Arizona Wildcats football: On UA's baseball boys, lack of Zoo, coaches' reunion
- Updated
Seen and heard at Arizona Stadium during Arizona's game against Colorado.Β
- Zack Rosenblatt Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
The UA often honors other athletes and teams on the field at Arizona Stadium.
Before Saturdayβs game against Colorado, the UA honored sand volleyball coach Steve Walker for winning Pac-12 coach of the year. The Wildcats made their first-ever NCAA beach volleyball championship appearance last season, their third as a program.
The main attraction, though, was the celebration of the UA baseball teamβs run to the College World Series. The Wildcats advanced to the CWS finals before falling to Coastal Carolina 4-3 in a winner-take-all Game 3.
The majority of the team returned Saturday, including the players that have since moved onto professional ball.
Bobby Dalbec, drafted by the Boston Red Sox, was there, as were fellow MLB draftees like Zach Gibbons, Kevin Ginkel, Nathan Bannister and Ryan Aguilar. The lone player unable to make the trip was infielder Cody Ramer.Β
- Zack Rosenblatt Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
41,068:Β Announced crowd for Saturdayβs game.Β
- Zack Rosenblatt Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Arizonaβs student section was sparse during last monthβs loss to USC. By halftime of the blowout, it was nearly empty.
Saturday was like that, except from the kickoff.
In the second quarter, the crowd was small enough that there was room for the students to create a long jump rump using some towels. The students started, well, jumping rope. In the Zooβs defense, the game kicked off at 8 p.m. game and featured a 2-7 team coming off a 69-7 loss. Not exactly a must-see event.Β
- Zack Rosenblatt Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Rod Smith and Calvin Magee had an old friend on the Colorado sideline on Saturday night.
Buffaloes defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt was the head coach at South Florida from 1996-2009, and both Magee and Smith worked for him during that stretch. Magee was USFβs tight ends coach in 1996 and their running backs coach from 1997-2000. Smith was the quarterbacks coach from 2001-04 and added offensive coordinator duties in 2005-06.Β
- Zack Rosenblatt Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
βFalse start, numerous players on the offensive lineβ β An official after an early penalty on the Wildcats, which brought some chuckles in the Arizona Stadium press box.Β
- Zack Rosenblatt Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Lee Walker was set to join the Wildcats as part of their 2013 recruiting class, even signing a national letter of intent. But Walker, a wide receiver, didnβt qualify academically and never enrolled.
Walker spent a year focusing on his grades and enrolled at Colorado in 2014. He had one catch for 13 yards this season heading into Saturdayβs game.
Walker played alongside former Arizona running back Pierre Cormier at Madison High School in San Diego. Cormier medically retired after the 2013 season and now is a student assistant with the Wildcats.Β
- Zack Rosenblatt Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Far away from Arizona Stadium on Saturday, a βwhat could have beenβ scenario played out for the Wildcats in College Station, Texas.
There, Ole Miss decided to burn its redshirt on highly-touted true freshman quarterback Shea Patterson.
Patterson led the Rebels on an impressive comeback in his first-ever college game, overcoming a 21-6 deficit to score 23 fourth quarter points and beat No. 8 Texas A&M 29-28. Patterson set an Ole Miss freshman record with 338 passing yards and 402 total yards.
Patterson verbally committed to the UA in December 2012 as a high school freshman. He decommitted two years later and flipped to LSU before ultimately settling on Ole Miss.
Patterson played alongside UA receiver Shun Brown and former Wildcats running back Orlando Bradford at Calvary Baptist High School in Shreveport, Louisiana, before transferring to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, as a senior.Β
- Zack Rosenblatt Arizona Daily Star
The UA often honors other athletes and teams on the field at Arizona Stadium.
Before Saturdayβs game against Colorado, the UA honored sand volleyball coach Steve Walker for winning Pac-12 coach of the year. The Wildcats made their first-ever NCAA beach volleyball championship appearance last season, their third as a program.
The main attraction, though, was the celebration of the UA baseball teamβs run to the College World Series. The Wildcats advanced to the CWS finals before falling to Coastal Carolina 4-3 in a winner-take-all Game 3.
The majority of the team returned Saturday, including the players that have since moved onto professional ball.
Bobby Dalbec, drafted by the Boston Red Sox, was there, as were fellow MLB draftees like Zach Gibbons, Kevin Ginkel, Nathan Bannister and Ryan Aguilar. The lone player unable to make the trip was infielder Cody Ramer.Β
- Zack Rosenblatt Arizona Daily Star
Arizonaβs student section was sparse during last monthβs loss to USC. By halftime of the blowout, it was nearly empty.
Saturday was like that, except from the kickoff.
In the second quarter, the crowd was small enough that there was room for the students to create a long jump rump using some towels. The students started, well, jumping rope. In the Zooβs defense, the game kicked off at 8 p.m. game and featured a 2-7 team coming off a 69-7 loss. Not exactly a must-see event.Β
- Zack Rosenblatt Arizona Daily Star
Rod Smith and Calvin Magee had an old friend on the Colorado sideline on Saturday night.
Buffaloes defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt was the head coach at South Florida from 1996-2009, and both Magee and Smith worked for him during that stretch. Magee was USFβs tight ends coach in 1996 and their running backs coach from 1997-2000. Smith was the quarterbacks coach from 2001-04 and added offensive coordinator duties in 2005-06.Β
- Zack Rosenblatt Arizona Daily Star
Lee Walker was set to join the Wildcats as part of their 2013 recruiting class, even signing a national letter of intent. But Walker, a wide receiver, didnβt qualify academically and never enrolled.
Walker spent a year focusing on his grades and enrolled at Colorado in 2014. He had one catch for 13 yards this season heading into Saturdayβs game.
Walker played alongside former Arizona running back Pierre Cormier at Madison High School in San Diego. Cormier medically retired after the 2013 season and now is a student assistant with the Wildcats.Β
- Zack Rosenblatt Arizona Daily Star
Far away from Arizona Stadium on Saturday, a βwhat could have beenβ scenario played out for the Wildcats in College Station, Texas.
There, Ole Miss decided to burn its redshirt on highly-touted true freshman quarterback Shea Patterson.
Patterson led the Rebels on an impressive comeback in his first-ever college game, overcoming a 21-6 deficit to score 23 fourth quarter points and beat No. 8 Texas A&M 29-28. Patterson set an Ole Miss freshman record with 338 passing yards and 402 total yards.
Patterson verbally committed to the UA in December 2012 as a high school freshman. He decommitted two years later and flipped to LSU before ultimately settling on Ole Miss.
Patterson played alongside UA receiver Shun Brown and former Wildcats running back Orlando Bradford at Calvary Baptist High School in Shreveport, Louisiana, before transferring to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, as a senior.Β
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Arizona rushed for 186 yards and a touchdown in the first half.Β
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