New Man for New Arizona Offense : Ex-SMU Quarterback Watters to Challenge UCLA Today

The quarterback running Arizona’s crazy new offense for the new coach is Bobby Watters, who’s new around these parts himself.

Watters is one of the prizes of the Southern Methodist dispersal. Like offensive tackle David Richards, who ended up at UCLA, Watters is a three-year veteran and a former Southwest Conference star.

Last season, as a junior at SMU, Watters completed 154 of 286 passes for 2,041 yards and 13 touchdowns. He threw 15 interceptions.

Arizona Coach Dick Tomey just may lean toward Watters’ passing this afternoon when the Wildcats play UCLA at the Rose Bowl, considering what UCLA has been able to do against the run, and especially against the wishbone.

Arizona runs what UCLA Coach Terry Donahue calls “an intriguing and unique offense that combines the wishbone with the run-and-shoot.”

Donahue added: “Coming into the game, I’d say they were primarily a wishbone team, but they do enough of the other to keep you up at night wondering what if, what if . . . “

Yeah. What if Tomey doesn’t like his odds with the wishbone? Tomey was saying the other day, “UCLA looks like as fast a defensive team as I’ve seen. I’ve never seen anybody take the run away from Nebraska the way they did, not even Oklahoma.”

Tomey has considered the wishbone a great way to move the football ever since he coached at UCLA in the wishbone days. But it hasn’t escaped his notice that UCLA is giving up an average of just 46.3 yards rushing a game.

Donahue said: “What makes it difficult is that (Arizona) is the only one in the league who’s running that offense, so it’s hard to prepare for. It’s much easier to get ready for a more conventional offense similar to USC, Arizona State, Washington. . . . Then you don’t have to crowd so much into one week of preparation.

“When they’re running the wishbone and then they complement that with the run-and-shoot, it puts a lot of strain and stress on the defense.

“They can go from the wishbone, which is an extreme running formation, to the run-and-shoot, which is a passing formation on the other extreme, and they can go from one extreme to the other on the same snap of the ball.

“If you liken it to basketball, it would be like a team combining the fast break with the four-corner offense.”

No fun for the defense, but Watters thinks it’s a great plan. Going into the season, the 5-foot 11-inch, 180-pound senior from Garland, Tex., said the transition from one program to the other was easier than he had expected.

“We run, basically, the triple option, and that’s what we ran at SMU,” he said. “We throw on the sprint-out, on the run a lot, which is the run-and-shoot. It’s just a matter of getting used to the new terminology, the new formations and all the motions and such.”

Donahue is hoping that the Bruins are getting the Wildcats early enough that maybe all the old Wildcats, the new Wildcats and the new coach are still getting their act together.

The only player in the UCLA defense Watters is likely to be familiar with is outside linebacker Ben Hummel, who also relocated from SMU.

Arizona also has a former Mustang in its offensive line, left guard Kevin McKinney.

Bruin Notes Today’s game will start at 3:30. . . . UCLA (2-1) has beaten San Diego State and Fresno State, and has lost to Nebraska. Arizona (1-1) has lost to Iowa and beaten New Mexico.

Today’s game is the Pacific 10 opener for both teams. Arizona has not lost its league opener since 1981, when the Wildcats were beaten by UCLA, 35-18. Since that game, UCLA has not won a conference opener. The teams tied, 24-24, in 1982. UCLA tied Arizona State in the opener the next season and then lost to Stanford, Washington and Arizona State in its next three Pac-10 openers. However, with Arizona games coming later in the season the last two years, UCLA has won. Arizona has never beaten UCLA in California. UCLA is 4-0-2 against Arizona at home.

Expect to see some points on the board. UCLA has scored in 184 straight games, and Arizona has scored in 171 consecutive games. The NCAA record is 186 set by USC in 1967-83. . . . UCLA strong safety James Washington is still out with a bruised knee. After missing the last game, though, several players will return to play today, including offensive tackle Russ Warnick, tight end Charles Arbuckle, defensive tackle Jeff Glasser and inside linebacker Chance Johnson.