ARIZONA FOOTBALL

Arizona coach Rodriguez leery of date with ‘re-energized’ USC

Oct 1, 2013, 5:17 PM | Updated: 5:17 pm

LISTEN: Rich Rodriguez, UA head football coach

By most accounts, the USC Trojans are a mess.

They’re off to a disappointing 3-2 start, with the most recent game being a 62-41 loss in Tempe to the Arizona State Sun Devils. It was the nail in head coach Lane Kiffin’s proverbial coffin, as athletic director Pat Hayden elected to dismiss the coach upon the team’s return to Los Angeles from Arizona.

And now, with former defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator Ed Orgeron taking over on an interim basis, the Trojans have nearly two weeks to prepare for a visit from the Arizona Wildcats.

“When it happened, I’m like ‘Ahh, why now,'” Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez told Arizona Sports 620’s Doug and Wolf Tuesday about the news Kiffin was fired. “First off, many people have seen it, it happened here when Mike got let go.

“A team, all of a sudden with a coaching change and an open date, they get re-energized.”

Rodriguez said it leads to teams playing “free and loose” and with more motivation, which he believes will happen for USC.

It did for the Wildcats two years ago.

Mike Stoops, who had coached Arizona since 2004, was dismissed on Oct. 10, 2011. Ten days later, the Wildcats dismantled a decent-but-not-great UCLA team by a score of 48-12 in Tucson on national TV. It was not as if suddenly the team added more talent, but rather the emotion of the situation helped to galvanize the underachieving squad.

Rodriguez added removing Kiffin, who was also the team’s play-caller, adds more mystery to what exactly the Trojans may try to do offensively.

But even with the change, this is still a very talented team.

“They talked about they only had 56 scholarship players, whatever, when they went to ASU,” Rodriguez said of USC. “Well we only had 53, and we didn’t have any sanctions when we went up to Washington.

“Their 56 includes a whole lot of five-stars and four-stars, so they’ve still got players.”

And Rodriguez’s team, which is coming off a 31-13 loss in Washington, will have to contend with a roster the coach and his players, who have seen what USC can do on film, will not take lightly.

“They may not be as deep as maybe they’ve been in the past because of some of the numbers and some of the injuries, but at the same time, their defensive line is eight-deep and all eight could play for, I think, anybody in the country,” he said. “We were very fortunate last year when they were here.

“We got a couple big plays and they had some turnovers that allowed us to win it, but this is as talented a team as there is in our league.”

Comments

Comment guidelines: No name-calling, personal attacks, profanity, or insults. Please keep the conversation civil and help us moderate comments by reporting abuse.
comments powered by Disqus

Arizona Football

Wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan #4 of the Arizona Wildcats celebrates with Noah Fifita #11 after ca...

Arizona Sports

ESPN’s Rittenberg: Arizona Wildcats’ QB room ranks 10th in nation

Led by the final Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Noah Fifita, the Arizona Wildcats' quarterback room was ranked 10th in the nation.

12 days ago

Grand Canyon forward Duke Brennan...

Vincent DeAngelis

Duke Brennan uses inspiration from family and high motor to propel GCU basketball

Grand Canyon's Duke Brennan has strong Arizona connections and comes from a family of athletes in Colt and Brent Brennan.

20 days ago

Jordan Morgan...

Arizona Sports

Arizona OL, potential 1st-round pick Jordan Morgan shows off speed at NFL Draft Combine

Arizona left tackle Jordan Morgan had the opportunity to show off his speed and athleticism at the NFL Combine on Sunday.

25 days ago

Jacob Cowing...

Arizona Sports

Arizona’s Jacob Cowing shows off elite speed at NFL Scouting Combine

NFL Draft prospect Jacob Cowing from Arizona put up one of the fastest 40-yard dash times among wide receivers at the combine.

26 days ago

An empty podium is seen at the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by...

David Veenstra

What to watch for: 2024 NFL Scouting Combine schedule, preview and more

The NFL Scouting Combine begins this week in Indianapolis. Here's a complete guide for college and professional fans across Arizona.

1 month ago

Quarterback Jayden de Laura #7 prepares for a game at Arizona Stadium on October 28, 2023 in Tucson...

Tom Kuebel

Former Arizona quarterback Jayden de Laura declares for NFL Draft

Jayden de Laura declared for the NFL Draft and will forego his fifth season of college football eligibility.

1 month ago

Arizona coach Rodriguez leery of date with ‘re-energized’ USC