Saturday marks exactly one year since Arizona linebacker Jerry Roberts suffered a season-ending leg injury on the first play from scrimmage against Washington State.
The Cougars went on to beat the Wildcats in Pullman, 44-18. The teams will square off again Saturday at Arizona Stadium.
Roberts, Arizona’s starting middle linebacker, leads the team with 64 tackles. He’s leading by example, too.
“I think what he did in regards to his road to recovery helped our younger players understand what to do when you’re hurt,” Arizona coach Jedd Fisch said on Thursday. “He stayed here during Christmas break and worked the whole Christmas break on his lower body to try to get his leg strong enough to participate in some of the winter workouts.
“During winter workouts, he focused on his ability to get stronger and get more confident on that leg, so he could participate in spring ball.”
Added Fisch: “When they see a guy who was a starting linebacker get hurt and then fight to get back — and so far has been able to take every snap on defense that we’ve asked for him to take — it shows someone who’s determined and somebody who is dedicated to being an Arizona Wildcats football player.”
For Carroll, job’s not finished
Like everyone else on Arizona’s sideline, Brennan Carroll was elated for the Wildcats following last weekend’s upset victory over UCLA in Pasadena.
However, Carroll’s celebration was short.
Why? Because the Wildcats have a 4-6 record with two games left on the schedule and a chance to qualify for the program’s first bowl game in five years.
Arizona’s offensive coordinator sent a video clip to his offensive line following the victory. In it, Lakers star Kobe Bryant talks to reporters after his team took a two-game lead over the Orlando Magic in 2009 NBA Finals. Bryant was why he wasn’t happy.
“What’s there to be happy about?” Bryant asked.
“You’re up 2-0,” the reporter said.
“Job’s not finished. Job finished? I don’t think so,” Bryant responded.
Carroll is hopeful his group channels a “Mamba Mentality” for the next two weeks.
“We’ve got more games to go,” Carroll said. “We’ve put ourselves in position to play one more game that was on the schedule, and we’ve got a great opportunity to play a really tough team this weekend. It’s a great challenge for us. And that’s enough.”
Extra points
Arizona defensive tackle Paris Shand‘s availability for Saturday remains questionable. Shand didn’t travel to UCLA last week for medical reasons. “Paris is still day-to-day right now,” Fisch said. “We’re still trying to get a final idea on if he can participate or not.”
Tucson native and ex-Wildcat Ka’Deem Carey was named to the CFL All-Star team after rushing for a league-best 1,088 yards and 10 touchdowns for the Calgary Stampeders. Carey, who just finished his fifth season in the CFL, averaged 77.7 yards per game.
Arizona linebacker Jacob Manu became the second Wildcat this season to earn Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors after recording 10 tackles and a pass breakup against UCLA. Said UA defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen of Manu: “It’s unbelievable. He didn’t even start the first three games and the guy is so productive at a young age. The game is never too big for him. It’s helped him play more and more. I’m proud of him and he’ll continue to make plays for us.”
Former Wildcat Scooby Wright will be Arizona’s honorary captain against Washington State. The 2014 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year also won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Lombardi Award and the Chuck Bednarik Award after logging 164 tackles, 15 sacks and 31 stops for loss in one of the best individual defensive seasons in UA history. Since turning pro in 2015, Wright has been drafted by the NFL (Cleveland Browns), AAF (Arizona Hotshots), XFL (DC Defenders) and USFL (Birmingham Stallions). Wright will lead the team during its “Wildcat Walk” prior to Saturday’s game and stand beside the UA captains for the pregame coin toss.
