Stop us if youโve heard this one before: This is the year the Arizona Wildcats defense will put it all together.
The elements seemed to be in place a year ago. Marcel Yates was retained as defensive coordinator, ensuring continuity amid a regime change. The green freshmen who played sizable roles in 2017 would be rising sophomores in โ18.
Then the Wildcats hit the field, and the jump didnโt happen โ at least not to the degree the UA and its faithful were hoping. Arizona again ranked in the bottom four in the Pac-12 in total defense, points allowed and third-down percentage. The Wildcats finished 5-7.
So the skepticism accompanying the usual optimism of training camp is understandable.
But if you really look at the aforementioned stats โ and consider a handful of other factors โ thereโs reason to believe genuine progress is possible.
Letโs start with those numbers. Arizona allowed 432.0 yards per game last season โ down almost 40 yards from 2017, when that figure swelled to 471.2. (It was virtually the same, 469.3, in 2016, Yatesโ first season.)
The Wildcats surrendered 32.6 points per game โ down from 34.4 in 2017 and 38.3 in โ16.
Opponents converted 41.1% of their third downs โ down from 46.7 in 2017 and 52.6 in โ16.
In the most basic ways, the UA defense is trending in the right direction. It isnโt where Yates wants it to be, but it might be getting close.
โWe just need to be consistent,โ Yates said. โWe need to be consistent as a coaching staff. We need to hold these guys accountable. Weโre preaching that.โ
Third down remains a bugaboo, and it was the common denominator when Yates and linebacker Colin Schooler addressed the media earlier in training camp. Although their percentage improved, the Wildcats still had trouble getting teams off the field, especially in medium- and long-yardage situations.
Arizona allowed 6.33 third-down conversions per game โ 24th most in the country and fourth most in the Pac-12. The three teams that allowed more โ UCLA, Oregon State and USC โ also had losing records.
The Wildcatsโ sack and turnover totals were down, and thereโs no question they need to be more disruptive in third-down scenarios.
On all downs, Arizona ranked 78th in the nation in Football Outsidersโ โHavoc Rate.โ Havoc Rate is calculated by adding tackles for losses, pass defensed (interceptions plus breakups) and forced fumbles and dividing that number by total plays. The 2018 Wildcats had a Havoc Rate of 15.5%. The best defenses in the country top 20%.
The development of third-year pass rushers Jalen Harris and JB Brown brings hope that the โ19 Cats can create more havoc. Asked to describe his expectations for Harris and Brown this season, Yates said: โVery high.โ
Schooler implied that Arizona would take a more aggressive approach.
โWeโve gotta determine what the tempo is,โ the junior said. โWeโre going to show them, the offense, what theyโre allowed to do, what weโre going to allow them to do, instead of them dictating what theyโre gonna do to us. Thatโs going to be a big change.โ
In addition, veteran cornerback Jace Whittaker โ whom Yates called a โcoach on the football fieldโ โ is back to fortify the secondary. Plus, as Yates noted, this is the first time during his UA tenure that the entire defensive staff returns from the previous season.
โIn the spring, I wasnโt putting in a defense (or) teaching guys the terminology,โ Yates said. โIt felt good to go in the room. Now Iโm getting ideas from Coach Rush (John Rushing), Coach Meat (Demetrice Martin), Coach Iona (Uiagalelei). Instead of starting from scratch โฆ now weโre actually moving on to โOK, how can we get better?โโ
Slimmer Schooler
While others, such as Harris, sought to add muscle mass over the offseason, Schooler went the other way.
The middle linebacker checked in at 229 pounds, down from the low 240s at this time a year ago. (The 6-footerโs official weight on the 2018 UA preseason roster was 236.)
โI was a little too thick, to say the least,โ Schooler said. โI just started taking care of my body a lot better than I was.โ
Schooler is no longer living on campus, and heโs making his own meals. Popular items on the menu include pasta, grilled steaks, broccoli and baked potatoes. Schooler said he feels faster than last year, when he led Arizona with 119 tackles and ranked second in the Pac-12 with 21.5 TFLs.
โI think heโs in the best shape heโs been in,โ Yates said.
โHe gets itโ
The first thing anyone mentions about freshman cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace is his physique. But his study habits โ in the film room and classroom โ also stand out, according to teammates and coaches.
โHe gets it off the field,โ Yates said. โMost young guys, it takes them a while to figure that out. They are away from home for the first time. So theyโre kind of trying to feel their way a little bit.
โHeโs a guy that stepped in here from Day 1 and was mature. Heโs always studying. Heโs in there with Coach Meat watching film all the time. Heโs just a gym rat.โ
Roland-Wallace enrolled in January. Heโs pushing for playing time at corner and punt returner and will be a key member of other special-teams units.
Colin and Grant
Schooler has formed a connection with a freshman who plays on the other side of the ball.
Quarterback Grant Gunnell also was among Arizonaโs early enrollees. Heโs in the awkward position of trying to assert himself as a leader while understanding his place as a newcomer and a backup. Schooler was in a similar spot two years ago.
โI had trouble, a hard time, coming in my freshman year, being a leader, trying to tell fifth-year seniors what to do and line them up,โ Schooler said. โSo I understand what heโs going through. I talk to him. I try to give him pointers. And heโs been getting better every single day.โ
Extra points
- The Wildcats practiced in half-pads in an intermittent drizzle Monday. Linemen wore padded headgear over their helmets.
- Zach Lord, the ex-Dallas Baptist basketball player who walked on to the UA football team, has switched positions and numbers. Heโs gone from tight end to offensive tackle and from 85 to 75. Lord, a junior, looks the part for a tackle at 6-7, 275.
- Lucas Havrisik went 1 for 2 on field goals of 50-plus yards. Both attempts had plenty of distance. Matt Aragon is serving as the first-team holder as of now.
- Freshman defensive end Kwabena Watson returned to full participation. Offensive lineman Jon Jacobs remained out.
- Schooler on making several preseason watch lists for national awards: โIโm trying not to pay too much attention (to) that. Itโs an honor to be on those watch lists and to get some national recognition. But outside of this team, thereโs really not much that matters.โ
- UA coach Kevin Sumlinโs sons, Jackson and Joey, attended practice.
