The Star’s Michael Lev presents five storylines of interest as the Arizona Wildcats open their 2021 home schedule Saturday night against San Diego State at Arizona Stadium. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. The game will air on Pac-12 Arizona.
‘It’s never too late’: Arizona LB Rashie Hodge changed his ways, achieved his goals
Rashie Hodge
As early as his freshman year at Mountain Pointe High School, Rashie Hodge Jr. wanted to play football at Arizona.
“It just took a while,” the linebacker said this week. “It’s crazy how things work.”
Hodge’s route from Phoenix to Tucson took a couple of detours. He didn’t have the grades to go directly from high school to a Division I school – UA or otherwise. He played two seasons at Glendale Community College (which no longer has football), played one at New Mexico State, sat out last season (NMSU didn’t play because of the pandemic), entered the transfer portal, graduated and finally made it to the place he wanted to be all along.
“My energy is very positive,” Hodge said amid preparations for Arizona’s home opener Saturday night vs. San Diego State. “I always gotta stay positive, always gotta see everything through. You can't think negative. You think negative, negative things happen.”
Hodge was one of the later additions to the Wildcats’ haul of transfers. He had scholarship offers elsewhere but accepted the coaching staff’s offer to walk on at the UA.
Hodge quickly carved a role as a nickel linebacker and special-teams performer. He played only nine defensive snaps in the opener vs. BYU but made a sizable impact. Hodge combined with Trevon Mason to record a safety in the third quarter that nearly swung the game. Hodge later registered a tackle for loss.
“He runs to the football with his hair on complete fire,” UA defensive coordinator Don Brown said.
Brown conceded that Hodge could “do a better job of executing his assignments,” which would lead to more playing time. He has conquered greater challenges.
Hodge was a standout two-way player for Mountain Pointe, helping The Pride reach the state championship game his senior year. Yet his only firm offer from a four-year school came from South Dakota State, which plays on the FCS level.
“Grades. Simply grades,” Hodge said. “I talked to plenty of schools. It was just grades, not taking care of my business as a student-athlete.”
Hodge would have to go the junior-college route. He believed the coaching staff at Glendale could help him develop his game and get noticed, which is exactly what ended up happening.
Hodge also would have to change his ways in the classroom. He eventually did, earning a degree from NMSU in June that enabled him to join the UA program as a grad transfer.
“I have four little brothers and a sister, and I have a lot of little cousins. I know I have to be a role model for them,” Hodge said.
“I realized that people are looking up to me, and I really need to strap down and do what I can to provide for them and help them ... realize that we can do anything we want. We can make it out of any situation. It's never too late to change your ways.”
Pac-12 analyst Yogi Roth ‘really encouraged’ by Arizona QB Gunner Cruz’s debut outing
Arizona quarterback Gunner Cruz (9) calls a play against BYU during the second half of last week's game.
No one spends more time studying film of Pac-12 football than Yogi Roth, who will serve as the analyst for Pac-12 Networks’ broadcast of the Arizona-San Diego State game on Saturday night.
Roth played wide receiver at Pitt, but he has become something of a quarterback guru via his involvement in the Elite 11 QB competition.
We caught up with Roth this week to get his assessment of Wildcats quarterback Gunner Cruz. The third-year freshman passed for 336 yards in his first career start last week despite yielding most of one series to teammate Will Plummer.
What did you think of Gunner Cruz's performance in the opener?
A: “I was really encouraged. when I watched the game. I don't think he played like a quarterback who thought somebody else could come in for me at any moment. That was my concern.
“I felt like it was really competitive versus combative. That stood out to me. He looked like a confident guy when he was in. And then when he came out and came back in, I never felt like I was looking at somebody who was worried about his competition.
“I saw somebody playing major college football for the first time. I don't think he's going to take two sacks in the red zone (again). I don't think he's going to throw a post into a single-high deep safety ever again (a play that resulted in an interception). I think he's gonna learn from those experiences.”
Are our expectations for first-time starting quarterbacks out of whack?
A: “Yes. It is, to me, not healthy for the game and, most important, not healthy for the quarterback to think that every kid who comes in is going to be Jalen Hurts and lead his team to the national championship; be Trevor Lawrence and win a national championship; or be Tua Tagovailoa and throw the game-winner in the national championship. Because I can paint just as many pictures of ... first-year quarterbacks who struggle.
“Everything a quarterback does, they're doing for the first time as a first-time starter. He (Cruz) is gonna run out in front of 54,000 people for the first time in his life as a starting quarterback. I don’t know how he’s going to feel about that, I don't know his breathing techniques, how he’s going to calm himself on the sideline.
“It was the first time in his life having to (deal with) what I call ‘PACE’ – plays after critical errors. He had to showcase what his PACE grade is.
“I think it's inappropriate, dramatically, to have that expectation, especially in a program like Arizona right now, where it’s a first-year system.”
How difficult is it to go from the "Air Raid" one year to the run-and-shoot the next to a pro-style system the next, as Cruz did?
A: “I think it's easier than if it was in reverse. I saw it with JT Daniels at USC. When you grew up reading defenses, and you came out of your football womb identifying linebackers, changing protections at the line of scrimmage, evaluating a defense, and then all of a sudden ... don't worry about the defense at all. I want you to just literally throw it to green grass.
“I probably would have said the opposite if I hadn't seen it a few times. Now, I do think that there's a learning curve for guys. That's why you're not seeing Gunner with all the tools that this playbook offers just yet. Just because he's so young in it. He's still learning.”
Win over SDSU in John Mackovic’s debut was hardly an omen
UA coac coach John Mackovic listens to San Diego State football coach Ted Tollner during a telephone press conference in the McKale Center on August 27, 2001.
The last time Arizona faced San Diego State happened to be the first game of the short-lived John Mackovic era.
It was not a sign of things to come.
The Wildcats defeated the Aztecs 23-10 on Aug. 30, 2001, at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. It was the first of three consecutive victories in Mackovic’s first season.
Arizona would win only seven more games after that streak, and Mackovic wouldn’t last past the fourth game of his third season. Dick Tomey’s successor would finish with a 10-18 record, including a 3-13 mark in conference play.
But no one knew how sour things would become on that Thursday night in San Diego. Quarterback Jason Johnson completed 21 of 32 pases for 176 yards and a touchdown. Arizona’s defense scored on a safety and a 57-yard fumble return by safety Brandon Nash. The Wildcats overcame a 10-0 defensive after the first quarter.
Here’s how Star columnist Greg Hansen sized up Mackovic’s debut:
“Game 1 of John Mackovic’s return to Arizona was much more than a slick coach wearing a business suit – his corporate-efficient team took San Diego State apart 23-10.
“The message was an eight-letter word: Attitude. ...
“Did it move you to buy a ticket to next week’s home opener against Idaho? Perhaps not, but it was a clear indication that the Wildcats won’t be fodder for the Pac-10, or for anyone.”
What fans should expect upon return to Arizona Stadium
Arizona's linemen run through their pre-game drills in front of the empty east stands as the team gets ready to go against Arizona State at Arizona Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., December 11, 2020.
When Arizona faces San Diego State on Saturday night, fans will be allowed to attend a game that counts at Arizona Stadium for the first time since Nov. 23, 2019. The experience will be slightly different than what you’re used to. Here are some key things you need to know:
All ticketing will be through mobile devices.
Your virtual tickets will be available via Apple Wallet, Google Pay or the Arizona Wildcats app. The UA implemented this system in spring for baseball and softball. The McKale Center ticket-office staff will be available to assist fans who have difficulty downloading their tickets.
Some COVID-19 protocols will be in place.
Fans are not required to be vaccinated or to have had a recent negative test, nor must they wear masks while sitting in their seats. But anyone over the age of 2 must show they have a face covering in their possession before entering the stadium, as masks are required in all indoor spaces.
Cash won't be accepted.
Aramark is now the UA’s concessions operator. All transactions will be cashless. All major credit cards will be accepted, along with Apple Wallet and Google Pay. Reverse ATMs are available for those who only have cash; insert money and receive a Visa spend card that can be used anywhere Visa is accepted.
The UA also will acknowledge Tucson first responders on the 20th anniversary of 9/11 via a pregame moment of silence and other tributes, as well as honoring the airmen and women of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.
Packed houses at Arizona Stadium have been sparse in recent seasons
Arizona Football Head Coach Jedd Fisch sprays the student section with water during Arizona Football's 2021 Spring Football Game at Arizona Stadium.
First-year Arizona coach Jedd Fisch has made it his personal mission to fill up Arizona Stadium. With just over 35,000 tickets having been sold as of Thursday, the UA is likely to fall short of capacity, which is 50,782.
That isn’t a surprising development at Arizona or across the sport.
Attendance at FBS games has declined almost annually since 2008. The average attendance in 2019, the last full season that was contested, was 41,477. Per CBSSports.com, that was the lowest figure since 1996.
Arizona’s attendance reflects that trend. Here’s a look at average attendance figures over the past five seasons (starting with 2019; fans weren’t allowed to attend last year because of the pandemic), plus the number of crowds of 50,000 or more each year:
2015: 51,393 (4)
2016: 48,288 (3)
2017: 42,632 (0)
2018: 45,436 (2)
2019: 39,532 (0)
Note: Two of the past three crowds of 50,000-plus were for the Territorial Cup, a matchup that last failed to hit that mark in 2004.
