#8 California @ Arizona

[Russ Smith]

good thing they had a replay when it looked like cal scored. Good call!

Yeah there were 2-3 calls in the game where replay came into play. The one play that was the toughest was the TD pass to UA where they ruled he steppd out at the 5, it actually LOOKED like he stepped out on the 19 too, but the problem is it wasn't conclusive it was impossible for them to say absolutely he was out. They scored 2 plays later from the 5.

But to me the plays of the game were Cason's pick for the TD, and Hawkins falling down when he had an easy TD, and then UA mounts a stand.

Tedford for all his genius drives me nuts at times with his decisions. Here his QB is struggling, he's got one of the best RB's in the game in Lynch, and he gets only 16 carries? But when they get down close, he tries to run Lynch inside twice against a defense stacked up inside, they penetrate both plays and stuff, and then Cal tries some strange pass play where Nate fires the ball into the ground. Oh well, UA was in Nate's head from the get go he was clearly confused by their defense, he was throwing off his back foot all day.

Hopefully Cal rebounds and wins the Pac 10, if Oregon beats USC, Cal is still in the drivers seat in the pac 10 as the only team with 1 loss, even if USC wins tonight, if Cal beats them they're alone with 1 loss.

 

[ALLABOUTTHEKID32]

Im a BIG ASU guy but congrats UA big win!

 

[AZBALLER]

Im a BIG ASU guy but congrats UA big win!

Word.

Congrats ua.

I'm also happy about your victory, because it means that there is less of a chance of Stoops getting fired...who I think is a bad head coach

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Cal wins.

Ever get sick of being wrong?

Great win for the Cats.

 

[Espo]

It was an amazing game to be at. The crazier part is UofA now can make a bowl with one more win.

 

[Renz]

I'm also happy about your victory, because it means that there is less of a chance of Stoops getting fired...who I think is a bad head coach

Stoops is 4-0 against ranked teams in November. Just FYI.

 

[Espo]

Stoops is 4-0 against ranked teams in November. Just FYI.

And Stoops has a better record against top 25 teams then Koetter does. Stoops has taken a program at rock bottom with absolutely no talent and no one wanting to come play here into a team with plenty of talent solid recruiting classes and a foundation for a bright future in the pac 10. I'd much rather be in UofA's position than in ASU's right now.

 

[Lefty]

I'm happy ASU won because that means Diggler will be back. Of course he was not going anywhere since Lisa Love just signed him to an extension.

Stoops has had two great recruiting classes and it showed when Johnson got hurt yesterday. Beating the #8 team in the country on national tv was big for recruiting.

 

[Card Trader]

Ever get sick of being wrong?

Great win for the Cats.

My mistake was forgetting to factor in the Zebra factor, which cost Cal the game with the terrible interference call on the INT.

 

[Card Trader]

Ever get sick of being wrong?

Great win for the Cats.

Oh, and btw, that should have read, Cats win....not Cal. The game was already over at that point I believe.....

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

My mistake was forgetting to factor in the Zebra factor, which cost Cal the game with the terrible interference call on the INT.

And I thought whining about the refs in a game involving your own team was rock bottom. Apparently not.

 

[Card Trader]

And I thought whining about the refs in a game involving your own team was rock bottom. Apparently not.

Yet I see you don't dispute the horrendous call......probably because you can't. Face it, that call decided the game.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Yet I see you don't dispute the horrendous call......probably because you can't. Face it, that call decided the game.

It was a poor call, but as always the refs don't decide the games. Cal lost because they turned the ball over, could not get any sort of consistent offense, and could not capitalize on 1st and Goal at the 1 in the fourth quarter. Funny, the lone Cal fan on this thread hasn't complained once about the officiating yet an ASU fan (who makes a habit of bitching about the refs in all sports) is the one suggesting they decided the game.

 

[NEZCardsfan]

Congratulations UofA. I'll be pulling for you guys against the Devils. I want Koetter out THAT BAD

 

[Russ Smith]

It was a poor call, but as always the refs don't decide the games. Cal lost because they turned the ball over, could not get any sort of consistent offense, and could not capitalize on 1st and Goal at the 1 in the fourth quarter. Funny, the lone Cal fan on this thread hasn't complained once about the officiating yet an ASU fan (who makes a habit of bitching about the refs in all sports) is the one suggesting they decided the game.

I didn't see that play live I was apartment hunting and heard it on radio. The radio guy said it was a bad call but as you say Cal should have never been in that position in the first place. Longshore was confused all day, not sure what Zona did that bugged him so much but it was quite obvious, that play by Cason was the game.

When Hawkins fell down on that easy TD I just knew it was going to kill Cal. Zona had the perfect defense called for the 2 inside runs to Lynch, he said later he was going to try and bounce outside but he saw they had it covered up so well he just tried to get back to the LOS and hope he could power in somehow.


They weren't going to win an NC anyways but it kills their chance to finish top 5 even if they beat USC and win out.

 

[Arizona's Finest]

Yet I see you don't dispute the horrendous call......probably because you can't. Face it, that call decided the game.

It's actually nice to be in a game with Cal where something like that could decide it....Devil fans would have no idea

I told you there was a good chance that we would be better than ASU this season. And we will prove it in a couple weeks.

This win was a program changer and now we are going to have some heady expecations going into next season...

...while Devil fans will be looking for a new head coach.......

AZBALLER - Keep bashing Stoops. You are officially in the minority with your opinion. Proof will come in a couple weeks in Tucson......

 

[devilfan02]

Congratulations UofA. I'll be pulling for you guys against the Devils. I want Koetter out THAT BAD

Koetter won't be going anywhere, win or lose. Sad but true

 

[devilfan02]

AZBALLER - Keep bashing Stoops. You are officially in the minority with your opinion. Proof will come in a couple weeks in Tucson......

You were awfully quiet when your team was is in the cellar only 2 weeks ago. You also weren't posting on this board either. If you were, you would have noticed that nearly every pew fan here was all over Stoops. Many uofa fans were calling for his head so don't kid yourself.

We might be looking for a new head coach, which is fine. We have plenty of talent for a new coach to come in and win with. Plus, we don't have to worry about our AD hiring a John Mackovic type coach. You should be worried about us getting a new coach

 

[Card Trader]

Stoops is great against top 25 teams, but seems to be the worst coach in the nation against bottom 25 teams.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

We might be looking for a new head coach, which is fine. We have plenty of talent for a new coach to come in and win with. Plus, we don't have to worry about our AD hiring a John Mackovic type coach. You should be worried about us getting a new coach

Not to defend Livengood's tenure as a GM which has been marginal at best, I wouldn't be so sure of your confidence in Lisa Love. She did extend Koetter last year after going 6-5 and Sendek is far from a proven commodity considering what you guys are paying him.

I was one of those calling for Stoops' head, but at that point I was almost 90% sure we were looking at 3-9 with a best case scenario of 4-8 which was indefensible. He was always going to get another year with a new OC due to financial considerations, but these last two wins have probably bought him through 2008. I'm off the 'fire him now' bandwagon and currently on the 'undecided' platform.

 

[devilfan02]

Not to defend Livengood's tenure as a GM which has been marginal at best, I wouldn't be so sure of your confidence in Lisa Love. She did extend Koetter last year after going 6-5 and Sendek is far from a proven commodity considering what you guys are paying him.

I was one of those calling for Stoops' head, but at that point I was almost 90% sure we were looking at 3-9 with a best case scenario of 4-8 which was indefensible. He was always going to get another year with a new OC due to financial considerations, but these last two wins have probably bought him through 2008. I'm off the 'fire him now' bandwagon and currently on the 'undecided' platform.

At least your honest. There are a lot of people on this board who wanted Stoops head just 2 weeks ago. I also love the posters who don't come around till a big win a try and rub it in. Nice

While it appears now that Lisa Love made a mistake extending Koetter, at the time I didn't mind it. Everyone in ASU circles know that Koetters year was this year- he finally had all his defensive transfers eligible to play, he had an experienced senior QB, and a plethora of RB's that would improve the running game. However, he single handedly screwed himself when he messed the QB situation up and let Keller walk. While I didn't think Koetter was deserving of an extension, at the time I understood why Love did it. First of all, she told him he would get extended during recruiting season so our recruiting wouldn't be affected, at the time we didn't have the money to get a coach we would want, and like I said above he had all the pieces together for a big year. Obviously Koetter has screwed himself and now he needs to be fired. I don't blame Lisa Love for the extension but now she needs to show leadership and clean up the mess

Sendek not a proven commodity? He has gone to 5 tournaments in a row, in the ACC at that. He is def proven. It takes serious money to get a coach of his caliber to leave his current situation. Look at the other candidates and how much we would of had to pay them- Dixon for Pitt, Majerus, etc..... In a majority of cases, it takes an above avg amount of money to fix a bad situatioun- ASU basketball is a very bad situation. In 5 months on the job, he has already had more of a recruiting impact then Evans did in his 6 years.

Lisa Love has also raised enough money to build a new basketball practice complex, has plans in the works for an indoor football complex, built a gymnastics practice complex, a wrestling complex, and extended Pat Murphy. Obviously her number one priority is to fix the Koetter situation and she must handle it correctly

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

At least your honest. There are a lot of people on this board who wanted Stoops head just 2 weeks ago. I also love the posters who don't come around till a big win a try and rub it in. Nice

There's a few ASU fans on this board that do just that, so let's not make it an Arizona thing. I'm always around good or bad dishing out criticism or compliments as I see fit be it Arizona, ASU, or Boise State.

Sendek not a proven commodity? He has gone to 5 tournaments in a row, in the ACC at that. He is def proven. It takes serious money to get a coach of his caliber to leave his current situation. Look at the other candidates and how much we would of had to pay them- Dixon for Pitt, Majerus, etc..... In a majority of cases, it takes an above avg amount of money to fix a bad situatioun- ASU basketball is a very bad situation. In 5 months on the job, he has already had more of a recruiting impact then Evans did in his 6 years.

Sendek is to NC State fans what Dirk Koetter is to ASU fans - always competitve and going to the postseason but never able to ascend the program into the elite both in-conference and nationally. Now can he do that at ASU where there is much less tradition not to mention facilities and fan support? Time will tell, but with UCLA, Washington, and Arizona all set through the rest of the decade it seems he might run into the same problems competing as he did in Raleigh in getting to the top. Of course he will be better than Evans who was a bitter old man and did not sell the program to the masses. And the Evans recruiting comment is untrue - he had a Top 15 national and #1 Pac-10 class in '99 with Donnel Knight, Tommie Smith, etc and also recruited the best player in school history in Ike Diogu. Evans got in trouble when he started bringing in JUCO kids (who are almost always busts in basketball) to try and save his job and by not hiring an assistant that could develop wings and guards.

 

[JWF]

Stoops is 4-0 against ranked teams in November. Just FYI.

Just think what this team could be like with a real offense.

 

[JS22]

Stoops is 4-0 against ranked teams in November. Just FYI.

Stoops makes Koetter look like a rookie coach / recruiter / etc.

As an ASU fan, I gotta hand it to UofA. Congrats!

 

[Arizona's Finest]

At least your honest. There are a lot of people on this board who wanted Stoops head just 2 weeks ago. I also love the posters who don't come around till a big win a try and rub it in. Nice

While it appears now that Lisa Love made a mistake extending Koetter, at the time I didn't mind it. Everyone in ASU circles know that Koetters year was this year- he finally had all his defensive transfers eligible to play, he had an experienced senior QB, and a plethora of RB's that would improve the running game. However, he single handedly screwed himself when he messed the QB situation up and let Keller walk. While I didn't think Koetter was deserving of an extension, at the time I understood why Love did it. First of all, she told him he would get extended during recruiting season so our recruiting wouldn't be affected, at the time we didn't have the money to get a coach we would want, and like I said above he had all the pieces together for a big year. Obviously Koetter has screwed himself and now he needs to be fired. I don't blame Lisa Love for the extension but now she needs to show leadership and clean up the mess

Sendek not a proven commodity? He has gone to 5 tournaments in a row, in the ACC at that. He is def proven. It takes serious money to get a coach of his caliber to leave his current situation. Look at the other candidates and how much we would of had to pay them- Dixon for Pitt, Majerus, etc..... In a majority of cases, it takes an above avg amount of money to fix a bad situatioun- ASU basketball is a very bad situation. In 5 months on the job, he has already had more of a recruiting impact then Evans did in his 6 years.

Lisa Love has also raised enough money to build a new basketball practice complex, has plans in the works for an indoor football complex, built a gymnastics practice complex, a wrestling complex, and extended Pat Murphy. Obviously her number one priority is to fix the Koetter situation and she must handle it correctly

Listen - I didn't post because i know when to bite my toungue. We didn't play well bottom line. But i never NEVER wanted to fire Mike Stoops. I was big on his signing and even during the tough first two years the recruiting, defensive adjustments, and fan base energizing made me believe that it would eventually turn around. As i have been maintaining for the last year - the Mackovic era was a waste land and needed a complete overhaul. I knew it was at least a two year process and i was willing to be patient and deal with small wins and improving talent. If Stoops had taken over directly for Tomey i would have drawn conclusions faster but he didn't. Much the same way we can look at Koetter taking over for a pretty healthy Bruce Snyder regime and has since had six years and improved very little.

I was nervous at first but i blamed that squarely on the youth of the offensive line. Plus starting freshman QB's almost always regress their second year (due to a summer of being the man, increased expectations and an offseason of game planning) only to bounce back big as juniors. I expect much the same with Tui.

So don't act like you know what i think. I'm not going to tak trash just to talk trash but i wasn't trying to bag my coach either. This season is going much to the realistic expectation levels of everybody before the season (coming on as time went on, make a bowl game, play close games and get a big win)

I'm not big on the reactionary nature of sports fans and how they dive and crest every week. I usually make judgements at the beginning of the season and give them the full year to play out. It doesn't always happen (see 2006 Cardinals) but more often than not i am rewarded for my patience. SO guess what. Now that we can actually have something to crow about I am going to do just that...

Prepare for an ass-kicking in Tucson Devil fans. We have a better QB, coach and defense. And we are going to show you in a couple weeks. THAT will be the nail in Koetters coffin ........

When we own you guys in both basketball (although i am impressed with Sendek so far) AND your so-called strong sport there is going to be a dearth of Devil fans on this portion of the message board. Just wait....