The grades are in for Arizona’s 45-24 loss to UCLA on Saturday night at the Rose Bowl:
QUARTERBACKS
Grade: C
Comment: Starter Brandon Dawkins was playing well before getting hurt (first-quarter stats: 6 of 11 passing, 65 yards, one TD; three rushes, 48 yards). But once he hurt his ribs, he wasn’t nearly as effective and had to come out of the game. Walk-on Zach Werlinger (0 for 5) looked completely overmatched. Freshman Khalil Tate led three scoring drives in the second half and showed tremendous potential (15-79 rushing, 5-9-72 passing with two TDs).
RUNNING BACKS
Grade: B-minus
Comment: Nick Wilson started but re-injured his sprained ankle in the first quarter and couldn’t return. He finished with 16 yards on six carries with a long of 4 yards. Tyrell Johnson rushed for 77 yards on 16 carries but also fumbled for the third time in two games (Arizona recovered it). Zach Green had 30 yards on five carries and probably should have been used more.
RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
Grade: B
Comment: Sophomore Shun Brown continued his 2016 ascent with a team-best four catches for 50 yards and a touchdown. Trey Griffey had two catches for 38 yards, including a spectacular 34-yard grab, and drew a pass-interference penalty. Cam Denson scored his first career offensive touchdown with a 13-yard reception in the fourth quarter. Samajie Grant also scored, but that 12-yard catch in the first quarter was his lone reception.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
Grade: C-minus
Comment: The final numbers look OK, but they’re misleading. Arizona gained 150 of its 387 total yards in the fourth quarter; 45 seconds into it, UCLA had a 31-10 lead. The Wildcats finished with 242 rushing yards, but 78 came in the fourth quarter. The average per rush in the first three quarters was 4.6 yards; in the fourth, it was 6.0. The line was missing Freddie Tagaloa (didn’t make trip), and Gerhard de Beer and Jacob Alsadek got hurt during the game.
DEFENSIVE FRONT
Grade: C-plus
Comment: The front got a ton of hits on UCLA QB Josh Rosen in the first half, and four of the Wildcats’ six tackles for losses were credited to defensive linemen or linebackers. But Arizona never sacked Rosen, and he ended up hurting them in a major way in the second half. The Cats limited the Bruins to 125 rushing yards and 3.9 yards per carry.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
Grade: D-plus
Comment: The UCLA stat crew gave Arizona 10 pass breakups, including six by defensive backs. CBs Dane Cruikshank and Jace Whittaker had two apiece. But after a strong first half, the secondary fell apart in the second, when Rosen completed 11 of 13 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns. Downfield coverage was problematic, and Arizona’s tackling troubles resurfaced on Theo Howard’s 19-yard touchdown and Kenneth Walker III’s 21-yard reception to the 1 in the third quarter.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Grade: D-minus
Comment: By far the worst performance of the season by Arizona’s special-teams units. The Wildcats allowed two 50-plus-yard kickoff returns and a 33-yard punt return. Josh Pollack averaged just 39.2 yards per punt. None of Edgar Gastelum’s three kickoffs went for touchbacks, and one went out of bounds. It all added up to a 12-yard advantage for UCLA in average starting field position.
COACHES
Grade: C-minus
Comment: In-game injuries at quarterback and running back severely handicapped the Arizona offense and created an almost impossible situation for Rich Rodriguez and his staff. But did Rodriguez handle the backup QB situation correctly? Once it was known that Dawkins couldn’t play, Tate should have started the second half; it made no sense to wait until the second series. Additionally, as mentioned, the special teams were a mess. And the defense had few answers for UCLA’s more run-oriented attack in the second half.
