Arizona Wildcats Coach Compares Disappointing Season to Apollo 13 Mission
The Arizona Wildcats have not had the season they expected so far this year.
The latest disappointment was this past Saturday as the team lost 34-7 to Big 12 rival Colorado Buffalos, moving them to 3-4 (1-3 in Conference play) on the season.
A lot of the blame has steered toward the direction of the Wildcats defense led by Coordinator Duane Akina. Although the longtime college coach has had plenty of success in his career, he is not a stranger to criticism.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Akina mentioned that this season can still have a happy ending, but they will need to change their perspective on what is seen as a successful year. He referenced a famous moment in American history to back up his claim.
“Let’s get that round hole in the peg. Somebody go get the duct tape, man, and let’s go fix this thing. We wanted to walk on the moon. Now let’s just get Apollo 13 back.”
The Apollo 13 mission was set to land on the moon in 1970 but was unable to due to an oxygen tank rupturing during the mission. The crew was forced to use backup systems to return safely to Earth.
The analogy may be spot on for what this coaching staff is trying to accomplish in their first year under head coach Brent Brennan. They had high expectations for their first year in the Big 12 conference and potentially making the College Football Playoffs, especially with the return of quarterback Noah Fifita and star wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan. However, Arizona is at risk of being out of bowl contention for the seventh time over the last nine years.
The staff will now be forced to change the mission to reaching six wins on the season, meaning they will have to have a winning record across their remaining five games on the year. According to ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) the Wildcats only hold a 35.3 percent chance of doing so.
If they can make the unlikely mission ‘back to earth’ however and go bowling, it may very well keep Brennan, Akina and the rest of the current coaching staff employed in Tuscon for next season and beyond.
This is Akina's second stint as a member of the Wildcats coaching staff. He was with Arizona from 1987-2000, primarily serving as the program defensive backs coach under head coach Dick Tomey. During that time, he coached Thorpe Award winner Darryl Lewis in 1990. Over 20 defensive backs that have played under Akina have gone on to play in the NFL.
Arizona will take the first step towards their new mission as they look to return to .500 and pick up their second Big 12 conference win this Saturday. They will take on the West Virginia Mountaineers at Arizona Stadium. The kickoff is set for 7 pm ET on FS1.
