Stoops: Arizona won't fall into Huskies' trap

The Arizona Wildcats’ fourth victory might have been secured Monday, when Washington quarterback Jake Locker had thumb surgery that will sideline him six to eight weeks.

Mike Stoops is not buying it.

Arizona’s head coach has seen enough “trap games” to know the Wildcats could be in trouble.

Winless Washington (0-4) may not have much firepower heading into today’s 4:30 p.m. game at Arizona Stadium, but there are enough unknowns to make the home team nervous.

UW will debut a new quarterback, redshirt freshman Ronnie Fouch, and a handful of young starters on both sides of the ball.

The Huskies are trying to avoid their worst start in 39 years — and with a brutal schedule remaining, they have few remaining winnable games after today.

Simply put, the Dawgs are cornered. And hungry.

“We understand Washington’s not going to come in here and give us anything,” Stoops said. “We have to earn it on the football field.”

As if Arizona (3-1, 1-0) needs reminding.

Ortege Jenkins used his “Leap at the Lake” to defeat Washington in 1998, but the Wildcats have crashed and burned in the decade since then. The UA has lost six of its last nine games to Washington, many in heartbreaking fashion.

Remember:

Washington came to Arizona Stadium in 2005 as a heavy underdog against an Arizona team that had defeated No. 7 UCLA a week earlier.

UW quarterback Isaiah Stanback brought the Wildcats back to earth. He connected with wide receiver Craig Chambers on a 69-yard “Hail Mary”

pass on the final play of the first half, and the Huskies went on to win 38-15.

Stanback returned to Tucson a year later, and was similarly stellar in the second quarter. The Huskies’ quarterback led his team to three touchdowns in the second quarter, and Washington won 21-10.

On the other side, Washington led Arizona 41-26 heading into the fourth quarter last season in Seattle, only to watch the Wildcats rattle off 22 straight fourth-quarter points. The Huskies posted 572 yards of offense — and lost.

“We expect them to come out hungry,” UA tailback Nicolas Grigsby said. “Jake Locker is a really good player, but I’m sure the backup will keep them in the game. We have to be prepared for everything.”

The Wildcats need to start with Locker’s replacement. Fouch is a redshirt freshman, but hardly a newbie — the 6-foot-1-inch, 203-pound quarterback has played in three of the Huskies’ four games this season. He completed 13 of 27 passes for 186 yards and one touchdown after taking over for Locker in last week’s loss to Stanford.

“I’ve had a chance to come in in the first couple of games and have some quality reps,” Fouch said earlier this week. “I have to be more prepared for Arizona and get in with my head coach and watch film.”

The Fouch-led Huskies figure to throw more than they did under Locker, especially since the new quarterback isn’t nearly as mobile.

Washington will likely try to establish a power-run game in an attempt to control the clock.

The Wildcats will take a wait-and-see approach. They’re looking for a trap.

“We’re going to see what their first drive looks like,” linebacker Ronnie Palmer said, “and go from there.”