ALBUQUERQUE — They are the winningest class in Arizona Wildcats football history.
They are the first in school annals to play in four consecutive bowl games.
“It’s a special class,” UA coach Rich Rodriguez said of his seniors after their final full on-campus practice.
They have one more game to play, one more opportunity to add to that win total, which currently stands at 32. When Saturday’s New Mexico Bowl is over, win or lose, it’ll be an emotional scene at University Stadium.
“It’s going to be sad at the end,” one of the departing seniors, tailback Jared Baker, said, “no matter the outcome.”
Baker is one of 20 fourth- or fifth-year seniors on the roster, including walk-ons. Several of the fifth-year players came in under Mike Stoops. Much has changed since 2011, when the Wildcats went 4-8. The university fired Stoops and hired Rodriguez, launching an era of prosperity.
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“It’s been a journey,” senior linebacker Sir Thomas Jackson said. “It’s been a journey that I didn’t see coming into U of A.
“I had to get used to new coaches, a new way of doing things — school, working out. I had to get used to a lot of new things. But it paid off. It made me the person I am today.”
Jackson believes he’s a better person now. He learned to persevere and adapt. He is certain the program is in a better place.
“We’re getting talked about around campus a lot,” Jackson said. “I remember when I first came, I’m like, ‘This is a basketball school.’ It’s football and basketball right now.”
What Rodriguez appreciates the most about these seniors is the way they approach the game; he lauded safety Will Parks for how he prepares — “doing the right things off the field, being a solid presence in the locker room.”
Parks isn’t the only one.
“All those guys, they love football,” Rodriguez said. “That’s kind of the culture we wanted to establish here.”
Grounded
One of Arizona’s objectives Saturday is to reignite its running game. The Wildcats weren’t as effective running the ball in the final four games as they were the previous eight. In fact, it wasn’t even close.
Arizona averaged 282.3 yards per game and 6.5 yards per carry in the first eight games. Those numbers plummeted to 113.5 and 3.2 in the final four.
“We probably didn’t block as well,” Rodriguez said. “We weren’t as healthy at the end of the year. Part of it was some of the teams we played, some good run defenses.
“Our season was a challenge all the way through, not just defensively. We missed a lot of time with some guys on offense, at quarterback, the O-line, at running back. But it happens. We’ve got to be good enough to overcome those things.”
Injury update
The Wildcats will be without four regulars for the New Mexico Bowl.
Defensive lineman Luca Bruno (foot), guard Freddie Tagaloa (knee), linebacker Derrick Turi-
turi (hip) and tailback Nick Wilson (knee) were listed as out on the official injury report released Thursday afternoon.
None of those is considered a surprise. Bruno got hurt during the regular-season finale at Arizona State and has been walking around Albuquerque this week in a boot. Tagaloa missed the final three regular-season games. Turituri has been out since Week 4 and could seek a medical redshirt. And Wilson hasn’t been 100 percent for a while despite starting the final two regular-season games.
Extra points
- Brandon Dawkins
- took most of the second-team reps at quarterback during the early walk-through portion of practice, so it appears he’ll be the main backup to starter
- Anu Solomon
- .
- Patrick Onwuasor
- , a former UA safety, was named an FCS All-American on Thursday. Onwuasor, now at Portland State, played at Arizona in 2012 and had 36 tackles for the Wildcats. He was dismissed before the 2013 season after being arrested for drug possession.
