When RichRod cleaned out his defensive staff last winter, firing Jeff Casteel, Bill Kirelawich and David Lockwood, the Wildcats were coming off seasons in which they gave up an average of 468 and 469 yards per game. This year, under first-year defensive coordinator Marcel Yates, the Wildcats yielded 467 yards per game — an improvement of one yard per game. More telling, Arizona allowed a school-record worst 37.5 points per game.