Arizona interim head coach Tim Kish couldn’t have asked for a better start to his head coaching career as the Wildcats dismantled the UCLA Bruins 48-12 in Tucson Thursday night.
In a game that featured a streaker impersonating a referee, a bench-clearing brawl that led to the ejection of Arizona cornerback Shaquille Richardson and UCLA wide receiver Taylor Embree, and a balanced Wildcat offense, one thing is for certain: The Mike Stoops era is already history.
“I couldn’t be more proud of the way the seniors stepped up and provided ownership of this team,” Kish said after the game. “This team earned this win tonight, there were some great individual efforts, but this team earned this win.”
At the start of the game, the Wildcats elected to receive and came out firing and orchestrated an eight-play, 80-yard drive that was capped off by quarterback Nick Foles finding receiver Juron Criner in the end zone.
When the Bruins took over, the previously struggling Arizona defense managed to force UCLA into a three-and-out.
The Wildcats took advantage and created another touchdown drive that was punctuated by running back Ka’Deem Carey’s 18-yard touchdown scamper on his first touch of the game.
UCLA responded and caught the Wildcats off guard with a 4th-and-5 option pass for a touchdown to Johnathan Franklin that put the Bruins within seven.
After that, the Wildcats took hold and put up 28 unanswered points to finish out the second quarter.
Arizona had an unthinkable 416 yards of total offense at the end of the half, only 15 fewer yards than they had throughout the entire game against Oregon State, and went into the locker room with a 42-7 lead.
The fight broke out with four seconds left in the half. While only Richardson and Embree were ejected, they aren’t the only players who could face possible punishment.
The Pac-12 will review the fight and is allowed to take action against anyone it sees fit.
“If there’s a black mark to the game it was (the fight). We addressed that issue the entire halftime,” Kish said. “Without discipline, we have nothing. I think our guys reacted well in the second half and showed some composure.”
After the break, the Wildcats came back out and continued to maintain their defensive pressure. They allowed UCLA to score on only one field goal and a safety.
For the first time this season, the Arizona run game eclipsed the 200-yard mark with a collective 254 yards rushing on 46 attempts.
The ability to move the ball on the ground was able to help the passing game.
“It makes (our job) twice as easy,” wide receiver Gino Crump said. “It definitely alleviates a lot of the pressure on the outside. It makes it a lot easier for the guys outside to get open and run our routes.”
At the start of the night, Kish’s goal was simple. He wanted to bring back the fun to Arizona football.
“I had one wish for them when we left the team meeting at the hotel today,” he said. “I just wanted them to be able to enjoy playing the game again. I think that wish came true.”
