One of the Arizona Wildcats’ elusive goals in 2016 is to play well for four quarters.
They could start by playing well for four downs.
Fourth-down plays have been problematic for Arizona’s offense all season. They have cost the 2-5 Wildcats opportunities to win games.
The latest came in the second quarter of Arizona’s 48-14 loss to USC on Saturday. It was one of several little plays that added up to a big defeat.
What follows is a look at all 11 of the Wildcats’ fourth-down attempts this season and what impact they had. Arizona has converted just three. Only Oregon State (1 of 7) has a lower success rate among Pac-12 teams.
Grambling State (Sept. 10)
Fourth-down conversions: 1 of 4
Play No. 1: Down 7-0 in the first quarter, Arizona faces fourth-and-2 at the Grambling 32-yard line. Nick Wilson rushes for 1 yard, turning the ball over on downs. The Wildcats would fall behind 14-0 before their next fourth-down opportunity.
Play No. 2: Trailing by two scores in the second quarter, Arizona advances to the Grambling 6-yard line and faces fourth-and-1. Rich Rodriguez again turns to Wilson, who gets stuffed for a 4-yard loss. The Wildcats would kick a field goal on their next possession but would trail 21-3 at the half.
Play No. 3: With the score 21-10 in the third quarter, Arizona faces fourth-and-2 at the Grambling 34. QB Brandon Dawkins keeps the ball and loses 2 yards, making Arizona 0 for 3 on fourth downs to this point.
Play No. 4: Ahead 24-21 early in the fourth quarter, Arizona faces fourth-and-2 at the Grambling 21. Against a six-man rush, Dawkins steps up in the pocket and races 21 yards for a touchdown to make it 31-21. That score would hold up in the Wildcats’ first victory of the season.
Washington (Sept. 24)
Fourth-down conversions: 2 of 4
Play No. 1: On the opening possession against the heavily favored Huskies, the Wildcats advance the UW 24 and face fourth-and-1. J.J. Taylor rushes for 10 yards. Three plays later Taylor scores from the 1 to give Arizona a 7-0 lead.
Play No. 2: With the score still 7-0, Arizona drives to the UW 2 early in the second quarter. On fourth-and-goal, Rodriguez again taps Taylor, who gets stopped this time for a 1-yard loss. The Wildcats surrender a touchdown on the next possession. So instead of leading 14-0, Arizona is tied 7-7.
Play No. 3: Down 28-21 late in the fourth quarter, Arizona faces fourth-and-3 at the UW 7. Dawkins hits Nate Phillips for a 4-yard completion. On the next play, Dawkins connects with Josh Kern for a 3-yard TD with 17 seconds left to force overtime.
Play No. 4: Down 35-28 in OT, Arizona faces fourth-and-10 at the UW 11. Nathan Eldridge’s shotgun snap to Dawkins is slightly off line, forcing him to scramble to his right. Dawkins’ desperate pass to Tyrell Johnson in the end zone falls incomplete. UA loses to drop to 2-2.
UCLA (Oct. 1)
Fourth-down conversions: 0 of 1
Play No. 1: With the game tied 7-7 late in the first quarter, Arizona faces fourth-and-1 at the UCLA 38. Much like the conversion vs. Washington, Dawkins throws a roll-out pass to the right to Phillips. This time Phillips gains no yardage. On the next play, Josh Rosen throws a 62-yard TD pass to Kenneth Walker III to give the Bruins a 14-7 lead they would not relinquish in a 45-24 victory.
USC (Oct. 15)
Fourth-down conversions: 0 of 2
Play No. 1: Trailing 21-7 early in the second quarter, Arizona advances to the USC 1-yard line. On fourth-and-goal, QB Khalil Tate fakes a handoff to Zach Green and rolls right. He is surrounded by Trojans. Tate throws the ball away. Instead of scoring a touchdown that would have ignited the crowd and the UA sideline, the Wildcats remain down by 14 points – until the Trojans score later in the quarter to make it 27-7.
Play No. 2: Down 41-7 midway through the third quarter, Arizona faces fourth-and-10 at the USC 37. Tate throws a deep ball down the left sideline for Trey Griffey, but the pass is too wide and uncatchable. The play is inconsequential in a blowout loss.
On the fourth-and-goal failures against Washington and USC, Rodriguez blamed himself for making poor play calls. Other common traits include poor execution — a popular lament among coaches and players.
Bottom line: “Situation football,” as defensive coordinator Marcel Yates calls is, is critical for every team — in particular this banged-up Arizona squad. Those situations include fourth downs, and the Wildcats are not succeeding in enough of them.
Extra points
• Arizona is off this week before facing Stanford on homecoming on Oct. 29. The start time is expected to be announced Monday.
• The UA is the only school that’s 0-4 in Pac-12 play. The Wildcats have a minus-75 point differential in conference games.
• Arizona ranks third in the Pac-12 in rushing at 223.1 yards per game. Oregon, the only other squad that’s winless in league play, leads the conference at 257.8 yards. They rank 11th and 12th in the league, respectively, in time of possession.
• The Wildcats remain last in the conference in third-down percentage (36.8). They’re also last in third-down defense (48.5).
• Arizona ranks first in the league in fourth-down defense (33.3).
• UA opponents have been called for 67 penalties totaling 565 yards — by far the most in the Pac-12. The next-highest totals belong to Arizona State (48-394).
