The grades are in for Arizona’s 69-7 loss to Washington State on Saturday at Martin Stadium in Pullman, Washington:
QUARTERBACKS
Grade: C-minus
Comment: Brandon Dawkins started and didn’t finish. He completed only 1 of 4 passes for minus-2 yards, and his interception on the second series led directly to a Cougars touchdown. Anu Solomon entered in relief and had an up-and-down day. He completed 9 of 13 passes for 122 yards with a touchdown but also fumbled inside the WSU 10-yard line and suffered four sacks. Khalil Tate played the fourth quarter and completed only 1 of 6 passes for 8 yards with a pick. He missed a wide-open Shawn Poindexter for a sure touchdown.
RUNNING BACKS
Grade: B
Comment: The position least to blame for the debacle in Pullman. Samajie Grant rushed for 77 yards on just eight carries. They included a 50-yard run that saw him break free of multiple defenders in the backfield before scampering to the left sideline. Zach Green carried four times for 30 yards, including a season-long 23-yard run. He had no negative rushes.
RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
Grade: C
Comment: The age-old question must be asked again: Are the receivers not getting open, or are the quarterbacks just not finding them? Cam Denson did his part. The junior notched career highs in receptions (four) and yards (77) and scored Arizona’s lone touchdown. Shun Brown had three catches for 32 yards. Trey Griffey had just one catch for 4 yards and was robbed of a long gain on a questionable replay reversal. Tight end Trevor Wood made his first career start and had one catch for 9 yards.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
Grade: D-plus
Comment: Another subpar outing by this group, which didn’t have right guard Jacob Alsadek, who did not play because of an undisclosed injury. Christian Boettcher took his spot and was ruled to have been too far downfield on the first play from scrimmage, negating a touchdown. The line surrendered five sacks, a season high for Washington State. Too many plays had no chance because of almost immediate penetration into the UA backfield.
DEFENSIVE FRONT
Grade: D
Comment: The front got little to no pressure on Cougars QB Luke Falk. Arizona did not record a sack. Its lone tackle for loss came from third-string walk-on defensive lineman Larry Tharpe Jr. Jake Banda’s leaping pass breakup in the first quarter might have been the highlight of the day for the defense. LB Paul Magloire Jr. had a career-high 15 tackles, but many came on passes completed in his area.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
Grade: D-minus
Comment: After showing promise in recent weeks, this group had by far its worst game of the season. Falk and backup Tyler Hilinski combined to complete 47 of 52 pass attempts – an absurd and record-breaking 90.4 percent. The defensive backs just made it too easy for WSU’s receivers. Jace Whittaker got called for pass interference on third-and-26 early in the third quarter. Dane Cruikshank got whistled for the same infraction later in the possession, which, like most WSU drives, ended in a touchdown.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Grade: D-minus
Comment: Arizona’s punting and punt coverage were atrocious. Josh Pollack and Matt Aragon combined for a gross average of 37.1 – and a net average of 21.9. Washington State averaged 26.8 yards per punt return. Jamal Morrow’s 36-yard return in the first quarter set up WSU at the UA 25 and led to a field goal. Morrow later returned a 23-yard Pollack punt for 29 yards to the UA 46.
COACHES
Grade: F
Comment: The Wildcats played uninspired, unimaginative football. Rich Rodriguez took the blame afterward, as he should. His handling of the quarterback situation merits considerable second-guessing. His decision to not call a timeout at the end of the first half made about as much sense as his explanation afterward. Marcel Yates’ defensive game plan, which often called for just three rushers, did not work. He didn’t seem to have a suitable Plan B.
