Lev it on the Field: Breaking down Arizona’s game at Mississippi St., other news in Pac-12

“Lev it on the Field” is back for Week 2. 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 respective openers for Arizona and Mississippi State last week — against NAU and Southeastern Louisiana, respectively — were essentially a soft launch for their seasons. It’s about to get real.

Are the Wildcats legitimately better in Year 3 under Jedd Fisch? The defense certainly seems to be, but let’s be honest: The Lumberjacks aren’t in the same stratosphere as the Bulldogs. Last week’s game gave us a few answers about the 2023 Wildcats. This week’s game will be a true test in every way.

Jayden de Laura’s play will be a focal point, as always, but I’ll be watching the line play closely on both sides of the ball. MSU was indisputably better in the trenches last year and eventually wore Arizona down, winning the fourth quarter 14-0.

If the Wildcats can hold their own in that critical area, it’ll be a promising sign for what’s to come — regardless of the final score.

Take that for data!

Arizona had only 40 net rushing yards against MSU last season — the Wildcats’ lowest total in 25 games under Fisch. They won’t win Saturday if they’re anywhere near that number.

Arizona will never be a run-first team under Fisch. But putting de Laura in a position where he has to play hero ball is not a recipe for success.

(Rincon) Market report

Going up: Colorado (ticket prices)

Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes continue to be the talk of college football. So far, he’s proving to be worth every penny CU is paying him. Front Office Sports reported Friday that the cheapest ticket to see Colorado-Nebraska at Folsom Field is $293 — $171 more than the best deal for Texas-Alabama and quite possibly more than it would have cost to attend every Buffs home game last year.

Last week’s upset over TCU drew more than 7 million viewers, the biggest opening-weekend audience ever on FOX. Coach Prime has turned CU from unwatchable to can’t-miss almost overnight.

Going down: The NFL Draft

In a GQ profile, the father of Heisman Trophy-winning USC quarterback Caleb Williams suggested his son could return to school next year if he didn’t like the organization that got the first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

“The funky thing about the NFL Draft process is, he’d almost be better off not being drafted than being drafted first,” Carl Williams said, noting that the team that has the first pick is usually the worst team in the league.

Here’s the thing about all that: The Williamses can try to challenge the draft in court, but they’d be going up against the behemoth that is the NFL. The draft is a cash cow and a massive buzz builder for the deep-pocketed league.

Is Williams willing to sacrifice his career to take down the draft, as Curt Flood did to the MLB’s “reserve clause”? I don’t see that happening. At best, the family might be able to leverage a draft-day trade a la Eli Manning in 2004.

A question from my X

“Noah Fifita was a key recruit as he brought others with him. If Fifita doesn’t see any playing time this year or sees the Cats recruiting over him, will he enter the transfer portal next year and take others with him? How does it affect their Servite relationship?” — @zona7378, via X/Twitter

It’s always tricky with quarterbacks because, realistically, you can only play one at a time — and you want to add one in every recruiting class.

Regardless of whether de Laura returns next year, the odds are that one of the other quarterbacks on the roster, Fifita or Brayden Dorman, will transfer at some point. That’s just the way of the world now. Before the season, 247Sports projected that 62.3% of likely Power Five starting quarterbacks had transferred at least once in their careers.

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The even trickier part with Fifita is that, as mentioned, he was part of a wave of players from Servite High School in Anaheim, California. The others: star receiver Tetairoa McMillan, budding tight end Keyan Burnett and defensive leader Jacob Manu. The 2024 season could be the only chance for Fifita and T-Mac (a legit NFL prospect) to play together in college. Ideally, they’d do that in UA colors.

Threads

Did you notice that Arizona has slightly altered its uniforms? The shot on the left is from last year. The jerseys, as seen in the picture to the right, now feature a second red stripe on the sleeve — not quite the New England Patriots’ “Color Rush” look, but in that spirit. Additionally, the numbers are a different font — smaller and narrower. The old-school “Desert Swarm” unis had only two stripes and huge numbers. Was Senior Advisor to the Head Coach Tedy Bruschi consulted on these changes?

What he said ...

“I’m a huge fan (of Arizona’s) offensive scheme. Unfortunately, we have to play it, but I enjoy watching the way they attack defenses because they clearly understand how to create stress on the defense, both in the run game and certainly in the pass game.” — MSU coach Zach Arnett

... what he meant

“I’ve barely gotten any sleep since the Southeastern Louisiana game. Arizona’s offense is keeping my entire defensive staff up at night. It’s way better than last year at this time, when we rolled through them like a haboob. I can’t wait till this game is over.”

The other side

Via Stefan Krajisnik, Mississippi Clarion-Ledger:

When Mississippi State’s Will Rogers takes the field against Arizona’s Jayden de Laura, it’ll serve as another reminder of former coach Mike Leach’s lasting impact on football and quarterbacks.

Both teams will run concepts from his Air Raid offense, but it extends beyond that. De Laura was recruited by Leach to play at Washington State, though the two didn’t overlap as Leach was hired by Mississippi State ahead of the 2020 season. Still, it’s no surprise to see a quarterback worthy of Leach’s recruitment putting up impressive numbers.

Rogers spent three seasons under Leach, posting numbers never seen at Mississippi State. He’s also on pace to break various SEC records. Leach’s knack for finding talent at quarterback, often from overlooked prospects, continues to leave a mark as will be evident Saturday (4:30 p.m., SEC Network) when the Bulldogs (1-0) and Wildcats (1-0) face off.

Pick to click (aka #fadelev)

Washington State defeated Wisconsin in Madison last year. The Cougars bring back their starting quarterback and their top edge rushers, while the Badgers are in the midst of major changes on both sides of the ball. WSU dominated Colorado State on the road last week, while Wisconsin looked just OK at home vs. Buffalo. And the Cougars — who are also honoring Leach in their first home game since his passing — are getting six points? Call your guy. STAT.

(season record: 0-1)

One last thing

I continue to be haunted by the words of UA athletic director Dave Heeke, who told the Star the following last month regarding the Pac-12:

“We have worked so hard to get the league to a position where football (is successful). All we heard about is, ‘The Pac-12 can’t do this, the Pac 12 can’t get in the Playoff, they don’t do anything in football.’ All of our ADs and our programs, they’re really focused on being better at football. It’s gonna be an amazing year. ... It could be one of the best ever, really.”

The Pac-12 enters Week 2 as the only unbeaten league in the land. On six occasions already, Pac-12 teams have scored 50 or more points.

And a year from now, it’ll all be gone.