Arizona will be getting its Scooby back.
All-American linebacker Scooby Wright, who left the season-opener against UTSA on Sept. 3 in the first quarter with a knee injury, avoided major damage. He underwent surgery to clean up a lateral meniscus tear two days later and is expected to be out just three to four weeks, coach Rich Rodriguez said Monday.
A return for the team’s Pac-12 opener — Sept. 26 against UCLA — can’t be ruled out, given that timetable, although that would seem to be very optimistic. The next games are Oct. 3 at Stanford and Oct. 10 at home vs. Oregon State.
“Whatever limits they give him, he will stretch it all the way to the limit. That is just Scooby’s personality,” coach Rich Rodriguez said.
“Scooby’s thing, fortunately, is something that he got fixed and actually I think he’s going to come back even stronger than he was before. And knowing Scooby, he will be chomping at the bit, but we will make sure, and trainers will make sure, that when he is coming back, he’s coming back 100 percent ready to go.”
Wright was injured on a non-contact play early in the game. He had the knee looked at on the sideline but then returned for the next series, which is when everyone saw him hopping off the field in pain after a play.
The medical staff determined fairly quickly that it wasn’t a ligament injury, but the extent of the injury wasn’t known until a MRI after the game. After gathering opinion from several doctors about the best course of action, the family and the program decided on quick surgery, which delivered good news.
“Once they got in there, the injury was less than they even could have thought,” Scooby’s dad, Phil Wright, told TucsonNewsNow.com.
Wright is coming off a season in which he made 163 tackles, including 29 for loss and 14 sacks. He also forced six fumbles. He won the Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year Award, and a trio of major national awards — the Lombardi, the Nagurski and the Bednarik.
Arizona will miss him, although it should be able to handle this week’s game at Nevada and then a home game against lower-division NAU without him. After that, we’ll see how quickly he gets back, but there is no doubt that Scooby and the Wildcats are breathing a huge sigh of relief that he will return at some point.
“Three to four weeks is a best case scenario for Scooby,” Rodriguez said.
NOTES, QUOTES
PLAYERS TO WATCH
–LB Haden Gregory is the new starting middle linebacker with Scooby Wright out for a few weeks. Gregory made four tackles and broke up two tackles in a relief role against UTSA last week. He is a fifth-year senior walk-on who joined the team in 2013 after two years at Long Beach City College. Gregory would actually normally be the third-team middle linebacker, but junior Cody Ippolito suffered a torn ACL late in fall camp.
–QB Anu Solomon had a strong second half in the opener against UTSA, finishing with 22 completions in 36 attempts for 229 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. “I overthrew some balls and I thought the offense could have been a little faster,” he said. “All in all, we just have to clean up the little things.” Here’s a big thing: He missed a couple of home-run throws that could have been six points.
–WR Johnny Jackson turned into Arizona’s feel-good story in the opener. He’s a fifth-year senior, a former walk-on, who had some success early in his career but then was switched to defensive back after the 2013 season as the Wildcats recruited over him. Coaches moved him back to offense during fall camp, and he immediately responded. Against UTSA, he had eight catches for 101 yards and a touchdown. He’ll continue to get time, even as starting slot WR Samajie Grant returns from suspension this week.
SERIES HISTORY: Arizona leads the series against Nevada 3-1-1, including a 35-28 win in Tucson last season.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “I think his arm is a little stronger, but I think he’s also more decisive. He’s more sure of what everyone is doing, so it’s crisper.” — Rich Rodriguez on QB Anu Solomon’s development as a sophomore.