Last night we all had the privilege to watch a classic episode of the Duel in the Desert, though I understand most Wildcat fans wouldn’t quite put it that way. Fact is, however, that last night was the first overtime game in the history of the rivalry (the pre-OT 1987 game ended in a 24-24 tie) and for all the heartbreak there were an equal number of thrills. Of course all anyone is talking about is Alex Zedejas & his blocked extra points, & it’s understandable why (even if I don’t think that’s entirely fair). So let’s go ahead & break down each of Zendejas’s last three kicks, both the quality of the kicks & the decisions that went into them, & what it all means for Arizona Football.
First Kick-Extra point, game tied 20-20, 27 seconds left: No one in their right mind would’ve gone for two in a tie game, & at this point Zendejas had made both of his extra points without a problem, so there’s no point in discussing the idea. As for the kick I saw it live & thought he kicked it low, though not horribly so, & that ASU also got good penetration on the play. Having not seen a replay I can only stick with my original assessment that it was both a bad play on the part of Zendejas & the o-line, & a good one by ASU.
Second Kick-19 yard field goal, game tied 20-20, 4th & goal from the 2: Prior to the play a couple people in my vicinity voiced their opinion that Arizona should go for the touchdown, and I imagine a fair percentage of people agreed with that sentiment. Considering how good ASU’s kicker Thomas Weber had been on the day (at this point 4 for 4 w/ a 52-yarder), Stoops made, in my opinion, the right call by sticking with his kicker. After all a few weeks earlier Zendejas has been blocked on an extra point against USC only to get another chance when USC got flagged for off side, & he promptly boomed his second chance through the uprights. It bears mentioning that a 19-yard field goal is only one yard different than an extra point, so this was essentially the same situation. Once again Zendjas’s leg proved true on his second try.
Third Kick-Extra point, ASU leading 30-29: This is the complicated one. Unlike the previous play going for it here would decide the game either way. A number of coaches would’ve gone for the win even if their kickers hadn’t had an XP blocked earlier (though at home against a 5-6 team, that number would be small). Also retrospectively going for 2 seems like the right call (especially since my pre-game prediction was UA 31-30). Thing is not only is hindsight 20-20 but we don’t know that a 2-point conversion would have succeeded. Statistically 2-point conversions are converted slightly less than 50% of the time while prior to the kick Zendejas had converted 92% of his career extra points. So regardless of Zendejas’s struggles kicking was roughly twice as likely to succeed, though obviously 2-points had a larger payoff. Personally I supported Stoops’ call. Arizona had struggled all game, indeed all season, in short yardage situations & for all the crap Zendejas takes he’s a better than average kicker (I’ll explain next paragraph) & thus I think he made the smart call. As for the kick, it was horrendous. Live I thought it was bad, on replay it was worse. He completely choked & barely got it off the ground, there’s nothing else I can say.
In the 24 hours since the game 18 pages/groups have spawned on facebook regarding Alex Zendejas (5 of which I’ve joined). Out of the 18, 11 are negative & 7 are supportive. Not surprisingly the negative groups have about a 15-1 advantage in membership. While this is an understandable outbreak of frustration on the part of Arizona fans these groups & the people who join them are largely ignoring the facts. Yes, Zendejas had two extra points blocked yesterday that largely contributed to our loss, but he has still converted 91% of his career extra points & an impressive 79% of his career field goal attempts (including a sterling 8 of 10 40-yards and beyond). In comparison Nick Folk (now of the New York Jets) converted only 56% of his field goal attempts in his first 3 seasons as Arizona kicker. & let’s not forget Zendejas kicked the game winner as time expired last year against ASU. But who wants facts when they get in the way of anger?
In essence Zendejas serves as a microcosm of Arizona’s season at large. Yes, Zendejas, like the team, came up short in some of the season’s bigger moments, with two of his three misses coming against Oregon State & USC, but he’s also the victim of an Arizona fan base that has let success quickly go to its head. Now I’m not saying that Zendejas or the rest of the team &, especially, the coaches should be let of the hook for their failures (indeed they should’ve gone 10-2 & I think the offensive coordinators should be fired) but two straight bowl appearances & a 7-1 start against a soft schedule has inexplicably convinced some fans that we should be challenging for the Rose Bowl. This is ridiculous.
As we all know Arizona has never been to a Rose Bowl. In its PAC-10 history Arizona has only once even managed a tie for first place. Arizona is not, nor has it ever been, an elite program, & it likely never will be. Wildcat fans need to accept this. Stoops has taken us from the 1-10 horrors of the Mackovic to within a play of the Rose Bowl last year, & for only the second time in the team’s history they will go to a third straight bowl game (& next year they should go to four straight for the first time). These are major accomplishments that should be celebrated. Yet many fans seem to want Arizona to be more than a 7-9 win team that every once in a while challenges for a Rose Bowl bid. These people will never be satisfied unless we’re consistently challenging USC & Oregon for PAC-10 dominance, & thus they & their delusions should be ignored.
Make no mistake, the Arizona Wildcats underachieved this year. They blew three home games, getting outcoached, outplayed, & outkicked in each one. That said they also defeated a non-conference BCS team for the first time since 1998 & will play in a third straight bowl game, things that only a few years ago would’ve left Wildcat nation beaming with pride.
Next year the PAC-12 will kickoff its first season of football & Arizona Football, & its kicking situation, will have never been in better shape.
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