The grades are in for Arizona’s 42-17 loss to Oregon State on Saturday night at Reser Stadium in Corvallis:
QUARTERBACKS
Grade: C
Comment: Anu Solomon started and completed 6 of 11 passes for 82 yards before exiting in the second quarter because of a toe injury. He failed to lead a scoring drive and took the Wildcats out of scoring position by taking a 19-yard sack on his final play. Brandon Dawkins led all three scoring drives, paced Arizona in rushing (88 yards), completed more than 50 percent of his passes for the first time since the Utah game and threw a TD pass for the time since the Stanford game. He also was at the helm for consecutive three-and-outs in the third quarter that effectively ended Arizona’s comeback bid.
RUNNING BACKS
Grade: D-plus
Comment: Samajie Grant had his worst game since moving to tailback, gaining only 35 yards on 12 carries. The Beavers did a good job of closing off cutback lanes and forcing him wide. Grant did score a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Zach Green didn’t fare much better, gaining 15 yards on five carries. Matt Morin gained 27 yards on his lone carry during garbage time in the final minutes
RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
Grade: B
Comment: Nate Phillips had his most productive game of the season, catching six passes for 58 yards and a touchdown. Trey Griffey caught three passes for 18 yards on the first series but got shut out the rest of the way. Shun Brown continued to provide a big-play element, winning a jump ball for a 43-yard reception. Tony Ellison notched his first two receptions of the season, good for 19 yards.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
Grade: C-minus
Comment: Arizona finished with 162 rushing yards, but the bulk of those came from Dawkins’ scrambles. The Wildcats’ top two tailbacks, Grant and Green, averaged only 2.7 yards per carry. The line surrendered two sacks, both with Solomon at quarterback. The unit was missing its usual right-side starters, Jacob Alsadek (ankle) and Gerhard de Beer (knee). If you also include the late Zach Hemmila, only two-fifths of the projected starting line from the outset of fall camp played against Oregon State.
DEFENSIVE FRONT
Grade: D
Comment: The front generally got mauled by Oregon State’s offensive line and struggled to bring down tailbacks Ryan Nall and Artavis Pierce. The two combined for 195 yards on 38 carries, with no negative rushes. The only member of the front six to record a tackle for loss was defensive lineman Larry Tharpe Jr., who also had Arizona’s lone pass breakup. First-time starting linebacker Brandon Rutt recovered a fumble in the fourth quarter.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
Grade: D-minus
Comment: Another rough day in the Pacific Northwest for this group. Quarterback Marcus McMaryion had a career day (16 of 19, 265 yards, five touchdowns), and he didn’t discriminate: Five Beavers caught TD passes, and it didn’t seem to matter whether they were open or tightly covered. Cornerback Dane Cruikshank continued to have trouble finishing plays. Freshman safety Isaiah Hayes had a career-high nine tackles but got fooled badly on a play-action fake that resulted in a touchdown. Freshman safety Tristan Cooper had Arizona’s lone sack, the first of his career.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Grade: C
Comment: Arizona tried a popup kick on the opening kickoff, but Josh Pollack didn’t get enough distance on it, setting up Oregon State at its 47. Pollack later hooked a kickoff out of bounds. He made his lone field-goal attempt, from 22 yards, after struggling the previous week. Jake Glatting took over as the punter and performed well. He got good hang time on his kicks and dropped one at the OSU 6-yard line. Tellas Jones was guilty of kick-catch interference early in the third quarter, enabling the Beavers to start at the Wildcats’ 45.
COACHES
Grade: D-minus
Comment: The popup kickoff was a strange decision – the strategy didn’t work the previous week – and set an ominous tone. Rich Rodriguez finally switched up the quarterback rotation but didn’t get the results he was seeking. He also couldn’t find a way to get the running game going, upping the degree of difficulty for the struggling UA offense. Marcel Yates’ defensive plan didn’t work; Oregon State scored touchdowns on six of its eight possessions.
