Monday the media was back at Arizona Stadium for Kevin Sumlin's weekly press conference as the Wildcats get ready for Texas Tech this weekend. There were still some questions about Saturday night's win over Northern Arizona and Sumlin was in a better mood Monday than he was after the 65-41 victory for the Wildcats.
Here's a rundown of some of the notable topics that were discussed and addressed by Sumlin during his Monday press conference.
- Sumlin was first asked about Texas Tech and what the team brings to the table as it is Arizona's first Power Five opponent of the season. The UA head coach first pointed to the TTU defense which has given up just 13 points through its first two games and is currently ranked ninth in total defense heading into Saturday's meeting. He also couldn't ignore the Red Raiders offense that is capable of putting up plenty of points.
He was later asked about the potential for a high-scoring game Saturday night and Sumlin didn't shy away from the fact that it could be a long night for both defenses with how much scoring the offensive groups are capable of.
"This game is gonna be like that from the start," he said when asked about it being a potentially high-scoring game and if the team who makes the last defensive stand will win. "Everybody is going to point to certain plays during the game in the end, but a game like this with explosive teams and offenses it's gonna start that way. The goal is to get off the field on third down for both teams and stay on the field.
"Who's going to hang on to the ball. From a time of possession standpoint but from a turnover margin standpoint. It could be a big factor in this game. ... If there's pressure on our offense there will be pressure on theirs, too. ... The offense's job is to score one more point than the opponent to win. And the defense's job is to try to stop them every time."
- The only two changes made to the depth chart Monday were at specialist positions. Freshman punter Kyle Ostendorp, who earned the start against NAU, was officially added to the top of the depth chart while freshman long snapper Seth MacKellar also was moved to the top. MacKeller was also used in the game against NAU. As the week moves along Sumlin said that there will be another competition this week at the punting position and whoever performs best will get the chance to play in Saturday's game.
That won't be the only spot where Arizona will have competitions this week. Sumlin said at positions where players have not been performing as well in the games there will be open competitions, so more moves could continue to take place as the UA head coach made it clear Monday that the goal is to get the best players on the field.
- Arizona's defense was naturally a big topic during Monday's press conference and there were certain aspects of it that were brought up. Sumlin elaborated some more on the actual problems the defense has been having heading into Saturday's game and he said it has not been one thing that has impacted the group. He cited poor communication and inexperienced players simply not understanding where they need to be in certain situations as contributing factors to the poor showing by the defense in the first two games.
As for what happened in the second half of the NAU game, Sumlin contributed it to having players who have not played much making mistakes plus a lack of focus among other things.
- Middle linebacker Colin Schooler was banged up in the game against Hawaii, so he only played one half against NAU Saturday night. The Wildcats went to some other players at the linebacker spots, but it was made clear that he wants to see the group around Schooler continue to improve especially players such as Day Day Coleman and Derrion Clark.
- Some of Arizona's younger players who have had a chance to play so far this season have had a mixed bag of results. Two freshmen who had solid showings against Hawaii had some issues in the NAU game. Cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace came up with an interception, but not before he had some problems in coverage. Fellow corner Bobby Wolfe had a quiet night after having a strong debut against the Warriors. It was something that didn't go unnoticed by the UA head coach.
"He started slow," Sumlin said about Roland-Wallace who finished the game with one tackle. "We had a couple guys, some of these young guys, that it was kind of weird just started slow. I thought Bobby Wolfe started slow. I thought a couple of these young guys were just kind of out there. Then they picked it up at the end. When you've got young guys that's part of the problem, inconsistency. Some things happen.
"Hopefully that was a learning process for Christian, because later on he made a heck of a play. Early in the game he grabs a guy and just stops running and lets the guy score. And I said, 'What are you doing?' So then he comes back in the end leaves his guy and goes and flies and makes an interception. He's got great talent. ... The emotional piece you've gotta bring yourself and I think for a young player that part becomes important because ... you can't just walk out there and play. You can do that in high school because you're probably better than a lot of guys but when you step out there now and everybody's like you, you better emotionally be ready to go or you'll get exposed."
You can hear Sumlin's thoughts on a couple more topics in the video below including his take on the running back group and how his goal now is to keep that group happy since all five scholarship guys have shown they can contribute.
Here's a rundown of some of the notable topics that were discussed and addressed by Sumlin during his Monday press conference.
- Sumlin was first asked about Texas Tech and what the team brings to the table as it is Arizona's first Power Five opponent of the season. The UA head coach first pointed to the TTU defense which has given up just 13 points through its first two games and is currently ranked ninth in total defense heading into Saturday's meeting. He also couldn't ignore the Red Raiders offense that is capable of putting up plenty of points.
He was later asked about the potential for a high-scoring game Saturday night and Sumlin didn't shy away from the fact that it could be a long night for both defenses with how much scoring the offensive groups are capable of.
"This game is gonna be like that from the start," he said when asked about it being a potentially high-scoring game and if the team who makes the last defensive stand will win. "Everybody is going to point to certain plays during the game in the end, but a game like this with explosive teams and offenses it's gonna start that way. The goal is to get off the field on third down for both teams and stay on the field.
"Who's going to hang on to the ball. From a time of possession standpoint but from a turnover margin standpoint. It could be a big factor in this game. ... If there's pressure on our offense there will be pressure on theirs, too. ... The offense's job is to score one more point than the opponent to win. And the defense's job is to try to stop them every time."
- The only two changes made to the depth chart Monday were at specialist positions. Freshman punter Kyle Ostendorp, who earned the start against NAU, was officially added to the top of the depth chart while freshman long snapper Seth MacKellar also was moved to the top. MacKeller was also used in the game against NAU. As the week moves along Sumlin said that there will be another competition this week at the punting position and whoever performs best will get the chance to play in Saturday's game.
That won't be the only spot where Arizona will have competitions this week. Sumlin said at positions where players have not been performing as well in the games there will be open competitions, so more moves could continue to take place as the UA head coach made it clear Monday that the goal is to get the best players on the field.
- Arizona's defense was naturally a big topic during Monday's press conference and there were certain aspects of it that were brought up. Sumlin elaborated some more on the actual problems the defense has been having heading into Saturday's game and he said it has not been one thing that has impacted the group. He cited poor communication and inexperienced players simply not understanding where they need to be in certain situations as contributing factors to the poor showing by the defense in the first two games.
As for what happened in the second half of the NAU game, Sumlin contributed it to having players who have not played much making mistakes plus a lack of focus among other things.
- Middle linebacker Colin Schooler was banged up in the game against Hawaii, so he only played one half against NAU Saturday night. The Wildcats went to some other players at the linebacker spots, but it was made clear that he wants to see the group around Schooler continue to improve especially players such as Day Day Coleman and Derrion Clark.
- Some of Arizona's younger players who have had a chance to play so far this season have had a mixed bag of results. Two freshmen who had solid showings against Hawaii had some issues in the NAU game. Cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace came up with an interception, but not before he had some problems in coverage. Fellow corner Bobby Wolfe had a quiet night after having a strong debut against the Warriors. It was something that didn't go unnoticed by the UA head coach.
"He started slow," Sumlin said about Roland-Wallace who finished the game with one tackle. "We had a couple guys, some of these young guys, that it was kind of weird just started slow. I thought Bobby Wolfe started slow. I thought a couple of these young guys were just kind of out there. Then they picked it up at the end. When you've got young guys that's part of the problem, inconsistency. Some things happen.
"Hopefully that was a learning process for Christian, because later on he made a heck of a play. Early in the game he grabs a guy and just stops running and lets the guy score. And I said, 'What are you doing?' So then he comes back in the end leaves his guy and goes and flies and makes an interception. He's got great talent. ... The emotional piece you've gotta bring yourself and I think for a young player that part becomes important because ... you can't just walk out there and play. You can do that in high school because you're probably better than a lot of guys but when you step out there now and everybody's like you, you better emotionally be ready to go or you'll get exposed."
You can hear Sumlin's thoughts on a couple more topics in the video below including his take on the running back group and how his goal now is to keep that group happy since all five scholarship guys have shown they can contribute.
