Cats Stats: UCLA’s elite edge rushers pose toughest test yet for UA O-line, QB Noah Fifita

Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita has handled everything that’s been thrown at him since taking over as the Wildcats’ starter.

Can the redshirt freshman deal with the heat the No. 19 UCLA Bruins are bound to bring Saturday night?

No team in the Pac-12 — maybe all of college football — pressures the quarterback more frequently or effectively than UCLA.

The Bruins have by far the most QB pressures (212) in the Pac-12, per Pro Football Focus; the fourth-most sacks in the nation (31); and the highest team PFF pass-rushing grade (91.9).

Arizona, meanwhile, has the highest team PFF pass-blocking grade (89.4).

It’s easily the most intriguing matchup in Saturday’s game, although Fifita factors into it too. We’ll parse all the pertinent pressure points in this week’s “Cats Stats.”

We’ll start with UCLA’s terrifying trio of edge rushers: Laiatu Latu, Gabriel Murphy and Grayson Murphy. All three rank in the top 10 nationally in QB pressures, per PFF. Latu is tied for fourth with 41; the Murphy twins are tied for sixth with 40 apiece.

To put those numbers in some perspective, Arizona’s top two pass rushers, Jacob Manu and Taylor Upshaw, each have 21 pressures. Latu and the Murphy brothers have more combined pressures (121) than the entire UA defense (117).

It’s not as if Arizona’s defense is bad, by the way; as we’ve chronicled here and elsewhere, this is the best UA “D” in over a decade. UCLA’s defense just happens to be elite.

Latu, who’s soaring up NFL Draft boards, ranks fifth nationally in sacks (9.5). Grayson Murphy leads the country in QB hits (11), per PFF. Gabriel Murphy is tied for sixth in QB hurries (27).

Latu (23.8%) and Gabriel Murphy (22.7%) rank in the top eight nationally in pass-rush win rate (minimum 70 snaps). Grayson Murphy is tied for 16th (19.9%).

Latu (94.2) and Gabriel Murphy (91.8) are also the two highest-graded defenders, at any position, in PFF’s system (minimum 131 snaps).

Latu and the Murphy brothers mostly line up at outside linebacker positions in UCLA’s defensive front — but you never know which side they’re coming from. Latu, for instance, has an almost even split between the defense’s left side (125 snaps) and right side (132).

The primary blocking responsibilities will fall to UA tackles Jordan Morgan (left) and Jonah Savaiinaea (right). They both rank in the top five in the Pac-12 in PFF’s pass-blocking grades; Morgan is third at 86.7, while Savaiinaea is fifth at 82.0.

PFF has charged Morgan and Savaiinaea with two sacks allowed apiece. Both of Savaiinaea’s occurred last week vs. Oregon State. He’s also been flagged for holding each of the past two games.

Savaiinaea set such a high standard from the moment he arrived on campus that we’ve just come to expect him to be perfect. It’s important to remember that’s he’s still a true sophomore, and this is still his first season playing tackle. He’s learning every week. The Bruins will provide his toughest test to date.

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Arizona allowed four sacks last week, a season high. The Wildcats have yielded 16 in all, or two per game. UCLA sacks the quarterback at almost twice that rate (3.88 per game).

What’s Fifita’s role in all this? And how does he fare against pressure?

Like almost all quarterbacks, Fifita isn’t as effective as a passer when pressured. When kept clean, per PFF, he has completed 79.5% of his passes (105 of 132) for 1,060 yards (8.0 ypa) with an 8-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio. When pressured, Fifita has completed 51.9% (14 of 27) for 161 yards (6.0 ypa) with a 3-1 TD-INT ratio.

None of this is unusual. What’s more informative is how Fifita works the pocket.

Fifita generally doesn’t hang onto the ball longer than he should. His average time to release of 2.59 seconds ranks fourth in the Pac-12, per PFF. Fellow UA quarterback Jayden de Laura ranks 17th in that category (3.21).

However, Fifita has been more susceptible to sacks than de Laura. Fifita’s pressure-to-sack rate (P2S%), which PFF tracks, is 22%. That’s the fifth-highest mark in the Pac-12 (the lower the percentage, the better). Meanwhile, de Laura has a P2S% of 12.2%. Last year, it was 16.6%.

What accounts for the disparity? De Laura is a quicker, more sudden athlete. He’s better at getting away from rushers, even in tight spaces. When the rush closes in on Fifita, he has trouble escaping. He counteracts that with his quick release.

The data suggests Fifita can be impacted by pressure. But if you blitz him, he might burn you.

Blitzes generally are defined as plays featuring five or more pass rushers. Fifita has been a more successful passer when blitzed than when not.

Per PFF, Fifita has completed 73.7% of his passes (73 of 99) when not blitzed for 665 yards (6.7 ypa) with a 4-1 TD-INT ratio. Against blitzes, Fifita has completed 76.7% (46 of 60) for 556 yards (9.2 ypa) with a 7-2 TD-INT ratio.

And here’s where it gets really interesting: Despite having some of the best edge rushers in the country, UCLA blitzes a lot.

The Bruins have blitzed opposing quarterbacks on 48.6% of their dropbacks under first-year coordinator D’Anton Lynn, according to PFF. Arizona is at the opposite end of the scale: The Wildcats have blitzed on just 28.8% of opponent’s dropbacks under Johnny Nansen.

Will UCLA change its tendencies against Arizona, knowing how proficient Fifita has been against the blitz? The Bruins’ lowest blitz rate against a Power Five opponent was 28.9% vs. Washington State. UCLA still registered 35 QB pressures that day, tied for its second most this season, in a 25-17 victory. The Cougars scored only one offensive touchdown.