Cason the top Cat on Arizona’s defense

When Antoine Cason was a high school senior in Los Alamitos, Calif., one of the college coaches he spoke with during his football recruitment was Darryll Lewis, then the secondary coach at Oregon State.

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Although Lewis disclosed that he played collegiately at Arizona — the school that Cason eventually signed with — the athletic cornerback was unaware of the significance of their meeting until much later.

The page in the Arizona football media guide touting Lewis’ winning the 1990 Jim Thorpe Award, which is given to the country’s top defensive back, was his first clue.

“I didn’t know much of Arizona’s history at the time, so I didn’t know who he was,” said Cason, a four-year starter for the Wildcats. “Looking back, it is kind of cool that I was talking to a guy that I’m now getting compared to.”

For the 6-foot, 185-pound Cason, a superb cover corner who typically lines up on the strong side, comparisons to Lewis will be most valid if he wins this year’s Thorpe Award. He is a finalist, with James Silva of Boston College and Craig Steltz of Louisiana State.

“I’ve seen my competitors (for the award) play recently,” said Cason, who has a team-high five interceptions, 11 pass breakups and 69 tackles this year. “If I keep playing well, I feel that I have a chance of winning the award. I believe I have played well enough to win it.”

As Cason approaches the end of his college career, he is enjoying a pair of high-profile games after working mostly in national anonymity, thanks mostly to the Wildcats’ failure to post a winning record during his career.

On Nov. 15, Cason was stellar in an ESPN-televised UA win against Oregon, then No. 2 in the Bowl Championship Series standings. On Saturday, the Wildcats are on ESPN2 to play for a bowl against an Arizona State squad that has designs on a BCS berth.

“He has shown the All-American he is,” Arizona coach Mike Stoops said. “When you don’t win, you sometimes don’t get the recognition you deserve. I am biased. I’ve seen what a great person he is. He is a great player.”

Against Oregon, Cason padded his already-weighty resumé — he has the most career interception return yardage (349) in school history on 15 picks — with what he called his best game ever. He had a 42-yard interception return for a touchdown, seven solo tackles and five pass breakups.

Oh, and he returned a punt 56 yards for a TD, showing off his physical tools for Thorpe Award voters and NFL draft scouts.

“Cason is as good a corner as there is in the country,” ASU coach Dennis Erickson said. “He is going to, I would assume, be a first-round draft choice, possibly an early pick. He’s got that kind of talent.”

And on the field, Cason is not shy about touting his talent.

Sun Devils quarterback Rudy Carpenter — who engaged in verbal sparring with defensive end Lawrence Jackson during the Southern California game on Nov. 22 — will likely do the same with Cason, who fired the first shot earlier this week.

Responding to Carpenter’s half-serious preseason quote that he would have “five or six” touchdown passes against Arizona, Cason said, “That’s awesome for me… I watched (the USC) game and had a good time watching (ASU) get spanked. They like to talk a lot; that’s just who they are.”

Cason indicated, however, that any yapping will not get in the way of the serious business of making his Thorpe Award case and trying to lead the Wildcats to their first bowl since 1998. A postseason trip would be no guarantee with a win, but UA (5-6) would become bowl eligible.

A 13th game would be a fitting final collegiate showcase — and a deserving one — for Cason.

“It would mean a lot,” Cason said. “When I decided to come back for my senior year, I talked about all of the goals I wanted to achieve this season. The first one was a bowl game. That’s someplace that Arizona has not been in some time. That would be a huge reward.”