BYU football: Wildcat QB has become true leader

LAS VEGAS — For Arizona quarterback Willie Tuitama, playing in the Las Vegas Bowl is a gratifying reward that has finally been earned after four tough years.

"It definitely feels good," said the senior from Stockton, Calif., who is leading Arizona to its first bowl game since 1998. The Wildcats clinched a Las Vegas Bowl berth by defeating archrival Arizona State on Dec. 6.

"It was crazy, really," Tuitama said of the reaction in Tucson. "There were people coming up to me saying, 'We're going to Vegas!' I got phone calls all over the place. It was a different kind of atmosphere than we've had in the past."

And what would a win over No. 17 BYU mean to him, and to the program?

"That would be huge," he said. "We're all getting a shot, especially the seniors. We want to go out the right way."

Tuitama has been the Wildcats' starting QB since he was a true freshman in 2005, when he started in four games. Since then, he had to deal with injuries, changes in offensive coordinators, changes in the offensive scheme and losing seasons.

"It's been a long road for him," said Arizona offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes. "When you say a guy is a four-year starter, in this case it's a little bit deceiving. He hasn't played in that many games because of injuries. He still gets better every week. That's the exciting thing about him. Every single week he improves and becomes a better player."

BYU remembers Tuitama's early days at the controls. The Cougars and Wildcats played in the 2006 season-opener in Tucson — Tuitama was a sophomore — and both teams' offenses sputtered that night. Arizona ended up winning, 16-13, on a 48-yard field goal by Nicholas Folk with one second remaining.

Tuitama still remembers the final score of that game. But he's expecting a much different battle this time — a high-scoring one.

"There weren't many big plays in that game at all," he said. "That's something that I think will happen on Saturday with the way our two offenses are playing. We should do a good job of finding the end zone."

The two teams met again the following season, in 2007, with BYU defeating Arizona, 20-7, in Provo.

As Cougar coach Bronco Mendenhall studied film of Tuitama from this season, he's been impressed with the quarterback's development.