UCLA coach Jim Mora spent more than 20 seasons in the NFL as a defensive assistant . He used to coach Michael Vick. Mora knows what he and the Bruins are up against Saturday.
Arizona Wildcats quarterback Brandon Dawkins has rushed for 391 yards and seven touchdowns in three starts. His average of 130.33 rushing yards per game ranks second among Div. I FBS quarterbacks behind Louisville’s Lamar Jackson, the current front-runner for the Heisman Trophy.
“He puts huge stress on a defense,” Mora said of Dawkins. “He’s lightning fast, he’s quick, he’s decisive, he can break arm tackles. It’s almost like they’re in the ‘Wildcat’ every single play with a guy that can throw the ball.”
Dawkins has made strides as a passer since taking over for the injured Anu Solomon in Week 2. Dawkins has completed 61.7 percent of his throws with three touchdowns and one interception.
But it’s his running ability — his long, effortless stride — that literally separates him from others. He possesses all the attributes to become the next great dual-threat quarterback under Rich Rodriguez. Pat White and Denard Robinson had 1,000-plus-yard seasons in Rodriguez’s system at West Virginia and Michigan, respectively.
Dawkins has a different running style, but he is producing similar results. At his current pace, the redshirt sophomore would rush for more than 1,400 yards.
“They’re all kind of unique,” Rodriguez said. “Pat White was just take one step and boy, he’s full speed. Denard Robinson was a freak. (Before White) we had Rasheed Marshall, who’s probably most similar to Brandon. Kind of a longer strider, but was faster than you think.
“Brandon is faster than you think. I don’t know what his 40 time is, but once he gets going, he’s such a competitive runner, he can pull away from people.”
You don’t have to tell the Washington Huskies that. Dawkins rushed for a career-high 176 yards against UW, including a 79-yard touchdown. The TD marked the longest run by a quarterback this season and the longest by an Arizona QB since at least 1972.
“Anytime you have a running quarterback like that, it is really hard and frustrating,” Washington coach Chris Petersen said after the Huskies’ 35-28 overtime victory over the Wildcats. “The three guys that we played up to this point don’t run like he runs. … When a guy is that fast and you miss him, he makes you pay.”
Washington’s defense is loaded with pro prospects. After shaking linebacker Psalm Wooching in the backfield, Dawkins outran all of them down the right sideline. He covered the final 40 yards in less than 4.5 seconds.
“He makes it really tough,” Mora said. “The run that he had against the University of Washington, the best defense in this conference, arguably, or at least it was … was just spectacular. The guy, he’s big-time.”
Dawkins patterns himself after two of the greatest dual-threat QBs in history: Randall Cunningham and Cam Newton. Dawkins met Cunningham at a football camp and became friends with his son, also named Randall, who is a high jumper at USC. (The younger Cunningham played quarterback at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, where he was a teammate of Solomon’s.)
Like Cunningham and Newton, Dawkins (6-3, 210) is both big and fast. Because of his size and gait, he doesn’t look as speedy as smaller players such as White or Robinson.
But whatever he might lack in timed speed, Dawkins makes up for in determination. He’s always thinking about the end zone. Dawkins and White are the only Rodriguez-coached quarterbacks to score multiple rushing touchdowns in three straight games.
“It’s so hard to test how somebody really runs,” Dawkins said. “When the pressure’s on and somebody’s chasing after you, I feel like something in your body kicks in where you run a lot faster. When I had those guys chasing after me, I felt like I was just floating down the field, just rolling.”
New RB option
The Wildcats are turning to a veteran receiver to provide reinforcements for their depleted tailback corps.
Senior Samajie Grant is taking some reps at running back this week. Grant played the position at Colony High School in Ontario, California, rushing for 1,495 yards and 24 touchdowns as a senior in 2012.
Grant has started 33 games at receiver for Arizona. He has 134 career receptions, including 11 this season. He has seven career rushes for 30 yards.
“He’s just an explosive player,” Rodriguez said. “I’d like to get him some more touches anyway because he can do some things with the ball.”
Rodriguez and his staff have been forced to consider contingencies after ankle injuries to Nick Wilson and J.J. Taylor and the dismissal of Orlando Bradford.
Taylor probably will be out for the rest of the season after breaking his left ankle last week. Wilson’s status for UCLA is unknown. If he can’t play, Arizona likely will use some combination of Zach Green, Tyrell Johnson, walk-on Branden Leon and Grant.
Can Grant get up to speed by Saturday at a position he hasn’t played in several years?
“Samajie can do a little bit of everything,” running backs coach Calvin Magee said. “He’s a quick study. So he’ll pick it up.”
Extra points
• Receiver Shawn Poindexter injured his right foot or ankle against Washington after catching three passes for 29 yards in the first quarter. His status for this week’s game is unclear.
• Linebacker DeAndre’ Miller (ankle) had a green jersey Tuesday, possibly indicating limited practice participation. That could be a good sign after Miller missed last week’s game.
• Despite injuries piling up again, Rodriguez doesn’t plan to make any changes to Arizona’s training or practice regimens. “I have 100 percent confidence in our training methods,” he said. “It’s just bad luck.”
• Rodriguez comparing UCLA’s defense to Washington’s: “Very similar. They might be a little faster on the edge. Their secondary is outstanding.”
• The Wildcats practiced on the grass at Kindall/Sancet despite intermittent rain throughout the morning.
