When he was first asked about facing Washington State, his former school, Jayden de Laura nodded his head sternly. It was as if a button had been pushed.
โJust watch,โ de Laura said. โThis game, itโs personal.โ
De Laura made those comments in the immediate aftermath of Arizonaโs upset victory over UCLA on Saturday night. It was a grueling, back-and-forth battle, and de Laura was still feeling the effects.
He was much more measured when he met the media Tuesday. The closest de Laura came to providing more motivational fodder for the Cougars was when he acknowledged he was โlooking for an opportunity to play themโ while seeking a new home in the offseason.
โAnd an opportunity presents itself this upcoming week,โ de Laura said. โSo weโre just preparing as a team the best we can: treatment, study, class, film, practice, everything.โ
De Laura spoke calmly โ almost matter-of-factly โ about WSU, where he spent his first two seasons. He transferred after the school made Jake Dickert its full-time head coach and hired a new offensive coordinator. Those moves came on the heels of WSU firing Nick Rolovich.
โAt the end of the day, itโs just another opponent,โ de Laura said. โWe just go in this week, grind, watch the film. And then, offensively and defensively, we go out there on game day and do our thing.โ
Can de Laura keep his cool Saturday? Saying WSU is โjust another opponentโ is one thing; remaining level-headed in the moment is quite another.
โI would love to say that itโs gonna be just another game for everybody,โ UA coach Jedd Fisch said. โI would assume that itโs going to have some form of an impact on Jayden. He was the starting quarterback there. He was the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year there. And now heโs here.
โItโs Jaydenโs job to make sure it doesnโt affect him and he doesnโt play the game any differently. That he goes out there and he executes in the manner that he executed last week. And I believe he will.
โAs you all know, I believe in Jayden de Laura very much. If he could just play within himself and not let the opponent affect him and treat them like theyโre nameless and faceless, in a lot of ways that will help him and all of us.โ
When UA defensive end Hunter Echols faced his former school, USC, earlier this season, he said he felt โno real emotionโ about facing the Trojans. But Echols jawed with his former teammates during warmups.
De Laura conceded that the on-field chatter Saturday likely will be more heated than usual.
โItโs gonna be fun, though,โ de Laura said. โI know weโre gonna be saying stuff to each other, but itโs just all within the game.โ
The Cougars arenโt biting โ at least not yet. Asked by reporters in Pullman about de Lauraโs initial comments, defensive end Brennan Jackson said WSUโs focus is to โstop the Arizona Wildcats, not just one player.โ
โPeople (are) gonna talk,โ WSU tailback Nakia Watson said. โWe know what we have to do.โ
โLike a champโ
How did Arizona tackle Jordan Morgan react to the news that heโd be out for the year?
โLike a champ,โ UA offensive line coach Brennan Carroll said. โHeโll be a professional one day, and he can handle his business with the best of them. Great attitude. Heโs had a great mindset. Love that kid. Weโre gonna miss him ... for the rest of the year.โ
Morganโs right leg gave out during the first quarter against UCLA. He was unable to return. Fisch announced Monday that Morgan would miss the rest of the season.
โBut he still wants to be (around), wants to be in meetings, wants to mentor the young guys,โ Carroll said. โHeโs a fantastic teammate, a fantastic captain.โ
Carroll said heโll meet with Morgan later this week and present โa bunch of informationโ to him regarding the NFL draft. Morgan had worked his way into a possible Day 2 pick (Rounds 2-3) before getting hurt. He now must decide whether to go pro or return to Arizona for a fifth season.
โThereโs a lot of things weโre gonna talk about,โ Carroll said.
Carroll is confident that veteran Sam Langi can perform adequately in Morganโs stead. Langi played 49 snaps vs. the Bruins, tying his second-highest total of the season. Pro Football Focus charged him with four pressures allowed.
He has played 357 snaps this year, per PFF, yielding 15 pressures. He has yet to surrender a sack.
โWeโre lucky to have a guy thatโs had experience to go step into this role,โ Carroll said. โWe expect a ton out of him.โ
Carroll said Langiโs likely backups would be Josh Donovan, who has started seven games at left guard, and Joseph Borjon, who has yet to play in a game but has practiced at both tackle spots.
The last play
Johnny Nansen told the defense what was coming. Arizonaโs defensive coordinator knew UCLA would try to โsneak a guy on the back sideโ on the final play of the game.
Sure enough, receiver Jake Bobo broke free just inside the end line. Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson heaved the ball in his direction. Bobo just missed making a diving catch.
โOur guys were aware,โ Nansen said. โFor some reason, they didnโt see him coming on the back side. Once that ball was in the air I was like, โOh my gosh, what is going on?โ But it all worked out.โ
Several UA defenders were in the vicinity. Safety Christian Young was on the opposite side of the end zone. He saw the ball sail through the air and land harmlessly beyond the end zone.
โIt happened fast,โ Young said. โIt was just a huge relief.โ
Extra points
UA quarterbacks coach Jimmie Dougherty is one of 51 nominees for the Broyles Award, given to the nationโs top assistant coach. Dougherty has helped de Laura rank in the top 10 nationally in passing yards (3,128) and the top 20 in passing touchdowns (24). โHeโs been just a fantastic mentor for Jayden,โ Carroll said.
Young on Arizonaโs upset win over UCLA: โWinning in the Rose Bowl my senior year, one last time, it was something I canโt even put into words. My mom came to the game. To see all the Arizona fans with a smile on their faces at the end of the game; a lot of coaches coached at UCLA the prior couple years, so just seeing a smile on their face too. Just bringing joy to the locker room, that meant a lot to me.โ
Carroll on WSUโs defense, which leads the Pac-12 with 68 tackles for losses: โVery aggressive defense, very disciplined scheme. Theyโre trying to do everything they can to stop the run. Theyโre trying to add an extra player to the box whenever they can. A very quick front. Not as big as the team we played last week. But theyโre quicker, and theyโre effective.โ