ALBUQUERQUE โ Tyrell Johnson is healthy, happy and looking forward to helping the Arizona Wildcats win the New Mexico Bowl on Saturday. The sophomore is expected to have multiple roles against the Lobos: kick returner, slot receiver and even tailback, where Arizona will be without injured starter Nick Wilson.
One thing Johnson wonโt be doing in the near future is running track. Johnson, who ran sprints for the Wildcats track team this past spring, said Wednesday that he plans to take at least a year off from the sport. He missed the first five football games this season because of a stress fracture in his foot that he attributed to overuse.
โI love football,โ Johnson said a few hours after Arizona arrived here to begin on-site bowl preparations. โTrack just was a hobby, something I picked up in high school.โ
Johnson said he has been playing football since he was 4 or 5 years old. Concentrating on it full time should help him maximize his potential. Considered the teamโs fastest player โ he ran a 4.27-second 40-yard dash in the spring โ Johnson didnโt have the impact this season that he hoped to have.
In five regular-season games โ he missed two others because of a hamstring injury โ Johnson had eight offensive touches totaling 64 yards, with one touchdown. He averaged 24.0 yards on 14 kickoff returns, including a long of 56.
โHe got a little nicked up running track,โ UA coach Rich Rodriguez said. โIt hurt him, really, the whole first half of the season. โฆ I think heโs ready to take the next step football-wise.โ
Protect and serve
Under coach Bob Davie, New Mexico is known for its triple-option offense. But what about the Lobos defense?
Several Wildcats coaches and players compared New Mexicoโs defense to Arizona Stateโs โ which, in theory, should work to Arizonaโs advantage. After all, the Wildcats just faced the Sun Devils in the regular-season finale.
In that game, Arizona compiled 449 yards of offense, including 340 through the air. Quarterback Brandon Dawkins, in relief of ineffective starter Jerrard Randall, passed for 305 yards and rushed for 78. Dawkins also threw two late interceptions that were returned for touchdowns.
Anu Solomon, cleared from a concussion, is expected to resume his role as the starter Saturday. That should be advantageous for Arizona as well: The more experienced Solomon should be better equipped to recognize and defeat the myriad blitzes New Mexico is expected to spring.
But the biggest key, coaches and players said, is making sure Solomon is properly protected. He and the offensive line must work in concert to ensure that happens.
โWeโve got to make sure weโre in the right protections, weโre seeing the defense, weโre making any type of adjustments we need to,โ UA co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Rod Smith said. โThatโs the first thing โ you always want to make sure youโre secure in protection. Once we do that, hopefully we can be good at the quarterback position, read coverage, see leverage and deliver the football where it needs to go.โ
Pac-12 Networks analyst Yogi Roth described New Mexicoโs defense as โfeast or famine,โ and the numbers bear that out. The Lobos rank in the top third in the nation in tackles-for-loss (7.3 per game) and sacks (2.42). But theyโre in the bottom third in pass defense (237.9 yards per game) and pass-efficiency defense (137.96 rating).
Extra points
- The Wildcats ate pizza and played games at a local arcade Wednesday night, a welcome opportunity to have fun after a trying season. โAny time we travel during the season, they donโt get to see the town or experience anything other than the game,โ Rodriguez said. โEven though this is still a business trip, I want our guys to enjoy themselves for a couple days and meet a few folks. Thatโs what the bowls are supposed to be.โ
- Defensive lineman
- Luca Bruno
- , who started 11 games, is doubtful at best for Saturday after getting hurt against ASU. Bruno hasnโt been practicing, and he was spotted with a boot on his right foot Wednesday.
- The Wildcats will conduct a walk-through at New Mexicoโs practice facility Thursday.
