Every Monday throughout the season, we’ll take a look back at Arizona’s previous game after re-watching the TV broadcast and present five key takeaways. Here are the five from the UA’s 35-28 overtime loss to Washington on Saturday night:
1. He’s No. 1
Rich Rodriguez might not ever say it, but if it wasn’t clear before Saturday, it absolutely is now: Brandon Dawkins deserves to be the starting quarterback moving forward. Dawkins’ running ability is a game-changer. As Rodriguez has noted, Dawkins is a “competitive runner” – he tries to score every time he takes off. After seeing him run through and around Grambling State and Hawaii, I wondered if Dawkins would be able to do the same against Washington. He didn’t match those rushing exploits against UW; he exceeded them. Multiple Huskies defenders with NFL potential couldn’t catch him. Sometimes when they got a hand on him, he would break free. Is Dawkins a polished passer who can dissect a defense? No. He struggled in the second and third quarters after a hot start. That missed throw to Nate Phillips over the middle was way off target. Dawkins had to throw the ball away several times for lack of a better option. But his potential is too great, his ceiling too high, to go back to Anu Solomon if/when he’s healthy. Rodriguez might not ever say it, but the Dawkins Era has begun.
2. Bad break
What happened to J.J. Taylor was disheartening – and after watching the replay multiple times, I wonder if it could have been avoided. The brilliant freshman tailback, on the cusp of becoming a genuine star, suffered a broken left ankle late in the third quarter. On the play in question, a 1-yard run on second-and-10 from the Arizona 48-yard line, Taylor’s forward progress was stopped. Greg Gaines – a 300-plus-pound defensive lineman – and others were driving him back. The whistle came a second or two later than it should have. By the time it did, Gaines and his teammates landed on Taylor, bending his lower left leg in a way it isn’t meant to be bent. Dawkins could tell right away that something was wrong. How Taylor walked off the field and into the locker room, I’ll never know. Now he faces possible surgery and a lengthy rehab. Hopefully he’ll be as good as new by this time next year – but you never know. And that’s a terrible shame. Taylor’s numbers weren’t as eye-popping when he exited (19 carries, 97 yards), but he showed a toughness against UW that he hadn’t against Hawaii (mainly because he didn’t need to). Taylor, all 170 pounds of him, ran inside frequently and effectively. He looked terrific. Now this. Sickening.
3. Limited options
The picture at tailback has changed dramatically in the past two weeks, and not for the better. When it was Nick Wilson, Orlando Bradford and Taylor 1-2-3, you were feeling good about things. Now it’s Wilson And Others, and Wilson’s health and durability remain problematic. He didn’t dress Saturday night, but he was on the field during warmups, acting as a defender while the tailbacks went through pregame drills. Wilson seemed to be moving around OK, for whatever that’s worth. So hopefully his ankle injury won’t keep him out long. That being said, he doesn’t have a great track record when it comes to staying on the field. Tyrell Johnson, pressed into a difficult situation, looked a lot like a slot receiver trying to play tailback. He fumbled twice as a running back (three times in all) and doesn’t have the natural strength and instincts to run inside that the similarly sized Taylor possesses. I don’t see Johnson as a 20-carry back. Zach Green runs with power and sure-handedness but little wiggle. Both are complementary pieces. But if Wilson remains out against UCLA, they’re pretty much all Arizona has.
4. This time it’s personnel
Every week I’ll provide some notes on individual players, so here goes … Sophomore WR Shun Brown sure looks like Dawkins’ go-to guy. I’m not sure if it’s because they’ve worked together a lot in practice or because Brown is simply getting open, but whenever Dawkins gets in trouble, he seems to find Brown. Brown’s emergence is an encouraging sign for 2017, when Samajie Grant, Trey Griffey and Phillips will be gone. … I’m also seeing positive signs out of JC transfer Shawn Poindexter, who made some tricky in-traffic catches against the Huskies. He’s still raw and learning the game, but you have to like his size (6-5, 210) and upside. … LB Cody Ippolito had 1.5 sacks, and his best role might be as a blitzer – using his power and quickness to make a beeline for the quarterback. He still seems to be guessing too much against the run, getting himself out of position as a result. … LB Paul Magloire Jr. is a good space player who struggles in tight quarters. Twice he got enveloped by pulling guards on big run plays. He’s isn’t a take-on-the-blocker ’backer – which makes sense given that he was a safety at this time a year ago. … John Kenny did a decent job in place of DeAndre’ Miller and made some nice tackles through sheer effort. But I think Kenny is playing “Stud” out of necessity. I’d view him as a candidate for middle linebacker in ’17. … Griffey had only one catch for the second straight week after snaring four passes each of the first two weeks. However, he drew two pass-interference penalties. There’s value in that.
5. Playing it safe
Arizona did not blitz against Washington as much as it had against previous opponents, using a preponderance of three- and four-man rushes. For the most part, it worked: Jake Browning passes for only 160 yards. The Wildcats definitely seemed concerned about John Ross and his fellow receivers’ ability to beat them over the top; Ross, in particular, got plenty of cushion. Dropping more players than usual into coverage appeared to throw off Browning, especially late; he completed only 2 of 7 passes in the fourth quarter and overtime (although one was the winning touchdown). That Marcel Yates is willing and able to mix up formations, looks and coverages should endear him to Arizona fans who became fed up with Jeff Casteel’s 3-3-5 stack scheme. Obviously there’s a lot of work to do be done on the defensive side of the ball; the personnel up front just isn’t what it needs to be yet. But I liked the way the Wildcats flowed to the football against the Huskies, and the UA secondary might end up being pretty good (if cornerbacks Dane Cruikshank and DaVonte’ Neal can stay healthy). Given time, Yates will turn this unit around. It just might not happen in 2016.
