Arizona coach Jedd Fisch compared his growing relationship with quarterback Jayden de Laura to that of a pitcher and catcher.
Fisch makes the calls, which are signaled to de Laura. De Laura has the authority โ a level of trust that took months and months to build โ to shake Fisch off. In which case Fisch sends in a different play.
โHe would never have done that early on,โ said Fisch, whose teams visits No. 12 Utah on Saturday. โBut now heโs feeling more comfortable in what we want to get done. And I feel more comfortable.
โEarly on I would have said, โYou run my call.โ But now I trust him that he can communicate better with me: โCoach, I know what the play is. I know what all five eligibles are going to do. I donโt feel as comfortable with this as that.โ Thatโs the growth weโre seeing from him.โ
De Laura is making good decisions and playing superb football. The transfer from Washington State ranks fifth nationally with 2,654 passing yards and is tied for sixth with 22 touchdown passes.
De Laura has thrown for 380 or more yards in four of his past five games. He has a 14-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio in his past four contests.
De Lauraโs growth is a product of time and trust.
โIt goes with me and the receivers trusting Coach more throughout the season,โ de Laura said. โAnd ... all of us trusting each other.โ
Fisch and de Laura seem to be on the same wavelength. De Laura has a greater grasp of Fischโs playbook and offensive structure. De Laura also can serve as Fischโs eyes on the field.
โThe quarterbackโs got the best seat in the house for seeing whatโs going on,โ offensive coordinator Brennan Carroll said. โItโs great that those guys can pull off each other if needed.โ
The communication doesnโt just go from quarterback to coach. De Laura and top receiver Jacob Cowing werenโt in sync in the first half vs. USC last week, including a play in the second quarter that de Laura said should have been a touchdown. Instead, he overthrew Cowing by several yards.
โI just told him, โBro, thatโs on me. That was just a bad throw,โโ de Laura said.
Cowing had only two catches for 4 yards in the first half. He finished with seven for 80.
How did he and de Laura get back in sync?
โWe just talk,โ de Laura said. โWe have a good relationship. Itโs just me and him trying to clean it up.โ
De Laura led Arizona in rushing last week with 54 yards on eight attempts. Take out sack losses, and his rushing total climbs to 76 yards.
He has been using his legs frequently and effectively of late after being hesitant to run earlier in the season. After discussing the issue with Fisch, de Laura began to take what the defense was giving him. If the initial, designed play doesnโt materialize, de Laura has the freedom to try to make something happen.
โCoach has given me the green light to just play now,โ de Laura said. โI told him, โIf we need it, just keep the ball in my hands.โ Not in a cocky way or anything.
โIโll distribute it to the guys. I can get it to Jacob. I can get it to โT-Macโ (Tetairoa McMillan). I can get it to Dorian (Singer). And if I need to, Iโll run.โ
Fewer moves, more guys
Arizona isnโt getting home against opposing quarterbacks, failing to register a sack in three straight games and four of its past five.
The coaching staff is trying new approaches to address the problem. One is simplification.
โConcentrate on a couple of moves and not try to have five different moves,โ defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen said. โFocus on what you can do. Everybodyโs different. So thatโs going to be the challenge moving forward.โ
The other is expanding the rotation up front. Ten defensive linemen played at least 16 snaps vs. USC. Ends Jalen Harris and Hunter Echols combined for 106 snaps. They had averaged nearly 123 over the previous six games.
โWe need to play more guys to keep everybody fresh,โ Nansen said. โWhen you look at Jalen and Hunter, theyโre playing so much ball. And then you ask these kids to rush the passer. You need to be fresh in order to get those things done.โ
Regarding Rising
Utah quarterback Cameron Risingโs status for the game remained uncertain Tuesday, although he seems to be trending toward playing. Nansen is assuming Rising will be out there.
โWeโre preparing for him to play,โ Nansen said.
He compared the situation to last week vs. USC. The Wildcats prepared as if receivers Jordan Addison and Mario Williams would be available. They werenโt. It was barely noticeable as USC compiled 45 points and 621 yards.
โWeโre not going to change our game plan,โ Nansen said. โThatโs how weโre moving forward.โ
Extra points
Carroll on Utahโs defense, which has allowed the fewest yards and second-fewest points in the Pac-12: โReally strong, physical. Theyโve been playing in a system that theyโre really used to and have run there for a long time. So theyโve got a lot of answers to a lot of things. Theyโre all tough players. Theyโll fit the runs well. They try to cover like crazy, play a lot of man coverage.โ
In describing Utahโs offense, Nansen also lauded the Utesโ continuity. Offensive coordinator/QB coach Andy Ludwig is in his fourth season. โTheyโve been in the system for a long time,โ Nansen said. โThe quarterbackโs been in the system for a long time. The coordinatorโs been there. The staffโs been together for a very long time. It makes a big difference.โ
Carroll on the second-and-goal run from the 1 vs. USC that resulted in a 7-yard loss: โWe got beat at the point of attack, which is never good. I need our guys to come through on that one. And I gotta coach them better so that they can be better in that situation. Really, technique-wise, it falls on me for them not having that exactly the way we needed.โ
Carroll said freshman guard Wendell Moe is among the young offensive linemen whoโve improved the most during the season. โHe got here late in the summer,โ Carroll said. โSo really, heโs had the most to learn. But heโs done a good job for us.โ
One final comment on the controversial personal foul called on linebacker Jerry Roberts vs. USC, courtesy of Nansen: โI was right next to him. Iโm just gonna leave it at that.โ
