Smith, Jenkins say two QBs can work

"You're bringing back some old-school memories," he said.

Arizona's decision to play sophomores Matt Scott and Nick Foles in tonight's season opener against Central Michigan may go against coach Mike Stoops' old-school sensibilities, but it's hardly without precedent.

Jenkins split snaps with Keith Smith in 1998, when the Wildcats posted a 12-1 record — the best mark in program history — and beat Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl.

More than a decade later, the Smith-Jenkins platoon remains a part of Arizona lore, and one of the few examples that a two-quarterback system can work.

That's not to say the two wholeheartedly endorse Stoops' decision. The rotation worked in 1998, but the following year was a disaster. The Wildcats opened the 1999 season with a 41-7 loss at Penn State, and finished 6-6.

Reached this week, Smith, 33, and Jenkins, 31, said snap-splitting only works if both players understand the thinking behind it. The 1998 season was easier to handle, they said, because of the Wildcats' success. Things just felt different, they said, when the team struggled a year later.

"If you're not going to buy into it, then it's going to affect your play," Smith said. "I was comfortable either way. It didn't bother me if they started me, and if they sputtered, I felt comfortable coming off the bench and giving us that spark."

Jenkins said the supporting cast on the 1998 team made it easier to share time. Cornerback Chris McAlister, fullback Kelvin Eafon and tailback Trung Canidate all played major roles in the Wildcats' historic season.

"It was all about winning. That was the approach we took," Jenkins said. "The team bought into it, and it worked."

Neither Jenkins nor Smith were able to turn their college successes into an NFL career, but are happy with the direction of their lives. Smith is a sports equipment sales representative in his hometown of Newbury Park, Calif.; Jenkins lives an hour south, in Long Beach. He is a senior general manager at Magic Johnson's 24 Hour Fitness.

Still, Jenkins and Smith remain connected by more than just the 405 Freeway. "O.J. and Keith, Keith and O.J. — all that stuff is going to live on," Smith said. " 'KeithO.J.' kind of became one person."

THE LAST TIME

'99 Cats started season after bowl game on one of all-time sour notes

A decade ago, the UA traveled to Penn State for a season-opening game that was supposed to change the trajectory of the Wildcats' program.

And it did. Just not in a good way.

The UA's 41-7 loss in Happy Valley opened the door for a decade of instability that toppled the Wildcats' from the Pac-10's upper tier.

Consider: Arizona was 71-40 (.645) with seven bowl appearances, including the 1998 Holiday Bowl, in the 10 seasons leading up to the 1999 season opener. Since the Penn State loss, the Wildcats are a meager 47-69 (.405) with just one trip to the postseason — last year's Las Vegas Bowl victory over BYU.

So how to explain the last decade of ineptitude? Former UA quarterback Keith Smith thinks the downturn began when coach Dick Tomey was fired after the 2000 season.

"So here we are. We go from 12-1 to 6-6. So what? Why are we firing the coach," Smith said.

"After Coach Tomey was fired, everything took a step back. You have to give Coach (Mike) Stoops credit. The players look different than they used to. "You get the feeling that they're getting back."

FAKE LEFEVOUR

Scout-team QB helps defenders be prepared

Richard Morrison has been on campus just a few weeks, but he's already been entrusted with a serious job: scout-team quarterback.

Morrison has spent the last two weeks mimicking Central Michigan quarterback Dan LeFevour in 11-on-11 drills.

"I tried to watch film and do everything he does — take snaps like him, line up him like him, throw like him … everything I can do to help the defense," Morrison said. "They say he's good, but I've never seen him play."

Morrison, a 6-foot, 180-pound true freshman, watched film of Lefevour to prepare for his acting role. Along the way, he noticed a few "tells" that he passed on to the defense.

"You can kinda tell how the running backs line up, how the wide receivers line up and his stance … what he's going to do," Morrison said. "The defense knows it, too; they watched film, and they knew what I was going to do before every play."

Though Morrison, 18, is almost certainly going to be redshirted this season, his role on the scout team is invaluable. Nick Foles turned coaches' heads with his scout-team work a year ago; he was rewarded with a shot at the starting job.

Morrison will try to earn the same chance. He's already learned a valuable lesson about college football.

"Whenever you get a chance to help out the team," he said, "do it."

BACK ON THE SIDELINES

First-game excitement has ex-Cat prowling

Glenn Howell has spent the last month watching football — any kind of football — on TV.

Call it research.

"My 6-year-old son, Kobe, said, 'Daddy, why are you always watching a football game?' I told him I had work to do," Howell said. "It's a good thing I had the sports package."

Howell, a former UA tight end and the Pima College football team's strength coach, will serve as the sideline reporter tonight for the first-ever Arizona Wildcats Sports Network broadcast. Dave Sitton will call the game, with ex-Wildcat John Fina providing analysis.

Howell, 46, has never been part of a TV broadcast. He's ready for his close-up.

"As a player, I wasn't a guy who had a lot of blown assignments," he said. Now it feels like I'm preparing for a game."

Here are three ways Howell readied for the season opener:

1. He made calls. Howell began networking with a large group of friends and associates shortly after being named the AWSN sideline reporter last month. Army athletic director Kevin Anderson, a longtime friend, connected Howell with longtime analyst Charles Davis.

Davis offered Howell some much-needed tips.

"I talked to him for an hour-and-a-half," Howell said.

2. He found favorites. Howell scanned old football replays all summer looking for reporters to pattern himself after. He chose Solomon Wilcots and Lisa Salters, both NFL analysts.

3. He got comfortable. Howell practiced repeatedly in front of the camera, whether it was the family's camcorder or the built-in webcam on his computer.

Howell's wife, Lucy, and daughter, Haley, were his harshest critics.

"They gave me a lot of critique — probably more than I wanted," Howell said with a laugh. "I'm having a great time. It's great to be back in the game. I love football."

BEAT THE HEAT

Weather forecast gives CMU a home-climate advantage

Central Michigan coach Butch Jones tried to get his team prepared for the Tucson heat.

"I wish Mother Nature would have helped out a little more," Jones said.

The Chippewas were spoiled by a relatively mild summer. Jones is hopeful that trend continues tonight at Arizona Stadium. The National Weather Service is predicting weather in the 80s and a 40 percent chance of thunderstorms — though, in the desert, weather can change suddenly.

"It's a very different atmosphere, but there's only so much you can do," Jones said. "You try to educate your kids on the long trip about hydration, eating right … the extra conditioning, and all the factors that go into it."

CMU hasn't been this far west since 2000, when it traveled to Wyoming for a nonconference game. The Cowboys beat the Chippewas 31-10.

CENTRAL MICHIGAN at ARIZONA • 7 p.m. • CH 8 (COX, COMCAST), CH 58 (DISH, DIRECTV, OVER AIR) • 1290-AM, 107.5-FM, 990-AM (Spanish)