Arizona Wildcats storylines: On defensive struggles, the legacy linebacker — and a Bright spot

Arizona defense looks to regain its swarm form against UCLA

Jalen Harris used words like “embarrassing” and “shocking” to describe the Arizona Wildcats’ defensive performance last week. The redshirt freshman wasn’t alone in feeling that way.

The questions now are two-fold: What happened at Utah? And how can Arizona make sure it doesn’t happen again against UCLA?

Coming off its best game of the season, the UA defense was out of sorts all night last Friday in Salt Lake City. The Wildcats surrendered 42 points in all. The Utes had a 35-0 lead less than two minutes into the second half.

“We weren’t ourselves,” senior safety Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles said. “We weren’t pursuing to the ball like we usually do. We weren’t wrapping up and tackling like we usually do.

“We’re gonna shake that. We can’t dwell on it. We’re going to get going this week.”

The biggest problem, among several, was shoddy tackling. The Wildcats repeatedly failed to bring down Utah ball-carriers. Sometimes UA defenders got overpowered. Sometimes they lunged instead of wrapping up. Sometimes they didn’t have enough bodies around the ball.

The latter stood out most to UA coach Kevin Sumlin.

“Those things didn’t show up the last couple weeks because it was more than one person to the ball,” Sumlin said. “Many times (Friday) night it was only one guy.”

Whether it was Utah’s scheme; fatigue caused by long first-quarter drives and elevation; a lack of depth; or, as Flannigan-Fowles put it, “just one of those games,” Arizona didn’t swarm ball-carriers the way it did in the latter stages of the USC game and for most of the Cal game.

Affirming Sumlin’s theory, Pro Football Focus counted 13 missed tackles against Utah – one fewer than the Wildcats had against Cal. It was the third time this season Arizona had missed 13 tackles, per PFF.

The Wildcats know they can’t afford a repeat Saturday night against the Bruins – or anyone.

“As late as it is in the season, we don’t hit as much (in practice),” defensive lineman PJ Johnson said. “When we do our thud periods or our tag-off, squaring up the right way on a ball-carrier, having your feet right will help you.

“People were just running through. We were giving too much effort instead of using technique.

“I don’t believe that’s been a huge problem all year. This was the worst game.

“If everybody’s swarming to the ball, he has nowhere to go.”

After last week, the UA defense has nowhere to go but up.

Next wave of UA wideouts provides hope for next season

When he’s no longer around, Shawn Poindexter believes Arizona’s receiving corps will be in good hands.

The Wildcats have three senior wide receivers: Shun Brown, Tony Ellison and Poindexter. They account for 61.3 percent of Arizona’s receptions, 66.9 percent of its receiving yards and 66.7 percent of its receiving touchdowns. 

But the UA got a glimpse of its future at Utah. Cedric Peterson (redshirt junior), Devaughn Cooper (redshirt sophomore) and Stanley Berryhill (redshirt freshman) combined for 11 catches, 150 yards and a touchdown. All three set career highs in catches, yards or both.

“This program has a bright future when it comes to the receivers room,” Poindexter said. “A really, really bright future.”

A coach recently reminded Poindexter that he has played about 370 snaps this season. Those will be disbursed among the next generation next season.

“As they get those reps, they’re going to get better and better,” said Poindexter, who also mentioned sophomore Brian Casteel and freshmen Tre Adams and Thomas Marcus. “And I hope they leave this program … in a better position to play at the next level than I did.”

With his team riddled by injuries and fighting for a bowl berth, first-year coach Kevin Sumlin is operating on parallel tracks: He’s trying to win each week while also assessing his personnel for the future.

The work of Peterson, Cooper and Berryhill hasn’t gone unnoticed.

“Cedric’s been playing well all year,” Sumlin said. “He’s been blocking like crazy. He’s been doing all the things that have gotten other people open, created home runs.

“Stanley, from a walk-on earning a scholarship this fall, he’s a young guy that continues to get better.

“Coop is finally getting healthy. He missed a bunch of two-a-days in fall camp with that ankle – really the summer too. He’s been practicing for the last couple months. He showed some real burst (Friday) night that we hadn’t seen out of him all year, which is a good sign, because we need him.”

UCLA kept chipping away under Kelly, now seeing results

It took Chip Kelly four weeks at UCLA to lose more than half as many games as he did in four seasons at Oregon.

Kelly owned the Pac-12 while serving as coach of the Ducks from 2009-12. Oregon went 46-7 during that span; played in a pair of Rose Bowls; and reached the national-championship game.

After a stint in the NFL that ended with the San Francisco 49ers firing him following a 2-14 record in 2016, Kelly spent last year as an analyst for ESPN. Despite his swan dive in the NFL, Kelly remained in high demand. His hiring by UCLA was heralded as a triumph.

Then the Bruins lost four straight games by at least two scores, including home contests against Cincinnati and Fresno State. UCLA dropped to 0-5 after a loss to Washington, but that result brought hope. The Bruins went toe to toe with the ranked Huskies, losing by only seven points.

UCLA broke through last week with a 37-7 victory at Cal. The Bruins enter Saturday’s game against Arizona on an upswing.

“The last two weeks they’ve played impressive football,” UA coach Kevin Sumlin said.

It was only a matter of time before UCLA began to turn the corner. His struggles in the NFL aside – he went 20-12 in his first two seasons, 8-23 in his last two – it’s not as if Kelly suddenly forgot how to coach or what it takes for a program to be successful.

“He’s a very smart guy,” said Sumlin, who, like Kelly, is in his first season. “He’s been around a lot of different places, but you can’t argue with what he did at Oregon and how he did it in pretty dominant fashion.”

Every situation is different. Kelly inherited an Oregon team that had gone 10-3 in 2008. With quarterbacks like Darron Thomas and Marcus Mariota, an emphasis on speed, a revolutionary (at the time) up-tempo offense and cutting-edge facilities courtesy of Nike honcho and Oregon alum Phil Knight, Kelly elevated the Ducks from good to great.

UCLA went a combined 10-15 in 2016 and ’17. Many of the Bruins’ top recruits haven’t panned out because of injuries or other reasons. UCLA also had no clear-cut answer at quarterback.

With the results not evident on the scoreboard, Kelly had to focus on what former UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel referred to as “small victories” – the little things that add up to wins in the standings.

“There’s a lot of challenges, so I don’t know if one is bigger than the others,” Kelly said. “But you’re trying to teach your offensive, defensive and special-teams systems, which may be slightly or totally different depending on the last place.

“We’re forward with operations, so we don’t talk about what went on in the past. We weren’t here. But they’ve had some really good coaches here in the past; they’ve done some really good things. We’ve just got to lay the foundation for what we’re trying to get accomplished here.”

Jalen Harris, the son of a UA great, still has plenty of room for growth

Jalen Harris carries a burden. For him, it’s easier than carrying weight.

As the son of former Arizona team captain and seven-year NFL pro Sean Harris, Jalen came to the UA with elevated expectations. No one holds him to a higher standard than his father.

“That is the case,” Jalen Harris said. “He’s very hard on me. It’s hard to get good compliments from him. When I do, I feel proud.”

There was a time in Jalen’s life when he didn’t take too kindly to his father’s criticism. Two years into his college career, the redshirt-freshman pass rusher has come to appreciate Sean’s input.

“He knows what he’s talking about,” Jalen Harris said. “He’s been in the league. So I listen. I take it and try to follow through.”

Sean’s most consistent piece of advice? Always hustle and play with maximum effort. “That’s how you stand out,” Jalen said.

Playing hard hasn’t been a problem for the younger Harris. Operating from the “Stud” position, Harris has become a key contributor to the UA defense. He has 15 tackles, including 1.5 sacks, and has been credited with one QB hurry.

Adding heft to his 6-foot-4 frame is a tougher task. When he arrived in Tucson in the summer of 2017, Harris weighed 200 pounds. He’s up to 230 and has plenty of room to get bigger and stronger.

“It’s been a little bit of a challenge,” Harris said. “But my strength coaches push me to do it. I’m still trying to put on weight.”

Harris believes he can bulk up to 260 pounds without sacrificing the speed and quickness that – combined with his long arms – make him a potentially devastating edge rusher. A self-described “picky eater,” Harris has come to accept his daily caloric requirements. He even has recognized the protein-packed virtues of peanut butter, of which he wasn’t a “big fan” before coming to Arizona.

Harris knows he has a long way to go to become as strong as he needs to be. Utah was able to collapse the edges against the UA defense last week, steering Harris and others out of harm’s way.

“I still need to work on that,” Harris said. “I need to attack that guy.”

UA tailback Gary Brightwell has a better read on things

No position in football is more instinctual than tailback. If you can run, you can run.

But there’s more to it than that. When sophomore Gary Brightwell first arrived at Arizona, he didn’t know much about reading defensive fronts. He now knows where his eyes are supposed to be on a zone-read play: on the A-gap defender.

“I’ve learned a lot about it,” Brightwell said. “It made me a better running back.”

Brightwell has emerged as a productive complement to starter J.J. Taylor. Brightwell has rushed for 322 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 5.2 yards per attempt.

Although he’s a better player now than before – particularly with a full year at running back after playing slot receiver for much of 2017 – Brightwell sees ample room for improvement.

“I feel like my game can grow all around,” he said. “I can catch, but I feel like my catching ability can improve. My running. Breaking tackles and using all my tools.”

Brightwell and quarterback Khalil Tate have had trouble connecting at times; Brightwell has just one reception for zero yards. Ball security has been an issue at times. And he takes as much responsibility as anyone for Arizona’s struggles in short-yardage situations.

“I feel like I can help by just staying low and bulling through defenders as best I can,” Brightwell said. “Once my number’s called, I’m going to get in and do what I have to do.”