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The Arizona Wildcats battle to stay in contention in the Pac-10 and move up in the Bowl Championship Series rankings when they host the UCLA Bruins.

By University Communications
October 22, 2009

The Arizona Wildcats battle to stay in contention in the Pac-10 and move up in the Bowl Championship Series rankings when they face off against the UCLA Bruins on Saturday at Arizona Stadium.

Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on FOX Sports Arizona and FOX Sports West.

The games features a match-up of the league's top total offense (Arizona, 443 yards per game) against the league's No. 4 defense (UCLA, 320 yards per game). Arizona quarterback Nick Foles, the league leader in pass efficiency, tries his hand against the Bruins strong pass defense that is keyed by nine interceptions and only six TDs allowed through the air.

Last Week, Arizona hung on and turned what looked like a heartbreaking loss into a rousing come-from-behind victory over Stanford, 43-38, saving its best for last.

In the first three quarters, the UA watched Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck complete passes at a phenomenal 12.1 yards per attempt and weathered the usual rushing storm from Toby Gerhart. But in the fourth quarter the Cats stiffened and held Stanford to a missed field goal, a three-and-out and two possessions lost on downs.

Nic Grigsby's 57-yard touchdown run with 2:57 left provided the winning points. The Cats had touchdown drives of 47, 89, 80 and 92 yards, plus picked up the first score of the game with a 79-yard interception return by sophomore safety Robert Golden.

Foles continued his hot streak with 40 completions in 51 attempts for 415 yards and three scores. His performance drew an ESPN helmet sticker from Lou Holtz in the evening's wrap-up show.

This week's game features the league's top field goal kickers by percentage, UCLA's Kai Forbath (17-18, 94.4 percent) and UA's Alex Zendejas (10-12, 83.3 percent).

The Wildcats have treated the home faithful to a run of 10 victories in the last 12 games played at Arizona Stadium. The only two losses came in gut-wrenching fashion, as UA dropped showdowns to No. 6 USC (17-10) and No. 22 Oregon State (19-17). Otherwise, the Cats have protected their turf as well as anyone can, posting the best stretch of home wins since Arizona won 11-of-13 home contests in the 1997-99 seasons.

The UA's 3-0 home record in 2009, including the Oct. 17 shootout against Stanford (43-28) has pushed Mike Stoops' home record to 19-17 in his five plus seasons in Tucson.

Former Arizona All-American Chuck Cecil will be recognized at the UCLA game for his induction later this year into the College Hall of Fame. Cecil, a safety at Arizona from 1984 to 1987 is one of Arizona's legendary defenders and was a consensus All-America pick in 1987 when he won the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year Award.

A two-time first-team Academic All-America selection and winner of the Pac-10 Conference Medal, Cecil made a name for himself as a hard-hitting all-out player. He finished his career with 21 career interceptions including the single-game record of four at Stanford his senior year.

Currently defensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans, Cecil was a fourth round NFL Draft pick and spent seven years in the league with Green Bay, Arizona and Houston, earning Pro Bowl honors in 1992. His 100-yard interception return against Arizona State in 1986 remains one of the signature plays in Arizona football history.

Cecil and his wife, Carrie, co-chaired the campaign to develop the trauma center at University Medical Center in Tucson. He was inducted into the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame in 1993 and will be inducted into the College Hall of Fame on Dec. 8.

On Sunday, the first set of 2009 BCS rankings were released and the Wildcats found themselves ranked No. 22 in the nation. While UA still remains on the radar for voters in the Top 25 voter polls, the Cats know taking care of business at home in the next few weeks could put them in the rankings for the first time in quite sometime. The last time UA was ranked in the BCS standings came at the end of the 1998 season, when UA's 12-1 season and Holiday Bowl victory placed it at No. 7 in the rankings.

Up Next
Arizona will spend next week resting as it enters its final bye week of the season over Halloween weekend. The Wildcats will remain at home to close out a three-game homestand with their annual Homecoming game on Saturday, Nov. 7 agains Washington State.