Arizona cornerback Jarvis McCall gets his body between the ball and Utah wide receiver Tyrone Smith, creating an interception in the first quarter. He started at left cornerback over Jace Whittaker.
For most of the last month, Nick Wilson was a man apart.
Arizona’s starting running back was felled, first by a foot injury and then by a knee problem. He stayed home as the Wildcats traveled to Washington and then USC. Wilson’s slow recovery was marked by clipped responses from coach Rich Rodriguez — he was frequently “banged up,” the coach said — a climb from “out” to “questionable” on the UA’s weekly injury report.
Wilson returned Saturday and, perhaps predictably, Arizona’s offense received a boost. The sophomore running back rushed five times for 27 yards in the first half, and the Wildcats led 20-17. But Wilson did not return after rushing once for no yards in the third quarter.
It’s been a long road to recovery for Wilson, who injured his foot late in the first half of Arizona’s Oct. 11 win over Oregon State and tweaked his left knee just as his foot was healing. Wilson tried to return against Washington State on Oct. 24, but managed just eight yards on six carries before Jared Baker took over.
Samajie’s day
For a player billed as arguably Arizona’s most consistent receiver, Samajie Grant has had a rough few weeks.
Since catching three passes for 42 yards at Oregon State a month ago, the slot receiver has been mostly bottled up. He had two catches for 21 yards against Washington and just two for 19 against USC.
Saturday, that changed. Benefiting from a pass-happy Arizona attack, Grant caught three passes for 65 yards in the first half alone.
Grant’s seven-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter was his first score since the Wildcats’ Week 3 win over Northern Arizona.
De Beer sticks, starts
Gerhard de Beer made his second consecutive start at left guard, while Jacob Alsadek — who missed last week with a concussion — returned to his normal spot at right guard. Freddie Tagaloa missed his second straight game with a knee injury.
De Beer, a native of Pretoria, South Africa, came to the UA on a track and field scholarship and has moved around the field before finding a home on the offensive line. Coaches chose de Beer over Zach Hemmila, who started the season at guard but was benched when Tagaloa moved inside.
Jarvis McCall started at left cornerback over Jace Whittaker.
Extra points
• Jamar Allah registered his second interception of the season when he picked off Utah’s Travis Wilson on the first play of the second quarter. Allah’s first came in the Wildcats’ Week 2 win over Nevada.
• Parker Zellers has seen his playing time decrease in recent weeks, but made one of the biggest plays of his career in the fourth quarter. Zellers’ recovery of a Utah fumble near midfield stopped a Utah drive.
• How close was Saturday’s game? With 4 minutes 1 second remaining in regulation, both teams had exactly 405 yards.
• Utah’s Devontae Booker is widely considered the Pac-12’s best running back, and some of the credit goes to none other than former ASU coach Dennis Erickson. Erickson is in his third season as Utah’s running backs coach, and also serves as Kyle Whittingham’s associate head coach.
