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.
"It's been fun to watch because he's matured. He makes better decisions," Mendenhall said. "He's poised. Their offense in general executes at a higher level. You can see his growth and maturity just through experience. Usually when teams get to a senior quarterback that's played a lot, they have success. If you look just at our league, I think Arizona is no different. He deserves a lot of credit.
"He's been very productive for them."
Tuitama's teammates say his maturity and his leadership have been big factors in his growth.
"He reads defenses well, he's always on target. He's a big leader, too," said tight end Rob Gronkowski, who has caught 10 touchdown passes this season. "He knows how to get everyone ready. He knows what's going on at all times."
This season, Tuitama has completed 235 of 364 passes (65 percent) for 2,763 yards and 21 touchdowns with eight interceptions, en route to earning second-team All-Pac-10 honors. Tuitama actually threw for more yards and touchdowns last year, but he is clearly a more complete quarterback now.
What Tuitama has learned, Dykes said, is how to simplify.
"The biggest thing is learning the quarterback position. You don't have to make all the plays," Dykes explained. "You let the playmakers make the plays. Your job is to get the ball in their hands. He's really grown that way. He doesn't turn the ball over much."
Dykes arrived in Tucson prior to the 2007 season and installed a spread offense, eventually adapting it to the program's personnel. But Tuitama said it wasn't until last summer that he and his teammates really started to grasp the offensive scheme. And there's been significant improvement since the beginning of this season.
"From last year to last summer, there's a huge difference, with the way we're practicing now," he said. "I think our whole team is different. We've grown. We understand things better. We have a swagger now, the way that we play football right now. We had some good games last year, where we did a good job of executing. But for the most part, I think that over the summer and the spring, that's when we understood things. This year, we're playing so much better as a team."
Tonight, Tuitama is looking forward to letting that improvement show. He's looking for a happy ending to his checkered career.
E-mail: jeffc@desnews.com