The Star presents five storylines of interest as the Arizona Wildcats visit Washington on Saturday in Seattle. Kickoff is slated for 2:30 p.m. The game will air on Pac-12 Networks.
Arizona has pair of foundational pieces up front in Josh Baker and 'Big Jonah'
Arizona’s offensive line will have a different look in 2023. The Wildcats appear to have at least two building blocks in place in center Josh Baker and guard Jonah Savaiinaea.
"Those two guys have been really, really good," said UA coach Jedd Fisch, whose team begins the second half of the ’22 season Saturday at Washington.
Baker, a third-year sophomore, and Savaiinaea, a true freshman, have started all six games for Arizona, which has had the same starting group in every contest.
Two of the other three starters won’t be back next year, and the third might not return either. Left guard Josh Donovan and right tackle Paiton Fears will be out of eligibility at the end of the season. Left tackle Jordan Morgan, a fourth-year junior, could enter the NFL draft after what’s been a breakout campaign.
That would leave Baker and Savaiinaea as the only returning starters. They have shown considerable promise in new roles this year.
Baker started seven games in 2021, all at guard. He moved to center this season, succeeding Josh McCauley, and has overcome some early snapping issues to provide a steadying influence in the middle of Arizona’s offensive line.
Fisch praised Baker for "his maturity, his willingness to be a great communicator. His knowledge is growing daily. ... He really has a very good feel on how to play the position and how to be a center."
Offensive line coach Brennan Carroll lauded Baker’s "command of the offense – really understanding where we need to go, where things need to be directed in his communication. Once you can communicate, and that's not your main focus anymore, now you can go just work on technique, just work on the fundamentals, going against your opponent."
Baker had some erratic snaps early in the season and had to work his way through that. He put in extra work before and after practice, snapping the ball 20-30 times to improve his consistency. He hasn’t had an obviously bad snap since the second play of the North Dakota State game on Sept. 17.
"I think that was a fluke," Baker said. "I embraced that next-play mentality. I kept going. And I got better."
Despite his youth, there’s nothing fluky about Savaiinaea’s performance. UA coaches thought they had a gem from the moment he stepped on campus in January, and he has done nothing to disprove that. Savaiinaea has Pro Football Focus’ third-best pass-blocking grade among UA linemen, trailing only Morgan and Baker.
"Big Jonah is going to be a special player," Fisch said of Savaiinaea, who has started at right guard since spring practice. "Not just in this league, but in the future, in the professional league at some point in time.
"He has all of the tangibles and intangibles you ask for, and his work ethic has been tremendous. The way he practices, always wanting to take on the best defensive players in one-on-one pass-rush drills. Those are great indications of guys that want to become really good in their craft."
Carroll called Savaiinaea "a central piece of our puzzle for the O-line." Besides Baker, other possible pieces in 2023 include veteran Sam Langi, who has served as the offensive line’s sixth man this year; and four young players — Joseph Borjon, JT Hand, Leif Magnuson and Jacob Reece — who will have multiple years of eligibility.
Washington State quarterback Jayden de Laura carries a Cougar flag on the field after defeating Washington in the rivalry game. De Laura, now at Arizona, planted the Cougars' flag in the Husky Stadium turf.
Jayden de Laura says he regrets flag-planting incident; Huskies haven’t forgotten
Jayden de Laura should not expect a warm welcome when he trots onto the turf at Husky Stadium.
Arizona’s quarterback is returning to the site of his crowning moment as a member of Washington State’s program — a moment he punctuated with an act of disrespect.
After WSU ended a seven-game losing streak in the Apple Cup series by trouncing Washington 40-13 last November, de Laura waved a maroon Cougars flag and planted it into the turf. He was surrounded by WSU fans, who had stormed the field at their rival’s stadium.
Several months later, after he transferred to Arizona, de Laura was asked what he would tell his teammates about that moment.
"I would tell them don't do that," de Laura said during training camp. "Don't stab the flag in the middle of the field. I'm not gonna lie — I regret that."
The Huskies who played in that game haven’t forgotten what happened in its immediate aftermath.
"I'm definitely not going to take that lightly," UW safety Alex Cook told reporters this week. "I don't think anybody else on the team is going to take that lightly — the guys that were on the team – and we're going to make sure that guys who weren't on that team know what's going to happen on Saturday.
"I'm not talking about dirty shots or anything like that. I'm talking about: There's going to be a different vibe and different intensity coming."
Cook added: "For him to do that against a beaten, battered team, I just felt like that was ridiculous. I don't know how many years we've been playing WSU; I am pretty sure it's the only time it's ever happened. ... That isn't happening again."
UA coach Jedd Fisch said he hasn’t addressed the situation with de Laura, who set a career mark by completing 84.4% of his passes (27 of 32) in that game. Fisch chalked it up as simply something that "happened last year."
"Jayden’s Jayden," Fisch said. "I'm sure there was a lot of energy, excitement and enthusiasm when you go win the Apple Cup. I'm sure it was a big deal there, just like it's a big deal here when we play 'The ‘Team Up North.'"
Arizona running back DJ Williams will take on a larger role with Michael Wiley limited.
RBs Jonah Coleman, DJ Williams set for bigger roles after productive outings vs. Oregon
Change is afoot in the Arizona backfield.
With starting tailback Michael Wiley likely available only in case of emergency against Washington, Jonah Coleman and DJ Williams will assume bigger roles in the Wildcats’ offense.
Coleman, a true freshman, is expected to make his first start after rushing for a career-high 74 yards on nine carries against Oregon last week. He is Arizona’s second-leading rusher with 217 yards and two touchdowns.
Coleman made an immediate splash in spring practice with his tackle-breaking running style. He got off to a slow start in training camp before ascending to a top-three role.
"All of us that watched spring football recognized his value on the practice field and how he developed as a football player," UA coach Jedd Fisch said earlier this season. "And then training camp, he came back and it became a lot. That’s usual for a true freshmen, where all of a sudden it's ball all the time, and there's that two-week or 16-day window where it's just constant football meetings.
"He just had to get himself acclimated to that. Once he got acclimated to that, he started getting better every week and started playing more and more."
Williams arrived on campus on the eve of training camp after transferring from Florida State. He needed to finish up classes to get his degree and couldn’t participate in Arizona’s offseason conditioning program.
It took time for Williams to get into game shape. He showed how far he has come by ripping off a 52-yard touchdown run against the Ducks. Williams’ season average of 6.2 yards per carry is the best among the Wildcats’ top three backs.
Brennan Carroll, Arizona’s run-game coordinator, has seen a more aggressive version of Williams in recent weeks.
"You could see early on he was hesitant in some of his reads," Carroll said. "But as you saw this past weekend, he saw his read and hit it and nobody touched him. We expect that and even more from him going forward."
Arizona safety DJ Warnell Jr. could be due for a big second half.
WR Jacob Cowing, DE Hunter Echols among Arizona’s midseason award winners
With Arizona at the halfway point of the 2022 campaign, we present the following midseason awards:
Offensive MVP: WR Jacob Cowing
Honorable mention: OT Jordan Morgan/QB Jayden de Laura
Cowing, the coveted transfer from UTEP, leads the Pac-12 and ranks in the top five nationally in catches (46), yards (643) and touchdowns (seven). Morgan is Pro Football Focus’ third-highest-rated lineman in the conference. De Laura ranks second in the league in yards (1,874) and is tied for second in TD passes (15).
Defensive MVP: DE Hunter Echols
Honorable mention: CB Christian Roland-Wallace
Another transfer, Echols leads the team in sacks (3.5) and total tackles for losses (6.5). He’s tied for the lead in forced fumbles (two). Roland-Wallace is far and away Arizona’s best cover corner. He has a team-high three pass breakups.
Top freshman: WR Tetairoa McMillan
Honorable mention: OG Jonah Savaiinaea
McMillan has lived up to his recruiting hype, totaling 21 receptions, 338 yards and four touchdowns in his first six college games. Savaiinaea has started on the O-line since Day 1, a rarity for a true freshman.
Most improved player: Morgan
Honorable mention: S Jaxen Turner
Morgan had an overall PFF grade of 53.1 last season, when he was hampered by a sprained ankle. His current grade is 84.1. Turner has boosted his grade from 51.3 to 78.9. Turner has 37 tackles, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in parts of five games.
Second-half breakout candidate: DB DJ Warnell Jr.
Honorable mention: LB Jacob Manu
Warnell, a transfer from UCLA, is set to make his first start as a Wildcat at the "Star" safety position after impressing on special teams and in limited duty on defense. Manu, a true freshman, has worked his way into an expanded role at "Will" linebacker, where he’ll have every chance to prove he can be a long-term answer.
Seattle Mariners including Jesse Winker, left; Ty France, third from right; Logan Gilbert, second from right; and Adam Frazier, right celebrate a home run by Cal Raleigh in ninth inning of a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics, Friday, Sept. 30, 2022, in Seattle. The Mariners won 2-1 to clinch a spot in the playoffs.
Seattle will be the epicenter of sports this weekend
It’s going to be an epic sports weekend in Seattle.
The festivities will begin with the Mariners facing the Astros in the American League Division Series. Game 3 is slated for 1:07 p.m. Saturday at T-Mobile Park. It’s the Mariners’ first home playoff game since 2001.
"It’s been so long. I'm sure they’ll have Macklemore out throwing the first pitch," said Arizona offensive coordinator Brennan Carroll, who spent six seasons on the Seahawks’ staff. "It's such a momentous event there."
The same afternoon, the UA will face Washington at Husky Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. It’s homecoming for the Huskies.
On Saturday night, the NHL’s Seattle Kraken will play their home opener. The puck drop against Las Vegas is slated for 7 p.m. at Climate Pledge Arena.
On Sunday, the Seahawks are scheduled to face the Cardinals at 1:05 p.m. at Lumen Field. If the Mariners beat the Astros on Saturday, the Seahawks-Cardinals kickoff will be moved to 2:30 p.m. Game 4 of the ALDS would start earlier that afternoon.
Lumen Field and T-Mobile Park are basically across the street from each other in Seattle’s SoDo neighborhood.
