arizona gets the luxury of playing Cal, Southern Cal, Washington and defending Pac-10 champions Oregon at Arizona Stadium. Of the four road games, Washington State, Oregon State and ASUare all winnable for Arizona, but the Oct. 14 clash with UCLA will be in Los Angeles.