Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller
Arizona is a foot away from elite status.
(No, stop. Thanks ... no ... you're great. Thanks! Please. OK, keep clapping).
Arizona began the season by physically dominating Central Michigan, which is now 6-1 with a victory over Michigan State. It then lost at Iowa, which is unbeaten and ranked sixth in the BCS standings.
Then the Wildcats changed quarterbacks from Matt Scott to Nick Foles, and Foles has been a revelation.
He led Arizona to a nail-biting win at Oregon State, which hasn't lost since then. He passed for over 400 yards in a nail-biting win over Stanford.
Ah, but that pass that bounced off receiver Delashaun Dean's foot into a Washington defender's hands on Oct. 10, which was then returned for a game-winning touchdown -- that is preventing the Wildcats from being tied for first in the Pac-10 and nationally ranked.
Though, notably, Arizona sits at No. 22 in the BCS standings.
Still, at 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the conference, despite a quarterback change and numerous injuries, the Wildcats appear headed to a second consecutive bowl berth. And maybe more.
Offensive MVP: Foles isn't playing like a sophomore first-time starter. He leads the Pac-10 in pass efficiency and has averaged 351 yards passing per game in three starts. He's tossed nine TD passes with just two picks, one of which was the freak play at Washington. His 73.9 completion percentage is on pace for a school record. The Wildcats now rank first in the conference and 14th in the nation in total offense and have adopted more of a Texas Tech spread scheme to best accommodate Foles' skills.
Defensive MVP: Junior defensive end Ricky Elmore has carried the pass-rushing load with opposite end Brooks Reed nursing a sprained ankle. He ranks fourth in the conference with 5.5 sacks and has 24 tackles overall.
Arizona is a foot away from elite status.
(No, stop. Thanks ... no ... you're great. Thanks! Please. OK, keep clapping).
Arizona began the season by physically dominating Central Michigan, which is now 6-1 with a victory over Michigan State. It then lost at Iowa, which is unbeaten and ranked sixth in the BCS standings.
Then the Wildcats changed quarterbacks from Matt Scott to Nick Foles, and Foles has been a revelation.
He led Arizona to a nail-biting win at Oregon State, which hasn't lost since then. He passed for over 400 yards in a nail-biting win over Stanford.
Ah, but that pass that bounced off receiver Delashaun Dean's foot into a Washington defender's hands on Oct. 10, which was then returned for a game-winning touchdown -- that is preventing the Wildcats from being tied for first in the Pac-10 and nationally ranked.
Though, notably, Arizona sits at No. 22 in the BCS standings.
Still, at 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the conference, despite a quarterback change and numerous injuries, the Wildcats appear headed to a second consecutive bowl berth. And maybe more.
Offensive MVP: Foles isn't playing like a sophomore first-time starter. He leads the Pac-10 in pass efficiency and has averaged 351 yards passing per game in three starts. He's tossed nine TD passes with just two picks, one of which was the freak play at Washington. His 73.9 completion percentage is on pace for a school record. The Wildcats now rank first in the conference and 14th in the nation in total offense and have adopted more of a Texas Tech spread scheme to best accommodate Foles' skills.
Defensive MVP: Junior defensive end Ricky Elmore has carried the pass-rushing load with opposite end Brooks Reed nursing a sprained ankle. He ranks fourth in the conference with 5.5 sacks and has 24 tackles overall.
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ABOUT THIS BLOG
Ted Miller
Miller has been covering college football since 1997, starting with Auburn and then heading West to Washington and the Pac-10. His columns for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer won first place in 2007 APSE Best Writing contest. The Atlanta native and University of Richmond graduate presently lives with his wife in Scottsdale, Ariz.
PAC-10 SCOREBOARD
Saturday, 11/21
Final Arizona State 13 UCLA 23 Final 19 Oregon State 42 Washington State 10 Final 25 California 34 17 Stanford 28 Final/2OT 11 Oregon 44 Arizona 41
