Arizona is facing a team with an interim head coach for the first time since the Territorial Cup in 2022, when Arizona State was led by Shaun Aguano, who replaced Herm Edwards.
Oklahoma State fired head coach Mike Gundy after two-plus decades at the helm and named offensive coordinator Doug Meacham as the interim head coach two weeks ago.Â
Meacham
Arizona is no stranger to firing a head coach midseason. Amid a five-game losing streak in 2011, which included a loss to Oklahoma State in Stillwater, the Wildcats fired head coach Mike Stoops and finished the season with defensive coordinator Tim Kish as the head coach.
Who is Meacham?
The 60-year-old Arlington, Texas, native played on Oklahoma State's offensive line and protected Gundy, who was the Cowboys' quarterback from 1986-89.
Meacham became Oklahoma State's tight ends and inside receivers coach from 2005-12, when OSU went 2-1 against the Wildcats. Arizona was blasted by a Brandon Weeden- and Justin Blackmon-led Oklahoma State team, 36-10, in the 2010 Alamo Bowl. The Wildcats lost to OSU the following season, but avenged their back-to-back losses with a 59-38 victory over the Cowboys during Rich Rodriguez's first season as head coach of Arizona in 2012. Â
Since 2012, Meacham has held play-calling roles at Houston, TCU and Kansas. Meacham and OSU interim defensive coordinator Clint Bowen were both coordinators at Kansas in 2017 and ’18. Meacham was a finalist for the Broyles Award in 2014, which is given to college football's top assistant coach.
"I think Coach Meacham is an excellent football coach and his track record speaks volumes for what he's been able to do," said Arizona defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales. "I would imagine he'd like to be the (permanent) coach there."Â
Meacham added a wrinkle to OSU's offense last week by inserting wide receiver Sam Jackson V at quarterback for four plays. Jackson, who played quarterback in high school, completed 3 of 4 passes for 46 yards and a touchdown. Usually, a skill player taking snaps at quarterback is classified as "wildcat" formation, but Meacham said Jackson "is not a wildcat guy."Â
"He’s a quarterback playing receiver," Meacham told reporters this week.Â
“When he’s on the field, I would say that you’d be a little bit apprehensive about certain things, defensively, which could clear the picture at times and stuff like that," Meacham said. "And it’s one more thing they have to defend and prepare for."
Gonzales said Meacham's offense, with Jackson sprinkled in at quarterback, "is very dynamic."
"(Jackson's) rolling out to his right and launches a ball 55 yards like it's nothing," Gonzales said. "He's got a dynamic piece back there, so they'll have two quarterbacks on the field. ... It's very innovative, very creative. ... They're going to create some challenges on Saturday."Â Â
