What we learned: Arizona's 2021 spring game

Matt Moreno · Apr 26, 2021

Arizona's spring game has come and gone. It was an eventful day Saturday and only some of it had to do with actual football. I mentioned previously that the Wildcats' scrimmage two Saturdays ago would be a bigger indicator of where things truly stand with the team since the play calling would be a bit more vanilla for the spring game. Jedd Fisch and his staff certainly didn't show a ton, but there was enough to be seen Saturday to get a good gauge of the strengths and weaknesses of the team heading into the rest of the offseason.

Here's a look at some of the things I learned about the Wildcats after getting a chance to rewatch the broadcast, our own clips and my observations from Saturday.

• Quarterbacks head into the summer with plenty of work to do

It's hard to truly judge the quarterbacks just 15 practices into a new system, but what fans saw Saturday from the quarterback group is on par with what has been seen throughout the spring. As quarterbacks coach Jimmie Dougherty recently put it, there was some good and some bad but overall progress has been made. Gunner Cruz finished the spring game with 110 yards passing to go with one touchdown on a deep ball to tight end Stacey Marshall that came on a trick play. Will Plummer had 14 more pass attempts than Cruz in the game and he finished with 140 yards and a passing touchdown that went to running back Bam Smith. Plummer would have had a rushing score but the play was called back because of a penalty. Walk-on Luke Ashworth was perfect on his throws for 56 yards while Kevin Doyle completed his one pass attempt in the game. The competition for the starting job will be ongoing, and right now there is no clear favorite as both Cruz and Plummer have remained even up to this point when taking the entire spring into account. There does need to be improvement overall for the offense to have success this season, however.

• The offensive line held up against the solid DL group

The offensive line is not Arizona's strength right now, but there are certainly pieces up front that will help the Wildcats be in position to win some games this season. Brennan Carroll mixed and matched the groups throughout the spring, and that might have actually been to the benefit of the offensive line when the spring game arrived. The play up front was one of the biggest positive takeaways from Saturday's spring game. Donovan Laie moving back to tackle showed his potential at his natural position, and it will be interesting to see if that is something that stays in place once the team reconvenes for training camp. He is a natural there and it makes the group stronger overall in my opinion. Jordan Morgan played on the right side, which has been UA's weak spot, and that solidified things with one of the top players on that side opposite Laie. If that sticks it could be the best lineup for the Wildcats when the season arrives. I do think the solid play from the offensive line showed that there is some more tweaking that needs to be done with that unit to find all the right pieces. The offensive line wasn't bad for most of the spring, but Saturday was one of the better days for that group.

• Arizona's use of the tight end came to fruition

Marshall had the only receiving touchdown for the Red team Saturday while Bryce Wolma led the Blue squad in receiving yards. Seeing the tight ends near the top of the receivers lists for their respective teams makes the planned used of the position in the passing game feel a little more real. There has been a ton of dedication to using those players throughout the spring, but you just never really know how it will all play out. Sometimes the games arrive and the plans change. We have heard over and over again during previous springs and training camps about the expanded use of the tight end position but it just has not happened consistently enough. There is value in having those players catch passes and they showed it Saturday. Marshall finished with 40 yards receiving on his one catch while Wolma had three catches for 41 yards on four targets. Newcomer Alex Lines also had one catch for 3 yards. It isn't the complete transformation to a tight end-heavy offense, but it is a step in the right direction. If the spring game is any indication those players are going to get used in the passing game.

• The defensive playmakers showed up

The defensive side of the ball has been ahead of the offense up to this point and that held true during Saturday's spring game as well. It was a low-scoring contest and the defense came up with a lot of the big plays throughout the day. Don Brown wasn't able to show everything he has installed over the course of the last month since the staff didn't want to give up too much about what it will do this season, but there was still enough of a glimpse to see what the defense will look like when the season arrives. The defensive line group was again impressive, as it was all spring, with defensive lineman Kyon Barrs ending the day atop the tackles list with five solo stops and one tackle for loss for the Red team. He has emerged as one of the top options up front for Brown and defensive line coach Ricky Hunley, so Saturday's performance was typical for the third-year player from California. Viper linebacker Christian Young (4 tackles, 1 PBU), nickel back Malik Hausman (4 tackles, 3 PBUs), cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace (2 tackles) and cornerback Isaiah Rutherford (2 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PBU) all showed their ability to impact the game as well. While that group has been part of the action for most of the spring, one spring game surprise on defense was defensive lineman Shontrail Key. He has not been a big part of the regular rotation up front, but with the split teams it gave him an opportunity to shine a bit more. He finished with a game-high two sacks to go with three tackles overall for the Red team. That's a positive sign for the continued development of the group that is turning into UA's most solid on the defensive side at this stage.

• The running back unit was a bit underwhelming

You can't put a ton of stock into a what is essentially a watered-down scrimmage, but it was certainly surprising not to see a better performance from the running back group on Saturday. That unit has been the most consistent up to this point in the offseason, but there just wasn't a ton of production from the running backs during the spring game. Smith was the start of the group as he had 37 yards on 10 carries to go with his receiving touchdown, but the rest of the group simply wasn't much of a factor. Drake Anderson had just one carry for 3 yards while Stevie Rocker Jr. and Michael Wiley combined for just 10 rushing yards on four carries, though Wiley did score a touchdown during his time on the field to give the Red team its eventual win. I don't believe it should be concerning that the group performed below the level it has been playing at, but it was certainly a bit disappointing not to see a better overall performance from that unit.

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