Optimism and Concern On The Brink of Game One

The start of the season is always an exciting time – but to the Arizona Wildcat Football Team, a few days before Central Michigan comes to town, question marks and more concerns are taking centre stage.   A starting quarterback has still not been named, a key player has back problems and will probably not play for a while, and the first opponent is certainly no pushover   So many storylines, so much potential for disaster. It seems like we’re on the brink of an interesting new college football season.    But the Wildcats beloved fans have no choice but to be optimistic and hope for the best. The football program is coming off its best season in more than a decade, a decisive win over BYU in the Las Vegas Bowl, beating state rivals Arizona State, and ending with a record of 8-5 overall.   Everything sounds good so far right? Wrong. That season is over and with the loss of Willie Tuitama, Mike Thomas, and Eben Britton, many holes have appeared across the field which have to be filled, and quickly.   The starting quarterback position seems to be the most worrying for Wildcat fans around the Old Pueblo.   Mike Stoops and the rest of the coaching staff don’t seem too concerned with the quarterback contest. The fact remains that one of these two contenders needs to establish themselves as the leader of this team before game one.   Shuffling these two talented quarterbacks may not be a good idea against one of the nation’s top quarterbacks. Central Michigan have a quarterback star in Dan LeFevour, who is a senior, leading a spread-option offense for a third consecutive season. He is a potent threat with both his running and passing.   For the Wildcats, either Nick Foles or Matt Scott must find the leader within and take charge of this offense and continue where Willie Tuitama left off last season.   Another problem plaguing the Cats is the back problems of tight end Rob Gronkowski, a vital piece of last season's successful offense. Delashaun Dean is also nursing an injury, but luckily is not considered to be serious.   Rob’s injury could take a couple of weeks to heal, but worst case scenario could see him absent for a couple of months of the season. The stars of the team must inspire the rest of the players to play at their best and lead this team into another successful season.   Well we have mentioned enough negatives, lets focus on the positive for the 2009 Arizona Wildcats. The defense is much improved and welcomes back seven starters from a group that ranked third in the Pac-10 in both scoring (21.3 points per game) and total defense (313 yards per game).   The defense will be a big strength of this team and will almost certainly contribute to some vital wins in the conference and the first three non-conference games.   The Cats have an abundance of great players on the offensive side as well, including ole brother Chris Gronkowski, several great running backs such as Nick Grigsby, Keola Antolin, and a plethora of receivers and strong offensive line.   The 2009 edition of the Arizona Football Program will try hard not to disappoint. They have a new demeanour and a will to win that has not been seen around these parts in over a decade.   The teams of the 80’s and 90’s found a way to fight hard and win, even through hard times. The optimism is high in Tucson and the players and coaches are intent on bearing down and building on the success of last year, and on doing so for years to come.          Charles Knapp covers College Football and Basketball, you can contact him at [e-mail]