The Star’s Michael Lev presents five storylines of interest as the Arizona Wildcats square off against USC on Saturday at the L.A. Coliseum. Kickoff is slated for 4 p.m. The game will air on ESPNU.
Hard coaching, difficult times haven’t deterred Arizona DT Trevon Mason
Arizona defensive lineman Trevon Mason pressures UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson into an incomplete pass in the first quarter.
Trevon Mason could have turned pro after last season. Defensive tackles who stand 6 feet 6 inches and weigh 305 pounds are always in demand. It would have been, in a sense, the easy way out.
But Mason liked what he was hearing from Arizona’s new coaches, including head man Jedd Fisch and defensive coordinator Don Brown. Mason even liked the idea of being coached hard. Brown and new defensive line coach Ricky Hunley weren’t going to go easy on anyone.
Even though the Wildcats haven’t experienced the team success Mason was seeking, his decision has proved to be a wise one. Mason has been one of the top performers on an improved defense. He has enhanced his résumé for the NFL.
And if Mason gets yelled at along the way, so be it.
“You gotta take the hard coaching,” the fifth-year senior said amid preparations for Saturday’s game at USC. “They’re not screaming at you because they hate you. They’re screaming at you to make you better. That's all it is.”
Mason said the way Brown and Hunley coach him reminds him of his days at Navarro College in Texas. They regularly harp on him to stay low and play with good pad level, a constant challenge for a player who easily could pass for a power forward.
“We're not going to give you a break, man,” Fisch said. “We're not gonna give any of you guys a break. ... We're not gonna let them slip by.
“A guy like Tre has embraced getting coached very hard and also embraced on Saturday, on game day, letting it rip. What he's able to do is separate it. He's able to say, ‘Hey, all week long in practice you guys can get on me, but in the games I'm ready to go let it fly.’ I really appreciate that about Tre.”
Mason often can be seen hustling downfield to get in on tackles. He has 27 in six games, the most among UA defensive linemen. They include four stops for losses, 2.5 of which are sacks.
“He's improving,” Fisch said. “You watch his film and it's like, ‘Wow, there's some really good football out there.’ He's running to the ball. He's trying to get in on plays. He had a huge sack for us (vs. Washington last week). He's played very physical.”
Arizona’s defense has gotten markedly better under Brown. The Wildcats rank in the top half of the Pac-12 in yards allowed, something they haven’t done over a full season in more than a decade.
It hasn’t translated into wins — yet — and that’s an ongoing source of frustration for Mason and his teammates. Although he’ll be pivoting into draft prep in a little over a month, helping to turn the program around remains Mason’s top priority.
Asked what his goals are for the rest of the season, Mason rattled off the following: “Win. Keep my pad level low. Make every play that I can. Don’t take reps off. Run to the ball.”
The latter is a mandate under Brown. He’s the third defensive coordinator Mason has had in three years at the UA — four if you include Chuck Cecil, who served as the interim DC late in 2019.
Hunley is Mason’s third position coach. Fisch is his second head coach. Change has been a constant. How does Mason deal with all that?
“Just one day at a time,” he said. “I like these coaches, though. I wish I had one more year here.”
How will Wildcats answer when London comes calling?
Southern California wide receiver Drake London (15) in the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Arizona’s coaches have been hush-hush about their plans to defend star USC receiver Drake London.
“If I tell you what we're going to do, I gotta kill you,” UA defensive coordinator Don Brown joked.
But it’s really no secret: The Wildcats will do whatever it takes to slow down the nation’s premier wideout.
London, a 6-foot-5-inch junior, ranks second nationally with 79 receptions and 1,002 yards. His catches are the most ever by an FBS player through seven games. He has five games with 10 or more receptions and six with at least 130 receiving yards.
“What I can tell you is that you have to know where he is on every play,” UA coach Jedd Fisch said. “You have to account for him on every play. How we account for him will be different. Obviously, we'll have our strategy there.
“Everybody goes into the game and wants to account for him. And yet, I think he still had 15 for 178 last week. (London had 15 catches for 171 yards at Notre Dame).
“He's going to catch contested balls. You're gonna have to play through him and play physical with him. We've got to be able to come up with ways to minimize his impact on the game the best we can.”
Good luck with that. London is the master of the contested catch. He has had 28 contested targets this season, according to Pro Football Focus. He has made the reception 19 times.
The Wildcats rank 13th nationally in pass defense, allowing 176.4 yards per game. But that number has been on the rise lately. Arizona has surrendered 232.5 yards per game over the past two weeks and has been especially susceptible to big plays.
Both of the Wildcats’ top cornerbacks, Christian Roland-Wallace and Isaiah Rutherford, have been victimized. Roland-Wallace — Arizona’s biggest, most physical corner — is likely to match up often with London. Roland-Wallace has allowed seven catches on eight targets the past two weeks, per PFF. He had allowed five in 11 targets in Arizona’s first five games.
“All I know is he gives you everything he's got,” Brown said. “I think he's playing at a pretty high level. He had one crossing-route scenario (vs. Washington) that I wish he’d have played better. But I wish I'd coached better. You gotta take the good with the bad.
“From the time I've been here, all he's done is work at it. I think he's got a bright future. And I'm very confident with him on the field.”
More big plays would make a big difference for ‘methodical’ Cats
Jedd Fisch this week described Arizona’s offense as “methodical.” It wasn’t exactly a compliment.
“We’re lacking explosiveness,” Fisch added.
It has been a season-long problem for the Wildcats.
The website CFBStats.com tracks long scrimmage plays. Arizona is tied for 98th in the nation in plays of 10-plus yards (91 in seven games), tied for 128th in plays of 20-plus yards (15) and ranks 128th in plays of 30-plus yards (six). Arizona is one of only 17 teams in FBS to have fewer than 10 plays covering 30 yards or more.
Those numbers help explain how the Wildcats lead the Pac-12 in offensive plays per game (72.4) yet rank 11th in yards per game (339.3). They also rank 11th in yards per play (4.7).
Arizona particularly lacks oomph in the passing game. The Wildcats’ average of 5.7 yards per pass attempt ranks last in the conference.
Fisch wants to take more shots downfield.
“We need to be able to stretch the field,” he said. “We need to be able to make plays that are bigger than 10-yard gains.”
Unfortunately, whenever the Wildcats try a shot play, it’s more like a long shot.
Quarterbacks Gunner Cruz, Jordan McCloud and Will Plummer have combined to complete only 3 of 24 passes thrown 20 or more yards. Kedon Slovis and Jaxson Dart of USC, Arizona’s opponent this week, have completed 25 of 53 such passes.
“You have to be willing to make a mistake and not live in a world of fear,” said Fisch, whose play-calling hasn’t always reflected that philosophy. “You have to have a lot of things that work together. Protection. You’ve gotta get the route run at the right depth. You’ve gotta be detailed in your route. You’ve gotta go up and make a play. You can't have a penalty.”
Fisch said he had two shot plays dialed up vs. Washington last week, but the Wildcats false-started both times. Plummer attempted only one pass of 20 yards or greater — the game-ending Hail Mary attempt.
UA foes haven’t turned turnovers into TDs as much as you’d think
While most Arizona fans were upset about the play call that led to the game-turning interception vs. Washington, the man who made the call was more concerned about what happened afterward.
Jedd Fisch said he could sense a “here we go again” mentality in the Wildcats, who surrendered a touchdown on the next possession and frittered away a two-score fourth-quarter lead. He would have liked to have seen a better response to what football coaches refer to as a “sudden change.”
How has Arizona fared in those situations overall this season?
“I think you'll be surprised,” defensive coordinator Don Brown said.
The Wildcats have had 12 opportunities to defend after committing a turnover. They have allowed a touchdown only four times.
That’s a significant improvement over last season, when Arizona also faced 12 such scenarios. The 2020 Wildcats surrendered eight touchdowns.
Below is a look at the 12 times this year that Arizona has had to put its defense on the field after a turnover. The first column shows the type of turnover. The second shows where the opponent took possession. The third shows the result of the drive.
BYU
Interception/BYU 20/Punt
SAN DIEGO STATE
Interception/UA 21/Field goal
NAU
Fumble/UA 20/Interception
Interception/NAU 40/TD
OREGON
Interception/UA 25/Field goal
Interception/UO 20/Touchdown
Interception/UO 2/Safety
Interception/UA 43/Downs
UCLA
Fumble/UA 37/Punt
Fumble/UCLA 40/Field goal
COLORADO
Interception/CU 30/Touchdown
WASHINGTON
Interception/UW 29/Touchdown
USC interim coach Donte Williams has been busy since sole season at UA
Southern California head coach Donte Williams walks off the field at then of an NCAA college football game against Utah Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
USC’s interim coach should be familiar to Arizona fans.
Donte Williams spent one season at the UA, serving as the Wildcats’ cornerbacks coach in 2016.
Williams was part of an overhaul of the UA defensive staff under Rich Rodriguez. Williams had spent the previous three seasons at San Jose State, where he gained a reputation as a top recruiter.
Williams helped Arizona land commitments from several promising prospects, including four-star defensive back Greg Johnson. Johnson decommitted after Williams left for Nebraska. Johnson now plays for him at USC.
Williams didn’t stay in Lincoln very long. After one season as Nebraska’s cornerbacks coach, Williams joined the Oregon staff in the same capacity. He spent two seasons in Eugene before coming USC’s cornerbacks coach and defensive pass-game coordinator in February 2020.
After firing Clay Helton on Sept. 13 of this year, USC athletic director Mike Bohn named Williams the interim coach. The 39-year-old is the first Black head coach in program history.
