Arizona had a weekend it will look to put behind it now as things move forward, but the good news for the Wildcats is that their 56-30 loss to UCLA Saturday night is just the first Pac-12 Conference game and there is still a lot of season left to go. Because of the Wildcats’ 12 games in 12 weeks schedule there will be no time for rest or thinking about Saturday’s contest as UA has another big one coming up this Saturday.
We will take a deeper look into Arizona’s loss in this week’s War Room as well as look ahead to what is coming up for UA this week.
In addition to that we will take a look at recruiting as well in another big War Room this week. Let’s get right to it.
Football
Soon enough Arizona will move past its loss to UCLA and things get started anew Monday with Rich Rodriguez’s weekly press conference before the ‘Cats hit the field again Tuesday to start preparations for Stanford. Not many saw the type of game coming that took place inside Arizona Stadium Saturday, but turnovers and poor tackling led to the one-sided result. There were some positive things to take away and we’ll examine both position group by position group today in the War Room.
* It was building up to be a much better game than what took place Saturday night between the ‘Cats and UCLA, and while not everything was bad for Arizona the negative will always get more attention in a loss. Here is a look at we think went wrong, and what went right, for UA in its loss to UCLA on Saturday night by position group.
- Quarterbacks: It was not the greatest day for Arizona’s quarterbacks with only 10 completions on 28 attempts and 115 passing yards. There were a couple of touchdowns thrown in the game, but Anu Solomon was injured during the game leaving some questions going into the new week. The injury to Solomon really derailed the passing game, but even before that he was just not as effective as he can be. The first drive Solomon looked like the guy who impressed in spring practice and fall camp, but he had some missed throws and then his injury on a running play.
Solomon did look more dedicated to the run during his time in the game which is a sign of progress, but the injury really changed things for UA at the quarterback position. The public was finally able to see what the media has seen in practice when it comes to Jerrard Randall’s passing ability Saturday night. He has one heck of an arm, but his accuracy and touch is what still needs work. If Solomon does end up missing time Randall will need to continue working on that aspect of his game just enough to keep defenses honest. He showed what he can do with his feet and that will always be there, but if he wants to make an impact as an overall quarterback he will need to do enough to make sure teams don’t load up the box on UA moving forward.
- Running backs: Arizona’s ground game was one of the things that was working Saturday night as Nick Wilson was once again effective with his ability to pick up big chunks of yardage throughout the game before his injury. He finished 136 yards but he didn’t have a score in the game. Jared Baker came in as a replacement for Wilson and performed decently as well with 58 yards on 10 carries for the ‘Cats. He did have a touchdown to help take the sting out of UA’s loss a little bit.
- Receivers: If there was one aspect of Arizona’s offense that was lacking Saturday night it was the receiving group. Coming into the game the Wildcats knew what UCLA’s approach was going to be and it was something Tony Dews has been preparing them for all season long. The receivers have been focused on being more physical going back to last spring and the group knew that was something UCLA was going to try to exploit since that is one thing the Bruins do best with their defensive backs.
Arizona had trouble creating separation and that caused some problems for the offense. It was giving UCLA’s defensive line time to go to work and that meant the timing was just a bit off. You have to give credit to Samajie Grant and Cayleb Jones for being on the field because neither one looked 100 percent in warm ups. Jones looked to have an issue out of his breaks really reaching top speed and that of course is an integral part in creating some separation down the field. He still led the team in receiving but it was clear he wasn’t at his healthiest.
- Offensive line: For Arizona the offensive line as a unit did a decent job of protection and as always getting some push up front to open some holes for runners. There were two sacks allowed in the game, but for the most part the protection wasn’t bad. Solomon was much more of a runner Saturday night, but it wasn’t because he was getting flushed out of the pocket so much as he looked to just be more dedicated to the run against UCLA.
The big issue of course came from Cayman Bundage with his miscues on snaps. The senior has been solid in his first season at center up until Saturday night’s game. There had not been any issues with the snaps up until the loss. That was a problem for Bundage early in his career and it is one reason the move was not made sooner for him, but there was really no indication that it was going to be a problem Saturday.
Because he had the added task of helping slow down Kenny Clark that is one big reason that things could have been a reason for it, but whatever the case that led to some big problems and shift in momentum for the ‘Cats.
- Defensive line: Outside of the receivers not being able to get separation and get open down the field the defensive line not being able to get a ton of pressure on Josh Rosen was another big issue for the ‘Cats. Now UA’s secondary wasn’t particularly great Saturday night, but being able to force Rosen into some mistakes or even just make him uncomfortable would make a huge difference. Now Arizona’s defensive linemen aren’t going to be asked to get a ton of sacks every game, but they do have to make things easier for those behind them to do so and that just wasn’t the case Saturday.
Rosen had a ton of time to throw and when you have a quarterback with the skill set of the freshman it gives him time to settle in and pick where he wants do his damage. Overall picture the ‘Cats did a decent job against the run at times Saturday night as it didn’t allow Paul Perkins or any other UCLA runner to get over 100 yards, but there is still a lot to clean up for the group moving forward.
- Linebackers: Arizona was finally able to get the group it wanted on the field at the linebacker position with Scooby Wright back and DeAndre’ Miller healthy again too. Cody Ippolito being out for the year certainly hurts, but for the most part the group of contributing linebackers out there Saturday night was the unit UA hoped to use most this season. There was always going to be some rust for Wright after missing the previous two games but he still ended up as one of the leading tacklers Saturday night and the linebackers accounted for three of the top seven tacklers for UA against UCLA.
Much like the team as a whole there are some issues in pass coverage that need to be worked out, but for the most part it was a step in the right direction for that group. It does need to make some strides in helping out with pressure as well moving forward.
- Secondary: Arizona’s defensive backs didn’t have their best day. We have already mentioned how much the lack of pressure let Rosen go to work and that played a part, but UCLA was able to get open at the right times to make things happen with its passing game. There are still a few too many breakdowns in pass coverage that continue to be an issue for UA, but again the most important thing with the group was the lack of tackling that took place.
There were some issues across the board with tackling for the Wildcats, but when the defensive backs are asked to come up and help in run support as much as they are for Arizona they have to be better about not allowing so many yards after contact as took place Saturday night.
Tellas Jones was a bright spot for the group as he had six tackles, a sack and a forced fumble in the loss. That is a good sign for Arizona moving forward as he needs to be making an impact at that bandit position, which in this defense is a playmaking position.
Special teams: Arizona had its issues kicking come up again Saturday as Casey Skowron missed a 29-yard field goal as well as an extra point. He did come back and knock through a 44-yard field goal which was actually an important moment for Arizona as you can’t lose him as the season continues. It’s a long year and it’s inevitable that UA is going to need him at a crucial moment this season, so that was a positive for the ‘Cats.
In addition to the kicking struggles was the return game for UA. There have been glimpses of some big returns for UA and those will likely come since Nate Phillips has some potential in him, but what is probably more concerning for Arizona is what it allows on the other side. Devin Fuller was able to have some nice returns for UCLA in the game giving his team a shorter field to work with and putting more pressure on UA’s defense.
Things like that can be worked through as time goes on, but it is something that UA will need to look at moving forward.
We will take a deeper look into Arizona’s loss in this week’s War Room as well as look ahead to what is coming up for UA this week.
In addition to that we will take a look at recruiting as well in another big War Room this week. Let’s get right to it.
Football
Soon enough Arizona will move past its loss to UCLA and things get started anew Monday with Rich Rodriguez’s weekly press conference before the ‘Cats hit the field again Tuesday to start preparations for Stanford. Not many saw the type of game coming that took place inside Arizona Stadium Saturday, but turnovers and poor tackling led to the one-sided result. There were some positive things to take away and we’ll examine both position group by position group today in the War Room.
* It was building up to be a much better game than what took place Saturday night between the ‘Cats and UCLA, and while not everything was bad for Arizona the negative will always get more attention in a loss. Here is a look at we think went wrong, and what went right, for UA in its loss to UCLA on Saturday night by position group.
- Quarterbacks: It was not the greatest day for Arizona’s quarterbacks with only 10 completions on 28 attempts and 115 passing yards. There were a couple of touchdowns thrown in the game, but Anu Solomon was injured during the game leaving some questions going into the new week. The injury to Solomon really derailed the passing game, but even before that he was just not as effective as he can be. The first drive Solomon looked like the guy who impressed in spring practice and fall camp, but he had some missed throws and then his injury on a running play.
Solomon did look more dedicated to the run during his time in the game which is a sign of progress, but the injury really changed things for UA at the quarterback position. The public was finally able to see what the media has seen in practice when it comes to Jerrard Randall’s passing ability Saturday night. He has one heck of an arm, but his accuracy and touch is what still needs work. If Solomon does end up missing time Randall will need to continue working on that aspect of his game just enough to keep defenses honest. He showed what he can do with his feet and that will always be there, but if he wants to make an impact as an overall quarterback he will need to do enough to make sure teams don’t load up the box on UA moving forward.
- Running backs: Arizona’s ground game was one of the things that was working Saturday night as Nick Wilson was once again effective with his ability to pick up big chunks of yardage throughout the game before his injury. He finished 136 yards but he didn’t have a score in the game. Jared Baker came in as a replacement for Wilson and performed decently as well with 58 yards on 10 carries for the ‘Cats. He did have a touchdown to help take the sting out of UA’s loss a little bit.
- Receivers: If there was one aspect of Arizona’s offense that was lacking Saturday night it was the receiving group. Coming into the game the Wildcats knew what UCLA’s approach was going to be and it was something Tony Dews has been preparing them for all season long. The receivers have been focused on being more physical going back to last spring and the group knew that was something UCLA was going to try to exploit since that is one thing the Bruins do best with their defensive backs.
Arizona had trouble creating separation and that caused some problems for the offense. It was giving UCLA’s defensive line time to go to work and that meant the timing was just a bit off. You have to give credit to Samajie Grant and Cayleb Jones for being on the field because neither one looked 100 percent in warm ups. Jones looked to have an issue out of his breaks really reaching top speed and that of course is an integral part in creating some separation down the field. He still led the team in receiving but it was clear he wasn’t at his healthiest.
- Offensive line: For Arizona the offensive line as a unit did a decent job of protection and as always getting some push up front to open some holes for runners. There were two sacks allowed in the game, but for the most part the protection wasn’t bad. Solomon was much more of a runner Saturday night, but it wasn’t because he was getting flushed out of the pocket so much as he looked to just be more dedicated to the run against UCLA.
The big issue of course came from Cayman Bundage with his miscues on snaps. The senior has been solid in his first season at center up until Saturday night’s game. There had not been any issues with the snaps up until the loss. That was a problem for Bundage early in his career and it is one reason the move was not made sooner for him, but there was really no indication that it was going to be a problem Saturday.
Because he had the added task of helping slow down Kenny Clark that is one big reason that things could have been a reason for it, but whatever the case that led to some big problems and shift in momentum for the ‘Cats.
- Defensive line: Outside of the receivers not being able to get separation and get open down the field the defensive line not being able to get a ton of pressure on Josh Rosen was another big issue for the ‘Cats. Now UA’s secondary wasn’t particularly great Saturday night, but being able to force Rosen into some mistakes or even just make him uncomfortable would make a huge difference. Now Arizona’s defensive linemen aren’t going to be asked to get a ton of sacks every game, but they do have to make things easier for those behind them to do so and that just wasn’t the case Saturday.
Rosen had a ton of time to throw and when you have a quarterback with the skill set of the freshman it gives him time to settle in and pick where he wants do his damage. Overall picture the ‘Cats did a decent job against the run at times Saturday night as it didn’t allow Paul Perkins or any other UCLA runner to get over 100 yards, but there is still a lot to clean up for the group moving forward.
- Linebackers: Arizona was finally able to get the group it wanted on the field at the linebacker position with Scooby Wright back and DeAndre’ Miller healthy again too. Cody Ippolito being out for the year certainly hurts, but for the most part the group of contributing linebackers out there Saturday night was the unit UA hoped to use most this season. There was always going to be some rust for Wright after missing the previous two games but he still ended up as one of the leading tacklers Saturday night and the linebackers accounted for three of the top seven tacklers for UA against UCLA.
Much like the team as a whole there are some issues in pass coverage that need to be worked out, but for the most part it was a step in the right direction for that group. It does need to make some strides in helping out with pressure as well moving forward.
- Secondary: Arizona’s defensive backs didn’t have their best day. We have already mentioned how much the lack of pressure let Rosen go to work and that played a part, but UCLA was able to get open at the right times to make things happen with its passing game. There are still a few too many breakdowns in pass coverage that continue to be an issue for UA, but again the most important thing with the group was the lack of tackling that took place.
There were some issues across the board with tackling for the Wildcats, but when the defensive backs are asked to come up and help in run support as much as they are for Arizona they have to be better about not allowing so many yards after contact as took place Saturday night.
Tellas Jones was a bright spot for the group as he had six tackles, a sack and a forced fumble in the loss. That is a good sign for Arizona moving forward as he needs to be making an impact at that bandit position, which in this defense is a playmaking position.
Special teams: Arizona had its issues kicking come up again Saturday as Casey Skowron missed a 29-yard field goal as well as an extra point. He did come back and knock through a 44-yard field goal which was actually an important moment for Arizona as you can’t lose him as the season continues. It’s a long year and it’s inevitable that UA is going to need him at a crucial moment this season, so that was a positive for the ‘Cats.
In addition to the kicking struggles was the return game for UA. There have been glimpses of some big returns for UA and those will likely come since Nate Phillips has some potential in him, but what is probably more concerning for Arizona is what it allows on the other side. Devin Fuller was able to have some nice returns for UCLA in the game giving his team a shorter field to work with and putting more pressure on UA’s defense.
Things like that can be worked through as time goes on, but it is something that UA will need to look at moving forward.
