The Arizona Wildcats lost to Colorado 34-0 on Saturday at Folsom Field in Boulder. Here are some pertinent notes, quotes and statistics from the UA’s latest setback:
NOTES
* Arizona lost its 18th consecutive game. The UA and UNLV are the only winless teams in FBS. The Wildcats’ last win came on Oct. 5, 2019 – 743 days ago.
* Arizona got shut out for the first time since Sept. 22, 2012. The Wildcats had managed at least one score in 109 consecutive games.
* Arizona has scored 13 points in its past two games against Colorado. The Wildcats averaged 39 points in their first nine matchups as members of the Pac-12.
* Arizona gained 280 yards, its second-lowest total of the season (230 vs. San Diego State).
* Arizona limited Colorado to 365 yards. It’s the fourth time this season the Wildcats have held the opposition to less than 400 yards. They did that only once across the 2019 and ’20 seasons (17 games).
* Colorado’s 117 rushing yards were the fewest Arizona has allowed this season and the lowest output by an opponent since Texas Tech had 104 yards vs. the Wildcats on Sept. 14, 2019.
* Second-year freshman RB Jalen John notched career bests with 11 carries for 71 yards.
* Stanley Berryhill III led Arizona with eight catches for 48 yards. He has led or tied for the team lead in receptions in all six games this season. Berryhill also has led the team in receiving yards five times.
* Safety Christian Young tied his career high with a team-high seven tackles. He has reached the seven-tackle mark three times in his career.
* DT Trevon Mason and CB Isaiah Rutherford each had two tackles for losses. Arizona had seven TFLs, the third time it has notched seven or more. The Wildcats had six combined TFLs in their previous two games.
* Colorado has seven TFLs in the first half – surpassing its season high for a game. The Buffaloes finished with nine TFLs. Fourteen of Arizona’s 29 first-half plays netted zero or few yards.
* CU had two non-offensive touchdowns (blocked punt, interception) in the same game for the first time since 2013. Colorado’s Carson Wells had a pick-six and a game-high four TFLs.
* Colorado QB Brendon Lewis passed for a career-high 248 yards. His previous high was 162 yards.
QUOTES
UA coach Jedd Fisch on Arizona going 0 for 2 in the red zone: “We've got to get better at that. It comes down to everything. And we'll evaluate everything.”
Fisch on going for it on fourth-and-goal at the 1: “I believe in the analytics on that one. ... You're better off going for it, taking the field position and sending our defense out there if we don't get it. But I had full trust in our team getting that.”
Fisch on QB Will Plummer’s performance off the bench: “I think he did fine. I'd like to hit the deep ball to Tayvian (Cunningham). I'd like to hit the deep ball to Boobie (Curry). I'd like to hit Stanley (Berryhill) on a dig route. All those things, right? We would all like to see that happen. But you're also jumping into a game. It's the fourth quarter. You're down a bunch of points. You have some adrenaline, and you overthrow some things. You don't necessarily know exactly the speed, the tempo. But he handled the plays well. I think we had one false start with him in. We had no delay-of-games. We didn't have any wasted timeouts. He was able to get in and out of the huddle. Those are all important.”
Fisch on playing Washington on Friday: “Excited about the opportunity to be back at home. Excited about playing Washington and going out there and playing our best game. I will continue to challenge our team to do that. We'll coach our best game, and we'll play our best game.”
John on the loss: “It’s definitely tough. But stuff happens. It’s a process. We're halfway through the season. Our mentality right now is just 0-0. We're just gonna keep going.”
Colorado coach Karl Dorrell on the blocked punt and pick-six giving the Buffs a spark: “I think that’s what our team felt. We needed someone to step up, and it was great see Trevor (Woods) do that. (Woods blocked the punt and returned it for a TD.) It was 6-0 for almost three quarters. It was something where we needed a boost. ... We’re trying to figure out our way of winning. You need someone to step up and make a play so everybody responds.”
Dorrell on players believing in the program: “It’s instrumental. When you have nothing to show for it ... it takes a lot of faith and hope. A lot of repetitive discussions ... about telling them we’re this close. Hopefully, this is a great example for them to realize, ‘Wow, when we have this type of mindset, we can achieve the goals and aspirations we set for ourselves, which is winning ballgames.”
STATS
* Arizona had 19 first downs; Colorado had 18
* Arizona averaged 4.0 yards per play; Colorado averaged 6.3
* Arizona had 8 penalties for 63 yards; Colorado had 6 for 76
* Arizona possessed the ball for 30 minutes, 58 seconds; Colorado had it for 29:02
* Arizona converted 3 of 15 third downs; Colorado converted 6 of 13
* Arizona’s average starting field position was its 25-yard line; Colorado’s was its 20
* Colorado WR Brenden Rice caught 3 passes for 111 yards and 1 TD
* Arizona’s Kyle Ostendorp averaged 52.1 yards per punt with 1 inside the 20 and 4 touchbacks
* Colorado’s Josh Watts averaged 48.0 yards per punt with 1 inside the 20 and 0 touchbacks
* Colorado’s Isaiah Lewis and Nate Landman each had 7 tackles
