Receivers

[Catstatic]

It seems this offense needs both big receivers on the outside and small receivers in the slot. Our two most experienced small receivers are Phillips and Grant. Not having either of them for the first half against Oregon may have been the biggest factor in our offense not being able to move the ball. No other receivers were quick enough to get separation on their defenders.

Neal seems to be a bit of a drop-off from the first two. This surprises me.

Go CAts!!

[Newportcat]

I agree and really surprised that Neal hasn't made more of an impact as Phillips and grant seem way ahead of him

Hopefully he steps up long term but surprised he was not better

[azcat49]

Agreed, Grant and Neal are critical to this offense. They get isolated on a safety or LB and are always open. They run great routes and have great hands.

Neal had a disappointing year, granted he was hurt some of it. His hands seem to be average at best as well. Hopefully in year 3 in the prgram next season he becomes the player we thought he could be.

[catinfl]

Neal was going through a lot this year. This was only his second year in a college program and his first year with a kid. I bet he steps it up a lot next year. He's still got two years to live up to his potential.

[rickyk]

On Samajie Grant's long TD reception against tempe, Neal came out of nowhere to level a thunderous block on the debbil DB. When I saw the way he closed on that DB and the hit he delivered my mind immediately thought: Cornerback.

[splitsecond]

On Samajie Grant's long TD reception against tempe, Neal came out of nowhere to level a thunderous block on the debbil DB. When I saw the way he closed on that DB and the hit he delivered my mind immediately thought: Cornerback.

If Neal can keep that sort of thing up, even if his WR skills don't develop he has the potential to be a hell of a special teams player in the league. With his speed he could be a fantastic gunner a la Justin Bethel.

[azgreg]

Arizona football: Grant 'a better person' since DUI

http://tucson.com/sports/football/colle ... V8.twitter

19 hours ago • By Daniel Berk

SCOTTSDALE — Samajie Grant didn’t know how to respond.

Arizona’s sophomore wide receiver walked into a relative’s house to celebrate Christmas when his 9-year-old nephew, Donald, hit him with a harsh question.

“He was like, ‘Uncle, why are you drinking? I thought you played sports,’” Grant relayed Monday. “I didn’t have an answer for him.”

Grant, who was cited for suspicion of driving under the influence last month, thought he’d be able to leave his mistake back in Tucson when he returned to Chino, California, for the holiday.

But as he is learning, a decision like that follows you everywhere.

So when the 5-foot-9-inch, 177-pound Grant walked into a giant ballroom Monday morning at the Camelback Inn for Fiesta Bowl Media Day, he was ready to be peppered again about his mistake.

Of course, none of the questions were tougher than Donald’s.

“That mistake I made has made me become a better person and a better man,” Grant said. “It pushes me way harder.”

Coach Rich Rodriguez said Monday that Grant will start Wednesday’s game against Boise State and has been a perfect citizen since the citation.

“He did have the so-called money in the bank,” Rodriguez said. “His attitude has always been good. Every once in a while a young guy makes a bad decision or a mistake, and he pays the price for it.

“But I love Samajie, and his attitude and the way he works. He’s good to go.”

Grant, whose court hearing scheduled for Monday was postponed, was pulled over by police hours after helping the Wildcats beat rival Arizona State in the Territorial Cup. He was cited and released after failing a field sobriety test and got back to his apartment around 4 a.m.

Three hours later, he had a visitor in his room, waking him up.

It was UA receivers coach Tony Dews.

“He was standing over me in my bed and he’s like, ‘Get up, we’re about to go talk to Coach Rod,’” Grant said. “We went there and he was just asking me what happened. I was being completely honest with him that I made a mistake. He said, ‘This can never happen again. You have to move forward if you want to be the player you always tell me you want to be. You can’t make mistakes like this.’

“I don’t plan on making any more mistakes off the field.”

Grant was suspended for the first half of the Pac-12 championship game. He watched the first 30 minutes of the UA’s 51-13 loss to the Ducks from the sideline. He wasn’t told before the game how long his suspension would last.

“I’m not going to lie, I expected after the first quarter, OK, maybe (Rodriguez) will put me in,” Grant said. “Once that flew by, I still wasn’t in. I’m just seeing the offense, we’re not getting any yards. I’m not saying I could get in and get 100 yards, but it made it harder to watch. I knew if I was out there, it would help. It really hurt me after the game, just seeing the score because I knew I could make a difference in the game. That was a big thing that hurt me.”

Grant, who is second on the UA with 649 receiving yards and five touchdowns, said the good memories of the Territorial Cup win have been erased, despite the fact that he had 91 yards and two touchdowns.

The easy-going Grant, who usually has a smile on his face, even throughout interviews Monday, said one of the hardest parts of his citation is knowing how much he let people down.

“I’m not supposed to care what people think, but in a situation like that, of course, I care what people think,” Grant said. “But me personally, even that night, I’m always happy. Even when the police pulled me over, I was smiling and I was like, ‘How are you doing, sir?’ I was just smiling and laughing and not thinking anything was going to happen. Then that happened.

“Now when people talk to me about the ASU game, I don’t even take credit for it. That game and that mistake, it just crosses it out.”

Grant is eager to play a full game Wednesday against Boise State and continue putting the DUI in the past. He’s also hoping to continue to mature to become a leader for the Wildcats next season when he’s an upperclassman.

“I want to be a perfect player,” Grant said. “I want to be on the honor roll. I don’t want to just be a leader through football, I want to be a leader outside of it, too. I don’t like to see myself as a leader yet, because before I become a real leader, I want to do everything perfect.”