ARIZONA FOOTBALL

Rich Rodriguez turning UA around quicker than expected

Sep 17, 2012, 7:18 PM | Updated: 9:06 pm

It wasn’t supposed to happen, at least not this soon.

The Arizona Wildcats, 3-0, are ranked 22nd in the AP poll, and one win away from matching last season’s total of four.

The ‘Cats are coming off a 56-0 drubbing of FCS opponent South Carolina State, and while few would declare Rich Rodriguez’s rebuilding of the football program complete, things do seem to be ahead of schedule.

“We’re still a long, long ways away, and we’re going to have a lot of tough moments,” Rodriguez told Arizona Sports 620’s Burns and Gambo Monday. “I think everybody in our program understands that.”

One of those tough moments could come this weekend, as the Wildcats head to Eugene, Oregon to take on the third-ranked Ducks.

“They’ve been the best in our league for what, three years running now, and got probably the fastest — or one of the fastest teams in the country, so it’s going to be a tough environment,” Rodriguez said. “We know we’ve got to play a whole lot better than we have been.”

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Rich Rodriguez turning UA around quicker than expected