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 47-28 victory over Hawaii on Saturday night:
1. Decisive Dawkins
The biggest change in quarterback Brandon Dawkins’ game from the previous week was how much more comfortable and confident he looked. Whether running or passing, he didn’t hesitate. Rich Rodriguez’s play-calling helped a lot in that regard. Rodriguez got Dawkins on the move and created some “easy” completions via play-action. In his two previous appearances, Dawkins completed just over 50 percent of his passes; against Hawaii, he hit on 76.2. One aspect of Dawkins’ game that deserves praise is how well he has protected the ball. The closest he has come to throwing an interception was against Grambling State on a ball that bounded into the air off Trey Griffey’s chest. The term “game manager” has a negative connotation, but every good quarterback manages the game. Dawkins did a terrific job in that regard against the Rainbow Warriors. Of course, it helps when you can outrun the entire defense. Which brings us to item No. 2 …
2. Multiple-choice test
J.J. Taylor was spectacular in relief of Nick Wilson and deserves his own paragraph (see below). But what really stood out in re-watching the game was how the combination of Dawkins and Taylor put extreme stress on the Hawaii defense. The read option absolutely works in college football if you have the right quarterback to run it, and Dawkins possesses the requisite skills. As astute Pac-12 Networks analyst Anthony Herron noted, Dawkins needs to show a little more patience at times at the “mesh point.” But his ability – and willingness – to pull the ball out and dash downfield creates a whole new set of problems for the defense. Dawkins’ first two touchdowns came on read-option plays. His two long completions to Shun Brown started with play-action fakes. Is Dawkins as advanced as Anu Solomon when it comes to running the entire offense? Probably not. But whether it’s Taylor or Wilson at tailback, those read-option-based plays are much more effective with Dawkins as the quarterback.
3. Swift Taylor
The Rainbow Warriors are still probably having nightmares about Taylor. He made so many of them look foolish. The freshman tailback, pressed into duty when Wilson got hurt in the first quarter, played like a video-game character come to life. Taylor utilized killer jukes, spin moves and stiff arms to befuddle the Hawaii defense for 186 scrimmage yards on 19 touches. He displayed extraordinary balance, contorting his body in ways most mortals can’t. The Rainbow Warriors certainly couldn’t, as several of them were left flailing. It was incredibly fun to watch. Will Taylor be as effective against the likes of Washington, UCLA and Utah, the next three teams on Arizona’s schedule? Who knows – but I think we’re going to find out, regardless of Wilson’s health. Taylor is too tantalizing a talent to keep on the bench. Even if he’s fine, I can’t imagine Wilson dominating the workload the way he did the first two weeks after what Taylor showed Saturday night.
4. This time it’s personnel
Every week I’ll provide some notes on individual players, so here goes … I was impressed with redshirt freshman Cody Creason, who started in place of Gerhard de Beer at right tackle. Creason wasn’t perfect, but he performed well and deserves serious consideration for more playing time. … Cornerback DaVonte’ Neal has tremendous athleticism, but he just isn’t a very physical football player. He got run over on Steven Lakalaka’s 6-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. Later in the period, Neal surrendered a long completion to Marcus Kemp. Neal had excellent position, but Kemp outfought him for the ball. … I thought linebacker Paul Magloire had his best game of 2016. He’s smart and athletic but sometimes is overly aggressive and gets himself out of position, leading to missed tackles. That didn’t happen as much against Hawaii. … Tailback Zach Green did an adequate job subbing for Taylor. Green looks like the type of back who will, at the very least, get what’s there. … I know Tristan Cooper drew RichRod’s ire with that unnecessary-roughness penalty, but Cooper showed why Marcel Yates likes him so much. The freshman safety is ultra-aggressive and craves contact. Even when he overcommitted on a couple of running plays, Cooper was able to hustle and recover.
5. Defensive disintegration
Watching the TV replay gave me a chance to dissect what happened to the defense in the second half. (I’ll admit I didn’t give it my full attention the first time around; blame those pesky newspaper deadlines.) The tackling issue, which the Wildcats seemed to remedy in the first half, reappeared in the second. Hawaii’s backup quarterback, Dru Brown, gave the defense problems, especially on read-option plays; the Cats continued to crash too hard on the running back, leaving the outside open for the QB. And personnel losses due to injury (we presume) made for a less effective defensive unit as the game progressed. The pass rush isn’t as good without DeAndre’ Miller, who was creating all sorts of havoc off the edge (including drawing a holding penalty that negated a touchdown pass). With Dane Cruikshank unavailable (again, presumably because of an injury), Isaiah Hayes played a handful of series at cornerback. Brown smartly picked on the freshman, who had been playing free safety previously. Rodriguez always says Arizona’s depth isn’t where he wants it to be. It’s especially true on defense, as the second-half erosion illustrated. And that’s a big concern heading into conference play.
