I could have been a contender...

In the Stands Report by Bookemdano: Marlon Brando said it best in the 1954 flick On the Waterfront. Brando's portrayal of Terry Malloy, a down-and-out prize fighter, is a movie role that is hard to forget and includes one of those memorable movie quotes that live on...and on...and on. "I coulda been a contender," a frustrated Malloy explains to his brother Charley, played by Rod Steiger.

University of Arizona football coach Mike Stoops may as well borrow the phrase when he meets with the media later tonight, following the Wildcats' loss to USC at Arizona Stadium. The Wildcats could have been a contender in the Pac-10, but instead, they lose to the Trojans, 24-21, and drop to 7-3 on the season, but more importantly fall into the middle of the pack with a conference record of 4-3.

Once again Stoops fumed on the sidelines through out the game and he won't be a happy camper in the morning when he finds the Wildcats have plenty of company with three Pac-10 losses, along side the Trojans and the Oregon State Beavers -- a loser at Corvallis today. A 7-5 overall season record and a 4-5 conference slate is looming for Stoops and the Wildcats if they can't stop the bleeding at Oregon and at home in the finale against Arizona State.

The Wildcats could have been a contender.