Kevin Sumlin described the effort from the Arizona Wildcats as "a really gutsy performance" Saturday night after defeating the California Golden Bears. The game hinged on turnovers and the advantages taken afterward.
Heading into halftime, Cal was ahead 14-10 over Arizona, dominating in every statistical category. However, in the second half the Wildcat defense consistently pressured the Bears' quarterback Brandon McIlwain, which led to four turnovers.
One of them was an interception by Arizona linebacker Colin Schooler, who fumbled the ball on his way to the end zone. Luckily for the Cats, defensive back Azizi Hearn was in the right place at the right time and the fumble bounced to him, finishing with a touchdown.
"It was all planned." Schooler joked. "That went from good play to bad play, to great play."
Scottie Young Jr. shined in the fourth quarter with two interceptions, returning one for a touchdown.
"Everyday we've been working on taking the ball away." Young explained, "Having a see-ball, get-ball type of mentality."
UA gears up for a short week, traveling to Utah to play on Friday at 7 p.m. The Wildcats will need the same kind of production from their defense, with the Utes are coming off a 40-21 win over Stanford.
