Every week throughout the season, we take a look back at the Arizona Wildcats’ previous game after re-watching it via the TV broadcast. Here are five key takeaways from the UA’s 34-30 loss to No. 20 USC on Saturday:
1. HOLDING PATTERN
Sophomore quarterback Grant Gunnell played well enough for Arizona to win. He bounced back from an early interception. He ran when those opportunities arose. He played with poise and passed with accuracy. He threw the go-ahead touchdown pass with 1:35 to play. If there’s an area where Gunnell can improve, it’s managing the game when the initial play breaks down and running lanes aren’t available. A handful of times, Gunnell held the ball too long and tried to buy time. Sometimes he was able to throw the ball away. Other times he got sacked, costing the Wildcats precious yardage. As Kevin Sumlin noted after the game, Arizona was in its version of “max protection” on some of those occasions – keeping the tight end and back in to block while sending only three receivers into the pattern. In other words, no outlets. We noticed that two times in the first half. Gunnell said he should have been quicker to check the ball down against USC’s “drop eight” zone, and that was absolutely the case on the last series. On the penultimate play, Gunnell could have dumped the ball to Gary Brightwell. Instead, Gunnell took a sack, taking Arizona out of Hail Mary range. Gunnell undoubtedly was concerned about the clock in that situation. The UA snapped the ball with 10 seconds left. But the Wildcats had a timeout, and Brightwell surely knew he’d have to get down or out of bounds. Gunnell will know what to do next time. Remember, Saturday was just his fourth career start.
2. DOWN AND OUT
Did Arizona go into a prevent defense on USC’s winning drive? Not exactly. But the Wildcats didn’t bring any pressure either. We charted the number of pass rushers on every passing play during that drive. Three times defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads sent three rushers; twice he sent four. A blitz, by definition, requires at least five. Should Rhoads have tried to pressure Kedon Slovis at least once? Probably. But some context is required here. Arizona dropped seven or eight defenders into zone coverage often during the game, and it’s considered one of the most effective schemes against USC’s version of the Air Raid offense. Secondarily, as Sumlin pointed out, the secondary was banged up by that point in the game. Jaydin Young, a freshman walk-on, had to come off the bench to man one of the safety spots. “We were down a couple safeties,” Sumlin said. “We had some mix-ups there. ... The ability to play man-to-man or a little tighter coverage, we were a little bit out of that. That was the position we were in, and USC took advantage of that.”
3. SO CLOSE YET ...
We have every reason to believe UA sophomore Christian Roland-Wallace will develop into an all-conference cornerback. He has size, speed and smarts. He’s close to playing at the level ... but isn’t there quite yet. The USC game could have been Roland-Wallace’s coming-out party. The opportunity literally slipped through his fingers. Think about how different the narrative would be today if Roland-Wallace had intercepted Slovis’ late pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown, or at least knocked it down. The ball was just a hair too high, and then the worst-case scenario unfolded: It caromed off of Roland-Wallace right to St. Brown for a 19-yard completion that set up the winning touchdown. Earlier, Roland-Wallace was in good position on a deep pass to St. Brown but mistimed his leap. You could also tell the difference when USC threw a bubble screen to Roland-Wallace’s side vs. savvy veteran Lorenzo Burns’ side. On two occasions, Roland-Wallace didn’t play with the proper leverage, leading to big gains. Burns, meanwhile, always knows where his help is. It takes time to learn the intricacies of football. Like Gunnell, Roland-Wallace eventually will get there.
4. THIS TIME IT’S PERSONNEL
Each week we provide some notes on individual players, so here goes … Brightwell looked like the future pro he’s expected to become. He ran with power, determination and decisiveness. ... Not only did WR Tayvian Cunningham show off his wheels on that 75-yard TD catch from Gunnell, Cunningham also showed nifty moves to gain first downs on a pair of underneath throws. ... WR Boobie Curry had only two catches for 9 yards. He had a chance for a third reception, but Gunnell just missed him in the end zone. Curry also drew a 15-yard foul for pass interference. The two have played together too long. It’s only a matter of time before they click. ... The Wildcats' interior offensive linemen were steadier than their tackles. Sophomore Jordan Morgan will learn a lot from facing Drake Jackson and USC’s other edge rushers. Veteran Paiton Fears needs to do a better job of finishing blocks once he gets his hands on defenders. ... Grad-transfer defensive linemen Aaron Blackwell and Roy Lopez lived up to their billing. Both played with strength and disrupted plays in the backfield. ... OLB Rourke Freeburg was a revelation, repeatedly crashing in from the outside to blow up plays. Several times he was unblocked. It’ll be interesting to see if Washington picks him up now that Rhoads’ scheme is on film. ... Sophomore Jaxen Turner played the best among the new safeties, but that position remains a concern.
5. CAUSE FOR OPTIMISM
Arizona didn’t win the game, and we agree with Gunnell that losing isn’t acceptable. But the loss against USC felt different than any of the seven before it. The Wildcats were competitive and feisty. They repeatedly responded to adversity. They provided a respectable, entertaining product – something you couldn’t say at any point over the final seven games of 2019. This isn’t the first time it has felt as if the program is headed in the right direction under Sumlin. The Wildcats rallied late in 2018 to put themselves on the brink of a bowl berth. They were 4-1 last year before everything fell apart. The difference this time is that their quarterback is just getting started, and their defensive coordinator has just begun to put his imprint on that side of the ball. With all due respect to the walk-ons who performed valiantly Saturday, Arizona doesn’t have the defensive personnel yet to make a real jump and knock off programs such as USC and Oregon. Whether the staff remains intact to see it through remains to be seen. An upset or two along the way in this abbreviated season would go a long way.
