(Editor’s note: The majority of this piece was written before the news broke of coaching changes. It has been updated to reflect that development.)
Every week throughout the season, we take a look back at the Arizona Wildcats’ previous game. Star reporter Michael Lev couldn’t make the trip to Stanford, but he took in all the action from Tucson and offers these five takeaways from the UA’s 41-31 loss Saturday:
1. INDEFENSIBLE
The quarterback situation was the hot-button topic Saturday, but we’re going to start on the other side of the ball – especially in light of the news Sunday that Kevin Sumlin had fired defensive coordinator Marcel Yates and linebackers coach John Rushing. After a pair of encouraging if ultimately unsuccessful outings, the Arizona defense inexplicably failed to show up for most of the first half. One could argue that was par for the course in a way, given the second-half collapses the previous two weeks. But those could be excused; the defense repeatedly faced short-field situations, got little help from the offense or special teams and eventually broke. This was not that. This was regression to Week 0 at Hawaii, but without the takeaways. The common denominator between those performances: a nonexistent pass rush. Statistically, the Wildcats have the worst pass rush in all of Power Five. Arizona has seven sacks in eight games. Only three teams in the country have fewer: Middle Tennessee, New Mexico State and Akron. Third-year edge rushers JB Brown, Jalen Harris and Kylan Wilborn are hard-working players with good attitudes, but they just aren’t getting it done on a consistent enough basis. The back end of Arizona’s defense didn’t play well, but there’s only so much you can do when the quarterback isn’t getting touched, let alone sacked. Sumlin apparently had seen enough and decided major changes were necessary.
2. PLATOON, PART I
OK, let’s talk quarterbacks – plural. When Sumlin said he had no plans to redshirt Grant Gunnell, it was unclear how the freshman would be utilized. We found out Saturday: Senior Khalil Tate played the first two series, Gunnell the next two. Tate then went back in. Gunnell got another possession in the second half. Tate finished the game. It wasn’t an entirely unsuccessful experiment; the Wildcats’ 31 points were their most since the Colorado game. Whether it can work long term – i.e., the final four (or five) games of this season – remains to be seen. The concept makes some sense, because Tate and Gunnell have such different playing styles. As Stanford coach David Shaw said after the game, that alone can keep defenses “off balance.” The practicality of the arrangement is another matter. If Tate is rolling, how do you take him out? If Gunnell gets hot, can you put Tate back in? UA fans were pining for Gunnell while Tate struggled in the fourth quarter, and that chorus only will grow louder now that redshirting the freshman is off the table. Sumlin said the platoon “probably” would persist for at least one more week. Arizona has a bye after hosting Oregon State. That’ll give Sumlin and his staff a chance to assess how it has worked and whether it should continue.
3. PLATOON, PART II
Both quarterbacks played well for the first three quarters before critical mistakes undermined them in the fourth. Gunnell faced third-and-11 from the Stanford 22 on the second play of the period with Arizona trailing by seven. He rolled to his right and tried to buy time. Cardinal pass rusher Thomas Booker poked the ball away, forcing Gunnell to retreat and recover it. The fumble knocked the Wildcats out of field-goal range and forced them to punt. It was a situation where Gunnell should have just thrown the ball away. But if you’re going to play a true freshman, stuff like that will happen from time to time. After a three-and-out, Tate returned. Arizona had excellent field position at its 49. On the second play of the series, Tate rolled to his left. As he planted to throw, he slipped. That threw off the timing of the play. Savvy Stanford cornerback Paulson Adebo stepped in front of the pass intended for Jamarye Joiner and intercepted it. Should Tate have thrown the ball after slipping? Probably not. It was the latest example of questionable game management on his part. He performed better in that regard than the previous two weeks, but the fourth quarter was a major struggle. Once Stanford went up two scores and knew Tate had to pass, he lost his effectiveness.
4. THIS TIME IT’S PERSONNEL
Each week we provide some notes on individual players, so here goes … RB J.J. Taylor is giving the Wildcats everything he has. He again ran with terrific vision, agility and power. … We’ve said it before about Joiner, but it bears repeating: His upside is immense. That one-handed TD grab from Tate – just inside the right pylon with a defender on him – was marvelous. … Gunnell’s TD pass to Jalen Johnson – a backside throw into a small window – drew praise from Shaw. But it’s worth mentioning that Arizona is really high on Johnson, a freshman receiver with size and speed who’s just rounding into form after being slowed by injury in training camp. … DT Finton Connolly played with a wrap on his right arm but clearly wasn’t himself, and Arizona missed his interior presence. No UA defensive lineman had more than two tackles. … The move of Jace Whittaker to a safety/slot-corner role hasn’t worked out as planned. Whittaker (5-11, 185) just doesn’t have the size to play the inside run game or cover tight ends. … Veteran safety Jarrius Wallace was one of the defense’s few bright spots. He was around the ball a ton in the second half and deserves a chance to play at a position where Arizona hasn’t gotten the production it was expecting.
5. TREADING WATER
Sumlin has coached the Wildcats for 20 games. Their record is 9-11. A few weeks ago – when they won at Colorado, breaking through on the road and improving to 4-1 – it felt as if they were making real progress. The past three games have delivered a harsh dose of reality. Tate spoke after Stanford about the need to put together a complete game – a recurring theme last season. It happened only a handful of times. The truth is, Arizona is an incomplete team capable of a wide range of outcomes – but with a minimal margin for error. The Wildcats aren’t good enough to overcome mistakes like the fourth-quarter turnovers they made at Stanford. For whatever reason – coaching, lack of talent, lack of development – the offense and defense rarely have played well in the same game. Aside from running the ball, it’s hard to pinpoint anything Arizona does consistently well that it can rely on from week to week. As a result, the Wildcats find themselves in a precarious position: Needing to beat a frisky OSU squad on Saturday and to then pull an upset over the final three weeks to become bowl eligible. The most likely scenario has Arizona at 5-6 entering the Territorial Cup against Arizona State – the exact same situation the Wildcats faced in 2018.
