No Arizona Wildcat needs a week off more than tailback J.J. Taylor.
The redshirt sophomore carried a career-high 40 times Friday night against Colorado β six days after carrying a career-high 30 times against Oregon. Those 70 rushes netted 404 yards, giving Taylor 1,221 for the season.
Taylor ranks third in the country behind Wisconsinβs Jonathan Taylor (1,363) and Memphisβ Darrell Henderson (1,280). Jonathan Taylor has an FBS-high 208 carries. J.J. Taylor has 207.
βWe donβt want to hand it to J.J. 40 times,β UA coach Kevin Sumlin said Monday. βWeβre all better off when weβre splitting time.β
Taylorβs increased workload was born out of necessity. No. 2 tailback Gary Brightwell suffered an apparent ankle injury in the second quarter against Oregon. He did not return and sat out the Colorado game.
Regarding Brightwellβs availability for Arizonaβs post-bye trip to Washington State on Nov. 17, Sumlin said: βWeβll see. β¦ Weβll probably know a little more by the end of the week.β
The Wildcats were scheduled to practice later Monday, the first of three workouts this week. Sumlin said players βweβve depended on for the last 10 weeksβ would get more rest than reps this week. Taylor most certainly falls into that category.
Taylor β whoβs listed at 5-6, 184 pounds β looked spent after the Colorado game. That shouldnβt have come as a surprise: He carried the ball on eight of Arizonaβs final 10 offensive plays as the Wildcats ran the final 5:07 off the clock.
Two of the runs displayed the full range of Taylorβs talents.
On third-and-9 from the UA 2, Taylor broke through the line, fended off a tackle, used his right hand to maintain his balance and practically crawled for an additional 10 yards.
On third-and-6 from the UA 35, Taylor scooted through a hole on the right side and raced down the sideline. Then, recognizing the situation, he slid to the turf, staying in bounds so the clock would keep running after the chains were reset.
βIt was typical J.J.,β Sumlin said. βHeβs got great balance. Heβs got great talent. Heβs got great want-to.
βBoth of those runs, that tells you the experience level that he has, the intelligence that he has. β¦ Heβs talented, but heβs also a very smart player.
βTo execute that the way he did says a lot about him.β
Taylor, who finished with 192 yards, also had several blitz pickups that gave quarterback Khalil Tate time to complete passes down the field. The ability to size up the defensive front and block the free rusher is what separates Taylor from the rest of the UA running backs.
βThe backβs gotta be a lot like the quarterback to be able to sort these things out,β Sumlin said. βThat takes some work. You have to be comfortable with that. Being able to protect is a big deal.β
With Brightwell unavailable, Anthony Mariscal and Nathan Tilford each carried the ball once against Colorado. Mariscal had been the No. 3 tailback, so it was no surprise he got the call on a key third-and-1. Tilford hadnβt dressed for the first nine games.
The highest-ranked recruit in Arizonaβs 2017 class, Tilford was expected to be part of a three-man rotation. But inconsistencies in his game β including blitz pickup β prevented the sophomore from climbing the depth chart.
Arizona might need him down the stretch. This week offers Tilford an opportunity to βshow what he can doβ and βdevelop and create more trust,β Sumlin said.
βHeβs got a lot of talent. He works hard,β Sumlin said. βBut the consistency for him β and itβs not just him β has been different. A week like this can really help create some of that trust and some of that consistency to get him on the field.β
Tate βlooks healthierβ
The bye will give Tate additional time to get closer to 100 percent. He missed most of the Utah game and all of the UCLA game because of a sprained left ankle that had bothered him since early September.
Tate moved and played better against Oregon and Colorado. He passed for a career-high 350 yards and five touchdowns against the Buffaloes and had a season-long 25-yard run.
βHe looks healthier,β Sumlin said. βThatβs the first time seen weβve him run like that in a long time.
βYou always appreciate something that you really like to do and you canβt do. Thatβs been the struggle for him when heβs played. It had to be a struggle for him to go to Los Angeles and not play (against UCLA).
βHeβs made the most of the last couple weeks. These next couple weeks canβt do anything but help him.β
Havrisikβs work pays off
Kicker Lucas Havrisik was among the unsung heroes of the Colorado game.
Demoted in midseason after making only four of his first nine field-goal attempts, Havrisik drilled 49- and 55-yarders in the second quarter against the Buffaloes. The Wildcats ended up winning by eight points.
βWhen you basically get benched β¦ thereβs only one or two ways to go,β Sumlin said. βSome guys understand it and take ownership and continue to work. And then some guys can go the other way.
βInstead of pouting β¦ he continued to work at it. You never know when your opportunity is going to come. Obviously, he made the most of his opportunity.
βNow, can we be consistent? Can we follow it up? I like where he is mentally; his attitude has been great during this whole time.β
Senior Josh Pollack likely will remain the primary placekicker for the rest of the season. But Havrisik is only a sophomore and will be a heavy favorite to win the job next season. He has NFL leg strength and has booted 51 of 61 kickoffs for touchbacks.
Extra points
- Arizonaβs additional practices are scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday. The coaching staff, including Sumlin, will hit the road to recruit starting Thursday night.
- Sumlin said he talks to the players every Saturday night about staying out of trouble, so that message doesnβt change this week. What will be different is that some players will have a chance to go home for the first time since summer.
- The TV networks are exercising a six-day pick window for four Pac-12 games on Nov. 17, including Arizona-Washington State. The kickoff time and TV assignment will be announced late Saturday or early Sunday. The start time for the Nov. 24 regular-season finale vs. Arizona State is expected to be announced on Monday, Nov. 12.
- Sumlin said edge rusher Jalen Harris looks like βa different guyβ compared to where he was in spring in terms of strength and explosion. Harris has started the past two games. For the season, the redshirt freshman has 25 tackles, including 2.5 sacks.
- Sumlin on the Wildcats being tied for first place in the Pac-12 South: βWeβve got football to play. β¦ Weβve just gotta continue to play like we played the last couple weeks and see what happens.β The Athletic reported that the division race conceivably could end in an unprecedented six-way tie.
