Every Monday throughout the season, we’ll take a look back at Arizona’s previous game after re-watching the TV broadcast and present five key takeaways. Here are the five from the UA’s 48-14 loss to USC on Saturday:
1. Tale of the Tate
It doesn’t take intensive film review or a career in coaching to conclude that freshman quarterback Khalil Tate didn’t play well, especially when it came to throwing. The deeper question is why. Obviously, some of it is attributable to the simple fact that he’s a 17-year-old freshman who started only because snake-bitten Arizona didn’t have any other options. He also didn’t get the help he needed from his offensive line. On several occasions the Trojans got almost immediate pressure, forcing Tate to throw the ball away. On other occasions, including the killer interception in the second quarter, he made inaccurate throws – a product of poor footwork and a relative lack of practice repetitions. The latter was evident a few plays earlier when Tate and Trey Griffey weren’t on the same page on a third-and-10 pass down the left sideline that fell incomplete. “That’s what happens when you’ve got a carousel of quarterbacks rotating in,” Fox Sports 1 analyst Brady Quinn said. Exactly. How many times has Griffey run that play with Tate compared to Brandon Dawkins and Anu Solomon? You simply cannot expect the offense to be as crisp under these circumstances (which also include Arizona having to play its fourth-string running back).
2. Arizona’s ‘big’ problem
I never want to make this exercise about ripping kids. They’re not paid professionals and shouldn’t be treated as such. So I’ll try to phrase this very carefully … Arizona needs to find and develop better players in the trenches. The Trojans just manhandled the Wildcats far too many times. There were a couple of occasions when USC’s 6-foot-9, 360-pound tackle Zach Banner just tossed aside Arizona’s 6-foot-1, 247-pound defensive end Justin Belknap – which is the expected outcome when one guy outweighs the other by more than 100 pounds. On the other side of the ball, left guard Christian Boettcher – a former walk-on who has earned a scholarship – just looked out of his league against USC’s bigger, faster defensive linemen. Boettcher is a great story – a hard-working overachiever who had no Division I scholarship offers coming out of high school. But the UA shouldn’t be in a position where it has to play so many former or current walk-ons. That falls on Rich Rodriguez, who at least acknowledged Arizona’s shortcomings in recruiting this past offseason. Unfortunately, it’s going to take at least two strong recruiting classes to get this fixed.
3. Michael, Sam
UA linebacker Michael Barton must be having nightmares about USC QB Sam Darnold. Barton had Darnold lined up or even in his grasp on several occasions yet couldn’t bring him down. Even worse, Darnold would escape and run for a first down. Even though he threw five touchdown passes, Darnold’s passing wasn’t that sharp; there was one stretch in the second quarter when Arizona’s pressure got to the redshirt freshman, leading to multiple off-target throws. But he absolutely killed the Wildcats with his legs. Not enough UA defenders converged on him when he ran. In addition to needing more size up front, Arizona needs more speed in its linebacking corps – more guys who can play in space. That unit will look markedly different next year with Barton, Paul Magloire Jr., Jake Matthews and Cody Ippolito having used up their eligibility (although the injured Ippolito could apply for a sixth year). But will it be better?
4. This time it’s personnel
Every week I’ll provide some notes on individual players, so here goes … Is it crazy to say CB Dane Cruikshank actually played decently in a game in which JuJu Smith-Schuster caught nine passes for 132 yards and three touchdowns? Cruikshank battled Smith-Schuster – a likely first-round NFL draft pick – all game long with little if any safety help. As I tweeted during the game, Cruikshank needs to develop better ball awareness. All the other tools are there. … RB Zach Green had some good runs and effective blocks on QB sweeps – but also missed some blocks that disrupted plays. With Green or Tyrell Johnson at running back, Rodriguez’s options are limited. With Nick Wilson unable to stay healthy, and J.J. Taylor likely out for the year, it’s a problem that won’t go away anytime soon. … I’m convinced RichRod could cook up a game plan to be competitive with Matt Morin at quarterback. He is a good athlete with a good arm. But the fact that I’m even bringing it up speaks to how preposterous this season has become. … Cam Denson made a really nice adjustment on that 51-yard pass from Morin. Denson clearly has talent; whether he ever fulfills his potential is up to him. … Safeties Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, Tellas Jones and Jarvis McCall Jr. all showed a willingness to be physical against the run.
5. It's not for lack of trying
Although the game was out of reach, I watched the last few possessions very closely. I wanted to see if those gaping holes USC’s running backs were running through were a result of poor effort or something else. It didn’t seem like the Wildcats stopped trying, which is a good sign. They were simply overmatched and worn down at the end of a long, hot, difficult day. If they had checked out, Cruikshank wouldn’t have chased down Dominic Davis at the Arizona 5-yard line at the end of his 85-yard run. Nor would they have prevented the Trojans from scoring. Clearly, and understandably, the team is frustrated; no play personified that more than Barton’s inexcusable personal foul for retaliating in the third quarter. The players need to find a way to channel that energy in a positive direction. Arizona isn’t mathematically eliminated from bowl eligibility. If the Wildcats can get a little healthier – especially at quarterback – they might be able to pull off some surprises after the bye. The thing is, it’s going to take more than effort. Arizona has to avoid self-destructing. With the program in the midst of a downturn, it’s the only chance the Wildcats have.
