“Lev it on the Field” is back for Week 6. It’s the Star’s unique look at Arizona’s upcoming football matchup and other happenings around the Pac-12 (and Big 12) through the eyes of UA beat reporter-turned-columnist Michael Lev. Away we go ...
The Arizona-USC game Saturday night is not what you’d call a friendly.
Oh, there are some friendly faces on the other sideline. Current Trojans Dorian Singer, Kyon Barrs and Christian Roland-Wallace were all multiyear contributors for the Wildcats.
Michael Lev is a senior writer/columnist for the Arizona Daily Star, Tucson.com and The Wildcaster.
But this is a business trip for upset-minded Arizona, nothing more.
“Those are my boys. But we ain’t got friends this week,” UA tailback Jonah Coleman said. “They on the other side, and we over here.”
UA coach Jedd Fisch — who recruited Singer and inherited Barrs and Roland-Wallace — said the Wildcats “don’t need to yuk it up before the game” with their former teammates.
“We don’t need to have a big family party out there,” Fisch said.
He said that Monday. Later in the week, Fisch reiterated a point he made that day: “I would recommend just going out there and playing really good football.”
Then he added this: “But there is certainly ... it’s personal, let's say that. And the team understands that.”
You heard the man.
USC quarterback Caleb Williams, left, throws a pass under pressure from Colorado defensive lineman Amari McNeill in the second half of their game on Sept. 30.
Take that for data!
So many stats illustrate the greatness of USC quarterback Caleb Williams. Here are a handful that make the Heisman Trophy winner truly stand out:
• Williams has a 21-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He has five more TD passes than any other quarterback — while playing in only 16 of a possible 20 quarters so far.
• Williams also leads the nation in efficiency rating (217.7), points responsible for (146) and yards per attempt (11.37).
• Williams has the second-most passing touchdowns on throws of 20-plus yards (10), per Pro Football Focus, trailing only LSU’s Jayden Daniels (11). Williams has completed 14 of 26 such attempts for 584 yards.
(Rincon) Market report
Going up: Ram trucks
It was quite a week for the manufacturer of pickups and muscle cars. First, Coleman revealed that his teammates refer to him as a Ram TRX — a "versatile, do-it-all sport truck." (Every back is assigned a vehicle that symbolizes their game.) Then, the Crimson Collective, an NIL collective supporting Utah athletics, announced that every Utes scholarship football player would be leased a 2024 Ram Big Horn 1500 — all 85 of them. If that doesn’t tell you how much college athletics have changed over the last five years or so, nothing will.
Going down: Healthy bodies at ASU
The Sun Devils have so many injuries that the Arizona Republic has posted a “football injury tracker.” The tracker lists 21 players in varying states of distress, including six offensive linemen and three quarterbacks. Beat writer Michelle Gardner reported that ASU has only six healthy offensive linemen heading into the Colorado game. If true, that’s borderline unsafe. It also doesn’t bode well for the rest of Kenny Dillingham’s first season. It’s hard to find wins on that schedule.
Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita scrambles out of danger and the reach of Washington defensive end Bralen Trice in the fourth quarter of their game at Arizona Stadium.
A question from my X
“UW loaded up to run blitz early, figuring we’d run to protect a new QB. Since (Noah) Fifita looks so comfortable in the offense, should we instead play-action and throw deep early to loosen up the D?” — @MoPaiaina via X/Twitter
Assuming that Fifita will start again — Fisch indicated that Jayden de Laura (ankle) has made progress this week, so the official QB1 assignment is TBD — I agree with your premise. So does offensive coordinator Brennan Carroll.
“We were a little protective of our quarterback the first couple drives,” Carroll said. “We just need to let him play.”
That being said, one of my keys for Arizona this week is to be the more physical team. Pound away at USC with Coleman and DJ Williams. Make the Trojans prove they can, in fact, tackle.
Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan gives a salute as the sideline celebrates his touchdown late against Washington last year.
Threads
They did it! Arizona wore red uniforms for its “red-out” last week vs. Washington. And they were as sweet as Bing cherries. The white numbers and names popped and perfectly complemented the Wildcats’ white helmets. The designers (presumably Nike) also got the shoulder stripes just right — two blue stripes sandwiching one white stripe. Finally, making the collar blue — and placing a Block A at the bottom of the V-neck — brought it all together. I give the whole look an A. Wearing those red jerseys with white pants would earn an A-plus.
What he said ...
“He's got some natural leverage. He’s a tough guy to form-tackle.” — Carroll on Coleman
... what he meant
“My man Jonah is short. Am I allowed to say that? OK, he’s height-challenged. He’s listed at 5-9, but he’s more like 5-7. He’s not small, though. He’s strong as all get-out. Tackling him is like trying to corral a bowling ball.”
USC safety Bryson Shaw, bottom, pulls down Colorado wide receiver Xavier Weaver after he pulled in a pass in the first half of their game, Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023, in Boulder, Colo.
The other side
Ryan Kartje, via Los Angeles Times:
Bryson Shaw had been here before. He’d answered the same questions, addressed the same concerns about USC’s defense to the same group of gathered reporters, who no doubt would relay the same story about how the Trojans nearly came apart in the very same fashion. But last Saturday, when that familiar refrain had played out in Colorado, Shaw found himself feeling especially fed up. The USC safety leaned back in his chair, his brow furrowed, and let the frustration flow.
“We’re not making plays. We’re missing tackles. We’re not doing our job,” Shaw said.
The blame for such a performance, he knew, would fall on Alex Grinch, the Trojans’ defensive coordinator. But Shaw insisted that Grinch’s players were “letting him down.”
“I don’t know what else to tell you besides we gotta fix it,” Shaw said.
Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders gears up to pass against Oregon on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, in Eugene, Ore. Oregon won 42-6.
Pick to click (aka #fadelev)
As mentioned above, ASU continues to be riddled with injuries. The Sun Devils are getting 3.5 points at home vs. Colorado, which has its own issues. But the Buffaloes have Shedeur Sanders, who has proved he belongs in the upper echelon of Pac-12 quarterbacks. They also have shown they can conjure motivational fodder out of thin air (mile-high pun intended). They’re gonna need it for a Pac-12 Networks game in Tempe. Give me the Buffs. (season record: 4-1)
One last thing
One last time at the Coliseum. I’ve attended countless games there, from a brief stint on the beat of the LA Xtreme of the original XFL to covering USC for The Orange County Register to my time here chronicling the Wildcats.
The two most memorable games I’ve covered at the Coli couldn’t have been more different.
The first was a 50-0 blowout over UCLA to conclude the 2011 season. Matt Barkley threw for 423 yards and six touchdowns. Marqise Lee and Robert Woods combined for 25 catches for 337 yards and four TDs.
"Unless he wants to do it, just to be a special Trojan, he ain't coming back," then-USC coach Lane Kiffin said of Barkley. "He's every bit ready to go to the NFL.”
Barkley decided to return. The 2012 season didn’t go well for the Trojans, who finished 7-6, including a dreary loss to Georgia Tech in the Sun Bowl.
Barkley would become a fourth-round pick and a career backup in the NFL. Kiffin would be fired five games into the ’13 season.
Steve Sarkisian took over the following year. In his fifth game, USC held a 34-32 lead over ASU with seven seconds to play and the ball at the USC 46-yard line. Mike Bercovici heaved a pass to the goal line, where Jaelen Strong leaped in front of Trojans linebacker Hayes Pullard to snag the ball and steal the win, nine years ago this week.
Pullard standing flat-footed at the 1 trying to field the pass like a punt is a sight I’ll never forget.
