It is a transition week with Arizona’s football program going into a bye but we do have the return of basketball with the team’s local media day set to take place Wednesday afternoon. In addition to that there is always recruiting going on. Here is this week’s War Room.
Football
Well, Arizona was finally able to face a more formidable opponent Friday night as top-25 program Utah made its way to Tucson to open up Pac-12 play. The Wildcats had plenty of chances to win the game but miscues and missed opportunities meant Rich Rodriguez’s team dropped to 2-2 on the year and heads into its open date with a bit of a sour taste in its mouth. Now, UA will have some time to regroup although Rodriguez wished his team had another game to bounce back this week.
* As we do every week we will take a closer look at each position group after the Wildcats play and we have a chance to rewatch the broadcast of the game. There were plenty of interesting plays and situations in Friday night’s game and here is our look at each group.
- Quarterbacks: There is no need on harping on the mistakes that have been discussed ad nauseam already, but it is hard not to recap Arizona’s loss to Utah without talking about the quarterback play. It was not good and Brandon Dawkins continued his up-and-down season with a down against the Utes. There were mistakes all over the field mixed in with his most pass-heavy game at UA. He missed open receivers and didn’t always make the correct decisions. It all added up to fans calling for another change heading into the bye week. What’s concerning right now about Dawkins, outside of the amount of turnovers he had Friday, is how deliberate he is with some of his execution. There are far too many tells when he runs the ball on designed runs and when he is making passes and going through his progressions.
He is too quick to try and escape the pocket when waiting an extra tick or two would lead to a much better throw or decision. He has been at one extreme or the other this season in UA’s 2-2 season and all four of those games have hinged in large part on how he performs.
- Running backs: Nick Wilson didn’t get a touch until midway through the second quarter. That tells you all you need to know about the running backs Friday night. Arizona went with a pass-heavy and a Dawkins-centric attack on offense in the loss. He had 42 pass attempts and 18 of the Wildcats’ 42 carries. Wilson carried it three more times than JJ Taylor, but it was a bit of a strange night for the group and not its best effort. Taylor had a fumble inside the 5-yard line and Wilson dropped a sure touchdown. The duo combined for 88 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries but it was still odd to see the staff go away from its strength in this game.
- Receivers: With 42 passes being thrown it was going to be a more active night for the receiver group and Arizona had three players end up with more than four catches. Tony Ellison led the way with six catches for 78 yards and a touchdown. Tyrell Johnson and Bryce Wolma had four catches apiece in the loss. Where we saw some more dedicated time for the receivers was in more running-type situations. Shun Brown had a 22-yard rush in the game while he and Johnson were used on sweeps more frequently than they have been this season.
- Tight ends: The return of Trevor Wood was positive for the Wildcats and a step toward getting more help with the group, but it might have been a night Wood would have rather not returned. The biggest miscue of the game came on a play that left Wood completely open but he was missed by Dawkins. Eventually would would not register a stat in the game. Wolma did, however, once again becoming a safety net for Dawkins catching four passes for 29 yards including an 18-yard reception. The tight ends continue to be a bigger part of the offense than in recent years, but it has been a mixed bag with finding them when open.
- Offensive line: It was another less-than-impressive effort at times from Arizona’s offensive line. There were certainly strong plays at times and it helped the Wildcats gain 200 yards on the ground against one of the nation’s best rush defenses. However, there were also breakdowns and lots of pressure being applied to Dawkins by the Utah defensive front. Layth Friekh didn’t have his best game allowing a couple sacks in the loss. On the last offensive play the Utes were able to get what amounted to a free run at Dawkins forcing an overthrow and interception. It is a bit concerning that a group with so much experience is continuing to have issues with better teams, but the next couple weeks presents a chance to regroup and fine tune those mistakes.
- Defensive line: There was no Parker Zellers again for Arizona but it was still a productive night for the group up front. It held Utah to just 112 rushing yards on 38 carries in the game and also had two players combine for a sack. Someone who is emerging in Zellers’ absence has been Finton Connolly who was part of that sack along with Larry Tharpe, Jr. Connolly has slowly continued to improve and develop and he is coming into his own this season with more opportunities to get on the field. Dereck Boles continues to do his job and while he has not posted amazing stats he is taking up space and giving the Wildcats what they need in the middle. The thing to watch over the next couple weeks will be Luca Bruno’s health, but he does have some time to recover from what looked like an ankle injury with a bye this week.
- Linebackers: It was one of the more active nights for Arizona’s linebacker group and it is a trio of freshmen who continue to make the noise. Kylan Wilborn, Tony Fields II and Colin Schooler all had impact plays in the loss and all were a big part of the reason UA was able to keep the game close and stay in it until the final drive. Those three freshmen combined for 19 tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. The group has been exactly what the Wildcats have needed this season defensively. Schooler is the only player not starting of that group but at this point it might just be his time to take that job away from senior Brandon Rutt.
- Safeties: The UA safeties got put in a couple tough spots including the third-down plays that Utah was able to convert that proved to be crucial moments in the game especially the third-and-18 play that took Utah to the goal line. Those are moments the group will have to work through with a true freshman Scottie Young Jr. on the back end at free safety and a first-year safety Dane Cruikshank at spur. Outside of those moments, though, the group had a strong night accounting for 18 tackles in the game led by Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles who had seven to go with a pass breakup. Young was right behind him with six tackles in the game.
- Cornerbacks: Arizona opted to use its cornerbacks a little differently than normal playing a lot of the secondary nine and 10 yards deep at different points in the game. It went back and forth between that and tight coverage but it is something defensive coordinator Marcel Yates has liked to do to make sure the play stays in front of his corners as opposed to risking getting beat deep. It wasn’t a perfect night for the cornerback group as there were some penalties still, but overall they gave the team what it needed to get a win. Jace Whittaker had just two tackles but he came up with a strong play in the end zone to save a touchdown. Lorenzo Burns continues to see a lot of action come his way and he has continued to respond with six more tackles in the loss. He still has work to do when it comes to finishing on the initial contact and bringing players to the ground but he has made lots of progress this season.
- Special teams: Arizona’s special teams units weren’t great again. There were some bright spots with Lucas Havrisik getting three touchbacks but he also kicked one out of bounds and in his opportunity for a field goal he had it blocked. Josh Pollack also had a kick blocked in the game and both featured snaps that were just a little too far to the right that caused some adjustment to take place leading to low kicks. Arizona has had issues with the snaps since Nick Reinhardt went down and it is something that has crept its head in a couple times. Arizona’s punt teams weren’t particularly impressive either but Utah does have one of the best punters in the country.
* Later this week the Arizona Board of Regents will meet at NAU Arizona athletic director Dave Heeke will present a list of facilities upgrades that he hopes to get approved so the department can move forward with plans of several projects. When it comes to football the two biggest elements will be $25 million to update the east side of Arizona Stadium that is severely outdated and in need of upgrades. The other part of it will be approving the $18 million plans to build Rodriguez’s baby, an indoor practice facility. Getting the projects approved will allow Arizona to start work on the projects.
Football
Well, Arizona was finally able to face a more formidable opponent Friday night as top-25 program Utah made its way to Tucson to open up Pac-12 play. The Wildcats had plenty of chances to win the game but miscues and missed opportunities meant Rich Rodriguez’s team dropped to 2-2 on the year and heads into its open date with a bit of a sour taste in its mouth. Now, UA will have some time to regroup although Rodriguez wished his team had another game to bounce back this week.
* As we do every week we will take a closer look at each position group after the Wildcats play and we have a chance to rewatch the broadcast of the game. There were plenty of interesting plays and situations in Friday night’s game and here is our look at each group.
- Quarterbacks: There is no need on harping on the mistakes that have been discussed ad nauseam already, but it is hard not to recap Arizona’s loss to Utah without talking about the quarterback play. It was not good and Brandon Dawkins continued his up-and-down season with a down against the Utes. There were mistakes all over the field mixed in with his most pass-heavy game at UA. He missed open receivers and didn’t always make the correct decisions. It all added up to fans calling for another change heading into the bye week. What’s concerning right now about Dawkins, outside of the amount of turnovers he had Friday, is how deliberate he is with some of his execution. There are far too many tells when he runs the ball on designed runs and when he is making passes and going through his progressions.
He is too quick to try and escape the pocket when waiting an extra tick or two would lead to a much better throw or decision. He has been at one extreme or the other this season in UA’s 2-2 season and all four of those games have hinged in large part on how he performs.
- Running backs: Nick Wilson didn’t get a touch until midway through the second quarter. That tells you all you need to know about the running backs Friday night. Arizona went with a pass-heavy and a Dawkins-centric attack on offense in the loss. He had 42 pass attempts and 18 of the Wildcats’ 42 carries. Wilson carried it three more times than JJ Taylor, but it was a bit of a strange night for the group and not its best effort. Taylor had a fumble inside the 5-yard line and Wilson dropped a sure touchdown. The duo combined for 88 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries but it was still odd to see the staff go away from its strength in this game.
- Receivers: With 42 passes being thrown it was going to be a more active night for the receiver group and Arizona had three players end up with more than four catches. Tony Ellison led the way with six catches for 78 yards and a touchdown. Tyrell Johnson and Bryce Wolma had four catches apiece in the loss. Where we saw some more dedicated time for the receivers was in more running-type situations. Shun Brown had a 22-yard rush in the game while he and Johnson were used on sweeps more frequently than they have been this season.
- Tight ends: The return of Trevor Wood was positive for the Wildcats and a step toward getting more help with the group, but it might have been a night Wood would have rather not returned. The biggest miscue of the game came on a play that left Wood completely open but he was missed by Dawkins. Eventually would would not register a stat in the game. Wolma did, however, once again becoming a safety net for Dawkins catching four passes for 29 yards including an 18-yard reception. The tight ends continue to be a bigger part of the offense than in recent years, but it has been a mixed bag with finding them when open.
- Offensive line: It was another less-than-impressive effort at times from Arizona’s offensive line. There were certainly strong plays at times and it helped the Wildcats gain 200 yards on the ground against one of the nation’s best rush defenses. However, there were also breakdowns and lots of pressure being applied to Dawkins by the Utah defensive front. Layth Friekh didn’t have his best game allowing a couple sacks in the loss. On the last offensive play the Utes were able to get what amounted to a free run at Dawkins forcing an overthrow and interception. It is a bit concerning that a group with so much experience is continuing to have issues with better teams, but the next couple weeks presents a chance to regroup and fine tune those mistakes.
- Defensive line: There was no Parker Zellers again for Arizona but it was still a productive night for the group up front. It held Utah to just 112 rushing yards on 38 carries in the game and also had two players combine for a sack. Someone who is emerging in Zellers’ absence has been Finton Connolly who was part of that sack along with Larry Tharpe, Jr. Connolly has slowly continued to improve and develop and he is coming into his own this season with more opportunities to get on the field. Dereck Boles continues to do his job and while he has not posted amazing stats he is taking up space and giving the Wildcats what they need in the middle. The thing to watch over the next couple weeks will be Luca Bruno’s health, but he does have some time to recover from what looked like an ankle injury with a bye this week.
- Linebackers: It was one of the more active nights for Arizona’s linebacker group and it is a trio of freshmen who continue to make the noise. Kylan Wilborn, Tony Fields II and Colin Schooler all had impact plays in the loss and all were a big part of the reason UA was able to keep the game close and stay in it until the final drive. Those three freshmen combined for 19 tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. The group has been exactly what the Wildcats have needed this season defensively. Schooler is the only player not starting of that group but at this point it might just be his time to take that job away from senior Brandon Rutt.
- Safeties: The UA safeties got put in a couple tough spots including the third-down plays that Utah was able to convert that proved to be crucial moments in the game especially the third-and-18 play that took Utah to the goal line. Those are moments the group will have to work through with a true freshman Scottie Young Jr. on the back end at free safety and a first-year safety Dane Cruikshank at spur. Outside of those moments, though, the group had a strong night accounting for 18 tackles in the game led by Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles who had seven to go with a pass breakup. Young was right behind him with six tackles in the game.
- Cornerbacks: Arizona opted to use its cornerbacks a little differently than normal playing a lot of the secondary nine and 10 yards deep at different points in the game. It went back and forth between that and tight coverage but it is something defensive coordinator Marcel Yates has liked to do to make sure the play stays in front of his corners as opposed to risking getting beat deep. It wasn’t a perfect night for the cornerback group as there were some penalties still, but overall they gave the team what it needed to get a win. Jace Whittaker had just two tackles but he came up with a strong play in the end zone to save a touchdown. Lorenzo Burns continues to see a lot of action come his way and he has continued to respond with six more tackles in the loss. He still has work to do when it comes to finishing on the initial contact and bringing players to the ground but he has made lots of progress this season.
- Special teams: Arizona’s special teams units weren’t great again. There were some bright spots with Lucas Havrisik getting three touchbacks but he also kicked one out of bounds and in his opportunity for a field goal he had it blocked. Josh Pollack also had a kick blocked in the game and both featured snaps that were just a little too far to the right that caused some adjustment to take place leading to low kicks. Arizona has had issues with the snaps since Nick Reinhardt went down and it is something that has crept its head in a couple times. Arizona’s punt teams weren’t particularly impressive either but Utah does have one of the best punters in the country.
* Later this week the Arizona Board of Regents will meet at NAU Arizona athletic director Dave Heeke will present a list of facilities upgrades that he hopes to get approved so the department can move forward with plans of several projects. When it comes to football the two biggest elements will be $25 million to update the east side of Arizona Stadium that is severely outdated and in need of upgrades. The other part of it will be approving the $18 million plans to build Rodriguez’s baby, an indoor practice facility. Getting the projects approved will allow Arizona to start work on the projects.
