Every Monday throughout the season, we’ll take a look back at Arizona’s previous game after re-watching the TV broadcast and present five key takeaways. Here are the five from the UA’s 31-21 victory over Grambling State in the home opener Saturday night:
1. Breaking down Brandon
There was a lot to like about quarterback Brandon Dawkins’ first career start. There are also a lot of areas where he can get better. Dawkins’ athleticism jumps off the screen. He’s bigger, faster and stronger than injured Week 1 starter Anu Solomon, and that enables Dawkins to make something out of nothing. It also gives Rich Rodriguez the license to call some plays he otherwise wouldn’t, such as the designed run that produced Arizona’s first touchdown. But Dawkins’ athleticism also can be a crutch. On at least two occasions that were clear from the TV copy, Dawkins had multiple receivers open but elected to run. He’s a terrific runner but would have gained more yards in both situations with completed passes. It’s understandable that Dawkins would make some misreads considering his relative lack of experience. Then again, he’s in his third year in the system and said during training camp that he had “raised my game tenfold” in terms of going through route progressions. Dawkins also needs to improve his accuracy on deep balls; that should come with more reps with the first team, assuming he gets them. Solomon’s status for this week is TBD.
2. Lines of demarcation
It’s been fascinating to watch and study the Arizona offensive line the first two weeks. In both games, the line played poorly in the first half and markedly better in the second – with the exact same personnel. Just like the BYU game, there were far too many breakdowns in the first half against Grambling; not surprisingly, the Wildcats managed just three points. In the second half, the group again seemed to figure out what it needed to fix and started opening huge lanes for Nick Wilson. His splits illustrate the disparity. In the first two first halves, Wilson has 46 yards on 18 carries (2.6 ypc). In the second half, he has 208 yards on 23 carries (9.0). No lineman personifies the OL’s split personality more than right tackle Gerhard de Beer. De Beer looked lost at times in the first half vs. Grambling. In the second half, he helped clear the way for Wilson’s 15-yard run that set up Dawkins’ touchdown and Wilson’s 11-yard score later in the third quarter. The question moving forward is whether de Beer and the line can make the necessary adjustments quicker.
3. Need for speed
Arizona’s tackling was as Rodriguez described it – an unsightly mixture of “horrible” and “gross.” The Wildcats missed more tackles than I could count, and they came from all levels of the defense. Most alarming: Time and again, UA defenders would lunge at ball-carriers and flat-out miss them. You could chalk that up to poor positioning and/or improper angles. To me it speaks more to a lack of speed, especially within the defensive front. (This was also evident from watching the Utah-BYU game; the Utes’ superior speed on defense against the Wildcats’ Week 1 opponent was immediately obvious.) That leaves Arizona with precious little margin for error. The Wildcats’ positioning and angles have to be perfect or they’re going to get gashed by quality skill-position players. Grambling had at least two in QB Devante Kincade and RB Martez Carter, and it was no coincidence that Arizona missed fewer tackles after Kincade got hurt and the less-mobile Trevon Cherry replaced him. Unfortunately, the only way to solve this problem is to get faster players, and that won’t happen until the UA is 2-3 cycles into its new-and-improved recruiting operation.
4. This time it’s personnel
Every week I’ll provide some notes on individual players, so here goes … Sophomore WR Shun Brown needs to get stronger and work on his blocking. He missed a block on one bubble screen, missed another on a pass Samajie Grant mishandled and just kind of got in the way on Dawkins’ 2-yard TD run. … Brown could learn from watching Trey Griffey, who is playing an extremely physical brand of football. Griffey never goes down on first contact, and he made key blocks on both of Dawkins’ touchdowns. … Nose tackle Parker Zellers played a hell of a game. Undersized at 6-1, 247 pounds, Zellers uses leverage, quickness and effort to beat bigger offensive linemen and make plays. … Sophomore safety Demetrius Flanningan-Fowles has a lot of potential. He made plays all over the field and showed the ability to cover running backs and tight ends. He has the makings of a foundational piece. … Cornerbacks DaVonte’ Neal and Jace Whittaker display good athleticism but need to become more physical. … J.J. Taylor showed how dangerous he could be with a neat 22-yard punt return. He needs more touches. … Safety Jarvis McCall Jr. was one of the few Wildcats who tackled well. He also was involved in some of the miscommunication issues that plagued the secondary.
5. The big picture
The good news is, Arizona rallied to win. The bad: The Wildcats didn’t exactly look dominant doing it. And who knows what would have happened had Kincade not gotten hurt. As was the case in the BYU game, the second half offered encouraging signs. The running game got going. The defense took the ball away repeatedly. But it all has to be put in context. Yes, Grambling was well-coached, played well and has some good skill players. But it’s still an FCS opponent. Hawaii (probably) represents a slight upgrade. Then it’s the gauntlet: Washington, UCLA, Utah, USC, Stanford. Arizona has to get better – a lot better – to have a chance against those teams. The clock is ticking. Oh, and the quarterback situation is messier than ever. Will Solomon be able to return this week? If so, will he automatically get his job back? I’m not sure how good the Wildcats will be this season, but at least they’re interesting.
