Arizona Wildcats 2016 review:
Arizona's surprising 2014 Pac-12 South championship seems to be light years behind in the rearview mirror. Injuries decimated the Wildcats roster for the second consecutive season in 2016. But unlike in 2015, Arizona was unable to keep the ship afloat, tumbling to a 3-9 record.
Sophomore QB Brandon Dawkins carved up Arizona State in the Territorial Cup, running for 183 yards and two touchdowns as Arizona rolled to avoid going winless in the Pac-12. Casey Sapio/USA TODAY Sports
The Wildcats lost their first eight Pac-12 games before rallying in time for a resounding victory over Arizona State in the Territorial Cup. So at the very least, Arizona finished on a good note. But there wasn't much more positive news for a team that finished in the league cellar.
Team MVP on offense: Quarterback Brandon Dawkins showcased his ability to play like a dual-threat bolt of lightning. He threw for 1,348 yards while also leading the Wildcats with 944 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. The sophomore's long strides came in particularly handy in beating the Sun Devils, when Dawkins ripped off 183 yards on only 12 carries.
Team co-MVPs on defense: Versatile linebacker Paul Magloire Jr. -- once a defensive back -- was the Swiss Army knife of the Wildcats' defense. He led the team with 58 tackles. Fellow linebacker Michael Barton, a grad transfer from Cal, paced the roster with three sacks and eight tackles for loss.
Season highlight: The Wildcats racked up 511 rushing yards in their 56-35 spanking of rival Arizona State in the Territorial Cup. They controlled throughout; Arizona grabbed a 28-7, second-quarter lead and never looked back. After eight straight losses to begin league play, this performance acted as quality mouthwash for the Wildcats.
Season lowlight: Arizona offered no resistance to Washington State in its Nov. 5 trip to the Palouse. The Cougars walloped the Wildcats 69-7. Wazzu's Luke Falk went 32-for-35 in that game, setting a team record with his 91 percent completion rate. Being on the defensive end of that type of offensive record is always embarrassing. To make matters worse, Arizona's attack couldn't muster any success, either.
Biggest reason for optimism heading into 2017: Dawkins is coming back. His sheer athleticism made him a capable, one-man wrecking crew in parts of 2016; look no further than his spectacular scramble and fadeaway bomb on a late game-tying drive against Washington. There'll be big-time roster turnover at Arizona, but Dawkins' electric potential is something to be excited about.
Biggest area of need heading into 2017: Linebacker. Magloire, Barton and Tellas Jones -- the three starters at this level of the defense -- are all gone. The Wildcats must reload with versatile, smart players. Arizona must also address its injury bug. Sure, bad luck could've well been a culprit, but the Wildcats must cultivate depth to protect themselves from another sinking ship in 2017.
Most memorable moment from 2016: Dawkins accidentally leveled Miss Arizona Tommy Lynn Calhoun on the sideline during the battle for the Territorial Cup. But no one was hurt, and Dawkins proceeded to help Calhoun up, pop his head into her live television interview, and ask her on date after the game via Twitter. Calhoun is dating former Arizona linebacker Jake Fischer, so the answer was probably no, but the entire series of events was a lighthearted cap to an otherwise dreary season.
Arizona, Arizona State and UCLA look to rise from ashes in 2017
ARIZONA
2016 Record: 3-9 overall, 1-8 Pac-12
Preseason expectations: The Wildcats were picked fourth in the South in the preseason after going 7-6 in 2015. FPI's projected record for the Wildcats was 7.1-4.9. From the 2016 preview's worst-case scenario, "If QB play remains questionable and an already-thin lineup is challenged by injuries, the Wildcats could tumble to 4-8 in Rodriguez's fifth season." So while preseason expectations weren't terribly high, the Wildcats nonetheless found their way finishing below them.
What went wrong? Rodriguez was quick to finger his defense, and the Wildcats did yield 2.5 more points per game this season compared to last, but the 2015 defense ranked 10th in the conference while the Wildcats were ninth this year. As for the offense, it scored a conference-worst 24.8 points per game, nearly 13 points worse than last year's average. A large portion of blame for that begins at QB -- three different players started due to injuries and/or ineffectiveness -- including true freshman Khalil Tate. Injuries were also an issue at running back, where four different players started, including Samajie Grant, who was converted from receiver. Still, the overriding issue with the Wildcats is a lack of talent along the line of scrimmage, particularly on defense. "There were moments in second halves when, frankly, we got worn down a little bit," Rodriguez said. A good sign was a 56-35 victory over rival Arizona State to conclude the season, which showed the team hadn't quit. "It certainly doesn't erase the year," Rodriguez said.
Prospects in 2017? The QB competition will be front and center this spring, particularly with the transfer of two-plus year starter Anu Solomon. Brandon Dawkins showed he's an effective runner, but he struggled throwing the ball. Tate looked overwhelmed during his playing time. The Wildcats have two incoming QBs, including the highly rated Braxton Burmeister from La Jolla, California, who is expected to enroll in January. With 15 position players slated to return and a seeming upgrade in recruiting looking toward February, the Wildcats should again be a bowl team in 2017, but their chances of pushing to the top of the South seem remote. "Everything is fixable," Rodriguez said. "Some of it has to be fixed in recruiting."
Arizona's surprising 2014 Pac-12 South championship seems to be light years behind in the rearview mirror. Injuries decimated the Wildcats roster for the second consecutive season in 2016. But unlike in 2015, Arizona was unable to keep the ship afloat, tumbling to a 3-9 record.
Sophomore QB Brandon Dawkins carved up Arizona State in the Territorial Cup, running for 183 yards and two touchdowns as Arizona rolled to avoid going winless in the Pac-12. Casey Sapio/USA TODAY Sports
The Wildcats lost their first eight Pac-12 games before rallying in time for a resounding victory over Arizona State in the Territorial Cup. So at the very least, Arizona finished on a good note. But there wasn't much more positive news for a team that finished in the league cellar.
Team MVP on offense: Quarterback Brandon Dawkins showcased his ability to play like a dual-threat bolt of lightning. He threw for 1,348 yards while also leading the Wildcats with 944 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. The sophomore's long strides came in particularly handy in beating the Sun Devils, when Dawkins ripped off 183 yards on only 12 carries.
Team co-MVPs on defense: Versatile linebacker Paul Magloire Jr. -- once a defensive back -- was the Swiss Army knife of the Wildcats' defense. He led the team with 58 tackles. Fellow linebacker Michael Barton, a grad transfer from Cal, paced the roster with three sacks and eight tackles for loss.
Season highlight: The Wildcats racked up 511 rushing yards in their 56-35 spanking of rival Arizona State in the Territorial Cup. They controlled throughout; Arizona grabbed a 28-7, second-quarter lead and never looked back. After eight straight losses to begin league play, this performance acted as quality mouthwash for the Wildcats.
Season lowlight: Arizona offered no resistance to Washington State in its Nov. 5 trip to the Palouse. The Cougars walloped the Wildcats 69-7. Wazzu's Luke Falk went 32-for-35 in that game, setting a team record with his 91 percent completion rate. Being on the defensive end of that type of offensive record is always embarrassing. To make matters worse, Arizona's attack couldn't muster any success, either.
Biggest reason for optimism heading into 2017: Dawkins is coming back. His sheer athleticism made him a capable, one-man wrecking crew in parts of 2016; look no further than his spectacular scramble and fadeaway bomb on a late game-tying drive against Washington. There'll be big-time roster turnover at Arizona, but Dawkins' electric potential is something to be excited about.
Biggest area of need heading into 2017: Linebacker. Magloire, Barton and Tellas Jones -- the three starters at this level of the defense -- are all gone. The Wildcats must reload with versatile, smart players. Arizona must also address its injury bug. Sure, bad luck could've well been a culprit, but the Wildcats must cultivate depth to protect themselves from another sinking ship in 2017.
Most memorable moment from 2016: Dawkins accidentally leveled Miss Arizona Tommy Lynn Calhoun on the sideline during the battle for the Territorial Cup. But no one was hurt, and Dawkins proceeded to help Calhoun up, pop his head into her live television interview, and ask her on date after the game via Twitter. Calhoun is dating former Arizona linebacker Jake Fischer, so the answer was probably no, but the entire series of events was a lighthearted cap to an otherwise dreary season.
Arizona, Arizona State and UCLA look to rise from ashes in 2017
ARIZONA
2016 Record: 3-9 overall, 1-8 Pac-12
Preseason expectations: The Wildcats were picked fourth in the South in the preseason after going 7-6 in 2015. FPI's projected record for the Wildcats was 7.1-4.9. From the 2016 preview's worst-case scenario, "If QB play remains questionable and an already-thin lineup is challenged by injuries, the Wildcats could tumble to 4-8 in Rodriguez's fifth season." So while preseason expectations weren't terribly high, the Wildcats nonetheless found their way finishing below them.
What went wrong? Rodriguez was quick to finger his defense, and the Wildcats did yield 2.5 more points per game this season compared to last, but the 2015 defense ranked 10th in the conference while the Wildcats were ninth this year. As for the offense, it scored a conference-worst 24.8 points per game, nearly 13 points worse than last year's average. A large portion of blame for that begins at QB -- three different players started due to injuries and/or ineffectiveness -- including true freshman Khalil Tate. Injuries were also an issue at running back, where four different players started, including Samajie Grant, who was converted from receiver. Still, the overriding issue with the Wildcats is a lack of talent along the line of scrimmage, particularly on defense. "There were moments in second halves when, frankly, we got worn down a little bit," Rodriguez said. A good sign was a 56-35 victory over rival Arizona State to conclude the season, which showed the team hadn't quit. "It certainly doesn't erase the year," Rodriguez said.
Prospects in 2017? The QB competition will be front and center this spring, particularly with the transfer of two-plus year starter Anu Solomon. Brandon Dawkins showed he's an effective runner, but he struggled throwing the ball. Tate looked overwhelmed during his playing time. The Wildcats have two incoming QBs, including the highly rated Braxton Burmeister from La Jolla, California, who is expected to enroll in January. With 15 position players slated to return and a seeming upgrade in recruiting looking toward February, the Wildcats should again be a bowl team in 2017, but their chances of pushing to the top of the South seem remote. "Everything is fixable," Rodriguez said. "Some of it has to be fixed in recruiting."
