Tuitama, O-Line Critical to ‘Cats Success

In the fall of 2005, thousands of UofA fans and alumni trudged to the homecoming game amidst an atmosphere of despair. The opponent, UCLA, was ranked #7 in the nation, and the Wildcats had a record of 2-6 overall, with an even more dismal 1-4 record in conference play.

When the game ended, the fans left with a renewed sense of hope for the future of the season and the football program, and a new hero in freshman quarterback Willie Tuitama.

Most importantly, they left through ground-floor gates: after stunning UCLA 52-14, the shocked and triumphant students stormed the field. Only a dedicated and intimidating security squad kept the goalposts from being torn down.

Since that moment three years ago, Willie Tuitama has been the Wildcats’ quarterback, and the focal point of attention towards the football squad. And he has never quite recaptured the glory of his second starting victory: the next two years of his college career were plagued by concussions and other injuries, and every step he brought the team forward seemed to be accompanied by two steps back.

The result is that Tuitama’s tenure at quarterback has been marked primarily by inconsistency and a frustrating tendency to start the season out with a bang, only to end it with the sickening crunch of helmet-to-helmet contact, followed shortly after by the monotonous wail of an ambulance siren.

The apparent frailty of Tuitama’s skull aside, much of the inconsistency in Tucson has not been “his fault.” His freshman year, the Wildcats had speedster Mike Bell at running back, who one year later formed the main cog in the Denver Broncos’ running machine.

No runner with such talent has come Arizona’s way sense, and with good reason: their most consistent, aggravating problem has been their offensive line, whose substandard abilities helped Tuitama accumulate his impressive list of concussions.

However, if excellent offensive lines are often under-praised, substandard ones are often under-criticized, and it is upon Tuitama’s shoulders that expectations for the Wildcats rest.

When the Arizona football season begins in Tucson on August 30, students, alumni, and plain old Wildcats fans will be calling on him to deliver the brilliant final season they’ve caught brief glimpses of time and time again.

In recognition of this, Arizona is investing tremendous effort in focusing and refining its passing game- the new offense has already been dubbed the “Air Zona Offense” by coaches and local press. Tuitama is expected to drop bombs left and right.

Hopefully, his supporting squad gives him the time and space to do it. But if the offensive line proves as soft and full of holes as it has been in seasons past, it may be time to start referring to them as Swiss Cheese.

Photos by: The Arizona Wildcat