Monday, December 3, 2018
The two squads, who hail from the Sun Belt and Mountain West Conferences, will play at Arizona Stadium on Dec. 29, with the game kicking off at 11:15 a.m. Arizona time.
The Red Wolves of ASU went 8-4 this season, reaching bowl eligibility for the eighth straight year, closing out the regular season with four-consecutive wins.
The UNR Wolfpack, meanwhile, won four-of-five to close the year, with a loss to in-state rival UNLV closing out their regular season.
It's the second time that the Wolfpack have played in the bowl, having competed against Colorado State in the inaugural contest in 2015, which was the last time Nevada was bowl eligible.
The Red Wolves offense is led by senior quarterback Justice Hansen, who threw for 3,172 yards and 27 touchdowns this season.
The Wolfpack are equally-reliant on their quarterback, with senior Ty Gangi slinging it for 3,131 yards and 23 scores this season.
There's also a free concert by Everclear at the Goal POST Party, which is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on the University of Arizona campus on game day.
Tickets for the game can be found here, and can also be purchased in-person at the Tucson Arena box office.
Tags: NOVA Home Loans , Arizona Bowl , Arizona Stadium , Arkansas State University , Nevada Wolfpack , Sun Belt Conference , Mountain West Conference , Tucson , Image
Tuesday, November 27, 2018
His attempt missed, sailing wide-right of the nearest goalpost, giving the visiting Sun Devils a 41-40 victory.
The loss was rather unfathomable for most of the day, with Arizona jumping out to 40-21 lead at the end of the third quarter. The one-point loss officially ended Arizona’s season, as their 5-7 regular season record is not bowl eligible.
First-year Wildcats coach Kevin Sumlin described his first season in Tucson as a work-in-progress, with a myriad of injuries stifling a promising campaign.
“We want to be better and we had a lot of moving parts this year,” Sumlin said. “The constants this year were our two linebackers, our walk-on center and J.J. (Taylor)… We also had the guys out at receiver that played well. As a coach you look back and are always looking to be better."
The Wildcats led for most of the day, with junior quarterback Khaliil Tate connecting with senior receivers Tony Ellison and Shawn Poindexter for passing touchdowns in the game’s opening half.
The home side tacked on two more scores in the third quarter; running back Gary Brightwell dashed 35 yards for the team’s first touchdown of the second half.
Ellison followed that up with his second score of the game, snagging an 8-yard pass from Tate to give the Wildcats a 19-point lead in the waning minutes of the third.
Things shifted in the final quarter, however, with ASU kicker Brandon Ruiz hitting two field goals, and ASU QB Manny Wilkins scoring on an 11-yard rush.
Perhaps the biggest mistake of the game came in the fourth quarter, when sophomore running back Taylor, who rushed for a game-high 144 yards, fumbled deep inside Arizona territory.
The Sun Devils pounced on the ball, scoring a touchdown on the game’s next play to take the lead with just over three minutes remaining.
“It’s college football; anything can happen at any moment,” Schooler said. “We need to take care of the ball better on both sides, obviously. There were two balls on the ground that the defense could have gotten this game that we didn’t, and if we get those, that’s a huge momentum swing.”
The Wildcats took over possession on their final drive and marched methodically downfield, gaining 54 yards on 15 plays. The team was able to get the ball inside the Sun Devil 30-yard line with under a minute to play, but opted to play it safe, running the ball up the middle to give Pollack an optimal kicking spot.
Unfortunately for Sumlin’s squad, Pollack’s try drifted off-course shortly after it left his right kicking foot, giving the Sun Devils a 41-40 victory in Tucson.
Sumlin summed up the day’s disappointing finish in his postgame comments, attributing much of it to the Wildcats’ consecutive turnovers in the fourth quarter.
“The biggest issue was the two turnovers on our side of the 50,” Sumlin said. “With that and the time that we used to go the length of the field, the two turnovers on our side of the field cost us. You’re not strategizing to turn it over twice on your side of the 50.”
Tags: Arizona football , wildcats , football , UA , ASU , territorial cup , rivals , Sun Devils , college football , Sumlin , Image
Monday, November 26, 2018
The athletes will fuel and hydrate at the event with lunch provided by Jimmy Johns and a beer garden open to spectators. There will also
The first place team will win $300, second gets $200 and third place gets $100. This is an 18 and up event.
Tags: Coronhole , Gameday , Marana , Cash Prize , Tournament , Tucson , Pima County , Jimmy Johns , Beer Garden , Quarry Pines Golf Course , Image
Thursday, November 22, 2018
Welcome to the week that instills some good, old-fashioned hate to the malaise known as the Grand Canyon State.
I'm talking, of course, about the Territorial Cup series between the Wildcats of Arizona and their horn-encrusted rivals from Tempe.
The series, which dates back to 1899, has featured a plethora of highs, lows and mediocrities in-between that symbolize any good rivalry game.
The series, which Arizona leads 49-41-1, has resided up north in five of the last eight contests between the two rivals.
This year's contest pits a 6-5 ASU squad, coached by the lovably eccentric Herman Edwards, against a 5-6 Arizona squad that just got its ass kicked (69-28, for those of you that forgot) by Mike Leach and the Washington State Cougars.
Mustache aficionado Gardner Minshew was a major thorn in the 'Cats side last week, tossing seven touchdown passes, while pushing Arizona to the brink of bowl eligibility.
Kevin Sumlin's squad faces a virtual must-win this week, needing a victory to ensure a bowl berth for the second-straight season.
Sumlin believes his team will be well-prepared for this week's rivalry game, calling on his experience coaching at Houston and Texas A&M in this week's press conference.
“I think I’ve been in the Apple Cup, been in the Brass Boot, which is Wyoming and Colorado State; the Paul Bunyan Axe, Minnesota and Wisconsin; the Old Oaken Bucket, at Indiana-Purdue; the Red River Shootout," Sumlin said. "And then I was an assistant coach before A&M moved to the SEC, it was Texas and A&M on Thanksgiving night or Friday night. I’ve been involved in a bunch of them.”
Sumlin's team is tasked with trying to thwart the Devils' two-headed offensive attack of running back Eno Benjamin, who's rushed for 1,444 yards and 12 touchdowns, and N'Keal Harry.
Harry, who has 1,033 receiving yards and 9 touchdown catches this year, has been marked as a potential first round pick in this year's NFL Draft, should he forgo his senior year.
Sumlin addressed the tall task of stopping the 6'4 wide receiver, calling him one of the toughest wideouts to guard in the nation.
“He’s a fabulous player. Just a tremendous young man. A guy that we had a lot of conversations with … from the last place I as at," Sumlin said. "He’s big, got great body control. He’s a grown man now, and he plays like that. If that weren’t enough, now he’s returning punts. He’s everything that is as advertised. He’s going to be one of the first players taken at that position in the draft.”
Senior receiver Tony Ellison, who's third on the Wildcats in receiving yards (475) and touchdown catches (4), broke down the multitude of implications that the yearly rivalry game has.
“It’s hard to decide if this game is more important than a bowl game because it’s a huge week for the City of Tucson," Ellison said. "It’s the team up north and we’ve got to beat them. There’s so much hype around this game and it’s also my senior season. I think it’s important to be able to put on that block A one more time and go to that bowl game. I approach every game the same, but obviously I’m going to have a lot more edge this week since we’re playing a rivalry game and it’s going to be very important for the fans.”
How to Watch: Arizona and ASU play on Saturday at 1:30 p.m., with Fox Sports 1 carrying the contest.
How to Bet: ASU is currently a two-point favorite to win, according to Las Vegas. The over/under for the game is 64.5.
Who to Watch: ASU has a two-headed attack on offense, led by junior wideout N'Keal Harry, who has 1,033 receiving yards and 9 touchdown catches this year. Sophomore running back Eno Benjamin leads the Devils in rushing, with 1,444 yards and 12 touchdowns this season.
Who Will Win: This one is tough to pick, with each side playing like figurative garbage right now. I'm going with the visiting side from Tempe, thanks to Benjamin and Harry torching the Wildcats sorry defense. I'll go with ASU winning this one, 42-38.
Tags: Arizona Wildcats , Arizona State Sun Devils , Pac-12 , N'Keal Harry , Eno Benjamin , Kevin Sumlin , Herm Edwards , Shawn Poindexter , Tony Ellison , Tucson , Tempe , Arizona , Larry Scott , Image
Friday, November 16, 2018
In soccer, a coin is tossed before the game to determine who gets to start with the ball and what side of the pitch the teams will play on. Without the coin, McNamara had to improvise and made the team captains play rock, paper, scissors as a decider.
Soon after, McNamara was suspended by the Football Association for not following the rules and acting unprofessionally.
This has provoked reactions from around the world at the absurdity of something so small and harmless ending in punishment but has also provoked reactions from several grass-root soccer referees who intend on using rock, paper, scissors this weekend out of protest.
BBC quotes several anonymous referees as saying:
"I'll have a coin just in case anyone is unhappy but I don't see it being an issue. Rock, paper, scissors is an equally fair way of doing things. The suspended ref has shown initiative and thought quickly on his feet. The whole thing is a bit ridiculous..."
“I will be doing it to show support. It will probably serve as a light-hearted way to introduce myself to both captains.”
Tags: sports , soccer , referees , BBC , rock paper scissors , coin , Women's soccer , Super League , Image
This new option provides cyclists with a shorter distance, later start and easier parking than the 75 or 100-mile routes.
For those who don’t know, El Tour de Tucson is an annual event in the Tucson area that has been going on for 36 years. Cyclists make their way around “the loop,” a 130-mile bike path that goes in and around Tucson and Marana.
This year’s loop will end at Armory Park for the Downtown El Tour Fiesta, featuring live music, awards ceremony, a beer garden and plenty of food vendors to refuel.
The Marana route starting line will also have food trucks, information booths
The registration fee for the 25-mile route is $125 for cyclists 15 and older and $44 for those 14 and younger.
Learn more about Marana’s El Tour route here.
Tags: Marana , El Tour de Tucson , Tucson , Cycling , Festival , Downtown , the loop , Marana Heritage River Park , Fiesta , Armory Park , Image
Thursday, November 15, 2018
The Wildcats (5-5, 4-3) travel to Pullman, Washington to face off against seventh-ranked Washington State (9-1, 6-1).
It's a game that means a great deal to both sides, with the visiting Wildcats desperately seeking a sixth win, which would guarantee a bowl game for Kevin Sumlin's squad. The Cougars, meanwhile, are two wins away from clinching their first-ever appearance in the Pac-12 football championship game.
A win over the Wildcats, teemed with a victory over in-state rival Washington in next week's Apple Cup showdown could vault the Cougars into the College Football Playoff discussion. It's a stage that the Cougs' haven't been in very often, making the Rose Bowl four times in school history (1915, 1930, 1997 and 2002).
Mike Leach's squad has reached the pinnacle of Pac-12 excellence, thanks to its usual pass-happy offense that's spearheaded by mustache-aficionado Gardner Minshew.
Tags: Arizona Wildcats , Washington State Cougars , Mike Leach , Gardner Minshew , Khalil Tate , JJ Taylor , Kevin Sumlin , Martin Stadium , Pullman , Washington , Pac-12 After Dark , ESPN , Tucson , Image
Thursday, November 8, 2018
Ninth-year Wildcats Coach Sean Miller described the team's play against the Huskies as a tale of two halves.
Fortunately for Miller and his players, the tale had a happy ending, thanks to shooting 57.6 percent from the field in the latter half of the contest, with the squad hitting seven of their final nine shots.
"We didn't have a great deal of confidence, which, you know, that's kind of who we are right now," Miller said. "We're a group of guys kind of playing together for the first time and I think our hope is to continue to work, practice, go through experiences, we will improve."
The Wildcats were led on Wednesday by sophomore guard Brandon Randolph, who scored a game-high 25 points on 8-of-12 shooting in 31 minutes of action.
"Brandon Randolph has done really well and it's more about opportunity, confidence that he's done really well this whole week," Miller said. "Sometimes that jump from a freshman to a sophomore is significant, and Brandon has always been able to shoot the ball. I think he is learning the game and he is more of a complete player."
Miller heaped praise on Duke University transfer Chase Jeter, who pulled down a double-double (11 points and 10 rebounds) in the victory.
"Chase is really bright kid. Great student, maybe the best student we've had. Very cerebral, thinks things through, and intelligent," Miller said. "Not many big guys draw charges, he does that a lot."
Miller has high hopes for freshman guard Brandon Williams, who scored 13 points in his collegiate debut.
That confidence stems from Williams' ability to get to the free throw line in his first start, making 8-of-9 attempts to finish as the team's second-leading scorer, despite shooting 2-of-11 from the field.
"He didn't have his typical night," Miller said of Williams. "I will say this though, he had five assists and zero turnovers playing in a game like that, against that type of pressure. That's a job well done."
Looking forward
The Wildcats return to McKale Center to face California Polytechnic University at 3 p.m. on Sunday.
The Mustangs have not played a regular season game this season, coming off a year in which they went 9-22, with a 4-12 record against fellow Big West opponents.
Miller said he hasn't watched much of Cal Poly's tape from last season, but expects his team to be ready for the challenge come Sunday.
"I think we've got a great group of kids," Miller said. "[They're] very coachable, they like each other, they want to do things the right way. And how all that comes together, we'll see."
Tags: Arizona Wildcats , Houston Baptist Huskies , College Basketball , McKale Center , Pac-12 Basketball , Tucson , Houston , Cal Poly Mustangs , San Luis Obispo , Southland Conference , Big West Conference , Image
Last week, we saw the Washington State Cougars win an ugly game in the Palouse against Cal, the Sun Devils hammering an injury-stricken Utah squad, the Arizona Wildcats surviving against a woebegone Colorado team and much, much more.
This week, we'll be treated to a trap game of sorts for Mike Leach's bunch, as they'll travel to the libertarian enclave known as Boulder for a Saturday matinee against the Buffs.
ASU hosts a UCLA squad that squashed any of its midseason momentum by losing to Utah and Oregon in succession by a sum of 83-31.
Elsewhere, the Oregon Ducks head to the SLC to face the Utes, the Oregon State Beavers head to Palo Alto to face Stanford, and Cal heads to the City of Angels to face the USC Trojans in Saturday's nightcap.
It'll be interesting to see whether the conference's relative heavyweights, in Washington State and Washington, can avoid a face-planting defeat this week.
It'll also be interesting to see whether Utah can keep its Pac-12 title game hopes alive, now that starting quarterback Tyler Huntley is out indefinitely with a broken collarbone.
Without further ado, here's how I see the conference that made bad officiating and Bill Walton famous shaking out:
1. Washington State Cougars (8-1, 5-1)
Last Week: Beat Cal, 19-13
This Week: At Colorado, 1:30 p.m. (ESPN)
The Cougars proved that they can win ugly in their six-point victory over Cal in Pullman last Saturday. The Cougars did so, thanks to a last-minute heave by mustache aficionado-turned-quarterback Gardner Minshew, who hit receiver Easop Winston Jr. for a 10-yard score with 32 seconds remaining to ensure the home side's victory. The win propelled the Cougs' to their first 8-1 start since Mike Price led the team to the Rose Bowl in 2002. The mighty Cougars will be put to the test again this Saturday, when they'll head to Colorado to face a Buffs squad that's fallen and can't get up, before closing out the year with consecutive home games against Arizona and Washington. A win over the Buffs, and the Cougars might be in for a year that no one in scarlet and silver will forget. A loss, and it's Alamo Bowl or bust for Leach's band of misfits in Pullman.
Tags: Pac-12 , Washington State Cougars , Gardner Minshew , Mike Leach , Washington Huskies , Myles Gaskin , Chris Petersen , Oregon Ducks , Justin Herbert , David Shaw , Bryce Love , Khalil Tate , Laviska Shenault , Chip Kelly , UCLA Bruins , Image
Thursday, November 1, 2018
The Minnesota Timberwolves were not necessarily expecting to win with Jimmy Butler and Jeff Teague sitting out with minor injuries. This meant Derrick Rose was moved to starting point-guard and made sure not to disappoint.
Derrick Rose played 41 minutes, more than any other player, and put up a stat line of 50 points, six assists and four rebounds. Despite his offensive success, it was ultimately his clutch defense that secured the win for Minnesota.
With the game only at a three-point difference, Dante Exum received the ball for the Jazz in the corner to tie the game, but Rose had other plans as he leaped perfectly for the shot-block, putting the icing on the cake to a wholesome basketball night.
To say Rose’s career has had its ups and downs is understatement. After winning MVP in 2011, consistent injuries left fans wondering if they would ever see the dominant force that Rose was in his younger years, ever again.
Rose’s 50 points are the fourth most scored by an NBA player so far this season.
5 things to think about:
1. With Teague coming back, will Tom Thibodeau still keep Rose on the bench?
2. Can Rose put together his first successful healthy season since 2012?
3. Will a Butler exit give Rose a more important role with the team?
4. Does a team want to involve Rose in a Butler trade after his great performance?
5. Would Thibodeau even want to give Rose up, if a trade was offered?
Tags: basketball , Derrick Rose , Timberwolves , Minnesota , NBA , Image
