If Arizona’s offensive line was the Jackson 5, pass-blocking has been as easy as ABC.
Arizona is second nationally in pass-blocking, according to Pro Football Focus. The Wildcats currently have a 92.8 pass-blocking grade from PFF, a significant boost from their 63.5 grade last season, which was No. 72 in college football. Arizona’s current grade is also second in the Pac-12 behind Oregon.
The Wildcats’ pass-blocking performance (96.5) at Stanford was the highest of the PFF era, which consistently started grading games in 2014.
According to PFF, Arizona’s top pass-blocker this season is standout guard-converted-right tackle Jonah Savaiinaea, who has played both right tackle and guard this season with the absence of freshman guard Raymond Pulido. He is the top-rated pass-blocker in the nation with an eyebrow-raising 93.5 grade.
"He has a nastiness and is not afraid to play 75-80 plays and get physical each play, and he has great poise," said UA coach Jedd Fisch of Jordan Morgan (77).
The Wildcats’ most prominent member of the group, Michael Jackson — err, left tackle Jordan Morgan has the 23rd-best pass-blocking grade (87.4) of the season. Arguably his toughest task of the season thus far could be on Saturday, when the Wildcats host seventh-ranked Washington, which has All-Pac-12 edge rusher and Huskies team captain Bralen Trice and Zion Tupuola-Fetui, the Huskies’ leader in sacks.
Over the weekend, the 6-5, 325-pound Morgan, who has started all four games at left tackle after the Marana native suffered a season-ending knee injury last season, was listed by ESPN’s NFL Draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. as the No. 22 overall prospect on his big board. Kiper has Morgan as the No. 4 tackle eligible for the upcoming draft behind Olu Fashanu (Penn State), Joe Alt (Notre Dame) and JC Latham (Alabama).
“I wrote about Morgan before the season, picking him as a prospect who could rise if he shows he’s healthy. Well, he looks great. After tearing the ACL in his right knee last November, he rehabbed in the spring to get ready and was able to return for Week 1,” Kiper wrote in his review of Morgan.
“Morgan is extremely consistent from snap to snap. His footwork is terrific in pass protection, and I love his ease of movement and ability to bend. Morgan stays active with his hands, and he can get to the next level on combo blocks. He handles twists really well and can deal with inside and outside moves with ease. If he keeps this up, he could move even higher in Round 1.”
That would mean the NFL Draft would have two Tucson-area prospects taken in the first round in back-to-back years, which has never happened. In April, the Atlanta Falcons selected Tucson-raised running back Bijan Robinson at No. 8 overall. Robinson, offensive lineman John Fina and defensive lineman Mike Dawson are the only Tucson NFL first-rounders. Fina, who was drafted in 1992, is the last Arizona offensive lineman taken in the first round.
Morgan
“First of all, Jordan is a fantastic talent and a fantastic human being. He’s one of the easiest guys I’ve ever had to coach,” said Arizona offensive coordinator Brennan Carroll. “Great kid, great steward for this university. He’ll do anything you ask him to do, and he’s taken all of the coaching that we’ve set out there for him. We ask a lot out of him. We ask him to do a lot of different schemes, a lot different things that are showing up on the film, so I’m glad Mel finally got a copy of the film.”
Morgan’s rise to his pass-blocking prowess could be a product of ABC: After Brennan Carroll. Before Carroll, Morgan’s pass-blocking grades were 60.5 (2019) and 35.1 (2020).
After the addition of Carroll, Morgan’s PFF pass-blocking grades have elevated from 55.6 (’21) to 82 (’22) and now 87.4. The last sack Morgan gave up was in the 2021 Territorial Cup game, per PFF. Between last year and this season, Morgan hasn’t allowed a sack in 235 passing plays.
At this rate, barring another health setback, Morgan “is a first-round pick,” said Arizona coach Jedd Fisch.
“I’ve been saying that all year and last year. What makes you a first-round is No. 1: a team needs a tackle and they’re picking you in that spot when it’s your time. No. 2 is he’s got the size, the athleticism,” Fisch said. “He can really handle a (defensive) end on his own without worrying about having to provide a lot of chip help with backs or tight ends. He’s able to get to the second level of blocking, where he can block not just the defensive line, but he’s athletic enough to go block linebackers, defensive backs in space. That’s a big part of being an offensive lineman. He has a nastiness and is not afraid to play 75-80 plays and get physical each play, and he has great poise.
“When you look at those contributing factors: great feet, great poise, toughness, nastiness about yourself and the ability to play in space, that’s what separates the offensive linemen that are in that second- to fourth-round or third- to fourth-round based on size and one of those traits versus the first-rounders that have all of those traits.”
Extra points
Carroll, on Pulido, who is questionable this week with an ankle injury: “It was unfortunate that he got nicked and dinged right there. It was good to see him get back in there initially and fight through the pain and injury, and then he got hit again and wasn’t able to make it back. The pass protection was fantastic. He did a great job of keeping those guys off the quarterback. The run game, there are some things we have to clean up, but there’s a bright future there.”
Former Arizona defensive tackle Roy Lopez was elevated to the Arizona Cardinals’ active 53-man roster on Tuesday. Lopez, who was a sixth-round pick by the Houston Texans in 2021, initially signed with the hometown Cardinals’ practice squad on Saturday. The Phoenix-area native started his collegiate career at New Mexico State, then transferred to the UA and played one season during the pandemic-influenced year. Lopez is now one of four active Wildcats in the NFL, joining 49ers linebacker and Tucson native Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, running back Gary Brightwell and kicker Nick Folk, who was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week earlier this month.
The Star's Justin Spears analyzes Arizona's 21-20 win over Stanford on the road to begin Pac-12 play.
VIDEO: Arizona football coach Jedd Fisch said Sept. 26, 2023 that QB Jayden de Laura struggled with “rhythm and timing” at Stanford. “We just can’t hold the ball. … We need to trust our reads, we need to get the ball out of there quicker. … If you’re not playing with great rhythm and timing … you’re gonna miss things.” (Justin Spears/Arizona Daily Star
VIDEO: Arizona football coach Jedd Fisch on his plan this week for Arizona quarterbacks Jayden de Laura (ankle) and backup Noah Fifita: “They’ve learned the offense the exact same way. … They have similar skillsets in a lot of ways, so nothing changes. The only thing that would potentially change is practice reps.” (Justin Spears/Arizona Daily Star)
