Washington State at Arizona: First Look

Time: 12:30 p.m. Saturday TV: ABC

The records: WSU (2-1, 0-0 Pac-10), Arizona (1-2, 0-0)

Last week: WSU beat Idaho 49-8, Arizona lost to No. 20 Wisconsin 9-7.

The series: WSU is 12-20 against Arizona all-time. But the Cougars are gaining ground, winning the last three meetings. Last season, WSU beat Arizona 30-7 in Pullman, taking a 13-0 first-quarter lead and sealing it in the second-half when Jason David picked off a Kris Heavner pass and scampered 34 yards into the end zone. The Cougars dominated, outgaining the Wildcats 513-198. Arizona had just nine first downs.

The Wildcats

• On the sideline, Arizona coach Mike Stoops is in his first year, having served as a defensive assistant under his brother, Bob, at Oklahoma before that.

• On the field, Stoops has run a conservative offense spearheaded by quarterback Kris Heavner and tailback Mike Bell. Heavner is a sophomore in his second year as a starter, while Bell is considered the offense’s most potent threat. Defensively, the Wildcats have shown a marked improvement already, allowing 32 points in their last two games, both against ranked teams. True freshman cornerback Antoine Cason leads the defense with 24 tackles, including three for losses. He also has an interception.

• Arizona has yet to play a road game this season.

The stats

•Arizona has scored just 11.3 points a game this year, and don’t have any in the third quarter. Bell hasn’t been able to find room to run, averaging just 67.7 yards a game. Also, while Heavner has completed 73 percent of his passes, no one receiver has more than eight receptions on the season.

• The Wildcats defense has nearly made up for the offensive struggles, allowing just 11.7 points per outing.

• The Cougars have fumbled nine times in three games, losing four. But the WSU defense has caused 12 fumbles, grabbing six.

• The WSU defense yielded just three touchdowns in the non-conference season. —Glenn Kasses, Staff writer