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Arizona comes into the game with one of the top-ranked defenses in the country.

By University Communications
October 2, 2008

The Arizona Wildcats (3-1, 1-0 Pac-10) look for their fifth consecutive victory at home this Saturday when they face off against the Washington Huskies.

Traditionally a highly contested game, eight of the last 10 games have been decided by 10 points or less, with seven of the 10 being decided by a touchdown or less.

This is the 25th all-time meeting between the two schools, with Washington owning a 16-7-1 edge. The UA looks to defeat Washington in consecutive tries for the third time in school history (1988-89 and 2003-04).

In last year's matchup, Arizona scored 22 unanswered points in the fourth quarter behind some record-breaking passing by Willie Tuitama to beat Washington 48-41 before a crowd of 61,124 in Husky Stadium. The Cats' resilience in the comeback and some late-game defense helped turn the tide. Tuitama passed for a school-record 510 passing yards and five touchdown passes.

The Wildcats return home for the first time in four weeks on a high note, coming off a 31-10 win over UCLA on Sept. 20.

Arizona held a 17-10 halftime lead and put the game away with two fourth-quarter touchdowns while its defense held the Bruins to 90 yards in total offense after the break.

Sophomore tight end Rob Gronkowski returned to action after a three-game hiatus and made it clear he's a huge threat, snaring a 22-yard touchdown catch in the corner and a 4-yard slant for a score.

Arizona comes in to Saturday's game ranked among the top defenses in the country. Arizona is giving up a paltry 221.75 yards per game, ranked No. 2 in the nation in total defense, trailing only South Carolina (221.4).

The Wildcats lead all programs in passing defense, allowing only 103.25 yards per game. That includes a pass efficiency defense rating of 85.34, which ranks second in the country behind Boston College (81.12). The Wildcats also rank among the nation's top teams in scoring defense (No. 21) and tackles for loss (No. 29).

After two straight road games and a bye week, the Wildcats will return to Arizona Stadium this week as they look to improve on a few streaks that date back to 2007. Arizona's current four-game home winning streak is tied with USC as the longest in the Pac-10. Since the start of 2007, UA has won six of its last eight games at Arizona Stadium, including three of four Pac-10 contests.