Arizona lost to No. 9 Washington 35-28 in overtime Saturday night at Arizona Stadium. Here are some pertinent notes, quotes and statistics:
NOTES
* Freshman tailback J.J. Taylor suffered a broken left ankle late in the third quarter, UA coach Rich Rodriguez said. That presumably ends Taylor’s promising freshman season. He had 265 yards on 37 carries in seven quarters of work before getting hurt.
* Without Taylor, Nick Wilson (ankle) and Orlando Bradford (dismissed from team), Arizona was down to its fourth- and fifth-string tailbacks. Converted receiver Tyrell Johnson had issues with ball security, including a key fumble. Zach Green gained 19 yards on six carries.
* QB Brandon Dawkins rushed for a career-high 176 yards on 13 carries. In three starts, he has 44 carries for 391 yards (8.9 ypc) and seven touchdowns. His 79-yard touchdown was the longest by an Arizona quarterback since at least 1997.
* Shun Brown had the first 100-yard receiving game by a Wildcat this season (7-114). The sophomore leads the team with 13 receptions for 213 yards.
* Arizona allowed a season-high 35 points, including seven in overtime. The Wildcats’ points against so far this season: 18, 21, 28, 35.
* The Wildcats collected four sacks, marking the 15th straight game the team has recorded at least one sack (dating to last season).
* Jack Banda started in place of Sani Fuimaono at defensive tackle — Fuimaono moved over to nose guard in place of the injured Parker Zellers — and finished with a game-high two sacks. They were Banda’s first sacks since last year’s Washington game.
* Cornerback Dane Cruikshank, a redshirt junior, had the first interception of his career in the fourth quarter.
QUOTES
Rich Rodriguez on the Wildcats’ overall effort: “Our guys played hard, but we made a few mistakes that cost us in some key times against a really good team. I’m proud of our guys’ effort. We have to get some execution things cleaned up in all three phases and try and get better.”
Rodriguez on whether he considered going for two late in regulation: “Nope. I’ve been in a bunch of overtime games. I have a philosophy on it.”
Rodriguez on Arizona hanging with a top-10 team despite being a 16-point underdog: “I don’t look at point spreads. I’m not in that business. I’m in the coaching business. It’s a good football team; they’re ranked in the top 10 for a reason. They have some future NFL players. They’re well coached. They played hard. Our guys played hard. There’s certainly some positives that we can take from that game.”
Rodriguez on Arizona’s RB injuries: “Extremely frustrating. I mean, J.J. Taylor breaks his ankle. This guy’s going to be lights out. He is lights out. He will be again whenever he comes back. Unbelievable.”
UW coach Chris Petersen on Dawkins’ running: “Anytime you have a running quarterback like that, it is really hard and frustrating. The three guys we played up to this point don't run like he runs. When a guy is that fast and you miss him, he makes you pay.”
Dawkins on the unsuccessful fourth-and-goal play in the second quarter: “He wanted to keep the offense on the field, and I don’t blame him for it. He trusted us enough to go for it, and they gave us a certain look. I should’ve checked out of the play.”
Banda on not getting key stops at the end of the game: “We play as a unit, and we have to lean on each other at some points. I feel like we had a few key stops. Our secondary played well to let me get those sacks; they were coverage sacks. So I feel like we came together at certain points. But we could’ve done better.”
LB Cody Ippolito on whether Arizona’s defense wore down at the end: “No, not at all. We condition probably more than anyone in the Pac-12, and we can keep up with anyone. I think we can run people into the ground, and I think we (are) more conditioned than the other team. It just came down to who was going to make the last play.”
STATS
* Washington RB Lavon Coleman rushed for a game-high 181 yards on 11 carries, including a 55-yard touchdown.
* Washington (352 yards) and Arizona (308) combined for 660 rushing yards.
* The Wildcats allowed a season-high 512 total yards.
* Arizona had a season-low two penalties for 30 yards after committing a season-high 11 for 105 yards last week.
* Arizona had a season-high three turnovers after not turning the ball over in either of the previous two games.
* Sophomore safety Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles had a team-high eight tackles and two pass breakups.
* Josh Pollack averaged 51.7 yards on three punts, including two that were downed inside the 20-yard line.
