When they awoke Sunday morning, the Arizona Wildcats suddenly and surprisingly found themselves in a three-way tie atop the Pac-12 South.
UA coach Kevin Sumlin undoubtedly will be asked about that unexpected development at his weekly Monday press briefing. We don’t have to wait that long to guess what he’ll say.
“It’s about us,” Sumlin said late Friday night after Arizona’s 42-34 victory over Colorado. “This team understands that their focus doesn’t need to be the opponent. The focus needs to be on us, how we can be better, how we play, the standard in all three phases.”
With the exception of the Utah game on Oct. 12, the Wildcats have played much better football since they started looking within for answers. After consecutive losses to open the season, Arizona has gone 5-3. At 4-3 in the Pac-12, the Wildcats are tied for first place in the South Division with Utah and USC.
The latter comes with an asterisk. The Utes and Trojans own the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Cats. So Arizona would have to finish ahead of them — and Arizona State, which is 3-3 — to win the South and participate in the Nov. 30 Pac-12 Championship Game. The Wildcats would need help for all of that to happen.
It’s a pretty safe bet that Sumlin won’t be discussing any of those possibilities with his team during its much-needed bye this week. The only result among the South Division contenders that Arizona can control is the Territorial Cup matchup vs. ASU on Nov. 24.
What can the Wildcats control?
“Our effort, our execution and our energy,” Sumlin said.
The effort has been there throughout; the execution and energy have vacillated. But it has all come together of late, with the most notable improvement in these areas:
Rushing defense. Arizona held Colorado to 40 net rushing yards — the second straight week the Wildcats have limited an opponent to fewer than 100. Arizona hadn’t pulled off that feat since 2011. It last happened in conference play in 2010.
Colorado’s 40 rushing yards were the fewest by a UA opponent since Washington State had 51 on Oct. 28, 2017. The Wildcats visit the Cougars on Nov. 17. No. 8 WSU barely survived at home against Cal late Saturday night.
Third-down defense. Arizona has held its last two opponents, Oregon and Colorado, to a 29 percent conversion rate on third down. In the first eight games, UA opponents converted 43.5 percent of their third downs.
The defense seemed to be backsliding in this area through two-plus quarters against the Buffaloes, allowing 6 of 10 third downs to be converted. But the unit pitched a shutout the rest of the way, putting the final tally at 6 of 15.
Rushing offense. After struggling to run the ball for three straight weeks, Arizona has found its groove on the ground.
The Wildcats have topped 200 yards in each of the past three games, averaging 260.3. In the previous three games, they had 294 total rushing yards.
J.J. Taylor ranks first in the Pac-12 and third in the nation with 1,221 yards.
Passing efficiency. Since returning from an ankle injury, Khalil Tate has completed 65.5 percent of his passes, including a season-best 77.3 percent against Colorado. Prior to that, Tate’s completion percentage was 53.4.
“It speaks on how hard I’ve worked in the offseason,” Tate said after passing for a career-high 350 yards against the Buffs. “I really took into consideration that I have to become a better passer.
“Having the receiving corps that I have, having the offensive line that I have and having the running backs that I have, it helps me do my job. It helps all of us.”
Tate also broke loose for a season-long 25-yard scramble against Colorado. After zipping around a defender toward the left sideline, Tate cut back into the middle of the field — a sign that he’s starting to feel like his 2017 self again.
“As his health gets better, I think you see a confidence in him right now,” Sumlin said. “That’s as fast as I’ve seen him since spring football.”
Penalty problem
It isn’t all rosy.
Arizona has committed 23 penalties the past two weeks for 235 yards. The Wildcats’ 12 penalties against Oregon were a season high and the fourth time this year they have been flagged 10 or more times.
“We would love to be a more disciplined team,” defensive tackle PJ Johnson said. “Nobody is great enough to keep giving up 100-plus yards a game in penalties.”
The Cats aren’t quite that bad, but they’re trending in the wrong direction. Arizona is averaging 77.1 penalty yards per game, third most in the Pac-12.
“Awful,” Sumlin said. “We (will) address it during practice. That’s about all I can say about that.”
Extra points
- The start time and TV assignment for the Washington State game could be announced Monday, but might be subject to a six-day pick window, which would push the announcement to Nov. 11. WSU visits Colorado on Saturday.
- The Cougars (469.2 yards per game) and Wildcats (454.1) rank first and second in the Pac-12 in total offense. Washington State ranks first in passing (397.4); Arizona ranks first in rushing (206.4).
- Sophomore linebacker Colin Schooler ranks first in the nation with 19 tackles for losses. He ranks second at 1.9 TFLs per game.
- Cornerback Lorenzo Burns ranks third in the Pac-12 with 11 passes defensed. Safety Scottie Young Jr. is tied for second in interceptions (three). Johnson is tied for second in fumble recoveries (two). Burns has missed one game. Young and Johnson each have missed two.
