Northern Arizona @ Arizona preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 12, 2009 ) Northern Arizona 17, Arizona 34

THE STORY: Arizona finished with a disappointing 7-6 record in 2010, which has put coach Mike Stoops on the hot seat. Stoops, who is entering his eighth season, is 40-45 at Arizona and has just 10 returning starters on the roster. Northern Arizona went 6-5 in 2010 but hasn’t had much luck against the Wildcats. The Lumberjacks are 1-10 all time in the series, including a 34-17 loss in 2009.

TV: None. Line: Arizona -27.5

ABOUT NORTHERN ARIZONA (2010: 6-5, 4-4 Big Sky): Northern Arizona is consistently mediocre, posting a 6-5 or 5-6 record each of the last five seasons. Last year, the Lumberjacks were solid on both sides of the ball, averaging 28.5 points per game offensively while yielding just 19.8 points, fewest in the Big Sky. Junior Cary Grossart was recently named the team’s starting quarterback after months of indecision.

ABOUT ARIZONA (2010: 7-6, 4-5 Pac-12): The Wildcats return senior quarterback Nick Foles, who's among the country’s best signal callers. But who will protect him? Arizona has a completely rebuilt offensive line with five new starters. The most experienced of the bunch — center Kyle Quinn — has one career start on his resume. Foles was sacked 23 times last year, but that number is likely to rise in 2011.

EXTRA POINTS:

1. Arizona started last season 7-1 before losing its final five games, including a 36-10 loss to Oklahoma State in the Alamo Bowl.

2. The Wildcats have won their last three season openers by an average of 41 points.

3. Northern Arizona has been outscored 185-88 by Arizona and Arizona State over the last five seasons.

PREDICTION: Arizona 52, Northern Arizona 14. With a difficult Pac-12 schedule looming, the Wildcats will take advantage of this lesser opponent.