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All week long we heard about how good the Oklahoma St. Cowboys were. Their offense scored at a ridiculous pace, and their defense was among the best in the nation at forcing turnovers. Arizona had to be just about perfect if they hoped to pull the upset.
Little did we know this Arizona Wildcats team is really damn good, too.
I've been watching Arizona football for a long time. It's tough to remember a game where the team executed better in every facet of the game. Sure, the program has played some good games over the years, but a night when the offense, defense and special teams unit showed up? That's rare, to put it nicely.
The Wildcats did not simply win on Saturday night; they dominated, and they did so against a very strong, well-coached program.
What more can we say about Matt Scott? The name alone says a lot right now. The senior quarterback was superb yet again, throwing for 320 yards, rushing for 55 more and scoring three times. He completely managed the game throughout, even when the Wildcats trailed early. When UA needed a play to be made, Scott made it.
Then there is Ka'Deem Carey. Quite possibly the most important recruit to ever step foot on campus, Carey is quickly turning into one of the better tailbacks in the nation. He rushed for 126 yards and three touchdowns against a solid front-seven, and even brought in four receptions for 28 yards and a score.
Finally, the defense. All summer long we heard that they were too young and undersized to compete. The new 3-3-5 scheme would be too complicated to learn in a short period of time and the unit would struggle. There wasn't enough speed. Etcetera, etcetera.
38 points is not a great number, but it's just about as good as you can get against the Cowboys. This is a team that has exceeded the 30-point plateau in every game for nearly five years. When you consider that seven of those 38 points came in garbage time, you can't help but be proud of the Wildcats' defensive efforts.
There is still plenty of work left to be done to change the culture of Arizona Wildcats football. It won't be an overnight process -- no one ever said it would be. But Saturday night proved one thing: the culture is indeed changing in Tucson, and it's going to be one hell of a ride.
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For more on the Wildcats, check out AZ Desert Swarm.
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