There’s very few times one walks away enthused when a team loses by three plus touchdowns combined with its quarterback throwing five interceptions.

But Arizona football is a different frontier. And that is exactly what happened last night.

This was a game that started out with the Cats in a 10-0 hole a mere few minutes into the game and appeared very much on the way to another blowout loss. But something happened once Arizona got the ball back: the Cats started to play some spirited football.

And it starts with quarterback Jordan McCloud. Yes, McCloud’s five interceptions are a problem as they were a combination of poor reads and limited arm strength. But, with head coach Jedd Fisch already announcing McCloud will be the starter going forward, one has to figure that some of the miscues can be cleaned up. Especially heading into the bye week.

On the positive, what Arizona fans saw was a quarterback who was able to move the ball up the field pretty much at will. The Cats actually out gained the Ducks! And did it against one of the more talented defenses in one of the most intimidating road environments in the country.

Furthermore, McCloud is a player who clearly isn’t scared to go for the play, which can be problematic, but is far preferable to the Cruz approach of taking no chances.

The point of this article isn’t to act like the Wildcats are good and that McCloud is a true game changer, but what you saw last night night was a team that showed fight and a quarterback who could utilize his wheels and exact far more of Fisch’s playbook.

The bye week comes at an opportune time for the Cats as Fisch can work more closely with McCloud and get his team ready for an up and down, yet dynamic UCLA Bruins squad.