Late Saturday night, after yet another lopsided loss, Arizona Wildcats coach Rich Rodriguez spoke bluntly about his team in its current state.
“We’re not a good football team,” Rodriguez said after the UA’s 49-24 loss to Colorado – its seventh in a row. “When you do those things, you don’t give yourself a chance to beat anybody.”
“Those things” were penalties, which came in bunches and almost always at terrible times. Arizona was flagged 13 times for 138 yards – both season highs. Before Saturday, the Wildcats had been penalized more than seven times in a game only once.
When a program is having a down year, as Arizona’s is, every little thing counts. Injuries and recruiting mistakes have created talent and depth deficits, meaning the Wildcats have to play almost perfectly to win.
Arizona didn’t lose the turnover battle for the first time since Oct. 1, playing to a draw in that all-important category. But the penalties affected UA almost as detrimentally.
What follows is a breakdown of all 13 fouls – when they occurred, what was called, whether they were legitimate and how they hurt the UA.
PENALTY NO. 1
Situation: Opening kickoff.
Penalty: Personal foul, called against Anthony Mariscal but more likely against Matthew Stagg.
Legit call? Probably. Referee Michael Batlan didn’t seem to know the guilty party’s number. He said 25, which is Mariscal’s number. But the flag landed near Stagg, who had driven a Colorado player out of bounds.
Consequences: Instead of starting at the 25-yard line, Arizona began at the 13. For a team that rarely has had good field position this season, that was suboptimal. The Wildcats ended up punting, but not before …
PENALTY NO. 2
Situation: Arizona ball, first-and-10 from its 24-yard line, opening drive.
Penalty: Illegal block in the back against guard Freddie Tagaloa.
Legit call? Yes. Tagaloa clearly blocked Jordan Carrell in the back, springing Brandon Dawkins for an 8-yard scramble.
Consequences: Instead of second-and-2, the Wildcats faced first-and-20. Three plays later, they punted the ball to the Buffaloes.
PENALTY NO. 3
Situation: Colorado ball, second-and-10 from the 50, second possession.
Penalty: Defensive holding against safety Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles.
Legit call? Yes. Flannigan-Fowles grabbed intended receiver Devin Ross’ jersey on a crossing route.
Consequences: It’s impossible to say whether the pass would have been completed. But the drive continued, and it ended with Colorado scoring a touchdown to take a 7-0 lead.
PENALTY NO. 4
Situation: Arizona ball, first-and-10 at the Colorado 20, third possession.
Penalty: Chop block against Tagaloa and center Nathan Eldridge.
Legit call? Not entirely clear. Was Eldridge still “engaged” with Colorado’s Josh Tupou when Tagaloa cut-blocked him? Technically, yes. But if anything, Tupou seemed to be holding onto Eldridge.
Consequences: The penalty pushed the Wildcats back to the 35 and put them “behind the chains.” It would only get worse.
PENALTY NO. 5
Situation: Arizona ball, third-and-13 at the Colorado 23, same possession.
Penalty: False start against multiple offensive linemen.
Legit call? Yes. Several linemen appeared to move before the snap.
Consequences: The penalty pushed the UA back to the 28 and set up third-and-18. Dawkins gained only 1 yard on the next play. Josh Pollack came on for a 44-yard field-goal attempt and missed it wide left.
PENALTY NO. 6
Situation: Colorado ball, first-and-10 at its 39, fourth possession.
Penalty: Defensive holding against cornerback Dane Cruikshank.
Legit call? Yes. Cruikshank appeared to grab Buffs receiver Shay Fields past the 5-yard zone in which contact is allowed.
Consequences: Minimal. The penalty negated a sack by Michael Barton and others. But three plays later Barton took down Sefo Liufau for a 7-yard loss on third-and-9, forcing Colorado to punt.
PENALTY NO. 7
Situation: Colorado ball, third-and-6 at the Arizona 31, midway through the second quarter.
Penalty: Personal foul on linebacker Paul Magloire Jr.
Legit call? Yes. Magloire tackled Colorado receiver Bryce Bobo several yards out of bounds. It wasn’t a vicious hit, but it evened out a call against Magloire on an almost identical play that was overturned earlier in the drive.
Consequences: Instead of having to try a 48-yard field goal or go for it on fourth-and-6, Colorado got an automatic first down. Two plays later, Liufau threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Fields to make it 21-10.
PENALTY NO. 8
Situation: Arizona ball, second-and-1 at its 23, late second quarter.
Penalty: False start against the offensive line.
Legit call? Yes. For the second time, multiple linemen moved before the snap.
Consequences: Instead of an easier-to-convert second-and-1, UA faced second-and-6. Samajie Grant lost 2 yards on the next play. An incomplete pass on third-and-8 forced a punt.
PENALTY NO. 9
Situation: Arizona ball, third-and-10 at the Colorado 17, late second quarter.
Penalty: Intentional grounding against Dawkins.
Legit call? No. Dawkins was still inside the tackle box when he chucked the ball out of bounds, but despite Batlan’s proclamation, a UA receiver was in the vicinity of the pass. You could argue that two were.
Consequences: The penalty cost Arizona 16 yards. Instead of a 34-yard field-goal attempt, Pollack had to try a 50-yarder. It missed wide left. Had he made it, the Wildcats would have been within two scores at halftime (28-13) and would have had momentum on their side.
PENALTY NO. 10
Situation: Colorado ball, third-and-7 at its 42, midway through the third quarter.
Penalty: Pass interference against Flannigan-Fowles.
Legit call? Yes. Flannigan-Fowles contacted Fields before the long pass down the right sideline arrived.
Consequences: The penalty extended the drive and gave Colorado first-and-10 at the UA 43. Four plays later, Liufau hit Fields for a 27-yard TD to make it 35-10.
PENALTY NO. 11
Situation: Colorado ball, first-and-10 at the Arizona 28, late third quarter
Penalty: Pass interference against Flannigan-Fowles.
Legit call? Yes. Flannigan-Fowles grabbed Ross before the ball arrived on a crossing route.
Consequences: Eleven more free yards and another automatic first down. Five plays later, Luifau scored from 2 yards out to increase Colorado’s lead to 35-10.
PENALTY NO. 12
Situation: Colorado punting, early fourth quarter.
Penalty: Personal foul against DaVonte’ Neal.
Legit call? Maybe. Neal exchanged shoves with Colorado’s Tony Julmisse shortly after Nate Phillips fair-caught the punt. No punches were thrown. An official was nearby, so perhaps Neal said the magic word or words to draw the flag.
Consequences: The iffy penalty cost Arizona – which had scored touchdowns on its previous two possessions to trim its deficit to 42-24 – 15 precious yards. Starting from the Colorado 18, the UA went three-and-out. Rodriguez elected to punt on fourth-and-4 from the 24.
PENALTY NO. 13
Situation: Colorado ball, third-and-7 from its 49, later in the fourth quarter.
Penalty: Personal foul against nose tackle Parker Zellers.
Legit call? Another maybe. Zellers helped drag down Liufau for a 2-yard gain. As they hit the ground in a pile of players, Zellers appeared to slap Liufau’s helmet. It’s impossible to tell from the TV angle whether it was intentional.
Consequences: Instead of having to punt, Colorado got an automatic first down. On the next play, Lindsay dashed 34 yards for the final touchdown.
Michael Lev’s AP Top 25 ballot for this week / B7
