It’s an interesting time around Tucson. Arizona’s football team is searching for something positive to build around while it prepares to face a tough Pac-12 North opponent, Oregon, this weekend in the Homecoming Game.
The basketball team is coming off its Red-Blue Game a couple weekends ago and getting ready for its first exhibition in a couple weeks. Plus there is always recruiting going on and it is getting into crunch time for both programs on that front as the fall signing period approaches for hoops and the December signing period is not far off for the football staff.
The War Room is back this week, so let’s get right into it.
Football
Kevin Sumlin’s team is at a real crucial point in the season. It’s a week when things could go from bad to worse when it comes to any chance of making a bowl game if a loss to the Ducks takes place. The Wildcats are a two-score underdog heading into the game and Oregon is coming off a loss itself making this weekend’s game even more challenging. A win and UA has a sliver of a chance at being bowl eligible, but there has yet to be any official clarity on the quarterback position and the return of Khalil Tate.
* As the Wildcats get ready to face the Ducks there have been some things that have come to the forefront that are concerning about the Wildcats as the team finishes out the second half of the season. The 42-10 loss to Utah a couple weeks ago was the worst defeat of the season for the Wildcats. The offense bounced back against UCLA last week behind a solid performance from Rhett Rodriguez in his first start as the team decided to rest Tate’s injured ankle that was re-aggravated in that loss to the Utes. The end result was still a loss, but the offense was more productive than it had been in previous weeks.
The offensive side of the ball has certainly been concerning this season, but it isn’t the only thing. In this week’s War Room we will take a look at the aspects of UA’s season and team that are the most concerning at this point in the year as the Wildcats head into the toughest part of their schedule.
- It’s hard to ignore the lack of production from Arizona’s offense this season especially in the weeks before last week’s game. A sluggish UA offense has only mustered an average of 13.3 points over the three games prior to the UCLA loss, and in a league where teams’ specialty is scoring that simply won’t cut it most weeks. Tate being injured certainly impacted the offense and its progress over that time, but it also goes with some of the play calling and the Xs and Os as well.
The offense looked more cohesive last week with Rodriguez at the helm. There weren’t the hugely explosive plays that were so common last season with Tate taking the snaps, but there was consistency and that will always make a coach happy. Rodriguez isn’t the type of quarterback offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone would normally recruit, but when compared to Tate he is closer to what Mazzone looks for. That showed up on the field and allowed the offense to breathe a bit more.
Right now the safe bet is that Tate makes his return to the field this week with Rodriguez being ready to go if things still don’t seem quite right. The 2018 version of Tate has not had many games that he can truly be happy with, so it will be interesting to see if the rest helped him get locked back in.
The running game has gone through its ups and downs. UA is in the top 50 nationally when it comes to rushing, but it doesn’t feel like it all that often. The UCLA game was a boost in that regard, but there is still not the same kind of confidence there as there was a year ago. Again, it comes back to consistency.
- Marcel Yates is now in his third season as the defensive coordinator at Arizona. He was the man the players wanted to stay on board from the previous staff. Yates said during camp that he understood how important this year was going to be for his group and he put pressure on himself to make it better. There have certainly been moments when the Wildcats looked better. The game against Cal looked like a sign of improvement with several turnovers created and two defensive touchdowns. However, the Bears looked just as prone to those plays against UCLA the following week as they did against UA.
Meanwhile, the Wildcats looked like a team that took a step back against Utah. There are certainly injuries that have impacted things, but this was supposed to be the year that the experience within the system paid off. It has not quite happened that way and surrendering the second-most points of the season in Game 7 is not the way to improve. Whether it’s missed tackles or poor coverage on third down the same issues seem to be coming back to the forefront and that is not a good sign.
There were still some issues last week against UCLA, but UA was able to have some more production. This week will bring a different challenge with talent all over the field for the Ducks.
- There have certainly started to be some rumblings of unrest within the program and it was starting to pick up ahead of the UCLA game. There had been a debate for weeks about how injured Tate really was before the Utah game when the limp from his injured ankle looked as pronounced as it has all year long. Play calling in certain situations seems to have become an issue at times. Throw into that the murmurs of players being a bit unhappy with the situation as the coaching transition has played out and the threat of a number of departures after this season and it has the makings of a shake up at the end of the year. We have already seen one starter decide it was time to go with cornerback Tim Hough leaving the team ahead of last week’s game.
All of that noise can take the focus away from the field and that is not a good thing for a team hopeful to make a bowl game and get on track over the last portion of the regular season. Last week the seniors were clearly in a different mood than they have been in over the first part of the season. The end is creeping up for a number of players and contributors. Right now small problems can become bigger problems, and it at least feels like there is starting to be some fracturing within this team. It’s not so much that the season can’t be salvaged, but the Utah game certainly wasn’t a positive one for the psyche of a team that had gone through a rollercoaster of a season up to that point.
It will be interesting to see what the response will be this week coming after what many of the players have indicated was a tougher loss in the one-point defeat to UCLA. This week players have certainly made it seem like losing to UCLA felt worse than what happened in Salt Lake City and maybe that is the motivation the team needs to earn an upset this weekend and build some momentum over this last third of the season. Consistency is key for everyone and right now that has not been the story for UA.
- One of the most concerning things about this year’s team and something that will continue to be is the injuries at key spots for the Wildcats this year. Unfortunately, it is something UA fans have come to know too well. If not for all the injuries this season would probably look different. If there were three players the Wildcats could least afford to lose it would be the quarterback, the left tackle and the star cornerback. UA has had time without all three this season.
We have already detailed Tate’s issues and the team will played its first full game without him last week. Layth Friekh missed the first two games of the season, but when he returned the difference was noticeable. The Wildcats were able to run the ball much more effectively and the offense was able to have some rhythm to it. When Friekh injured his ankle and tried to push through it there simply wasn’t enough there to help the team. It has led to incomplete games for the fifth-year senior and shifting for the offensive line. The results when he’s not on the field just have not been the same.
Possibly the most important absence this season has been that of Jace Whittaker. The starting cornerback had quietly become one of the more productive players at his position in the conference and his leadership is something we have heard is lacking quite a bit right now within the group. Whittaker has suited up for a number of weeks now after dealing with a couple separate issues early in the year, but he has yet to take the field. He tried to play several weeks ago but was only on the field for a brief time before returning to the sideline and not coming back on the field.
His absence has changed a lot about how the secondary has performed and how the Wildcats have had to approach the cornerback position. Until he makes his return and until the team gets some good luck with health that will still be one of the biggest concerns about this team the rest of the way.
The basketball team is coming off its Red-Blue Game a couple weekends ago and getting ready for its first exhibition in a couple weeks. Plus there is always recruiting going on and it is getting into crunch time for both programs on that front as the fall signing period approaches for hoops and the December signing period is not far off for the football staff.
The War Room is back this week, so let’s get right into it.
Football
Kevin Sumlin’s team is at a real crucial point in the season. It’s a week when things could go from bad to worse when it comes to any chance of making a bowl game if a loss to the Ducks takes place. The Wildcats are a two-score underdog heading into the game and Oregon is coming off a loss itself making this weekend’s game even more challenging. A win and UA has a sliver of a chance at being bowl eligible, but there has yet to be any official clarity on the quarterback position and the return of Khalil Tate.
* As the Wildcats get ready to face the Ducks there have been some things that have come to the forefront that are concerning about the Wildcats as the team finishes out the second half of the season. The 42-10 loss to Utah a couple weeks ago was the worst defeat of the season for the Wildcats. The offense bounced back against UCLA last week behind a solid performance from Rhett Rodriguez in his first start as the team decided to rest Tate’s injured ankle that was re-aggravated in that loss to the Utes. The end result was still a loss, but the offense was more productive than it had been in previous weeks.
The offensive side of the ball has certainly been concerning this season, but it isn’t the only thing. In this week’s War Room we will take a look at the aspects of UA’s season and team that are the most concerning at this point in the year as the Wildcats head into the toughest part of their schedule.
- It’s hard to ignore the lack of production from Arizona’s offense this season especially in the weeks before last week’s game. A sluggish UA offense has only mustered an average of 13.3 points over the three games prior to the UCLA loss, and in a league where teams’ specialty is scoring that simply won’t cut it most weeks. Tate being injured certainly impacted the offense and its progress over that time, but it also goes with some of the play calling and the Xs and Os as well.
The offense looked more cohesive last week with Rodriguez at the helm. There weren’t the hugely explosive plays that were so common last season with Tate taking the snaps, but there was consistency and that will always make a coach happy. Rodriguez isn’t the type of quarterback offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone would normally recruit, but when compared to Tate he is closer to what Mazzone looks for. That showed up on the field and allowed the offense to breathe a bit more.
Right now the safe bet is that Tate makes his return to the field this week with Rodriguez being ready to go if things still don’t seem quite right. The 2018 version of Tate has not had many games that he can truly be happy with, so it will be interesting to see if the rest helped him get locked back in.
The running game has gone through its ups and downs. UA is in the top 50 nationally when it comes to rushing, but it doesn’t feel like it all that often. The UCLA game was a boost in that regard, but there is still not the same kind of confidence there as there was a year ago. Again, it comes back to consistency.
- Marcel Yates is now in his third season as the defensive coordinator at Arizona. He was the man the players wanted to stay on board from the previous staff. Yates said during camp that he understood how important this year was going to be for his group and he put pressure on himself to make it better. There have certainly been moments when the Wildcats looked better. The game against Cal looked like a sign of improvement with several turnovers created and two defensive touchdowns. However, the Bears looked just as prone to those plays against UCLA the following week as they did against UA.
Meanwhile, the Wildcats looked like a team that took a step back against Utah. There are certainly injuries that have impacted things, but this was supposed to be the year that the experience within the system paid off. It has not quite happened that way and surrendering the second-most points of the season in Game 7 is not the way to improve. Whether it’s missed tackles or poor coverage on third down the same issues seem to be coming back to the forefront and that is not a good sign.
There were still some issues last week against UCLA, but UA was able to have some more production. This week will bring a different challenge with talent all over the field for the Ducks.
- There have certainly started to be some rumblings of unrest within the program and it was starting to pick up ahead of the UCLA game. There had been a debate for weeks about how injured Tate really was before the Utah game when the limp from his injured ankle looked as pronounced as it has all year long. Play calling in certain situations seems to have become an issue at times. Throw into that the murmurs of players being a bit unhappy with the situation as the coaching transition has played out and the threat of a number of departures after this season and it has the makings of a shake up at the end of the year. We have already seen one starter decide it was time to go with cornerback Tim Hough leaving the team ahead of last week’s game.
All of that noise can take the focus away from the field and that is not a good thing for a team hopeful to make a bowl game and get on track over the last portion of the regular season. Last week the seniors were clearly in a different mood than they have been in over the first part of the season. The end is creeping up for a number of players and contributors. Right now small problems can become bigger problems, and it at least feels like there is starting to be some fracturing within this team. It’s not so much that the season can’t be salvaged, but the Utah game certainly wasn’t a positive one for the psyche of a team that had gone through a rollercoaster of a season up to that point.
It will be interesting to see what the response will be this week coming after what many of the players have indicated was a tougher loss in the one-point defeat to UCLA. This week players have certainly made it seem like losing to UCLA felt worse than what happened in Salt Lake City and maybe that is the motivation the team needs to earn an upset this weekend and build some momentum over this last third of the season. Consistency is key for everyone and right now that has not been the story for UA.
- One of the most concerning things about this year’s team and something that will continue to be is the injuries at key spots for the Wildcats this year. Unfortunately, it is something UA fans have come to know too well. If not for all the injuries this season would probably look different. If there were three players the Wildcats could least afford to lose it would be the quarterback, the left tackle and the star cornerback. UA has had time without all three this season.
We have already detailed Tate’s issues and the team will played its first full game without him last week. Layth Friekh missed the first two games of the season, but when he returned the difference was noticeable. The Wildcats were able to run the ball much more effectively and the offense was able to have some rhythm to it. When Friekh injured his ankle and tried to push through it there simply wasn’t enough there to help the team. It has led to incomplete games for the fifth-year senior and shifting for the offensive line. The results when he’s not on the field just have not been the same.
Possibly the most important absence this season has been that of Jace Whittaker. The starting cornerback had quietly become one of the more productive players at his position in the conference and his leadership is something we have heard is lacking quite a bit right now within the group. Whittaker has suited up for a number of weeks now after dealing with a couple separate issues early in the year, but he has yet to take the field. He tried to play several weeks ago but was only on the field for a brief time before returning to the sideline and not coming back on the field.
His absence has changed a lot about how the secondary has performed and how the Wildcats have had to approach the cornerback position. Until he makes his return and until the team gets some good luck with health that will still be one of the biggest concerns about this team the rest of the way.
