The grades are in for Arizona’s 56-35 victory over Arizona State on Friday night in the Territorial Cup at Arizona Stadium:
QUARTERBACKS
Grade: B-plus
Comment: It was a fascinating stat line for Brandon Dawkins. He completed only 3 of 8 passes for 77 yards. But he rushed for 183 yards and two touchdowns, including 71- and 68-yard runs. Dawkins lost the ball on a fumble that ASU returned for a touchdown. (It was ruled a tackle for loss but was for all intents and purposes a sack.) However, for the most part, he managed the game extremely well. His running not only produced big plays but created openings for others.
RUNNING BACKS
Grade: A
Comment: At times the UA offensive line made things easy for Samajie Grant and Zach Green. But they ran with extraordinary effort in close quarters as well. Both finished with career highs in rushing – 176 yards for Grant, 126 for Green. They combined for five touchdowns. Grant, in his final game as a Wildcat, threw his body around with complete fearlessness.
RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
Grade: B-minus
Comment: Dawkins attempted only eight passes, so there weren’t ton of opportunities for the receivers and tight ends. Nate Phillips made the most of his, catching two passes for 68 yards, including a 64-yard touchdown. Tight end Josh Kern had the only other reception, for 9 yards. Shun Brown gained 30 yards on an end-around. Coach Rich Rodriguez gave the receivers props for their blocking on the perimeter. Those big runs don’t happen without them.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
Grade: A
Comment: By the second half, the line was imposing its will on ASU’s defensive front. Dawkins, Grant and Green had huge holes through which to run. It all added up to a school-record 511 rushing yards. Having veteran right guard Jacob Alsadek back from an ankle injury helped. The only notable breakdown: the TFL on Dawkins that resulted in the Sun Devils’ scoop-and-score in the first quarter.
DEFENSIVE FRONT
Grade: B
Comment: Despite Oregon State’s success on the ground the previous week, ASU didn’t feed big backs Kalen Ballage and Demario Richard as much as expected. When they did run, they didn’t find much room, combining for only 48 yards on 14 carries. QB Manny Wilkins rushed for 79 yards, but the front generally contained him; his long run was just 12. Linebackers Paul Magloire Jr. (14), Michael Barton (eight) and Jake Matthews (seven) were the Wildcats’ top three tacklers. Larry Tharpe Jr. helped stop two fourth downs with a shared tackle and a pass breakup.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
Grade: C
Comment: It was a mixed bag for the secondary, which made a lot of plays but also gave up a lot. Wilkins passed for 372 yards and three touchdowns. DaVonte’ Neal had an interception but surrendered a touchdown. Tellas Jones got credit for one of Arizona’s two sacks. Defensive backs accounted for four of the Wildcats’ seven tackles for losses and four of their six pass breakups. The Wildcats lost three safeties to injuries (Isaiah Hayes, Tristan Cooper) and a targeting ejection (Jarvis McCall Jr.) along the way.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Grade: C
Comment: Arizona basically played to a draw in an area where ASU was supposed to have an edge. Jake Glatting averaged only 36.5 yards per punt but dropped two inside the 20-yard line, including one at the 6. Only two of Josh Pollack’s nine kickoffs went for touchbacks, but he made all eight of his extra-point attempts. The kickoff-coverage unit held Tim White to a respectable 20.7 yards per return.
COACHES
Grade: A
Comment: Rodriguez had the team focused and inspired from the start. Motivation shouldn’t be an issue in a rivalry game, but Todd Graham obviously had some trouble getting his players in the proper frame of mind. RichRod and his staff also came up with a system to counteract ASU’s alleged sign-stealing tactics, using substituting players to bring plays into the huddle. (Yes, Arizona huddled.) Rodriguez didn’t plan to run the ball as much as the Wildcats did, but it was working and he wisely stuck with it.
