THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL DEPARTMENT

Is Willie Tuitama the key to Mike Stoops' job? What should you expect from early-season surprises?

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Willie, please help save Mr. Stoops' job.

SEAT SAVER

Arizona responded to a heavy dose of preseason pub with blowout wins over cupcakes Idaho and Toledo. Then the Cats laid an egg, losing 36-28 to New Mexico, before beating UCLA, 31-10. The four games proved one thing: Zona will thrive or dive based on the play of Willie Tuitama. The senior QB connected on 69.9% of his passes in the wins—and threw two picks and lost two fumbles in the loss. "As a quarterback, I've learned how important it is for me to be a leader," Tuitama says, "and what that means to my teammates."

It's been a chaotic run for Arizona since Tuitama took over the starting job as a freshman in 2005. Back then, the standout from St. Mary's High School in Stockton, Calif., was new coach Mike Stoops' biggest recruit. But inexperience doomed Tuitama in '05, injuries hampered him in '06 and last year the Texas Tech-style offense of new coordinator Sonny Dykes confused him. Sure the numbers looked good—Tuitama had 3,683 passing yards and 28 TDs against 12 picks—but Zona's 5—7 record? Not so much.

This fall, expectations soared as Zona brought back the Pac-10's most experienced offense (10 returning starters) and a capable defense. Yet Stoops—just 2030 at Arizona—pestered the players not to buy into the hype. Apparently they didn't, at least until before the New Mexico game. In a team meeting two days after that stumble, Stoops put it on Tuitama and the offense to do its part. "Be happy with dump-offs instead of deep outs," the coach said, stressing that punts were better than turnovers. "It can be a fine line, but we just have to play smart and learn from our mistakes."

Because the way things are going, there's not much more room for error.

EARLY SEASON SURPRISES

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"C'mon, Hartline. Put 'er on a rope!"

What does Todd McShay think of…

OKLAHOMA STATE?
TE Brandon Pettigrew is a surefire NFL player and the most complete tight end in the country (although he isn't the pass catcher that Wisconsin's Travis Beckum is). QB Zac Robinson has always been a very good runner, but now that he's making good reads, this offense will be a nightmare for Big 12 defenses. Watch for the Cowboys to hang 40 on a lot of teams.

VANDERBILT?
QB Chris Nickson has been erratic, but look out for Vandy. Coach Bobby Johnson has better athletes than ever, including CB/return man D.J. Moore. He's the one of the SEC's top three cover corners, and he'll eventually be a first-day NFL draft pick because of his kick and punt return abilities (an NCAA-best 29 yards per on punts). Moore could dominate almost anyone on Vandy's schedule.

KENTUCKY?
The defense is solid, especially MLB Micah Johnson. He won't make any huge plays, but he's a tough inside tackler (17 stops). He'll help UK hang with running teams like 'Bama and Georgia. But QB Mike Hartline is no Andre Woodson, having thrown for just 461 yards in three games. These Cats have lost too much on offense and will struggle to score points in the SEC.

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