The Arizona Wildcats should probably have a much better offense this year, but their defense is the big question mark. Arizona's defense did not perform well down the stretch last season, giving up 30+ points in four of their final five games, all losses. And it's going to be an even bigger punctuation point after this week's sad injury report, as they lose Jake Fischer possibly for the 2011 college football season to a torn ACL until well into fall 2011.
Fischer was a great tackler, racking up 58 tackles, 7.5 of those for a loss, plus two sacks. Although he wasn't quite as productive as his counterpart Paul Vassallo, Fischer would have probably provided the speed element necessary to keep UA's pass rush from dropping totally off. Vassallo and Derek Earls will both be returning, but with only freshmen lining the two-deep and Fischer likely out for most of the season AND at least four senior defensive linemen departing (including Brooks Reed and Ricky Elmore), the question of how well the front seven will perform will be all the more pressing.
For Wildcat reaction, head over to Arizona Desert Swarm.