The Arizona Wildcats defeated Oregon State 35-14 on Saturday at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Oregon. Here are some pertinent notes, quotes and statistics:
NOTES
- Kevin Sumlin did something neither Rich Rodriguez, Mike Stoops, John Mackovic nor even Dick Tomey could do: win his first Pac-12 game as UA coach.
- The Wildcats won a conference opener for the first time since the “Hill Mary” game vs. Cal in 2014.
- Arizona has won two games against FBS opponents in its past eight contests. Both were against Oregon State.
- The Wildcats did not recover any of the Beavers’ three fumbles. UA opponents have fumbled five times this season; Arizona has yet to recover any of them.
- Arizona had three runs of 40-plus yards. Before Saturday, the Wildcats’ longest run was 33 yards by Anthony Mariscal.
- The 14 points allowed by Arizona were its fewest since surrendering seven to Oregon State in 2015 and its lowest total in a road game since yielding 10 to Utah in ’14.
- Arizona allowed fewer than 100 rushing yards for the first time since the Washington State game last year. Oregon State finished with 97 net rushing yards. The Beavers were averaging 212.3.
- Arizona rushed for a season-high 442 yards, the third game in a row the Wildcats rushed for more yards than the previous week. Arizona topped 400 yards four times last season, including a school-record 534 against Oregon State.
- J.J. Taylor’s 284 rushing yards were the fourth most in school history. He’s the 15th player in UA annals to rush for 200 or more yards in a game.
- Linebacker Colin Schooler had a career-high four tackles for losses, giving him 10 for the season. No other Wildcat has more than two.
- Arizona’s 11 tackles for losses were its most since recording 15 vs. Arizona State in 2014.
- Dylan Klumph has punted just once in the past two games. His lone attempt Saturday netted 54 yards.
QUOTES
UA coach Kevin Sumlin on Khalil Tate’s early 9-yard run: “Khalil pulling one early gave them a different look and really stretched the perimeter, made them do some things. They’re big inside. We wanted to get to the perimeter any way we could schematically, whether it was Khalil, whether it was the running backs.”
Sumlin on the running attack: “When you talk about explosive plays … people think it’s throwing bombs and home runs and double moves, things like that. But the explosive plays come in the run game when you have perimeter blocking like we did today, getting involved on the second level, giving J.J. and Gary (Brightwell) some opportunities to do some things.”
Sumlin on Schooler: “He’s a heck of a football player. He is consistently making plays. He is a tremendous leader. He’s a guy that wants to play. Colin’s one of those guys that cares so much. He’s covering the opening kickoff. If there’s a special-teams situation that he thinks is critical, he wants to be in there. That says a lot about him.”
UA senior tackle Layth Friekh on improving from 0-2 to 2-2: “It sucks to lose. No one likes to lose. Getting that first win last week was a big deal for us. It wasn’t the best opponent (Southern Utah), but it got our foot through the right door. Getting into Pac-12 play, you get the first win and you just hope to keep it rolling.”
Taylor on what he saw from the offensive line: “I was just seeing the same thing we saw in practice. The offensive line was really working this week. As a running back corps, we were pushing ourselves to be better and not just be average.”
Schooler on the defense: “On paper, we had nine returning starters. We just weren’t clicking like we should’ve. We had players moving around, injuries. Everybody needs to do their job and play like a unit. That’s when we’re really effective as a defense.”
Schooler on what lies ahead: “There’s not a team on our schedule we don’t think we can’t beat. Yeah, a win feels good. It feels better than a loss, obviously. But you can only hold on to that for so long. We’ve got to get another win next week.”
Arizona’s Jalen Harris on winning battles at the line of scrimmage: “We had to get better in the trenches and make plays. That was the goal this week. If we played good in the trenches, stopped the run and forced them to pass, then we’d have a chance to win the game.”
Tate on Sumlin pumping the brakes regarding Arizona’s victory: “We did well. We got the win. We got the outcome that we wanted. But there’s always room for improvement. We have USC next week. They’re a good team.”
STATS
- Arizona had 29 first downs; Oregon State had 18.
- Arizona had 594 total yards; Oregon State had 238.
- Arizona averaged 8.7 yards per play; Oregon State averaged 3.4.
- Arizona possessed the ball for 27 minutes, 5 seconds; Oregon State had it for 32:55.
- Arizona converted 4 of 8 third downs; Oregon State converted 8 of 17.
- Arizona’s average starting field position was its 31-yard line; Oregon State’s was its 22.
- Brightwell rushed for 113 yards and a touchdown.
- Shawn Poindexter caught four passes for 92 yards and a touchdown.
- Tony Fields II had 10 tackles, including one for a loss.
