A Victorious Mindset

A view from section 201... Oxygen tanks not included...

Saturday’s win was as much a surprise as it was a preview of what is yet to come.

Arizona’s 59-38 victory over the 18^th-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys wasn’t pretty.

The Wildcat defense gave up 636 yards of total offense, including 436 through the air.

Within the first eight minutes of the game, the Cowboys had a 14-point lead, and were threatening to blow the game wide open.

For a minute, the Stoops era threatened to loom over head coach Rich Rodriguez for another year.

And then, Arizona found their groove.

The Cats rattled off 30 unanswered points, never really being challenged throughout the rest of the game.

Oklahoma State was unable to locate Tucson’s own Ka’Deem Carey, who rushed for 126 yards on 26 carries and three touchdowns on the ground.

Carey also caught a 13-yard pass, giving him four touchdowns on the night.

And that defense—the one that gave up almost 640 yards?

They caused 4 turnovers, including a costly 48-yard interception return at the start of the fourth quarter.

So even with the statistical anomaly, what did this game actually tell us?

Two things—first, there’s a new culture at Arizona Stadium.  

This was a huge win for the Cats, yet this victory was different from every other victory the Cats have had over a ranked opponent.

Arizona entered the game with a business mindset—limit turnovers, implement a balanced game plan, and bend but don’t break on defense.

This was not just a team looking to catch a break, like the Wildcats have been doing for the past seven years.

This team is learning how to execute, and learning quickly.

Secondly, I can’t help but start some comparisons to last season’s Orange Bowl winning West Virginia squad.

Sure it wasn’t Rodriguez’s team, but let’s take a look at some interesting facts—WVU gave up 443 yards on defense, 250 yards through the air.

Their opponent, Clemson, scored first, and led at the end of the first quarter.

And even more importantly, the Mountaineers had a turnover.

But they scored 70 points against a very good Clemson team.

Arizona scored 59 against a Cowboy squad that returned 8 starters on defense.

And remember, Oklahoma State beat their first opponent, 84-0.

So congratulations Coach Rodriguez—not only on your first victory over a ranked opponent as a Wildcat—but in taking the first step in changing the culture of Arizona football.

And thanks for the preview of things to come.

Oh and by the way, had the game gone on for about 20 minutes more, Arizona would have topped Oklahoma State's 84-point victory... just sayin'.