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 43-20 victory over Colorado on Saturday:
1. BLUE CHECKS
Quarterback Jayden de Laura unleashed a dazzling array of passes against Colorado. He threw for nearly 500 yards and six touchdowns. Yet when asked afterward if there was anything specific he was able to exploit in Colorado’s defense, de Laura said: “No. I would just say changing my game, taking all the checkdowns.” De Laura continues to evolve and grow as a quarterback in his first season working with Jedd Fisch and Jimmie Dougherty. We’ve seen de Laura’s aggressiveness work against him at times. He lost his patience in the fourth quarter the previous week at Cal, leading to two interceptions. He never forced the issue against the Buffaloes. He instead took what the defense gave him. According to Pro Football Focus, more than half of de Laura’s pass attempts were thrown fewer than 10 yards. PFF had him at a perfect 10 of 10 for 120 yards and a touchdown on passes thrown behind the line of scrimmage. Colorado left too many blue-shirted Wildcats open in the flats or in the short middle, and de Laura repeatedly took advantage of that. It was the latest sign that he’s willing to take to coaching and tweak his game for the good of the team.
2. BLOCK ABCs
De Laura couldn’t have done what he did without help from his friends. And it wasn’t just his brilliant receivers catching and running with the ball. Arizona’s pass-blocking and perimeter blocking continue to improve. In our film-review notes, we marked multiple instances where de Laura’s pocket was anywhere from “adequate” to “clean” to “pristine.” Pac-12 Networks analyst J.B. Long joked at one point that de Laura would have had time to spell his 16-word, 59-character middle name on one pass play. The Wildcats converted three third downs on their final TD drive in the fourth quarter; each featured standout blocking. On third-and-13, against a five-man rush, de Laura had enough time to find Jacob Cowing on a crossing route for a 19-yard gain. On third-and-10, de Laura threw a bubble screen to Cowing. Receiver Tetairoa McMillan threw the key block to spring Cowing for 11 yards. Finally, on third-and-3, de Laura ran a QB sweep to the left. McMillan – whose blocking was not up to par at the start of the season – again made the key block. De Laura gained 5 yards. On the next play, he connected with Michael Wiley for a 5-yard touchdown.
3. READ AND REACT
On the preceding possession, Colorado had first-and-10 at the 50. The Buffaloes were down 36-20. If ever they were going to make a run, this was the time. It turned to be a showcase for the improvements and adjustments Arizona’s defense made over the course of the week. After an incomplete pass on first down, Owen McCown threw a checkdown pass to the left side to tailback Anthony Hankerson. Linebacker Jerry Roberts and defensive back Gunner Maldonado were exactly where they needed to be and limited Hankerson to a 5-yard gain. On the next play, Arizona blitzed. McCown again flipped the ball to Hankerson, this time in the right flat. Maldonado missed the initial tackle, but Roberts was nearby to clean things up for a minimal gain (2 yards). Did that happen even once in Berkeley? On fourth-and-3, McCown again looked for Hankerson in the right flat. Hunter Echols, swooping in from that side, affected the throw, which Hankerson dropped. But even if he had caught it, Hankerson likely would have been stopped short. Roberts was making a beeline toward him and had a perfect angle. None of those plays was a run, but they show what can happen when you read a play correctly, remain disciplined, run to the ball and wrap up.
4. THIS TIME IT’S PERSONNEL
Our notes on individual players can be found here … All three UA tailbacks – Wiley, DJ Williams and Jonah Coleman – broke multiple tackles when they had the ball. They have different physiques and running styles, but they all have that ability. ... Cowing is a nightmare on crossing routes. Play man coverage against him at your own risk. ... Tanner McLachlan hasn’t just upgraded the pass catching at tight end; he’s also a tenacious blocker. On one play in the third quarter, he shoved a CU defender off the screen. ... Arizona used pick action to set up a bunch of receptions and never got flagged for interference. You can be sure Oregon coach Dan Lanning will discuss that with the officiating crew ahead of next Saturday’s game. ... The Wildcats used a new defensive package on passing downs featuring a front four of Echols, Jalen Harris and freshmen Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei and Russell Davis II. It essentially puts four defensive ends on the field. Uiagalelei is a tweener at 6-4, 260 – not unlike injured veteran JB Brown. Uiagalelei and Harris lined up inside. Davis flashed his quickness and athleticism rushing opposite Echols. ... CB Treydan Stukes had a rough night. Based on some of his movements, we’re still not sure he’s 100% recovered from the knee injury that forced him to miss much of training camp. ... We liked what we saw from young safeties Isaiah Taylor and DJ Warnell Jr. Warnell began his UA career as a nickel, moved to boundary safety and performed well at free safety tag-teaming with Taylor in place of the injured Jaxen Turner.
5. ‘THE GAUNTLET’
That’s what everyone is calling Arizona’s next stretch of games. It starts with Oregon and ends with Washington State. In between: at Washington, vs. USC, at Utah and at UCLA. Five of those teams are ranked in the latest AP Top 25. WSU is the only one that isn’t but received the most votes among teams that didn’t quite make the cut. The six schools have a combined record of 26-4. Washington’s lone loss came against UCLA, WSU’s against Oregon. It’s going to be rough. It’ll also serve as a measuring stick to see just how far the UA program has come under Fisch. Will the Wildcats be competitive in every game? Can they pull off an upset or two – a must if they’re going to make a bowl game? The way the offense is playing right now, Arizona at least will have a chance. As stated last week about the Cal game, the upcoming results shouldn’t have any bearing on how we view this rebuilding project – unless the Wildcats get blown out six straight times, which we don’t see happening. Fisch has raised the bar during his brief time here. Can his team take it up another notch?
