By John Moredich
Arizona has had a home-field advantage in recent years, especially against ranked teams. No. 25 California doesn't need a reminder. Losing a chance in 2006 to go to the Rose Bowl is hard to forget. The Bears already were making reservations for Pasadena before the Wildcats pulled off a 24-20 upset of then-No. 8 ranked Cal when Antoine Cason's interception return for a touchdown sealed the victory.
"The experience last time we were there was pretty devastating," California coach Jeff Tedford said. "It is very hard to get that type of thing out of your mind. This it the first time we are going back there. It is going to be very important for us to focus and pay attention to details and execute properly for us to be successful." The Bears were riding high with a nine-game winning streak following an opening-season loss to Tennessee. Cal led 17-3 at halftime before having a touchdown and two interceptions called back because of penalties. "A bunch of shenanigans," senior quarterback Nate Longshore told the San Francisco Chronicle about that game. "Everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong. The way they celebrated is burned in my mind." Arizona is looking forward to the friendly confines after a second tough road loss last week to Stanford.
The Wildcats are on a five-game home winning streak, its longest since winning the last four in 1998 and the 1999 opener. "There is always motivation to play at home," UA coach Mike Stoops said. "Your crowd supports you so much stronger than they do on the road. That is a big thing and a big factor. I hope we can get a lot of energy in our stadium and create an atmosphere. This is a big game for us." Crowds have been big factors since Stoops took over after the 2003 season. Arizona has had three of its six largest season averages during his tenure. The Wildcats are averaging 51,358 fans in three games this year. Arizona has played its best in home games against ranked teams, winning three of the past four times a Top 25 foe came to town Tucson. Besides Cal being upset, No. 2 Oregon lost 34-24 a year ago and No. 7 UCLA fell 52-14 in 2005. Third-ranked USC won 20-3 in 2006. "They are fired up. They play well at home," Tedford said. "It is a hostile environment. The crowd really gets going. They play well, it's not just the crowd. If you go in there and you make a mistake you're not going to be successful. You need to make sure you are efficient in what you do in all three phases."
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