Here are three things to watch in the Arizona Wildcatsโ season opener against Northern Arizona at Arizona Stadium (8 p.m., Pac-12 Networks), plus a score prediction and some pertinent preview links:
1. REAL RB ROTATION?
Iโm going to skip quarterbacks here, because weโve been down that path many, many times. Iโm just as interested in what happens elsewhere in the backfield. Namely, whether Rich Rodriguez and Calvin Magee stick to their stated plan of rotating running backs. Nick Wilson and J.J. Taylor are listed as co-starters on the depth chart, and they are expected to split time. It would be a logical approach: Wilson is as good as any back in the Pac-12 when healthy, and Taylor looked phenomenal before getting hurt last year. But we heard similarly lofty compliments about Orlando Bradford entering last season, and he got a total of five carries in the first two games. Wilson had 41. Taylor โ a training-camp standout โ had one. It wasnโt until Wilson got hurt in Game 3 that Taylor got a real chunk of the work. Now that both are available, will they share the load? Will it be close to a 50-50 split? Will they sometimes be on the field at the same time?
2. THE NEW GUYS
So. Many. New. Guys. As Iโve stated in other spaces, the Wildcats could play as many as six freshmen at one time on defense. Six! In Week 1, Iโm going to focus on four players in particular: Kylan Wilborn, Tony Fields II, Colin Schooler and Scottie Young Jr. Wilborn is playing the โStudโ position. Itโs a DE-LB hybrid spot, but letโs face it: Itโs really all about getting to the quarterback. Thatโs what Wilborn needs to show he can do. Weโve heard nothing but positive things about Fields since spring. I havenโt seen him make a ton of plays in the practices weโve been able to watch. Will playing in a real game bring out the best in him? Fields could play alongside Schooler at times, although itโs more likely LB coach Scott Boone will pair the freshmen with vets. When he does play, Iโll be interested to see how Schooler handles his QB-like responsibilities as the โMikeโ linebacker. Young is in a similar position in the secondary, although heโll have more experience around him. That should enable him to continue to do what heโs done all summer: be a disruptive force in the defensive backfield.
3. SOMETHING SPECIAL?
Many of the defensive newcomers will play on special teams, an area in need of vast improvement. The Wildcats just didnโt get any big plays out of their special-teams units in any area last season. The longest return by any UA player was 33 yards. The Wildcats did not block a kick. They consistently had worse field position than their opponents. Can a deeper pool of talent and a new special-teams coach in Brian Knorr fix all that? Perhaps. They can start by executing the basics better. For example, more touchbacks on kickoffs. A year ago, Arizona produced a touchback on 34.5 percent of its kickoffs. Its opponents did it at a 59.8 percent rate. Freshman Lucas Havrisik is supposed to help in that regard. More than anything, though, the Wildcats need to shore up their blocking to spring their return men. Weโve seen Shun Brown make big plays as a receiver and rusher. All he needs is an opening.
FINAL SCORE: Arizona 56, NAU 21
PREVIEW LINKS:
- The great unknown: Not even RichRod is sure what to expect from new-look Wildcats in opener
- Greg Hansen: 'Mr. Football' returns with a dose of UA-NAU history, 2017 optimism
- Wildcast Episode 4: NAU preview, Twitter mailbag, Carrington Vaughn
- UA-NAU Hot Sheet: On Finton Connolly, Sammy Morrison, Tony Fields II, Gronk bobbleheads
