Kevin Sumlin was in Houston on Saturday when Arizona’s next opponent authored an epic comeback, so that Pac-12 zaniness didn’t just happen after dark for him — it happened after midnight.
The Wildcats coach has watched the UCLA-Washington State game more than once since, but he didn’t need multiple viewings to reach this conclusion: The Bruins, who come to Tucson this week, look like a different team from the one that started 0-3.
“It was a completely different offensive game plan against Washington State. And they were successful,” Sumlin said Monday.
“It’s kind of interesting: You’ve got two teams Saturday that are coming off of playing their best football so far this year … that really are kind of hitting their stride right now, you’d think.”
Previously winless UCLA rallied from a 32-point third-quarter deficit to defeat then-No. 19 Washington State 67-63 in Pullman. Arizona (2-1) defeated Texas Tech 28-14 on Sept. 14 before enjoying a bye last week.
Sumlin emphasized the importance of preparation after that victory. He shouldn’t have any trouble getting his players to lock in after the Bruins’ comeback, which had the entire college football world — or at least the portion that was still awake — buzzing.
Then again, Sumlin never envisioned lack of focus as a potential problem, even if UCLA was 0-4.
“It’s UCLA. They were gonna have our attention anyway,” Sumlin said. “I don’t care what (the) records are.
“Going back to last year, you lose by one point there. They had our attention long before Saturday night.”
Arizona lost to UCLA 31-30 last season at the Rose Bowl. Quarterback Khalil Tate, among others, didn’t play because of injury. Sumlin had yet to meet with the team when he spoke to the media at noon Monday, but he didn’t think avenging last year’s heartbreaking defeat was foremost on their minds.
“I don’t know that that’s the motivating factor,” Sumlin said. “Our guys just want to play the best football they can play. They had a different feeling walking off the field against Tech. I think they liked that feeling. The message was, remember this but remember what it took to get here, practice-wise. That’s where our concentration has been … wanting to play our best football this week.”
Tate’s counterpart, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, is coming off the best performance of his career. The sophomore passed for a career-high 507 yards and set a school record with 564 yards of offense. Thompson-Robinson accounted for seven touchdowns as the Bruins scored more points in the second half (50) than they had in their first three games combined (42).
“He’s just getting better every week,” Sumlin said. “He looked more comfortable Saturday night than he did earlier in the year. Some of the things that they’re doing to give him some pre-snap reads … they spread the thing out Saturday and made Washington State declare what they’re doing on defense, gave him an opportunity to see some things and use his legs. It’s a lot different structure than they had to open the year.”
Thompson-Robinson was named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week. Teammate Demetric Felton was named Special Teams Player of the Week after returning a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. Another Bruin, Kyle Phillips, was named Freshman of the Week after returning a punt 69 yards for a score.
In addition to those special teams touchdowns, UCLA took the ball away six times. The Bruins scored 29 points off turnovers. The Bruins’ comeback was the second biggest in school history. UCLA trailed Texas A&M — coached by Sumlin — by 34 points before rallying for a 45-44 win on Sept. 3, 2017.
One way to beat traffic
Sumlin spent time in the Phoenix area Friday — via the “Swagcopter.”
As he did occasionally during his time at A&M, Sumlin traveled by helicopter to see multiple recruits on the same night. Sumlin literally dropped in on two defensive ends Arizona is pursuing: Jason Harris of Gilbert Higley High School and Regen Terry of Florence High.
Although Sumlin’s mode of travel generated a lot of traffic on the internet and social media, he said he did it more for practical purposes — to AVOID traffic.
“When you’re trying to get around Phoenix to see a couple games … it’s basically impossible at 6 o’clock on Friday,” Sumlin said. “I was able to see two different games. It was a productive weekend.”
The helicopter also symbolizes a certain level of commitment from the UA. Arizona spent $545,968 on football recruiting in fiscal year 2018, according to USA Today. The average for public schools in the Pac-12 was $708,750.
“It says a lot,” Sumlin said. “You’ve gotta have resources to do it. Our administration understands that.”
Taylor update
UA tailback J.J. Taylor, who got hurt vs. Texas Tech, “didn’t do a lot last week in practice,” Sumlin said.
Taylor played sparingly against the Red Raiders after suffering an injury to his lower right leg early in the second quarter. Sumlin acknowledged afterward that Taylor “got nicked up” and added Monday: “We didn’t take him out just because we wanted to take him out.”
Sumlin wasn’t sure how healthy Taylor would be this week and said he’d have a better feel after practice Monday afternoon.
Taylor ranks third on the team with 208 rushing yards. Gary Brightwell and Bam Smith combined for 148 yards and two touchdowns in Taylor’s absence vs. Texas Tech.
Extra points
- The UA-Colorado game in Boulder on Oct. 5 will begin at 1:30 p.m. Tucson time (2:30 local time). The game will air on Pac-12 Networks. The start time and TV assignment for Arizona’s Oct. 12 home game against No. 17 Washington could be announced as soon as next Monday.
- The Wildcats won their Pac-12 opener last season at Oregon State, breaking a three-game losing streak. Arizona’s last win in a conference home opener came in the “Hill Mary” game against Cal in 2014.
- UCLA has a turnover margin of plus-13 in Chip Kelly’s four wins as Bruins coach, minus-13 in his 12 losses.
- The UA will honor Sunnyside Little League during the first quarter Saturday. Sunnyside came within a win of reaching the Little League World Series.
