Arizona’s cross-training pays off with O-line in flux ahead of Mississippi State matchup

A late, unexpected injury situation put the Arizona offensive line in a bit of a bind last week.

Or not.

The coaching staff wasn’t anticipating the absence of freshman guard Raymond Pulido, who got into a bike accident after practice last Thursday. But Jedd Fisch and Brennan Carroll were ready for it.

They plugged in veteran Sam Langi, even though he had been taking most of his practice reps at tackle. Langi shared time with JT Hand as Arizona averaged 9.0 yards per play and allowed only one sack in a 38-3 season-opening victory over NAU.

“That’s why we cross-train our guys, so that they can jump in at any spot if they need to,” said Carroll, the Wildcats’ offensive coordinator and offensive line coach. “It was no flinch, no blink. The guys just went out and played. They knew their assignments.”

Further shuffling could be in order when Arizona faces Mississippi State on Saturday in Starkville. Fisch termed Pulido — a four-star recruit, one-time Alabama commit and starter since the outset of training camp — as “day to day.”

Fisch said Carroll has experimented with several combinations on the right side, where sophomore Jonah Savaiinaea played every snap at tackle. They include three possible partners for Savaiinaea: Langi, Joseph Borjon and Leif Magnuson.

In two of those three scenarios, Savaiinaea would remain at tackle. If Borjon were to get the nod, Savaiinaea would play right guard, where he earned Freshman All-America accolades a year ago.

Borjon, a redshirt sophomore, made his UA debut vs. the Lumberjacks, playing 22 snaps at left tackle in relief of Jordan Morgan. Borjon had the second-highest run-blocking grade (73.0) among Wildcat linemen, per Pro Football Focus, and the lowest pass-blocking grade (48.0) despite not being charged with a quarterback pressure or sack.

Overall, Fisch and Carroll were pleased with the play of the offensive line — especially considering the timing of Pulido’s bike accident.

“It was a little tricky just because of the fact that Raymond was taking all the reps with the ones for two weeks straight,” Fisch said. “And then all of a sudden, after your last practice, you don’t have him. So there wasn’t even a practice other than a walkthrough in a hotel ballroom.”

Communication issues were minimal. The lone sack came from the offense’s left side and was charged to guard Wendell Moe, who had the line’s highest overall PFF grade (78.5).

Fisch and Carroll credited center Josh Baker for making sure all the linemen were on the same wavelength.

“Assignment-wise we were really good,” Carroll said. “Knowing where they were going and who they were going to ... Josh Baker did a fantastic job.”

The line will face a much tougher test this week. Mississippi State has a bigger, more talented defensive line than NAU. The offense also will have to deal with what might be the loudest road crowd Arizona will experience this season.

‘Weird game’

Arizona officially ran only 53 plays against NAU, the second-lowest total of the Fisch era. The Wildcats averaged 67.6 offensive plays last season and 72.4 in 2021.

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Was that a product of the new NCAA rules — the clock no longer stops after first downs except in the last two minutes of each half — or something else?

Fisch described the opener as a “weird game,” and he isn’t wrong. Arizona essentially lost two possessions because of plays that occurred on special teams.

The first happened when Dalton Johnson was flagged for roughing the punter. The Wildcats would have gotten the ball back with about six minutes left in the second quarter. Instead, the Lumberjacks kept it for the remainder of the half.

The first possession of the second half ended with Arizona blocking an NAU field goal attempt and returning it for a touchdown. That put the Lumberjacks’ offense back on the field for four more plays and nearly two minutes of clock time.

Fisch believes that the Wildcats’ gaudy average of 9 yards per play — the fifth-best mark in the nation — also had something to do with their low snap total.

“I think we would have had more plays if we averaged less yards,” Fisch said. “I’d prefer to average more yards and have less plays. I would prefer to be explosive if we can be explosive, and score fast if we can score fast.”

Fisch, who coached extensively in the NFL, said he’s in favor of the new, NFL-esque clock rules. Despite complaints from other coaches, they haven’t had a sizable impact on total game time so far.

Entering Thursday, games involving FBS teams averaged three hours and 25 minutes — just two minutes less than last year’s season-long average of 3:27. Teams combined for an average of 132 offensive and defensive snaps, down from last year’s 137.

The Arizona-NAU game lasted three hours and 11 minutes. Only one UA game last year was shorter (North Dakota State, 3:00), although two were just one minute longer (San Diego State, Oregon). The matchup vs. Mississippi State was the longest of the season (3:43).

‘Arizona time’

The Wildcats are scheduled to fly to Mississippi about 12:30 p.m. Friday. Despite traveling to the Central Time Zone, Fisch said the team wouldn’t change its clocks.

“We’re just staying on Arizona time,” he said. “Nothing will change for us. ... Our entire itinerary will be based on Arizona time. Just like we practice a 4 o’clock every day, we’ll play the game at 4:30 (MST), so it’ll be right in our wheelhouse.”

Fisch said the team likely would have left Thursday if it were playing in the noon Eastern window Saturday — something that definitely could happen more often when Arizona joins the Big 12 next year. Most of the league is in the Central Time Zone, and three schools — Cincinnati, UCF and West Virginia — are in the Eastern Time Zone.

Extra points

Fisch said nickel back Treydan Stukes, who sat out the second half vs. NAU, also remains day to day. Martell Irby is expected to start in his place. Isaiah Taylor likely will start at free safety for Gunner Maldonado, who has to sit out the first half after being ejected for targeting last week.

Fisch said MSU will provide a “huge challenge” on special teams. He described the Bulldogs’ return specialists as “elite” and noted that kicker Kyle Ferrie earned co-SEC Freshman of the Week honors after making 47- and 49-yard field goals vs. Southeastern Louisiana. Like Arizona, MSU scored a touchdown on special teams last week, blocking a punt and returning it for six.

Three-star Bay Area outside linebacker Sosefo Akuila committed to Arizona late Wednesday. The 6-3, 227-pound Akuila selected the Wildcats over Washington State, BYU, Cal and Nevada. Akuila, a senior at Tennyson High School in Hayward, California, is rated by 247Sports.com as the 74th-best athlete in California. Akuila visited the UA in June.