Ring of Honor
Arizona inducted three more former football players into its Ring of Honor on Saturday, bringing the total to 47 honorees.
Running back Trung Canidate, tight end Brandon Manumaleuna and quarterback Keith Smith all had their names added to Arizona Stadium’s west side. The UA will honor the trio at homecoming on Oct. 28.
Typically, a player who falls under the criteria for inclusion in the Ring of Honor is inducted immediately, though some players have taken a bit longer to have their names enshrined.
The criteria includes one (or more) of the following: a national “player of distinction” award and/or a national championship MVP award; Pac-10/12 player, freshman, offensive or defensive player of the year; first-team All-America recognition; career leader in three or more positive career statistics at the end of their college careers while holding the record for at least five years; 10-or-more years in the NFL.
Linebacker Scooby Wright, running back Ka’Deem Carey, tight end Rob Gronkowski and quarterback Nick Foles were all inducted shortly after their UA careers ended.
That wasn’t quite the case for the new trio, though all three certainly are worthy of inclusion.
Canidate was, before Carey, the most prolific running back in school history. He was a two-time All-American and the UA’s career leader in career rushing yards, single-season rushing yards and longest run. The St. Louis Rams made Canidate their first-round pick in 2000, though he played just four years in the NFL.
Manumaleuna parlayed his UA stint into a 10-year NFL career with the Rams, Chargers and Bears.
Smith finished his career the school’s all-time completion percentage leader for a career and season. He split snaps with Ortege Jenkins during the Wildcats’ historic 12-1 season in 1998.
The big number
56 Arizona finished the 2016 season with 56 punt return yards as a team. Shun Brown bested that on one play in the first quarter when he scampered for a 66-yard score. Brown’s run was Arizona’s first punt return for a touchdown since Nate Phillips scored one in 2015 against Washington State.
Bobblehead protection
The UA gave out 10,000 Rob Gronkowski bobbleheads Saturday as part of “Fan Appreciation Night.”
The figurines were brought onto Bear Down Field just north of Arizona Stadium two hours before the game. For a while, a single security guard protected the giveaways.
It was a job well done: All 10,000 Gronks made it safely to the stadium for a third-quarter giveaway.
Anu’s start
A year ago, Anu Solomon beat out fellow quarterback Brandon Dawkins to start the Wildcats’ season opener against BYU.
On Saturday, Dawkins started for the Wildcats and Solomon … started for Baylor in a home game against Liberty, an FCS program.
As he often did at Arizona, Solomon put up a solid line of statistics — 278 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception with a team-high 97 rushing yards. Liberty stunned Baylor 48-45 for its first-ever win over an FBS team. The Flames entered Saturday’s game as 34-point underdog.
Boise connections
Arizona has more than a few connections to Boise State.
Defensive coordinator Marcel Yates coached there from 2003-11, and again from 2014-15. During Yates’ final season, he coached defensive tackle Dereck Boles, now a UA player.
NAU’s star player on Saturday was running back Cory Young, who scored two first-half touchdowns. Young played at Boise State in 2015 and 2016 before transferring.
Payback?
Arizona’s offense stalled for most of the first quarter on Saturday night, and a familiar face played a part in that.
NAU linebacker Jake Casteel deflected a Dawkins pass on a second-and-long play. It helped keep Arizona from scoring on its drive.
Jake is the son of Jeff Casteel, UA coach Rich Rodriguez’s longtime defensive coordinator that was fired before last season. The elder Casteel is now the defensive coordinator at Nevada.
