Arizona sure made it interesting last night. By the time the clock stuck 2 a.m. in Iowa, their Rose Bowl dreams took a Wildcat-sized hit. You don't have to be a U of A fan to delight in the utter misery of Hawkeye nation, but, to their credit, they are taking it pretty well. Meanwhile, back at the Pueblo, giddy Wildcat fans are only now settling down enough to go to bed. Following is a collection of links from dejected Hawkeyes and elated Wildcats:
Arizona 34, Iowa 27 - The Morning After Autopsy - Black Heart Gold Pants
Credit where it's due: Arizona came out fired up and fed off a crowd that was clearly juiced to be hosting a big-time football game (although they're still pretty new at this football fan thing, too: lots of basketball jerseys on display last night)
Keeler: Tip the cap, turn the page, and move on | Hawk Central
Tip the cap, turn the page. The better team won. The better team on Saturday night, anyway. Can’t spot a ranked team 21 special teams points on their home turf and expect to walk away with a smile on your face.
Harty: A loss, but not a total loss | Hawk Central
It’s important to remember that Arizona is being picked to contend for the Pacific-10 title. If the Wildcats aren’t the fastest team on Iowa’s schedule, they’re pretty darn close. The Arizona players also were determined to give their head coach Mike Stoops a victory against his alma mater and to avenge last season’s 27-17 loss at Kinnick Stadium.
Wildcats and Hawkeyes Rock the Old Pueblo. - Arizona Desert Swarm
Good lord. I just got home from the Arizona game. And I am simply giddy. I haven’t had that much fun at a game in a while. True, if the Wildcats had played the second half the same as the first, I would have preferred it. But it would have been much less exciting.
Arizona a football school? Go with me on this - Steve Rivera Ventures
So this is what it feels like to be at a football school. OK, so I digress a bit, but after Arizona’s 34-27 win over No. 9 Iowa everybody had the warm and fuzzies.
Hot, cold and wild
"There's no reason not to be confident with Foles," left tackle Adam Grant said. "I've never seen a player like him. He's poised like none other."
Sacks break Hawkeyes’ backs in “program-changing” win for Arizona - Wild About AZ Cats
“We heard all the talk coming into the season about how our defense is our weakness, and that became a chip on our shoulder,” Reed said. “We also heard all the talk about Iowa’s defensive front, and they are very good. I would say we made a name for ourselves. We answered the challenge.”