Arizona Wildcats linebacker Scooby Wright III underwent knee surgery on Saturday and is expected back in a few weeks, according to Daniel Berk of Tuscon.com.
On Thursday night in a win over UTSA 42-32, Wright limped off the field halfway through the first quarter. Wright is one of the Wildcats' top defenders, and in his sophomore year last season he was incredible. Wright had 163 tackles and forced five fumbles last season, and he was named Pac-12 defensive player of the year. Wright also recorded 14 sacks last season and was likely to come back stronger this season if not for the injury.
It was likely a long 48 hours for Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez waiting to hear if his star linebacker would be back for the season. Wright had arthroscopic knee surgery for a lateral meniscus tear.
"Fortunately it's a thing he got fixed, and he can come back even stronger than he was before. And knowing Scooby, he'll be champing at the bit," said Rodriguez via Tuscon.com. "Hopefully we'll get him back in a few weeks." The timetable of a few weeks doesn't feel too descriptive, but he should be back within three to four weeks, according to Berk.
The Wildcats defense was not the same without their star linebacker on the field, as they gave up 525 yards and 29 first downs to USTA. Senior linebacker Haden Gregory is the one who has to fill Wright's shoes while he is injured, and that is a big task for any backup. Gregory had four tackles and two passes defended in Thursday's game, but he will get more snaps at practice this week as they know he'll be in the lineup.
The Wildcats play Nevada this Saturday, which is a tough test in itself. They follow it up against Northern Arizona, a game they should likely handle without Wright. On Sept. 26 Arizona has its first Pac-12 match against UCLA, and Wright's return would be much needed. They follow that game with Stanford and then Oregon State, which are two difficult Pac-12 opponents. Wright is likely to be back for the Stanford or Oregon State game, as the UCLA game would be a stretch, according to Berk.
Arizona has a solid chance this season in the Pac-12 South, but without its star linebacker for the UCLA game the Wildcats are likely to fall behind in the standings. Wildcats fans will be anxiously awaiting Wright's return as he is key to their defense's success.
