College GameDay is coming. College GameDay is coming. At least, that’s what Paul Revere might have said. For two undefeated teams, that brings an excitement Tucson hasn’t seen since 2009 when Oregon came to town.
Arizona football fans have an opportunity Saturday that hasn’t struck Tucson in six years.
This year, Lee Corso, Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard will take to the stage Saturday morning, with the backdrop most likely being Old Main—at least that was the background the last time College GameDay visited.
UCLA is ranked No. 9 in the AP Top 25 poll and No. 11 in the Coaches Poll, while the Wildcats are No. 16 in both polls.
Even more excitement for the Arizona football team and head coach Rich Rodriguez is their debut red chrome helmets.
Arizona director of on-campus recruiting and player personnel Matt Dudek released the teams reactions on his Twitter account Sunday night.
The video featured all of the players taking a knee and erupting in screams when Rodriguez showed them the new helmet.
They will need that same enthusiasm when they take the field against UCLA and true freshman quarterback Josh Rosen. Rosen and the Bruins struggled in their previous game against BYU, barely earning the victory as Rosen threw three interceptions.
Arizona, on the other hand, has had three impressive victories in non-conference play. Its true concerns rely on their defense and its ability to stop the big pass. Even against NAU, the secondary struggled on a few plays, giving up tons of yards.
UCLA has experience on their side, highlighted by linebacker Myles Jack.
“We’ve grown a lot these last couple years,” Jack said to USA Today. “We’re just battle-tested. We’re war-ready.”
Will Scooby Wright III return? Will the Wildcats shine in the national spotlight? Tucson has the chance to become a football town. Will they take advantage?
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