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 39-17 loss to Mississippi State on Saturday:
1. LIL’ HELP?
Upon further review, quarterback Jayden de Laura performed better than we initially thought. He struggled in certain areas, without question. But he also didn’t get sufficient help from his teammates or coaches. Several snaps by center Josh Baker were slightly off, throwing off the timing of plays – and, in one case, leading to a “team sack.” The overall pass protection was OK at best. Six of de Laura’s passes were dropped, per Pro Football Focus. Meanwhile, as he acknowledged after the game, Jedd Fisch didn’t always put de Laura in position to succeed. We can think of at least two striking examples. Midway through the second quarter, de Laura finally started to find a rhythm. After eight straight unsuccessful passes, de Laura connected on five of six throws. Fisch then inserted Jamarye Joiner for his second “Wildcat” play, taking de Laura off the field and disrupting said rhythm. At the end of the half, Arizona reached the MSU 32-yard line with nine seconds left and one timeout. The next snap was a passing play without a clear purpose. Whether it was a shot downfield or an out pattern to the sideline, it had to be a quick-developing play. This wasn’t. De Laura had two receivers open in the flats. But he correctly deciphered that throwing to either would risk the clock expiring. He ended up going down for a sack that took the Wildcats out of FG range. A better play call could have led to a better result.
2. CHECKMATE
Mike Leach has called plays in hundreds of college games. Johnny Nansen has been a defensive coordinator in all of two. Leach – with the help of savvy QB Will Rogers – got the better of Nansen in a handful of critical situations. Unfortunately, those plays resulted in touchdowns for the Bulldogs. Arizona used a stunting technique in the first quarter. On MSU’s first touchdown, Jo’quavious Marks plowed right into the area that DT Dion Wilson Jr. vacated by looping to his left. Three of Rogers’ four TD passes came against the blitz, per PFF. (He was 7 of 8 when the Wildcats brought extra rushers.) The first came against a six-man rush. Leach had the perfect counter – a fade ball to Caleb Ducking, who beat Christian Roland-Wallace to the corner. The next Bulldogs TD also came against a six-man rush. This time, Rogers threw a slant pass to Austin Williams, who beat Christian Young to the inside. Both plays were ideal blitz beaters. Did Leach and Rogers know what was coming? Impossible to say. But it sure looked that way.
3. THE VET AND THE ROOK
Experience matters. It’s evident in the play of two Wildcats we’re going to spotlight here: safety Jaxen Turner and receiver Tetairoa McMillan. It’ll be hard to top the play Turner made in the third quarter; it’s the early favorite for Arizona’s defensive play of the year. As Fisch put it, Turner used the “lawnmower” technique to strip the ball from Jamire Calvin. Then, as FS1 analyst Petros Papadakis noted, Turner had the “wherewithal” to scoop up the fumble and run it back. Fourth-year veterans have wherewithal; freshmen typically don’t. McMillan is immensely talented and destined for stardom. But he has some immaturity to his game that seeps out at times. McMillan and de Laura weren’t on the same wavelength on that second-quarter pass which was nearly picked in the end zone; that’s going to happen. But McMillan should have turned into a defensive back as soon as he realized what was happening; with a more forceful shove, Emmanuel Forbes wouldn’t have come close to getting his foot inbounds. McMillan also missed at least two blocks on bubble screens. It’s those little details that make the difference on plays like that. These games are great teaching tools for McMillan.
4. THIS TIME IT’S PERSONNEL
Our notes on individual players can be found here … Freshman RB Rayshon Luke played only offensive three snaps. As we mentioned last week, it seems like Fisch and his staff are still figuring out how to deploy “Speedy.” He needs 5-6 touches per game. ... Freshman QB Noah Fifita showed what he displayed in practice – a strong, accurate arm. Fifita threw two fade balls, one to Dorian Singer and one to McMillan, that could have resulted in touchdowns. A promising start. ... MSU used stunts and twists to great effect vs. the right side of Arizona’s offensive line. ... The Wildcats were able to get pressure with a three-man rush at times, thanks mainly to the work of Jalen Harris, Paris Shand and Kyon Barrs. Harris drew two holding penalties and a third that was declined after Arizona recovered a fumble. Shand is surging and has the highest ceiling of any UA defensive lineman. ... Wilson is starting to show the ability to shed blocks and move laterally to make plays. ... Turner and fellow safety Young both appeared to make a conscious effort to avoid blowup hits on passes over the middle. It’s a wise move; as Turner, in particular, knows all too well, all it takes is one helmet-to-helmet hit and you’re done for the night.
5. NO SATISFACTION
In a lot of ways, this game felt like one of many from 2021. Arizona had the ball, down by one score, late in the third quarter but couldn’t make enough plays on offense to close the gap. But as Fisch has mentioned many times, this isn’t the same team. Expectations are higher, and they should be. The Wildcats have three winnable games on the horizon against North Dakota State, Cal and Colorado. It's within reason, based on what we saw in Week 1, to think Arizona can win two of them. The Wildcats have to play better, of course. They also have to adjust their mentality. They can’t be satisfied with the idea that they competed for four quarters against an SEC opponent. The bar has to be set higher than that. Fisch consistently has emphasized that this is a long-term, step-by-step build. That’s still true. It doesn’t mean Arizona should accept moral victories. The Wildcats have had enough of those in recent seasons to last a lifetime.
