Every week throughout the season, we take a look back at the Arizona Wildcats’ previous game after re-watching it via the TV broadcast. Here are five key takeaways from the UA’s 49-22 loss to No. 12 Oregon on Saturday:
1. NO QUICK FIX
Arizona’s defensive issues aren’t difficult to figure out. The Wildcats lack the manpower in their front to stop really good running teams. If they make one mistake – such as abandoning a gap – they don’t have enough speed to recover. Solving those problems is a much bigger challenge. It isn’t a short-term, in-season project. It’s likely going to take at least one more recruiting class (including the transfer portal) and probably more to build up the personnel on that side of the ball. Jedd Fisch was able to overhaul the offensive skill positions in relatively short order, and Arizona’s offense is much better as a result. A similar makeover is needed on defense. Fisch and his staff know what’s up; 14 of their 19 current verbal commitments are projected to play defense. The need for more defensive playmakers – which is hardly a new phenomenon at Arizona – is one of the main reasons Johnny Nansen is the right man for the defensive coordinator post. It’s been a rough stretch for Nansen, no doubt. Some UA fans already have turned on him. He’s never been a coordinator before, so, to some extent, he’s learning on the job. He’s been an ace recruiter for a long time. Fisch’s play-calling suddenly got better when he had better players. Nansen’s will too.
2. DOWNWARD MOBILITY
Making a bad situation worse vs. Oregon: Arizona’s inability to contain Bo Nix in the zone-read game. Nix finished with 70 yards on eight rushes, some of which were scrambles. The threat of him running caused all sorts of problems. A prime example: Bucky Irving’s 23-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. The mesh action between Nix and Irving absolutely froze perimeter defender Jaydin Young. When Nix handed the ball to Irving, Young was on his heels. He fell down as Irving maneuvered past him. Irving was able to get an angle on Isaiah Taylor and the rest of the UA defense as he raced for the right pylon. Oregon’s seventh and final touchdown saw Nix keep the ball. Some of the Ducks’ linemen pulled to the left. He ran right. Center Alex Forsyth got to the second level to help escort Nix down the right sideline. On multiple occasions, Arizona’s defensive ends – including Hunter Echols and Jalen Harris, two veterans who should know better – dove inside, leaving the edges vulnerable. Here’s what’s especially worrisome about all that: Arizona is about to face several more mobile quarterbacks who are capable of similar plays. The next four on the docket: Washington’s Michael Penix Jr., USC’s Caleb Williams, Utah’s Cameron Rising and UCLA’s Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Yikes.
3. AGONY OF DE FEET
Quarterback Jayden de Laura was Pro Football Focus’ lowest-graded Arizona offensive player Saturday. Why would that be? First of all, PFF docks players for turnovers, and de Laura turned the ball over twice. Was either one his fault? Not really. But they count against him anyway. The bigger issue was de Laura’s accuracy. He misfired on several passes he’s been hitting this season, and not just ones thrown well down the field. De Laura completed 67.8% of his passes thrown fewer than 10 yards, which seems pretty good. But that was about seven percentage points lower than his season mark entering Saturday (74.5%). He connected on only 42.9% (3 of 7) thrown between 10 and 19 yards – down from 62.5%. Upon reviewing the game, we saw a quarterback who often looked unsettled. He had “happy feet” at times, leading to errant throws. One sequence was particularly costly. On Arizona’s third possession, with the ball at the Oregon 46, de Laura overthrew Tetairoa McMillan an out route to the right. On third-and-13, he overshot an open Dorian Singer over the middle. (In between de Laura tried to make something happen after a protection bust, leading to a 3-yard loss. But that’s a different issue.) De Laura wasn’t under obvious pressure on either play. He has made good throws this season under more dire circumstances. That’s what made his misses that much more befuddling.
4. THIS TIME IT’S PERSONNEL
Our notes on individual players can be found here … DJ Williams was Arizona’s most impressive running back, mainly because he ran downhill. When Michael Wiley and Jonah Coleman tried to bounce runs outside, they more often than not were thwarted by Oregon’s fast, swarming defense. ... TE Tanner McLachlan finished with two catches and could have had two more. Both were difficult grabs but ones McLachlan is capable of making. ... We continue to like what we see from freshmen defensive linemen Russell Davis II and Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei. They’re both super aggressive and will overrun plays at times. But their talent pops off the screen. Both should start next season. ... We’d like to see more of transfer DJ Warnell Jr. on defense. He got moved out of the “Star” DB position because of coverage concerns, but he’s a big body (6-3, 200) and a sure tackler, and Arizona could use more of that to bolster its run defense. ... It was eye-opening to watch Oregon’s offensive line go to work. The unit is athletic and well-schooled. The Ducks were able to crease a pair of tunnel screens thanks to multiple linemen getting out into space and hitting their targets.
5. MIDSEASON MUSINGS
Losses – especially lopsided ones – are always upsetting. We understand the frustration of UA fans, who’ve been longing for a winner for the past five seasons. But ask yourself this: If we had told you before the season that Arizona would be 3-3 at its midpoint, how would have felt about that? Most fans would have been elated. Not that a .500 record is anything to brag about, but it represents clear progress for a program that lost 20 consecutive games from 2019-21. Can the Wildcats go 3-3 in the second half to secure a bowl berth? It’ll be difficult. The schedule is brutal. The defense is struggling. Because of the latter, the offense has to play at an extremely high level for Arizona to win. That’s a lot of pressure to put on one side of the ball. Fisch talks often about playing “complementary football,” and the Wildcats just aren’t capable of doing that on a weekly basis – for now. The goal is to build up to that. It takes time. Patience is in short supply in the immediate aftermath of a loss. But it’s necessary to see this thing through.
