TUCSON -- "Bear Down Arizona. Bear Down Red and Blue. Bear Down Arizona ..."
The UA fight song resonated from the Wildcats' locker room Saturday night, signifying the first completed step in a long rebuilding process for new coach Mike Stoops.
But there wasn't much reason to celebrate.
UA's 21-3 win over NAU was as memorable as a root canal. In fact, a root canal might be more memorable. It's at least less painful than watching the anemic Wildcats.
Unable to generate much offense, UA clung to a 7-3 lead heading into the fourth quarter and likely would have trailed had it not been for four NAU turnovers, including a fumble by freshman wide receiver Kory Mahr deep in Wildcat territory.
The lone bright spot, excluding a defense that held a Division I-AA team to 280 yards total offense, was junior Mike Bell, who rushed for 118 yards and two touchdowns. Bell's second touchdown, set up by a Darrell Brooks interception, gave the Wildcats just enough breathing room to avoid a disastrous opener.
Sophomore quarterback Kris Heavner completed 18-of-23 passes for 171 yards and one touchdown. Then again, a high school quarterback is capable of posting those numbers in a conservative offense that doesn't even tire the chain gang.
Heavner's longest pass completion went for 37 yards to sophomore wide receiver Syndric Steptoe. Every other pass Heavner completed was less than 13 yards.
Nevertheless, the Wildcats celebrated as if they had won their first Rose Bowl, and Stoops put on his poker face.
"I was just trying to mix in," Stoops said. "It was no big deal for me. I thought I was the defensive coordinator."
The real test for UA, picked to finish last in the Pac-10, will come later this month when No. 20 Utah and No. 21 Wisconsin visit Arizona Stadium. Utah and Wisconsin combined for 75 points in their openers, posing a much stiffer challenge than NAU.
Bell proved he can be effective behind a seasoned offensive line, although the Wildcats must establish a vertical passing game or it's going to be another long season. And like ASU's defense, UA's defense can't be given too much credit for dominating an inferior team, right?
"We have to savor it," said UA freshman cornerback Antoine Cason, who had one interception, two forced fumbles and a team-leading 13 tackles in his debut. "When we go into film, we'll figure out our mistakes and see where we can get better. It feels great to win, but we still need to make some adjustments, of course."
There's no doubting the attitude change since Stoops' arrival.
Brooks talked about the "confidence" of a defense that marked three interceptions, nearly half as many as it had all of last season. Cason used the word "belief" to describe the way he feels about his teammates and the way his teammates feel about him. And freshman cornerback Wilrey Fontenot exemplified unity with phrases such as "playing together" and "playing team ball."
"Last year, when things weren't going our way, we would just stop playing and people would start going their own separate ways," Bell said. "We're more of a team this year. Players are playing together. We don't ever give up. We play four quarters of football."
Beating NAU brought a sense of relief for the levelheaded Stoops.
"I'm excited that it's over," Stoops said. "It's hard to have all that attention put on you because that's not what we stand for. It's a team."
Let's see how long that excitement lasts.
Reach the reporter at Brian.gomez@asu.edu.
