The Arizona Wildcats are scheduled to play their first road game of the season Saturday at Washington.
But as we’ve learned the hard way during this challenging year, nothing is guaranteed until the ball is kicked off.
To prepare for contingencies that would have seemed inconceivable before 2020, Arizona’s staff is altering its preparation for upcoming opponents. In the past, the staff would work 1-2 weeks in advance and focus exclusively on foes listed on the Wildcats’ schedule. Now the staff is putting together scouting reports on every team in the Pac-12.
“Our guys are working around the clock right now,” UA coach Kevin Sumlin said Monday, singling out the staff’s analysts and graduate assistants.
“Our guys are breaking down every game from last weekend.”
The Pac-12 season is just two weeks old, and five games already have been canceled. Cal and UCLA, who were not scheduled to face each other this season, patched together a game that kicked off Sunday morning at the Rose Bowl.
Golden Bears coach Justin Wilcox and his Bruins counterpart, Chip Kelly, actually began discussing the possibility last Wednesday, according to ESPN. Sumlin balked at the idea of facing Washington on short notice in Week 1 after the Wildcats’ and Huskies’ originally scheduled openers were canceled when COVID-19 issues struck their opponents. But he knows his team might have to pivot to play as many games as possible.
“It’s not the optimum thing,” Sumlin said of preparing scouting reports for a quick turnaround, “but if it’s something that we have to do to play, in the right amount of time, we would have that information.”
Prepping for a road game involves more than scouting reports, of course. Sumlin said that when Arizona’s opener at Utah officially was canceled — a little over 24 hours before kickoff — the Wildcats’ equipment truck was “somewhere past the Grand Canyon.”
Arizona running back Gary Brightwell (0) runs out of the grip of USC defensive lineman Tuli Tuipulotu (49) in the second quarter of their Pac 12 game at Arizona Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., November 14, 2020.
“Our shoulder pads leave Thursday night or Friday morning, headed to the game that you’re supposed to be playing,” Sumlin said. “It’s not just the game, but it’s the equipment itself, a lot of different logistics, finding hotel rooms, changing the plane, what are you going to eat, how are you going to feed these guys.”
Even with a few days’ lead time to map out initial parameters, administrators were scrambling Friday to green-light the Cal-UCLA game. This week’s Arizona State-Colorado game already has been called off. Utah’s situation remains undetermined.
The Utes have yet to play a game. They’re scheduled to host USC on Saturday.
“We’re just grateful that we get an opportunity to play,” Kelly said after the Bruins defeated the Golden Bears.
“What’s going on with COVID in this country right now is kind of crazy, and I don’t know what the future holds.”
Bouncing back
Sumlin found parallels between Arizona’s quarterback and its kicker — yes, kicker — after reviewing last week’s game.
Grant Gunnell rebounded from an interception on the first series to pass for 286 yards and three touchdowns, including the go-ahead score with 1:34 remaining. Lucas Havrisik bounced back from an early missed field goal to make three straight, including a 51-yarder.
“No one wants to come out of the gate with a turnover,” Sumlin said. “Just like Lucas missing the first field goal.
“Guys came out and didn’t have the kind of success (they) wanted. But I think the good part is that mentally and physically, both those guys rebounded and put us in position to have a chance to win at the end of the game.”
Casteel, Dixon cleared
Arizona is expected to have two veteran receivers available for Washington who sat out the season opener.
Brian Casteel and Drew Dixon will suit up against the Huskies, Sumlin announced.
Casteel, a redshirt junior, led Arizona with 45 receptions last season, good for 397 yards and three touchdowns. Dixon, also a redshirt junior, had 14 catches for 143 yards and two scores.
Casteel and Dixon were among the players the UA deemed “unavailable” against USC. The school did not specify if they were injured or what their injuries were.
Freshman receiver Dyelan Miller, who also sat out against the Trojans, remains “questionable” to play, Sumlin said.
The Wildcats will need to be at full capacity to move the ball through the air against Washington, which yielded just 85 passing yards in its season-opening win over Oregon State last week.
OL addition
Arizona has picked up a commitment from a transfer with in-state ties.
Offensive lineman Davis DiVall announced Monday that he plans to transfer from Baylor to Arizona.
DiVall, who’s originally from Scottsdale, put his name in the NCAA transfer portal in late August. On Oct. 18, he reported an offer from Arizona.
DiVall spent one season at Baylor, redshirting there last year. He played at Scottsdale Notre Dame Preparatory High School before attending Bridgton Academy in Maine in 2018.
DiVall’s commitment came about two weeks after junior-college lineman Cade Parrish decommitted from the UA.
Baylor listed DiVall at 6-4, 293 pounds. He was a three-star prospect coming out of high school who previously had committed to Temple. DiVall also had offers from Oregon and Maryland.
The addition of DiVall would give Arizona 24 commitments for the class of 2021. Twenty-five is the annual cap, although there could be some wiggle room if some prospects enroll in January.
The early signing period for football begins Dec. 16.
Washington running back Sean McGrew (5) runs for a touchdown against Oregon State during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 14, 2020, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Extra points
- The Pac-12’s TV partners have elected to use a six-day pick window for three league games on Nov. 28, including Arizona’s scheduled visit to UCLA. The kickoff time is expected to be announced Sunday.
- UW media reported that Huskies coach Jimmy Lake began his Monday news conference sporting a hat that said, “Run the damn ball.” Washington ran 51 times for 267 yards against Oregon State. The Huskies attempted only 24 passes.
- Lake on the Wildcats: “Their quarterback can throw it. They have a spread attack, a ton of tempo. It’s the same scheme we faced last year with their offense, but now with a quarterback that is very accurate, and he can still run and ... move the chains. Defensively, they’re going to be new. They’ve got some new guys, new scheme. This is a team that took USC all the way to the brink and almost had the game won if it wasn’t for the heroics of the USC offense in the last 30 seconds.”
