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Live Q&A chat with Ryan Finley on UA football

Thursday at noon, Ryan Finley will answer your questions about UA football and Saturday's game against Colorado. You can submit your questions beforehand and and come back to get the answer when the chat starts.

Hi, folks - welcome. The chat's about to get under way. If you've already posted a question, you don't need to re-post it; Ryan Finley will get to your questions. The questions aren't visible until Ryan's ready to answer them.

by John Bolton, StarNet night... 11/8/2012 7:00:45 PM
Hi everybody. Welcome to our weekly Arizona Wildcats football chat. There's lots to chat about this week — Matt Scott's injury, a homecoming game against Colorado and the Wildcats' bowl chances. Fire away, and I'll get to as many questions as I can in the next hour or so. Go!

by Ryan Finley 11/8/2012 7:01:27 PM
UA has a 1-8 road record in the past two seasons; is there a reason for poor performance outside of Tucson?

by Stevenson 11/8/2012 7:01:49 PM
I'm willing to believe Rodriguez when he says this year has been, for his teams, an isolated incident. Games at Stanford and Oregon are tough for anybody, and UCLA got outta hand pretty quickly. You make a great point, though, Stevenson: Over the last two seasons, Arizona's won just one road game. Last year at ASU.

by Ryan Finley 11/8/2012 7:02:51 PM
Is Scott out with a concussion this week? Do you think he was still suffering from a previous injury at USC that made him more susceptible?

by Stevenson 11/8/2012 7:02:57 PM
Arizona won't release its injury report until later today, but I can't see Scott playing. I'm not going to speculate about whether he was groggy Saturday before the hit; I saw/talked to Scott a handful of times last week, and he seemed fine. He looked good at practices. I think its possible he was gun-shy because he was getting blitzed so frequently, and not because of the hit. Remember, he's had poor performances — at Iowa in 09, this year at Oregon — where he's struggled similarly.

by Ryan Finley 11/8/2012 7:04:28 PM
Rashaan Salaam brought me back to Boulder in '94 and last year I went to WACO; is it possible I'll ever make it to Tucson under Rich Rod?

by Heisman trophy 11/8/2012 7:04:39 PM
Probably not. Remember, it's an award that typically goes to the best player on the best team. So Arizona's going to have to get to the 11, 12-win plateau for its players to win national awards.

by Ryan Finley 11/8/2012 7:05:32 PM
Will Chip Kelly pull a Pete Carrol and go pro before the NCAA hammer drops? I hear he is headed to the Eagles.

by Scott 11/8/2012 7:05:34 PM
I think he just might. There will be plenty of good jobs available after this season, if the rumors are correct. How about Chip (and Tebow) with the Jets?

by Ryan Finley 11/8/2012 7:06:14 PM
Are you surprised how well UCLA has done this year? How did AZ and ASU let that QB get out of state?

by Scott 11/8/2012 7:06:21 PM
YES. In fact, my main takeaway from Saturday's game was how good UCLA is — and not necessarily how bad the Wildcats were. The Bruins have impressive size on both lines, a great tailback, and a QB — Hundley — who could play anywhere in the country. Arizona and ASU were both all over Hundley out of high school, but UCLA was a better fit, scheme-wise. Remember, the Bruins ran Rick Neuheisel's "pistol" nonsense while Arizona and ASU both had big, slow-footed QBs.

by Ryan Finley 11/8/2012 7:07:43 PM
How did Colorado get this bad so soon?

by Stevenson 11/8/2012 7:07:54 PM
Couple bad coaching hires and poor recruiting. It didn't help that CU played in a killer football conference — the Big XII — before coming to the Pac-12. Sad fall for a quote-unquote football school.

by Ryan Finley 11/8/2012 7:08:53 PM
CU's defense has given up an average of 53 points in the last four games. I'm ticked and I'm sure my offense is ticked about scoring only one TD: can we hang 60 on these ski bums?

by John Button Salmon 11/8/2012 7:09:03 PM
I bet Arizona keeps it simple, runs the ball — and the clock — and gets out of there with 5-6 touchdowns. I can't see it getting into the ridiculous 50-60 point range.

by Ryan Finley 11/8/2012 7:09:44 PM
Thinking back over UA QB's in recent years, Matt, Nick, and Willie, all have suffered concussions while playing. Is having a concussion an expectation in today's age while playing QB in a BCS conference or is there something that's not going right at Arizona? What needs to be changed? Equipment, offensive line, technique?

by CatFan35 11/8/2012 7:09:51 PM
I think its, while not an expectation, a job hazard when the quarterback has the ball in his hands so much. Consider: Scott had 468 "touches" — passes or runs — before suffering the concussion Saturday.

by Ryan Finley 11/8/2012 7:11:16 PM
BCS mess. Lets say Bama, Ore, KState and ND all remain undefeated, which two play for the championship?

by Scott 11/8/2012 7:11:20 PM
I'd love to see Oregon and K-State play, but you know and I know that it's going to be Bama and Notre Dame — assuming both win out.

by Ryan Finley 11/8/2012 7:11:45 PM
UCLA to the Rose Bowl? Do you have them playing Oregon at the end of the year?

by Luey 11/8/2012 7:11:49 PM
I still like SC. I think it'd be neat if a pair of rivalry games — SC-UCLA and Oregon-Oregon State — decided the Pac-12 championship game.

by Ryan Finley 11/8/2012 7:12:16 PM
Why did we get off to such a horrible start last week? Preparation?

by Brian 11/8/2012 7:12:19 PM
Horrible tackling. Arizona couldn't stop Johnathan Franklin, or anybody early. Hard to hang with a team when you're whiffing.

by Ryan Finley 11/8/2012 7:13:03 PM
OK Ive got Direct TV. Football is one thing but is this getting settled anytime soon? Hoops has started.

by Scott 11/8/2012 7:13:08 PM
Don't think so. Still a stalemate.

by Ryan Finley 11/8/2012 7:13:15 PM
What kind of crowd do you expect this weekend? I am coming out from CA for Homecoming. Hope it is respectable.

by Brian 11/8/2012 7:13:17 PM
Great question: The announced crowd will, I'm sure, be a big number. I wonder, though, how many fans will brave an early start time and cold weather to watch a team coming off its biggest loss of the year and
playing without its start player take on the worst team in recent Pac-12 history.

by Ryan Finley 11/8/2012 7:14:14 PM
Is it true that next years recruit qb jerret Solomon could start next year as a true freshman?

by Wdcat233 11/8/2012 7:14:17 PM
Anu Solomon? Maybe. I still think the job will be Denker's to lose. No coach wants to start an 18-year-old at quarterback.

by Ryan Finley 11/8/2012 7:14:40 PM
Who's starting QB for my Buffs on Saturday, Nick Hirschman or Connor Wood? Change is good: I moved from "Dallas" to "Knots Landing" and we all know how that turned out.

by Joan Van Ark 11/8/2012 7:14:52 PM
Joan! CU coaches are mum, but I'm betting on Hirschman.

by Ryan Finley 11/8/2012 7:15:16 PM
Any chance Devon Gardner transfers here? He showed last week he is a better QB than a WR that Hoke tried to make him.

by Scott 11/8/2012 7:15:19 PM
Wonderful question. I can't see him transferring unless he goes the Bryan Wagner/Mark Lyons route. He'd certainly be a great bridge to the next generation of young QBs at Arizona. Coaches know him and like him.

by Ryan Finley 11/8/2012 7:15:58 PM
Cats better beat Buffs to get a bowl because Utah and ASU will be toss-ups and I can see 2 losses. But 6 wins would still be good considering personnel. What do you think?

by Dave 11/8/2012 7:16:18 PM
Agreed on all fronts. I've said this since the beginning of the season: If Rodriguez can get the team to a bowl game with THIS defense and THESE players, it's parade-worthy. Better yet if Arizona can finish with seven (or eight) wins and play somewhere fun.

by Ryan Finley 11/8/2012 7:17:07 PM
What bowl do you see us going too and who will we play

by JREED 11/8/2012 7:17:09 PM
I think it'll be either New Mexico, Las Vegas and Kraft Fight Hunger (held at Pac Bell Park in SF).

by Ryan Finley 11/8/2012 7:17:31 PM
Do you see Colorado be using a lot of me this weekend and can Denker take advantage of me if they do?

by Eight men in the box. 11/8/2012 7:17:34 PM
Yes, I can definitely see CU stacking the box and forcing Denker to throw. I think his arm is probably better than advertised, though he hasn't been asked to throw much.

by Ryan Finley 11/8/2012 7:18:07 PM
are there any other QB's expected to be brought in with the next class?

by jerry 11/8/2012 7:18:09 PM
It's possible. Scott's success has opened the eyes of a handful of QB recruits who weren't otherwise considering Arizona. I could see a pass-first QB verballing sometime between now and January.

by Ryan Finley 11/8/2012 7:18:45 PM
Hey Albuquerque is fun. :)

by Scott 11/8/2012 7:18:47 PM
And COLD in December.

by Ryan Finley 11/8/2012 7:19:13 PM
Do you think with the right players Casteels stack D will work in the PAC12?

by Scott 11/8/2012 7:19:15 PM