Arizona forcing opponents to pick their poison

PALO ALTO, Calif. — The Arizona Wildcats’ offensive strategy the last two games has been successful, but hardly subtle. Take star wide receiver Mike Thomas, and put him on one side of the field. Move tight end Rob Gronkowski to the opposite side.

Then, pick one.

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“It’s been good for us,” offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes said.

“When Robby’s in the game, it’s like, do you want to play two safeties or one safety, or have Mike and Robby running down the seam?

“Plus, Robby blocks so well that we can really run the ball.”

Arizona will put its offense to the test again today against Stanford, another one of the Pac-10’s upwardly mobile teams.

The first-place Wildcats (4-1 overall, 2-0 Pac-10) are on pace for their first bowl game since 1998; a victory this afternoon would put them within one win of postseason eligibility with six games remaining. The Cardinal (3-3, 2-1) is enjoying a resurgence under second-year coach Jim Harbaugh, and has won two of its last three.

“It’ll be a much more contested game across the board,” UA coach Mike Stoops said. “They’re very talented, they’re very physical in the way they try to run the football. Defensively, they’re going to try to make you work hard.”

Offensively, though, Arizona will continue to keep it simple.

Quarterback Willie Tuitama has been committed to his top two targets since Gronkowski returned two games ago after missing the first three with mononucleosis.

Thomas, playing the slot receiver position, caught seven passes for

141 yards in wins over UCLA and Washington. Gronkowski, the Cats’ 6- foot-6-inch, 260-pound tight end, has caught eight passes for 141 yards and five touchdowns since returning in Week 4. The two have played well enough to concern Stanford co-defensive coordinator Ron Lynn, a 38-year veteran of the college and NFL ranks.

“With the receivers, the matchups are not very favorable,” Lynn said.

“With the return of Gronkowski, I don’t know of many guys that can physically match what he’s got available to him. … That’s a huge body going up against normally little guys.”

Gronkowski played arguably the best game of his career a week ago, catching five passes for 109 yards in a 48-14 win over Washington.

His three touchdowns were the best single-game performance by a UA tight end in program history.

Gronkowski’s big night was set up by Thomas — or, rather, the number of defenders covering him. The Huskies’ decision to double-team Thomas left Arizona’s tight end 1-on-1 against, depending on the scheme, either a linebacker or a safety.

“And you can’t do that,” Tuitama said. “When that happens, I just have to read it and see what’s happening. It’s just about seeing it and reacting.”

Gronkowski said his assignment on most plays are simple: Identify either a man or zone defense, and respond accordingly. “If it’s zone, you sit in it,” he said. “If it’s man, you keep going.”

The Wildcats figure to pass even more against Stanford, which enters the game ranked 112th nationally in pass defense. The Wildcats threw just 13 times the last time they visited The Farm, in 2006. They won 20-14.

“That was a couple years ago, but that was the old Arizona football team,” Thomas said. “Everybody’s saying we’re a new team and we’ve got a new look. … Hopefully, we can show that new look is the truth.”

Thomas was asked what exactly has changed, and he grinned.

“We’re winning,” he said.