An old recipe -- overachieving with homegrown talent -- may finally vault the Wildcats into college football's elite

In all the preseason Trophy hype, no stat is more glamorous than the 50-yard-plus average of Canidate's touchdown gallops.   Robert Beck

In the 1988 film Working Girl, Melanie Griffith, playing a secretary looking to move up the social and economic ladder, is brought down to earth by her colleague, played by Joan Cusack. "Sometimes I sing and dance around the house in my underwear. Doesn't make me Madonna. Never will," Cusack says.

Arizona learned a similarly tough lesson in the '90s. After the Wildcats finished 10-2 and shut out Miami 29-0 in the '94 Fiesta Bowl with a roster of overachievers, coach Dick Tomey thought he could start signing blue-chippers. But just because Arizona finished in the Top 10 that season didn't make it Notre Dame. Not only did Tomey lose the blue-chippers to the real Notre Dames in his region -- UCLA, Texas, etc. -- but he also failed to sign enough blue-collar kids of the type he had molded into a Top 10 team in the first place. The result: a mediocre 26-20 record from '94 to '97 that put Tomey's job on the line.

Last year the Wildcats went 12-1 and finished No. 4 in the nation. Recruiting coordinator Rob Ianello, who came to Tucson in 1994 after assisting Barry Alvarez in turning things around at Wisconsin, has helped Tomey strengthen the Wildcats' roster. For one thing, they signed multisport players like junior quarterback Ortege Jenkins, who spent two years as a backup shooting guard on the Arizona basketball team, and senior free safety Rafell Jones, who hit .303 as a Wildcats outfielder this past spring. For another, Tomey and Ianello now focus on Arizona and California while conducting raiding parties into Hawaii, where Tomey and linebackers coach Bob Wagner spent a combined 19 seasons as coaches, and Texas. "I'm not going to go into Texas against the University of Texas," Ianello says. "I'm trying to find a kid like Bruce Wiggins." The 6'3", 278-pound junior center from Houston, who chose Arizona over SMU, has developed into one of the Pac-10's best offensive linemen.

Or a kid like Marcus Bell, the senior middle linebacker from St. John's -- not Queens, but a wide spot in the road in northeast Arizona. Bell, a high school running back and wrestler, was thinking about Utah State and I-AA Northern Arizona when Tomey saw him in a wrestling match. Impressed by Bell's aggressiveness, Tomey offered him a scholarship. Last season the 6'2", 235-pound Bell made more than twice as many tackles as anybody else on the team. "Marcus never lost a football game or a wrestling match in high school," Tomey says. "He's the best linebacker we've ever had here. He's a tenacious competitor, and he runs like a defensive back."

Tomey's trademark Double-Eagle flex defense made All-Americas out of linemen Rob Waldrop and Tedy Bruschi in the mid-'90s, but this year the stars of the scheme will be Bell and his fellow senior linebackers. DaShon Polk, the flex linebacker, lines up where he thinks the ball is headed, breaking down the blocking scheme and funneling the ballcarrier to Bell. Polk gets a fair share of stops, too: Of his 56 tackles last season, 13 were for losses. Scooter Sprotte, Rizzuto-sized by linebacking standards (5'11", 219), has the Scooter's nose for the ball.

Tomey certainly didn't sign Bell because of anything Bell said. Even now, Bell speaks as if he's being charged by the word. On this team he doesn't have to say much, though. There's only so much oxygen in a locker room, and senior tailback Trung Canidate uses most of it. "Give me three steps, and I'm in front of you," Canidate says.

Bell smiles. "He's allowed to talk," he says. "He ain't been caught."

Though Canidate, a product of Phoenix's Central High, was hotly recruited by Arizona and Arizona State, he took some time to find his niche with the Wildcats. For his first season he played wide receiver and on special teams, where he once blocked a punt and recovered it for a touchdown. "I remember you as a freshman," fifth-year senior quarterback Keith Smith said to Canidate recently over dinner. "Nobody knew who you were. Who would have thought you would be up for the Heisman Trophy?"

As a sophomore Canidate rushed for four touchdowns, three of which were of 96, 67 and 66 yards. Last year he overcame an early-season stress fracture to his right ankle to run for 1,220 yards and 10 touchdowns. His 7.3 yards per carry made him only the third 1,000-yard rusher in Pac-10 history to average more than seven yards for a season, joining Kermit Johnson of UCLA (7.5, 1973) and Jackie Jensen of California (7.4, 1948). But that's dryer lint next to his 15 career touchdown runs, which have averaged 51.7 yards.

Canidate is given to self-promotion, but it's more innate enthusiasm than boastfulness. On his 1998 debut against Stanford in the third game of the season: "I came out of a cast and gained 110 yards." On his breakaway ability: "I need 18 inches of daylight." On Tomey's getting the team to believe in the quarterback duo of Smith and Jenkins last year: "He sold us an Accord for $100,000. That's the sales job he did." Not that Canidate feels like the Wildcats got swindled. "Our attitude starts with Keith and O.J.," says Canidate. "We have the two best quarterbacks in the country."

Smith and Jenkins will continue to ham-and-egg the Wildcats to the end zone, though there may be more ham than egg this year: Even Jenkins acknowledges that Smith, in his last season, should get the majority of the snaps. But Canidate will continue to be the offense's meal ticket, one they'll feed off all the way to January. Arizona has played 20 seasons in the Pac-10 without reaching the Rose Bowl. Come New Year's Day, the Wildcats will be dancing in the end zone in Pasadena. Just not in their underwear.

-- Ivan Maisel

Fast Facts

1998 record: 12-1 (7-1, 2nd in Pac-10)
Final ranking: No. 4 AP, No. 4 coaches' poll

1998 Averages Offense Defense Scoring 34.7 18.0 Rushing Yards 213.4 102.8 Passing Yards 231.5 232.2 Total Yards 444.9 334.9

Lineup

Coach: Dick Tomey
13th year at Arizona (84-52-4); Career Division I-A record: 147-98-7

OFFENSE WR Dennis Northcutt Sr. 3rd alltime in catches at Arizona LT Makoa Freitas So. One of six Wildcats from Hawaii LG Steven Grace So. Started every game as a freshman C Bruce Wiggins Jr. Honorable mention All-Pac-10 RG Marques McFadden Jr. Bulked up 26 pounds to 316 RT Manuia Savea Sr. Lone senior on offensive line TE Brandon Manumaleuna Jr. Eagle Scout has 7 career catches WR Brad Brennan Sr. Averaged 20.9 yards per catch QB Keith Smith Sr. Most efficient passer in Pac-10 RB Trung Canidate Sr. All-state sprinter in high school FB Jim Wendler Sr. Walk-on has just 10 career carries K Mark McDonald Sr. Wipeout: Surfer missed 9 of 17 FGs DEFENSE LE Mike Robertson Jr. Had 6 1/2 sacks with just 4 starts LT Keoni Fraser So. One of nation's top rookies in '98 RT Anthony Thomas Jr. Cousin of NFL RB Darick Holmes RE Joe Tafoya Jr. Known for quickness and agility OLB DaShon Polk Sr. Second team All-Pac-10 ILB Marcus Bell Sr. Pac-10 best 139 tackles (83 solo) ILB Scooter Sprotte Sr. 3 interceptions, 4 forced fumbles CB Kelvin Hunter Sr. Broke up 14 passes SS Greg Payne Sr. Plays anywhere in the secondary FS Rafell Jones Sr. Second-leading tackler with 59 CB Leland Gayles Sr. Converted wide receiver P Chris Palic So. 40 punts, 37.6 avg. as freshman

Unless otherwise noted, all statistics are from 1998 season.

Key Games
Schedule strength: 30th of 114

Aug. 28 at Penn State
Opening day offers a super showdown-Canidate versus linebacker LaVar Arrington-and an early line on the Sugar Bowl.

Oct. 30 at UCLA
Last year's 52-28 loss to the Bruins cost the Wildcats the Pac-10 title and their first Rose Bowl bid. It'll be a different story this year.

Bottom Line

Tomey has his best team since arriving in Tucson in 1987. If you don't see the Wildcats in Pasadena on Jan. 1, look for them in New Orleans three days later, playing for the national championship.