The Arizona Wildcats lost to Washington State 69-28 on Saturday night at Pullman. Here are some pertinent notes, quotes and statistics:
NOTES
- Arizona surrendered 55 points in the first half, the most ever in a half by a UA opponent. The previous record of 52 was set by USC in 1923. The 55 points were the most the Cougars have scored in a half since they had 56 against Southwest Louisiana in 1997.
- The Wildcats allowed 69 points for the second straight time at Washington State. The Cougars hadn’t scored that many points since that game.
- Washington State has won 13 straight home games, dating to the start of the 2017 season. Arizona fell to 1-4 on the road, its lone victory coming at Oregon State. The Wildcats are 4-2 at home.
- Arizona’s four turnovers were a season high. The Wildcats fumbled six times, losing three.
- Arizona committed six of its seven penalties in the first half, totaling 72 yards.
- Washington State entered the red zone eight times and scored touchdowns on seven of those trips.
- Linebacker Colin Schooler had a team-high 13 tackles, including 2.5 for losses. Schooler ranks second in the nation with 21.5 TFLs, the fifth-highest single-season total in UA history.
- Receiver Shawn Poindexter caught two passes that went for touchdowns, the third straight game he has pulled off that feat. Poindexter has eight TDs in his past four games, and his 10 TD receptions for the season are tied for second-best mark in UA history.
- Quarterback Khalil Tate threw four touchdown passes, giving him 23 for the season. That total ties Willie Tuitama for fifth best in a single season at Arizona. Tate has nine touchdown passes in his past two games and 12 in his past three.
- Receiver Shun Brown had eight catches for 37 yards and a touchdown. He ranks 11th in school history with 135 career receptions and is tied for 11th with 15 touchdowns.
- Receiver Devaughn Cooper had three catches for a career-high 97 yards.
- WSU quarterback Gardner Minshew II set a school record with seven touchdown passes. He has 36 for the season, the second most in Cougars history.
- Washington State improved to 10-1 for the first time since 1997 and matched the school record with 10 wins.
QUOTES
UA coach Kevin Sumlin on the first half and his team's overall performance: “I have to go back and look at it. The penalty early that extended the first drive (an unsportsmanlike-conduct foul on Scottie Young Jr.), you can’t do that against a team where every possession is critical.
“You can’t have the ball on the ground six times. You’ve got a combination of things that happened early in the game that got out of hand. We (threw) a pick early in the game, and the turnovers and fumbles against a team that scores that (many) points, this can’t happen. That’s how the score gets to be the way it is.”
Sumlin on whether the cold weather affected ball-handling: “There’s no excuse for that. We haven’t been that team all year. We’re not going to make any excuses about weather or anything like that; they played in it too. Against a team that can score points like that, possessions are critical. You’ve taken away your own possessions and given them at least three or four more with turnovers.”
Sumlin on the upcoming finale vs. Arizona State: “We’ve got a lot to play for still. It’s a rivalry game, the Territorial Cup, and a chance to play in the postseason. The season’s not over. We’ve got another opportunity to play next Saturday. (There) really shouldn’t be anything I need to say to get our guys to go. For our seniors, it’s a big deal.”
Linebacker Tony Fields II on the defense’s struggles: “We played hard. We fought as much as we could. They executed when they needed to. We didn’t get off the field when we needed to.
“Our game plan was to stop the pass. That’s their main thing. We blitzed them. Sometimes we dropped a lot of guys into coverage. He (Minshew) is a smart guy. They were able to pick apart our coverage.”
Fields on the ASU game: “We’ve got one more game. We’ve got the Territorial Cup. We’ve got to win that. It’s the most important game of the season. Beat ASU, and let’s go bowling.”
Tate on the overall outcome: “We lost – that’s pretty evident. Washington State played exceptionally well in all three phases, and that showed in the results. We’ve got one game left to get done what we need to get done as far as getting the Territorial Cup back and also getting to a bowl game for the seniors. It’s all about maturity. We’ve got to bounce back.”
WSU coach Mike Leach on the first half and game as a whole: “I thought the first two quarters were really good. I’ve been part of floodgate games on both sides. We’re not that good. They’re not that bad. But I think all three sides of the ball contributed. That first half, I think that was significant. I think that’s what kind of blew it open.”
STATS
- WSU had 31 first downs; Arizona had 21.
- WSU had 605 total yards; Arizona had 431.
- WSU averaged 7.7 yards per play; Arizona averaged 6.1.
- WSU possessed the ball for 33 minutes, 41 seconds; Arizona had it for 26:19.
- WSU converted 6 of 11 third downs; Arizona converted 8 of 16.
- WSU’s average starting field position was its 34-yard line; Arizona’s was its 27.
- Tate completed 18 of 30 passes for 294 yards.
- WSU’s Tay Martin had seven catches for 124 yards and a touchdown.
- Arizona’s Dylan Klumph averaged 40.8 yards on five punts, landing one inside the 20.
- Schooler, Dereck Boles, JB Brown and Jalen Harris combined for two sacks.
