When Jeff Scurran talks about his quarterback, you can hear a certain energy in his voice.
โHereโs a good story. Rhett was a freshman, and we had a really key game, and the scout defense made an adjustment very similar to what the opponent would do in a game, and we didnโt have an answer for it,โ he said.
โIt was a Wednesday. It was plausible itโd happen during a game, and you have to see that thing coming. In adjusting, the offense can be panicked, there can be confusion. But if itโs handled a certain way, itโs simple enough to adapt, so I made an on-field adjustment, and Rhett turns around, in front of the whole team, and he gets this little boy excitement. He says, โThatโs exactly the same adjustment my dad made against Miami when we were at West Virginia with Pat White. Thatโs gonna work!โ And you know what that can do to a team. But I put my left hand up, counting off my fingers, and said, โWait, you were 4-5-6-7 years old! How do you remember that?โ
โThatโs Rhett.โ
More than three years later, the story still makes Scurran laugh.
Their relationship has changed now, with Rhett Rodriguez maturing beyond his 18 years. Scurran doesnโt see much of that giddy excitement anymore. Rhett is 18-going-on-33, with a football scholarship to the UA in hand.
Itโs not that heโs serious, or stoic, just โฆ above it all.
But this playoff run, the one that has put Catalina Foothills in Saturdayโs Class 4A state championship game against vaunted Scottsdale Saguaro, has left Rhett nearly in a state of shock.
โIโm almost in disbelief,โ he says. โI donโt know if itโs set in yet.โ
The Falcons have needed a little luck and a whole lot of Rhettโs magic, eking out a first-round, four-point win over Cave Creek Cactus Shadows, then surviving a 52-49 shootout with Peoria Sunrise Mountain in the quarterfinals that required a desperate fourth-down conversion, and finally a 62-37 blowout of Gilbert Higley in last Fridayโs semifinals.
Rhettโs stats during the sixth-seeded Falconsโ surprising playoff run: 44-of-64 passing for 895 yards, eight touchdowns and one interception, plus 42 carries for 203 yards and six touchdowns.
Youโd expect him to be jumping for joy, but heโs not. Rhettโs a part of another team, one thatโs struggling.
โThis seasonโs been tough, and itโs not that Iโm not enjoying the playoff run, but itโd be sweeter if it was combined; Iโm reminded of a couple years ago and I remember them winning the Pac-12 South, and the whole family was having such a high moment,โ he said. โAnd now, Iโve had a great playoff run and Iโm happy, but itโs hard to come home and not everyone is as happy as I am.โ
When your father is Rich Rodriguez, and he is the head coach of the 2-9 Arizona Wildcats, even a championship run doesnโt quell the disappointment.
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When Rita Rodriguez talks about her quarterback, you can hear a certain energy in her voice, too.
โHeโs always been like an old soul; Iโve always thought that,โ Rita says of her only son. โOne of the best things he does is he listens. He has this quality about him. You just tell him things, and he sits and listens, and he understands. I probably talk to him about more than I should. But he listens. He seems to take it all in.โ
Arizona game days have been a mixed blessing for Rhett, but always something to which he looked forward. He did not play football as an eighth-grader so that he could attend UA games with his father entrenched as first-year coach. He started for Scurran as a freshman, though, which probably tells you all you need to know about eighth-grade football.
Two years ago, Rhett began using the Arizona Stadium sidelines as a de facto laboratory. What other high school quarterback gets that kind of apprenticeship? Given a headset, he was able to understand the nuances of one of the great offensive minds in college football.
Rhettโs been on the sidelines since his father coached at Michigan, but only now does he consider himself a student of the game. He started to see, as he says, the strategy behind it all. Gone were the days of serving as ball boy, hoping to get a high-five from a guy after a touchdown drive.
โI was kind of just watching for fun, and now โ look, itโs fun to watch, of course โ but itโs stressful,โ Rhett said. โArizona games are more stressful for me than my own games. At least in mine I can try to make a play, to help the team win. When Iโm on the sidelines now, thereโs nothing I can do. Itโs just hard to watch and want to do something.โ
This year, especially. The Wildcats have been beset by injuries and ineffectiveness at the skill positions.
Itโs been a tough season all around, but both Rhett and Rita say RichRod does an admirable job of keeping his football frustrations out of the household.
In a lot of ways, Rhett has learned before many not just the Xโs and Oโs, but the vexes and woes.
โWeโve had some down times with football,โ Rhett said. โItโs not always a fun profession to be in. Thatโs helped me grow up a little more. Iโve always been mature for my age; itโs not that Iโve felt older, but Iโve always tried to see the bigger picture of things.โ
Now, Rhett does not just feel for his father, or for his family, or for his team, but for the faces that go along with a 2-9 season.
โI know some of the players, and to know the faces that go along with it, that theyโre not just a player but a person โ thatโs been hard,โ he said. โI interact with the quarterbacks more than other positions, and itโs been a struggle. The littlest things are so fragile. It ends up being a touchdown or a 5-yard loss. Everyone is trying so hard, trying their best, but the littlest mistakes have been the downfall.โ
Thatโs the biggest lesson that Rhett has taken from his years on the sidelines, that the smallest details matter. Heโs learned that the best way to maintain focus is to keep things simple, something that heโll undoubtedly put into use one day when heโs a coach.
Or, how about now?
โBefore the USC game, we knew (freshman) Khalil (Tate) would start, and my dad talked to me about making things simpler for him,โ Rhett said. โItโs not like Iโm part of the offense or anything, but just the language. โDoes this make sense? Is this something we can work on?โ It doesnโt make me feel bad at all that Iโm the guy he comes to dumb it down to. I love it. I love talking ball with my dad. I love that he can go to me.
โIโm not sure how much help I gave. But it made me feel good.โ
His fatherโs son
When Rich Rodriguez talks about his quarterback, you can hear a certain energy in his voice as well.
โIโm just, I guess, more proud โฆโ
And then Rich Rodriguez, who after a loss is rougher than a lumberjackโs palms, buries his head in his left arm. His right knee twitches. His foot taps. He leans back and cracks his knuckles. โGive me a second,โ he says. He needs 45. He wipes his eyes.
โHeโs having a terrific playoff run,โ RichRod says of his son. โI donโt how many touchdowns heโs accounted for the last couple weeks, but I see him work. By Sunday, heโs watching 10 hours of film. I come home, 9:30, 10 oโclock at night, and heโs watching film and wants me to watch some film with him. Heโs had a great senior year, the teamโs doing great, but Iโm probably more proud of who he is, as a student, as a person.โ
RichRod isnโt the only one who discusses Rhettโs study habits.
โHe watches as much film as I do,โ Scurran said. โHe sees it through the eyes of a quarterback, and I see it through the eyes of a coach. โฆ Rhett and I have a relationship of player-coach, but we also have one of student-mentor. Rhett wants to be a football coach some day, heโs told me that since Iโve met him. My promise was Iโd share everything I could so that he could see a different perspective than he gets from his dad.
โWe constantly discuss why we do things a certain way. We even argue about different ideas. He has input and I listen to him. I always win the argument. But I listen to him.โ
And thatโs enough for Rhett. He just wants to be in the conversation.
โHe calls all the plays, and heโs got the control, but itโs almost like Iโm a player-coach,โ said Rhett, who has started more than 50 high school games.
To hear the passion her son displays for the game is refreshing for Rita Rodriguez. She and Rich did not force football on their son.
Rhettโs parents held him out of Pop Warner, and Rich constantly said, โRita, heโs not ready,โ and Rita told Rich, โYouโre overthinking it.โโ
โBut then heโs 9 or 10, I took him to practice, we got his helmet, pads, he starts catching these passes, looks great, and then he walks back to me and says, โOK, mom, Iโm ready to go home,โโ Rita said. โI said, โYou have to finish this practice, and after weโll talk โฆโ
โWe gave him a chance to do what he wanted to and to let him find it on his own. Your passion canโt be someone elseโs passion.โ
They had some honest talks, Rich and Rita.
โWe didnโt know if he loved football enough,โ Rita said. โYou have to love it. You can like it, and you can be OK. But you have to love it to be a great player.โ
Hearing Rich Rodriguez describe his son, that doesnโt sound like a make-or-break thing. With some head football coaches, if their kidโs not the second coming of John Elway, you can hear the disappointment dripping from their voice. Not RichRod.
In many ways, Catalina Foothillsโ success this season has been therapeutic for both Rhett and his father.
โI donโt know if release is the right word, but being able to go and just watch as much as a dad โ (UA offensive line coach Jim) Michalczik, two weeks ago, weโre both on the sidelines, and they score late and Iโm watching myself fist pump and get fired up on a high school game. It was kind of neat,โ Rich Rodriguez said. โYou get to follow not just him, but his teammates heโs grown with over two or three years. Seeing them have the joy they have after having success, winning a game like that, thereโs nothing better than that. โฆ To watch my sonโs growth from a 150-pound, skinny freshman quarterback to being a grown man now. A grown man. Making checks and competing his tail off. Itโs been one true bright spot for me this fall.โ
One win away
When Rhett Rodriguez talks about himself, you can hear a certain energy in his voice.
โEvery game is a new lesson to learn,โ he says. โIโve been paying attention to football for eight years, and Iโve learned lessons from playing and watching with my perspective on the sidelines, and every game teaches me something.โ
This playoff run has taught him one great lesson: Never lose faith.
And another: Always watch the official.
โI still canโt believe we won against Sunrise,โ Rhett said. โWeโre down with two minutes left, fourth-and-10 and we got it. I mean how often does that happen? Weโre on our 40-yard line and they were double-covering Bryan Beckon the whole night and we called timeout before the play, and Coach Scurran lets me have input, and I said, โWe have to throw a post to Bryan.โ They had double-coverage, but outside leverage. He said it was the right idea. I dropped back, the pocket broke down, I moved to my right, saw he was open, chucked it deep, got him.
โI didnโt realize he didnโt score. Everyone was stoked, but I was like, โWeird, I thought thatโd get more celebration.โ So coach calls a sneak, and Iโm like, โOn a two-point conversion? Thatโs weird. But I got it, and everyone starts freaking out, and I was like, wait, that wasnโt a conversion?โโ
No, Beckon hadnโt scored.
So it seems Rhett Rodriguez is so good, he doesnโt even know when he scores a touchdown.
Hereโs betting someone else knew.
โMy dad is a very emotional guy, but a lot of people donโt see him as a dad, as part of a family,โ Rhett said. โAnd itโs almost like he flips a switch. At home, heโs dad. There are sometimes it overlaps, but when heโs on the (Foothills) sidelines, heโs a dad. I remember my very first game, playing Desert View, we were 0-10 the year before, the running back scored, and you can see my dad throws his hands in the air throwing up a touchdown sign.โ
And if you donโt think that matters to a guy in the midst of a 2-9 season, youโre wrong.
โI think this has really helped him,โ Rita said.
โThe exciting success of Rhettโs season has been a blessing. Rhett wants to talk football, but he wants to talk Catalina Foothills, and if youโre really a great coach, you just love talking strategy. Thatโs all you need. And itโs been a blessing for Rich.โ
