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In this battle of unbeaten teams, the winner boosts its case for a spot in the national rankings.

By Arizona Athletics
September 17, 2009

The Arizona Wildcats go on the road for the first time this season when they face off against the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday.

In this battle of early-season unbeaten teams (both teams are 2-0), the winner boosts its case for a spot in the national rankings.

In Iowa's case it would be after a two-week hiatus, while for the UA it would follow nine years since a ranking.

The Cats take on the Hawkeyes' streak of dominance in Kinnick Stadium, with Iowa sporting victories in 39 of its last 47 games at home dating to 2002.

Both teams average 26 points per game, but both also have top-25 scoring defenses in permitting only 9.5 (Iowa) and 11.5 (UA) points per game.

Arizona has moved the ball all over the field except consistently into the end zone, and solving that riddle should be key this week.

A Hawkeye returns home for this game, but on the other side of the field, as No. 41 Mike Stoops (Iowa strong safety 1981, 83-84; class of '86) takes the Cats to Iowa City for his first game against his alma mater as a coach.

Stoops learned the trade under Iowa legend Hayden Fry in a pair of years as a graduate assistant and four more as a volunteer coach from 1986 to 1991. Another former Hawkeye, brother and UA defensive coordinator Mark Stoops (class of '89), also shows up to renew his familiarity with Kinnick Stadium. Mark spent 1990 and 1991 as a graduate assistant under Fry.

Last week Arizona ran past Northern Arizona, 34-17, to set itself up at 2-0 before opening a stretch of 35 days away from home. The Cats did not punt, made 11 of 17 third- or fourth-down conversions, had 27 first downs and gained 559 yards in total offense.

Nic Grigsby used scoring runs of 25 and 30 yards, and the second-longest run in school history (94 yards) to post a career-high 207 rushing yards and help build a team total of 365 yards on the ground.

Quarterbacks Matt Scott (14-for-20, 150 yards) and Nick Foles (6-for-8, 44 yards) each tossed a touchdown pass and combined for a 71 percent completion rate. Neither was sacked.

The Wildcats scored in each quarter, converted three times on fourth down, held the ball for 12 more minutes than the Lumberjacks and used nine different receivers, led by Terrell Turner and David Douglas with five grabs apiece.

The 2-0 start gave Arizona a four-game winning streak over two seasons, its best streak this decade.

Grigsby is quickly moving up the career rushing charts in several categories. He pushed his career total to 18 scores last week, pushing him into ninth place all-time in career rushing touchdowns at Arizona. On the yardage side, Grigsby shattered the 2,000-yard barrier with his 207 rushing yards against NAU, moving into ninth place in career rushing yardage with 2,182 yards.

Additionally, he has posted ten 100-yard games and has scored at least one touchdown in 12 of the last 15 games.

Arizona is No. 2 in the country with an average of 36:49 minutes in time of possession. No question that running the ball (93 attempts, 30 rushing 1st-downs) is the key, but a .672 pass completion percentage also has helped keep the ball in the Cats' hands and generate first downs.

Arizona has a little piece of gratitude owed the Iowa Hawkeyes, but it's in another sport. On March 29, 1983, the Wildcats lured Robert Luther Olson from Iowa City to Tucson to coach the UA basketball squad. In the ensuing quarter century, Lute Olson won 589 Wildcat games, won a national title and changed the landscape of Pac-10 basketball.

Next Up
Arizona remains on the road for a second straight week but opens Pac-10 play at Oregon State on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 4:30 p.m. (Pacific Time) in a game that will televised nationally by Versus. It marks the third straight year and the fourth in the last five seasons that the Wildcats begin Pac-10 play on the road.