Pac-10 Position Breakdown: Offensive Line – Arizona Wildcats
Comments (5,250) As a stand alone stat, having the third most sacked quarterback in the conference with 27 sacks might lead you to believe that the offensive line was a weakness for the Arizona Wildcats in 2008. When you look at their full body of work, though, that was pretty clearly not the case.
Willie Tuitama finished second among all Pac-10 starters in quarterback rating (144.9), completion percentage (64.9), passing yards (3,088) and touchdowns (23); all behind only USC’s Mark Sanchez. Nic Grigsby was fourth in the Pac-10 in total rushing yards, and was one of only 6 rushers in the conference with over 1000 yards (1153). The offense averaged 37.1 points per game, which was good for third in the conference and 17th in the nation.
Losing Tuitama was a huge hit to the offense, but with both running backs Nic Grigsby and Keola Antolin returning, the running game should still be in great shape; and it may even be improved upon with the athletic Matt Scott under center. The key to all of this, of course, will be another strong season from the big men up front.
With two departing seniors and one NFL-bound junior (Right Tackle Eben Britton, drafted 39th overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars), there will be plenty of holes to fill; but with an experienced core of reserves, Coach Stoops is hoping his team can take their personnel losses in stride.
Colin Baxter paves the way
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