It is officially fall and that means Arizona sports are in full swing. On the football side the Wildcats nearly pulled off a big upset to begin conference play. Meanwhile, Sean Miller’s basketball team is getting ready to begin official practices and will host its local media day this week.
There is plenty to discuss this week so let’s get right into the latest edition of the War Room.
Football
Arizona took top-10 Washington into overtime Saturday night and if not for a bad snap leading to a scramble to end the game and a few other miscues the Wildcats could have been talking about another win. Instead, the focus will be on the fight the ‘Cats showed in that game sticking around and almost pulling off the upset. UA lost JJ Taylor in the process and now the running back situation will be an interesting one.
* As we do every week here is a look at each position group with analysis after reviewing the tape of Saturday night’s game.
- Quarterbacks: It wasn’t perfect, but Brandon Dawkins’ third start and his first against a quality opponent likely sealed up his spot as Arizona’s starting quarterback the rest of the way. His command of the offense continues to improve and with a stout defense on the other side he was able to make the right plays in a lot of situations. Missing open receivers and not checking out of certain plays - such as the fourth-and-goal run that got stuffed - are going to have to be corrected, but he showed poise for the most part and a different element than Anu Solomon with his running ability. That is what separates the redshirt sophomore from his teammate, and right now that matters.
Being able to tuck the ball and pick up positive yards, especially early on drives, makes a difference. Running for 13.5 yards per carry makes a difference. Saturday was a “growing pains” type of game for Dawkins. If he was able to play that game over again this week you probably see an Arizona win just based off that experience he was able to get in the loss. Now with Arizona’s issues at running back a quarterback who can make plays with his feet is needed more than ever.
- Running backs: Those issues are only getting worse for the Wildcats with Taylor going down in the third quarter of the loss with a broken ankle. Rich Rodriguez called him “lights out” and he was in the midst of putting together another big performance against what is considered to be a dominant defense. The ankle injury is something that could and likely will keep Taylor out for the rest of the year and from the sounds of it Nick Wilson is in an interesting situation with his ankle as well. He is out of the boot, but Solomon has been out of his brace for weeks so that clearly doesn’t mean much - although a different situation. Taylor was on the fast track to being a star through his first couple games of real action, but even early in the game Saturday he was taking some real punishment. It is hard not to as a running back, but once he gets back on the field it will be something he will need to be aware of.
Getting Wilson back would make things easier, but for now expect UA to continue to experiment with some different options this week. Zach Green should be the first option because of his experience at the position and in the offense but Tyrell Johnson will get his shot and Branden Leon could get some touches as well. Other options include Samajie Grant and maybe Anthony Mariscal. Both players ran the ball in high school and have experience at the position. Grant has already worked at running back some in his career with the ‘Cats during practice.
- Receivers/tight ends: Arizona’s receivers had a tough job Saturday night going against a secondary that gets plenty of attention. Still, it was the continued emergence of sophomore Shun Brown that impressed. He finished the game as the leading receiver with seven catches for 114 yards. His big play came on a scramble from Dawkins where he eventually just found an opening and converted a long pass play that eventually led to the tying score in the fourth quarter. Brown is becoming a favorite target for Dawkins and while he can’t start to fall in love with one receiver it is a nice option to go along with Arizona’s veteran starters.
As an entire group Arizona’s receiver unit left some things to be desired. The other three starters combined for just four catches for just 15 yards. There is still an issue of getting open that continues to creep up a bit although there were definitely times when the receivers did their jobs but Dawkins just missed them.
Arizona was able to get a tight end touchdown to tie the game with Josh Kern catching a short pass for the score. Still, the tight ends have been most useful in the running game being used as blockers sometimes in two tight end sets. As Arizona goes through running backs the tight ends’ roles are becoming even more important to make life easier on the replacement backs. Only expect more of that moving forward.
- Offensive line: The group up front is starting to find its rhythm and some cohesion now going into the fifth game of the season, but there were still some miscues Saturday night. The line really got eaten alive on the fourth-and-goal play in the first half, and there were a few poor snaps as well. Still, the biggest element of the game was that there was progress for a unit that has been searching for it going into Pac-12 play. It was back to the old starting unit and the group looked good for most of the first half.
There were not as many glaring issues up front as there had been and again progress is the name of the game with Jim Michalczik’s group. Building off Saturday’s performance will be important as it will face another group of solid players this week, but there is some momentum now for the Wildcats’ offensive line.
- Defensive line: As it usually does Arizona’s defensive line had plenty of criticism during Saturday’s game. There were definitely times when it was overmatched. Watching the game a second time showed a bit of a different story as UA was able to generate some pressure and do its job in a lot of situations. There are going to still be instances where the defensive line is doing its job but it looks a lot like it did last season. Maybe that is not as appealing to the eye, but it should get the job done.
Of course UA had to shuffle things around because of injury and that meant not being able to do some certain things, but with somewhat of a makeshift group up front there were still some positives. It still comes down to being active for the Wildcats. There still feels like a lack of activity at time with the group and that has to improve to generate the type of pressure it wants to. That will be a key moving forward.
- Linebackers: Like a lot of the other position groups there were good things that Arizona’s linebackers did, but there were also things that could have been better and helped contribute to a win Saturday. Cody Ippolito and Michael Barton were the most active each picking up six tackles and combining for two tackles for loss. Barton has certainly watched his role increase and it has put Paul Magloire in a bit of a rut. UA decided to go with Barton down the stretch quite a bit, but it needs Magloire to reach its full potential.
He had four tackles and half a sack, but the increase in play for Barton in recent weeks has impacted him. Not having DeAndre’ Miller out there changed a lot as well. Miller hasn’t quite reached the level of dominance he showed at times in the spring and during camp, but not having him out there was noticeable. John Kenny is a solid backup, but he wasn’t the type of presence that Miller is.
- Safeties: It was an interesting day for Arizona’s safeties. Tellas Jones dressed for the second week with his ankle injury and despite being listed as probable going into the game he once again did not play. Arizona went with freshman Tristan Cooper for his second start and it was a grow-up type game for the El Paso native. It was the first time there were flashes of Cooper looking like a freshman. He finished with three tackles and a forced fumble, but at times it looked like the game was moving faster than he was mentally. It will be a good experience for him in the end but that was the big takeaway. Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles continued to perform well with some big pass breakups and eight tackles.
There are still some growing pains that sometimes go unnoticed with the unit and Jarvis McCall is still a bit young at that free safety spot. Not young in age, but in experience. There are times that back end is opened up and it happened against Washington. For the safety group it is about growing and really understanding the scheme to take that next level.
- Cornerbacks: There is not much left to say about Arizona’s cornerback unit that hasn’t already been said. Donté Williams, as we have said previously, has a heck of a job on his hands this season. The positive is that Dane Cruikshank is starting to really grasp the position and come into his own. He had a big interception but there are still some intricacies of the position that he is still trying to work on.
There are still far too many big plays for receivers and Washington’s receiver group is not necessarily filled with playmakers. It is going to continue to be an adventure this season with the unit and there isn’t a ton of depth there as it is. For now UA will just have to get by and continue taking its chances and trying to figure out how to put the corners in the best positions to be effective.
There is plenty to discuss this week so let’s get right into the latest edition of the War Room.
Football
Arizona took top-10 Washington into overtime Saturday night and if not for a bad snap leading to a scramble to end the game and a few other miscues the Wildcats could have been talking about another win. Instead, the focus will be on the fight the ‘Cats showed in that game sticking around and almost pulling off the upset. UA lost JJ Taylor in the process and now the running back situation will be an interesting one.
* As we do every week here is a look at each position group with analysis after reviewing the tape of Saturday night’s game.
- Quarterbacks: It wasn’t perfect, but Brandon Dawkins’ third start and his first against a quality opponent likely sealed up his spot as Arizona’s starting quarterback the rest of the way. His command of the offense continues to improve and with a stout defense on the other side he was able to make the right plays in a lot of situations. Missing open receivers and not checking out of certain plays - such as the fourth-and-goal run that got stuffed - are going to have to be corrected, but he showed poise for the most part and a different element than Anu Solomon with his running ability. That is what separates the redshirt sophomore from his teammate, and right now that matters.
Being able to tuck the ball and pick up positive yards, especially early on drives, makes a difference. Running for 13.5 yards per carry makes a difference. Saturday was a “growing pains” type of game for Dawkins. If he was able to play that game over again this week you probably see an Arizona win just based off that experience he was able to get in the loss. Now with Arizona’s issues at running back a quarterback who can make plays with his feet is needed more than ever.
- Running backs: Those issues are only getting worse for the Wildcats with Taylor going down in the third quarter of the loss with a broken ankle. Rich Rodriguez called him “lights out” and he was in the midst of putting together another big performance against what is considered to be a dominant defense. The ankle injury is something that could and likely will keep Taylor out for the rest of the year and from the sounds of it Nick Wilson is in an interesting situation with his ankle as well. He is out of the boot, but Solomon has been out of his brace for weeks so that clearly doesn’t mean much - although a different situation. Taylor was on the fast track to being a star through his first couple games of real action, but even early in the game Saturday he was taking some real punishment. It is hard not to as a running back, but once he gets back on the field it will be something he will need to be aware of.
Getting Wilson back would make things easier, but for now expect UA to continue to experiment with some different options this week. Zach Green should be the first option because of his experience at the position and in the offense but Tyrell Johnson will get his shot and Branden Leon could get some touches as well. Other options include Samajie Grant and maybe Anthony Mariscal. Both players ran the ball in high school and have experience at the position. Grant has already worked at running back some in his career with the ‘Cats during practice.
- Receivers/tight ends: Arizona’s receivers had a tough job Saturday night going against a secondary that gets plenty of attention. Still, it was the continued emergence of sophomore Shun Brown that impressed. He finished the game as the leading receiver with seven catches for 114 yards. His big play came on a scramble from Dawkins where he eventually just found an opening and converted a long pass play that eventually led to the tying score in the fourth quarter. Brown is becoming a favorite target for Dawkins and while he can’t start to fall in love with one receiver it is a nice option to go along with Arizona’s veteran starters.
As an entire group Arizona’s receiver unit left some things to be desired. The other three starters combined for just four catches for just 15 yards. There is still an issue of getting open that continues to creep up a bit although there were definitely times when the receivers did their jobs but Dawkins just missed them.
Arizona was able to get a tight end touchdown to tie the game with Josh Kern catching a short pass for the score. Still, the tight ends have been most useful in the running game being used as blockers sometimes in two tight end sets. As Arizona goes through running backs the tight ends’ roles are becoming even more important to make life easier on the replacement backs. Only expect more of that moving forward.
- Offensive line: The group up front is starting to find its rhythm and some cohesion now going into the fifth game of the season, but there were still some miscues Saturday night. The line really got eaten alive on the fourth-and-goal play in the first half, and there were a few poor snaps as well. Still, the biggest element of the game was that there was progress for a unit that has been searching for it going into Pac-12 play. It was back to the old starting unit and the group looked good for most of the first half.
There were not as many glaring issues up front as there had been and again progress is the name of the game with Jim Michalczik’s group. Building off Saturday’s performance will be important as it will face another group of solid players this week, but there is some momentum now for the Wildcats’ offensive line.
- Defensive line: As it usually does Arizona’s defensive line had plenty of criticism during Saturday’s game. There were definitely times when it was overmatched. Watching the game a second time showed a bit of a different story as UA was able to generate some pressure and do its job in a lot of situations. There are going to still be instances where the defensive line is doing its job but it looks a lot like it did last season. Maybe that is not as appealing to the eye, but it should get the job done.
Of course UA had to shuffle things around because of injury and that meant not being able to do some certain things, but with somewhat of a makeshift group up front there were still some positives. It still comes down to being active for the Wildcats. There still feels like a lack of activity at time with the group and that has to improve to generate the type of pressure it wants to. That will be a key moving forward.
- Linebackers: Like a lot of the other position groups there were good things that Arizona’s linebackers did, but there were also things that could have been better and helped contribute to a win Saturday. Cody Ippolito and Michael Barton were the most active each picking up six tackles and combining for two tackles for loss. Barton has certainly watched his role increase and it has put Paul Magloire in a bit of a rut. UA decided to go with Barton down the stretch quite a bit, but it needs Magloire to reach its full potential.
He had four tackles and half a sack, but the increase in play for Barton in recent weeks has impacted him. Not having DeAndre’ Miller out there changed a lot as well. Miller hasn’t quite reached the level of dominance he showed at times in the spring and during camp, but not having him out there was noticeable. John Kenny is a solid backup, but he wasn’t the type of presence that Miller is.
- Safeties: It was an interesting day for Arizona’s safeties. Tellas Jones dressed for the second week with his ankle injury and despite being listed as probable going into the game he once again did not play. Arizona went with freshman Tristan Cooper for his second start and it was a grow-up type game for the El Paso native. It was the first time there were flashes of Cooper looking like a freshman. He finished with three tackles and a forced fumble, but at times it looked like the game was moving faster than he was mentally. It will be a good experience for him in the end but that was the big takeaway. Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles continued to perform well with some big pass breakups and eight tackles.
There are still some growing pains that sometimes go unnoticed with the unit and Jarvis McCall is still a bit young at that free safety spot. Not young in age, but in experience. There are times that back end is opened up and it happened against Washington. For the safety group it is about growing and really understanding the scheme to take that next level.
- Cornerbacks: There is not much left to say about Arizona’s cornerback unit that hasn’t already been said. Donté Williams, as we have said previously, has a heck of a job on his hands this season. The positive is that Dane Cruikshank is starting to really grasp the position and come into his own. He had a big interception but there are still some intricacies of the position that he is still trying to work on.
There are still far too many big plays for receivers and Washington’s receiver group is not necessarily filled with playmakers. It is going to continue to be an adventure this season with the unit and there isn’t a ton of depth there as it is. For now UA will just have to get by and continue taking its chances and trying to figure out how to put the corners in the best positions to be effective.
