Arizona was able to get itself on the right track again Saturday with a 44-7 win over Oregon State. The Beavers not quite being the same type of competition Arizona faced in the previous two weeks helped, but there were some positive adjustments made by UA's staff as well. Here is a look at how each position group performed Saturday in Arizona's first Pac-12 Conference win of the season.
Quarterbacks: It was not an outstanding day by Anu Solomon, but what I thought he brought to the team was a sense of calm and a confidence it was missing while he was out. As much as the Wildcats like what Jerrard Randall brings to the table it takes some of the confidence out the group. I thought you could sense that was back Saturday and Solomon made the plays he needed to make. There were times earlier in the year when some of those deep throws were off the mark but he cleaned it up Saturday and it made a difference - even though receivers were wide open on a couple of them.
Running backs: If there was a group that would receive an A-plus this week it would be the running back unit for Arizona. From Nick Wilson to Orlando Bradford all of Arizona's running backs used in the game had big plays and helped generate some big offense. The one running back who didn't have multiple touchdowns finished with the most yards (Jared Baker - 123). One thing Saturday showed is that when healthy Arizona has a legitimate group behind Wilson with Bradford being the key to that with his three touchdowns.
Moving forward this season that could really let Arizona try some different things and get Bradford some more touches.
Receivers: Much like Rich Rodriguez didn't think it was Solomon's best performance but he did what he needed to do that's where I'm at with Arizona's receiver group. The unit definitely made some plays and there were probably some others left out there, but there were still some issues with drops as well as getting separation. Johnny Jackson and David Richards were able to come up with big plays but if you take those out it was more of a so-so day for the receivers. I do think it's coming at some point, but there still hasn't quite been that game where the receivers completely go off.
Offensive line: Much like his quarterbacks Rodriguez is generally pretty hard on his offensive linemen, but he was all about praise Saturday after the win. There was a shift made with the group as Freddie Tagaloa made the move from tackle to guard and it seems to be the right move after one game. His skill set is much more effective there and Layth Friekh has really grown into a solid option at left tackle with more experience. That unit looked much more aggressive and it was a lot easier for it to throw its weight around this week. Time will tell if the way it looked Saturday can continue, but it seems to have found the right combination now up front.
Defensive line: One overarching theme you saw Saturday with Arizona's defensive line is that is was just much more active than it has been. Now some of that goes with the team it was playing against as opposed to the last two weeks, but there really seemed to be a renewed energy among the group too. Anthony Fotu obviously had the big play with the batted ball and interception but the whole unit looked confident all day. With things a little more simplified (playing the run much more) it allowed the group to get after it more in my opinion and that is when it is at its best. The group up front sets the tone for the rest of the defense and it did its job Saturday.
Linebackers: Shuffling up the linebacker unit was definitely the right move for Arizona and it came at the right time. I still think it is hard to make the kinds of moves it did against a team like Stanford or UCLA because the result might have actually been worse than what took place if guys are getting confused. You have to hand it to the staff for getting guys like Paul Magloire and Jake Matthews ready to go at new positions in such a short amount of time. Magloire was obviously the story leading the team with nine tackles and two tackles for loss. His presence, although not much different than if he were at a safety spot, was clear all day.
The move allowed him to be in great position to make plays against the run all day and that allowed the safeties to be a little more free to do what they do. What I liked about the starting group is that it is the most physically imposing you're going to get with what Arizona has available right now and that is important. The move for Magloire feels like something that will stick, but even if it doesn't Arizona at least knows what he can bring to position if it ever needs to move him there again.
All you need to really look at to see if the moves worked is look at the stats from Saturday's game. In recent games and really for most of the season Arizona's leading tacklers have been from the secondary. Against Oregon State the three starting linebackers all finished in the top four.
Secondary: As much as Arizona's linebackers stepped up it was another solid day for the secondary at both the safety and cornerback position. It was one of the more impactful days for the safety unit with Will Parks and Tellas Jones really making their presence felt while Jamar Allah did what he could while he was in there playing injured and Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles performing well too. It looked like that unit specifically wanted to make it known that it could be a physical group and you saw that on many occasions including Parks' monster hit.
That was a "message" game in my opinion from that unit.
At the corner spot I thought it was a productive day for the group who was down its leader DaVonte' Neal. Jarvis McCall stepped up his game with more of a chance to play and he ended up second in tackles and was tied for the team lead with two PBUs. Cam Denson had a quiet bounce back game from some of his recent struggles. He was solid and his side of the field stayed quiet and that's what you want. Arizona was forced to play some guys it might not otherwise have used and I thought Jace Whittaker did a good job during his first real extended look.
Overall it was the type of game Arizona needed to have coming off those two losses to get the mindset right again and to move forward from those blowouts.
Quarterbacks: It was not an outstanding day by Anu Solomon, but what I thought he brought to the team was a sense of calm and a confidence it was missing while he was out. As much as the Wildcats like what Jerrard Randall brings to the table it takes some of the confidence out the group. I thought you could sense that was back Saturday and Solomon made the plays he needed to make. There were times earlier in the year when some of those deep throws were off the mark but he cleaned it up Saturday and it made a difference - even though receivers were wide open on a couple of them.
Running backs: If there was a group that would receive an A-plus this week it would be the running back unit for Arizona. From Nick Wilson to Orlando Bradford all of Arizona's running backs used in the game had big plays and helped generate some big offense. The one running back who didn't have multiple touchdowns finished with the most yards (Jared Baker - 123). One thing Saturday showed is that when healthy Arizona has a legitimate group behind Wilson with Bradford being the key to that with his three touchdowns.
Moving forward this season that could really let Arizona try some different things and get Bradford some more touches.
Receivers: Much like Rich Rodriguez didn't think it was Solomon's best performance but he did what he needed to do that's where I'm at with Arizona's receiver group. The unit definitely made some plays and there were probably some others left out there, but there were still some issues with drops as well as getting separation. Johnny Jackson and David Richards were able to come up with big plays but if you take those out it was more of a so-so day for the receivers. I do think it's coming at some point, but there still hasn't quite been that game where the receivers completely go off.
Offensive line: Much like his quarterbacks Rodriguez is generally pretty hard on his offensive linemen, but he was all about praise Saturday after the win. There was a shift made with the group as Freddie Tagaloa made the move from tackle to guard and it seems to be the right move after one game. His skill set is much more effective there and Layth Friekh has really grown into a solid option at left tackle with more experience. That unit looked much more aggressive and it was a lot easier for it to throw its weight around this week. Time will tell if the way it looked Saturday can continue, but it seems to have found the right combination now up front.
Defensive line: One overarching theme you saw Saturday with Arizona's defensive line is that is was just much more active than it has been. Now some of that goes with the team it was playing against as opposed to the last two weeks, but there really seemed to be a renewed energy among the group too. Anthony Fotu obviously had the big play with the batted ball and interception but the whole unit looked confident all day. With things a little more simplified (playing the run much more) it allowed the group to get after it more in my opinion and that is when it is at its best. The group up front sets the tone for the rest of the defense and it did its job Saturday.
Linebackers: Shuffling up the linebacker unit was definitely the right move for Arizona and it came at the right time. I still think it is hard to make the kinds of moves it did against a team like Stanford or UCLA because the result might have actually been worse than what took place if guys are getting confused. You have to hand it to the staff for getting guys like Paul Magloire and Jake Matthews ready to go at new positions in such a short amount of time. Magloire was obviously the story leading the team with nine tackles and two tackles for loss. His presence, although not much different than if he were at a safety spot, was clear all day.
The move allowed him to be in great position to make plays against the run all day and that allowed the safeties to be a little more free to do what they do. What I liked about the starting group is that it is the most physically imposing you're going to get with what Arizona has available right now and that is important. The move for Magloire feels like something that will stick, but even if it doesn't Arizona at least knows what he can bring to position if it ever needs to move him there again.
All you need to really look at to see if the moves worked is look at the stats from Saturday's game. In recent games and really for most of the season Arizona's leading tacklers have been from the secondary. Against Oregon State the three starting linebackers all finished in the top four.
Secondary: As much as Arizona's linebackers stepped up it was another solid day for the secondary at both the safety and cornerback position. It was one of the more impactful days for the safety unit with Will Parks and Tellas Jones really making their presence felt while Jamar Allah did what he could while he was in there playing injured and Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles performing well too. It looked like that unit specifically wanted to make it known that it could be a physical group and you saw that on many occasions including Parks' monster hit.
That was a "message" game in my opinion from that unit.
At the corner spot I thought it was a productive day for the group who was down its leader DaVonte' Neal. Jarvis McCall stepped up his game with more of a chance to play and he ended up second in tackles and was tied for the team lead with two PBUs. Cam Denson had a quiet bounce back game from some of his recent struggles. He was solid and his side of the field stayed quiet and that's what you want. Arizona was forced to play some guys it might not otherwise have used and I thought Jace Whittaker did a good job during his first real extended look.
Overall it was the type of game Arizona needed to have coming off those two losses to get the mindset right again and to move forward from those blowouts.
