The story that night was Arizona’s offense, or lack of it; the Wildcats entered the fourth quarter clinging to a 7-3 lead and needed a flurry of turnovers to pull away from the Lumberjacks.
Three years later, it appears to be the same story as the Wildcats prepare to face the Lumberjacks, a member of the new Football Championship Subdivision, formerly known as Division I-AA. Arizona is coming off a 20-7 loss at Brigham Young in which it didn’t score until the final minute.
"I think (the offensive coaches) are shocked, disappointed and probably somewhat embarrassed, but that is what this game will do to you," Stoops said. "It will humble you. They are very competitive people. They will bounce back."
Dykes has preached patience since arriving from Texas Tech, where he helped run one of the nation’s most potent attacks. But he senses the urgency as the Wildcats try to end the Pac-10’s longest bowl drought at eight years.
"We need to get it rolling as quick as possible,” Dykes said. "We have to play better. I have to coach better and we have to execute better. We will. I don’t have any doubts."
NAU would seem to be the perfect opponent as the Wildcats look for answers on offense. But the Lumberjacks have played Arizona tough, losing by 18 points in 2004 and 19 a year later. Two of Stoops’ 12 victories at Arizona have come against NAU.
The Lumberjacks can take inspiration from Appalachian State’s monumental upset of then-No. 5 Michigan in Ann Arbor last weekend. Coincidentally, NAU visits Appalachian State, the two-time defending Division I-AA champion, on Sept. 15.
"The longer those teams hang around, the better chance they have to win," Stoops said. "You gain confidence as the game goes on."
NAU coach Jerome Souers said there’s no chance the Lumberjacks will look past Arizona toward the long-awaited game against the Mountaineers in Boone, N.C.
"(The Mountaineers) were good before that game and they’re good now," said Souers, whose team opened their season with a 47-0 victory over Division II Western New Mexico on Aug. 30. "Our focus right now is on Arizona."
Arizona’s focus is on offense. The unit was expected to be a work in progress, but it was mostly a disaster in Provo.
The Wildcats gained only 255 yards, and 80 came on a late scoring drive against the Cougars reserves. A 7-yard touchdown pass from Willie Tuitama to Earl Mitchell with 53 seconds remaining averted Arizona’s first season-opening shutout since 1963.
Arizona rushed for only 32 yards and passed for 223. Starting tailback Chris Jennings rushed for 41 yards on 14 carries, a 2.9-yard average, while Tuitama went 26-for-36 for 216 yards.
"I knew we would struggle at times," Dykes said. "I didn’t think we would struggle to the extent that we did."
Arizona seemed unusually conservative at Provo, raising questions about the play-calling.
"That is all on the coaches,” said wide receiver Mike Thomas, who caught seven passes for 48 yards. "I don’t call the plays."
It will come as no surprise if the Wildcats open up a little more against the slower, smaller Lumberjacks. Stoops said he expects his team to make a big leap from the first week to the second.
"There is no excuse for playing the way we played," Stoops said. "We have to get this taste out of our mouth."
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