Moderators: UAdevil, JMarkJohns
Uhhh, that's exactly what you can do.Merkin wrote:But you can't blame the OL for the 8 sacks, and the pick 6. Those were pretty much all on Anu when he panicked in the pocket.
Great defensive adjustment by BSU forcing Solomon to sit back there and actually have to think instead of react.
No it hasn't.Salty wrote:Our OL has been awful all year.
The Fiesta Bowl was over in the first quarter. The final score doesn't mean it was a tight game.Olsondogg wrote:Everything was awful this year, leading to a PAC south championship victory over ASSU and a tight game in the Fiesta Bowl. Everything sucks.
It was 1 play with a 2 point conversion away from being tied from inside the 10 yard line. That defines a tight game.AZCatGirl wrote:The Fiesta Bowl was over in the first quarter. The final score doesn't mean it was a tight game.Olsondogg wrote:Everything was awful this year, leading to a PAC south championship victory over ASSU and a tight game in the Fiesta Bowl. Everything sucks.
Score was a lot closer than the game was. Even if Anu didn't have a brain fart and scored a TD end of game, Cats still would have had to score from 3 yards out, with the call going to be Jones-Grigsby up the middle for 1 yard.AZCatGirl wrote:The Fiesta Bowl was over in the first quarter. The final score doesn't mean it was a tight game.Olsondogg wrote:Everything was awful this year, leading to a PAC south championship victory over ASSU and a tight game in the Fiesta Bowl. Everything sucks.
Yeah, it has.azgreg wrote:No it hasn't.Salty wrote:Our OL has been awful all year.
But we didn't have a chance of winning the way things were going. Even if we got the touchdown, we weren't getting the two point conversion the way Anu was playing.azgreg wrote:It was 1 play with a 2 point conversion away from being tied from inside the 10 yard line. That defines a tight game.AZCatGirl wrote:The Fiesta Bowl was over in the first quarter. The final score doesn't mean it was a tight game.Olsondogg wrote:Everything was awful this year, leading to a PAC south championship victory over ASSU and a tight game in the Fiesta Bowl. Everything sucks.
There were many games where they were a disappointment, UCLA for example. However, there were games where they played well, At Oregon for example.Salty wrote:Yeah, it has.azgreg wrote:No it hasn't.Salty wrote:Our OL has been awful all year.
I am sorry but you're an idiot! They had a chance and came up short. Clearly we didn't play at all but we shut them down in the second half and they played as bad as we did in that half. But to say we didn't have a chance is just ignorant on your part!AZCatGirl wrote:But we didn't have a chance of winning the way things were going. Even if we got the touchdown, we weren't getting the two point conversion the way Anu was playing.azgreg wrote:It was 1 play with a 2 point conversion away from being tied from inside the 10 yard line. That defines a tight game.AZCatGirl wrote:The Fiesta Bowl was over in the first quarter. The final score doesn't mean it was a tight game.Olsondogg wrote:Everything was awful this year, leading to a PAC south championship victory over ASSU and a tight game in the Fiesta Bowl. Everything sucks.
A year ago at this time, Solomon was competing with as many as five quarterbacks for the starting job, including some with more recruiting stars and more experience. Rodriguez told him then that experience means nothing — whoever practices the best plays on fall Saturdays.
The same exact thing he told Solomon, who threw for nearly 4,000 yards and accounted for 30 touchdowns last season, when spring practice began this time around.
Think about that: a player who is primed to become one of the game’s elite says his one goal this spring is to “gain back coach Rod’s trust.”
This is the way Rodriguez works, how he takes less-hyped players (see: recruiting stars) and turns them into giants in the game (White, Steve Slaton, Denard Robinson).
How he takes programs that shouldn’t rise to the elite of the nation because of history or geography or any other long-held excuse, and carries them within a handful of plays of the unthinkable.
Eight years ago, he had West Virginia a game away from playing for the BCS National Championship. You better believe he can do the same thing at Arizona, a long-forgotten program that still hasn’t played in a Rose Bowl.
“We absolutely can win big here,” Solomon said.
Good reminder to the country that not only is Anu the nation's top returning Freshman QB, but also that the Wildcats are running away from Assu.After leading all FBS freshman QBs in passing yards in 2014, @arizonafball's Anu Solomon is poised for a big 2015! #BearDown #HardEdge
I know what you mean to say, but that last phrase could have been better worded.ANGCatFan wrote: Good reminder to the country that not only is Anu the nation's top returning Freshman QB, but also that the Wildcats are running away from Assu.
I'm certainly worried about the center position, but it looks like the rest of the line will be solid. Everything I have seen makes me believe that Anu will take a big leap forward this season. He has prepared his body, improved his speed, he looked much more in control in the spring game than he did last spring, he has taken leadership of the team, and he has that crucial first year of experience in the system.Arizona broke through in Rich Rodriguez’s third season last fall, winning 10 games and making a Fiesta Bowl appearance. A huge reason why? Freshman quarterback Anu Solomon. Solomon won a summer quarterback derby and excelled, throwing for 3,793 yards and 28 touchdowns (both Arizona freshman records).
He is a talented passer, but there are concerns about how he’ll be protected this fall. Arizona returns just two starting offensive linemen and must replace both tackles from a year ago. The Wildcats have a talented core of skill players surrounding Solomon, but it could be hard for him to find time to connect with them if the offensive line struggles.
Mike Huguenin
College Football 24/7
Big numbers, Arizona wins could boost Solomon's stock
Arizona quarterback Anu Solomon rolled up 4,084 yards of total offense as a redshirt freshman last season and helped the Wildcats win 10 games, including a regular-season win at Oregon. Expect bigger numbers from him this fall in his second season in coach Rich Rodriguez's quarterback-friendly version of the spread. Arizona is a threat to win 10 games again, so his numbers and Arizona's victory total could lead to Solomon being a surprise Heisman contender.
Anu Solomon | October 3, 2014 | Arizona 31, Oregon 24
Anu Solomon and Arizona surprised the nation with their upset win at Oregon last season. AP Photo/Rick Scuteri
A season after the Wildcats dismantled the Ducks, 42-16, the college football world expected Oregon to administer payback at home. After all, Ka'Deem Carey was no longer around, and Rich Rodriguez was trotting the redshirt freshman Solomon into the notoriously sharp teeth of Autzen Stadium. Even after Arizona stunned the crowd into silence when they took a 24-14 late third-quarter lead, there was a feeling that the Ducks would dig in and stop the nonsense. But Solomon wouldn't let them -- even after Oregon tied the score at 24 in the fourth quarter. The young quarterback responded by leading Arizona on a 15-play, 71-yard dagger of a drive that ignited the Wildcats' Pac-12 South title run. This was a "coming of age" performance at its best.
*cough* both 4-Star guys *cough*ANGCatFan wrote:Here's a nice little interview with Anu from a Hawaiian TV station. Interesting note from the report, there are only 20 sophomores on the Maxwell watch list and Arizona has 2 of them. Imagine how many players we could have on the list if the coaches payed attention to message boards instead of doing their own evaluations.
I find it funny that they spend so much time justifying putting Anu in the "Great Shape" category. He freakin' led all CFB Freshman in production last year even while limping through the 2nd half of the year!GREAT SHAPE
Arizona: The Wildcats and Anu Solomon could probably qualify as being in "Good shape" as much as "Great shape." But we're giving Solomon the benefit of the doubt that he's going to be even stronger in Year 2 as a starter. And the fact that he's got a lot of really talented weapons around him. His completion percentage (58 percent) needs to rise, but his 28-9 touchdown-to-interception ratio was outstanding for the redshirt freshman, who threw for 3,793 yards. There's not much experience behind him. But Jerrard Randall did see time in five games last year.
I'll be shocked if Bercovici outplays Goff, Solomon, or Kessler in his first year as a full time starter. Strong is gone and you can only throw to Foster so many times. Foster is great after the catch, but he will not be the receiving threat that Strong was.One of the most electric athletes in the Pac-12 before a late-season ankle injury hampered him, Anu Solomon was the only quarterback to score a win over Marcus Mariota a season ago.
In that early-October win over Oregon, Solomon was quiet but efficient. He finished with 287 yards, a touchdown and a pick on 20-of-31 passing.
In total, Solomon finished 2014 with 3,793 yards and 28 touchdowns to just nine interceptions.
With a full year under his belt, Solomon should be poised to be among the league's best quarterbacks and could have the type of breakout sophomore season that Jared Goff at California experienced, especially with Rich Rodriguez as his head coach.
I think Berco is going to be pretty good, but I agree he might be a year away.ANGCatFan wrote:Bleacher Reports' Sean Frye ranks the P12 QBs. Anu comes in at #3 behind Bercovici and Kessler.
I'll be shocked if Bercovici outplays Goff, Solomon, or Kessler in his first year as a full time starter. Strong is gone and you can only throw to Foster so many times. Foster is great after the catch, but he will not be the receiving threat that Strong was.One of the most electric athletes in the Pac-12 before a late-season ankle injury hampered him, Anu Solomon was the only quarterback to score a win over Marcus Mariota a season ago.
In that early-October win over Oregon, Solomon was quiet but efficient. He finished with 287 yards, a touchdown and a pick on 20-of-31 passing.
In total, Solomon finished 2014 with 3,793 yards and 28 touchdowns to just nine interceptions.
With a full year under his belt, Solomon should be poised to be among the league's best quarterbacks and could have the type of breakout sophomore season that Jared Goff at California experienced, especially with Rich Rodriguez as his head coach.
Fortunately this is his last year of college ball as a RS Senior. The AZDesertSwarm podcast doesn't think very highly of Berco, saying he won't even be the starter by the end of the season.azgreg wrote:I think Berco is going to be pretty good, but I agree he might be a year away.ANGCatFan wrote:Bleacher Reports' Sean Frye ranks the P12 QBs. Anu comes in at #3 behind Bercovici and Kessler.
I'll be shocked if Bercovici outplays Goff, Solomon, or Kessler in his first year as a full time starter. Strong is gone and you can only throw to Foster so many times. Foster is great after the catch, but he will not be the receiving threat that Strong was.One of the most electric athletes in the Pac-12 before a late-season ankle injury hampered him, Anu Solomon was the only quarterback to score a win over Marcus Mariota a season ago.
In that early-October win over Oregon, Solomon was quiet but efficient. He finished with 287 yards, a touchdown and a pick on 20-of-31 passing.
In total, Solomon finished 2014 with 3,793 yards and 28 touchdowns to just nine interceptions.
With a full year under his belt, Solomon should be poised to be among the league's best quarterbacks and could have the type of breakout sophomore season that Jared Goff at California experienced, especially with Rich Rodriguez as his head coach.
I think many national analysts go off 2 things when they write about Anu; his Freshman stats and his final 2 games. Outside of the last 2 games it appears the only thing time they saw Anu play was on highlights. Consequently, it is hard for them to reconcile the most productive Freshman QB in the country with the player they watched against Oregon and Boise St to end the year.Scooby Wright is unquestionably Arizona's best individual player, having led the nation in several defensive categories and winning three major awards in 2014. But the linebacker's great play won't be as important to the Wildcats' success this year as what his team's quarterback does after a promising but frustrating first season.
Solomon was equal parts masterful and unnerving for Arizona as a redshirt freshman, throwing for 3,793 yards and 28 touchdowns with just nine interceptions on 540 attempts. But Solomon took far too many sacks and wasn't accurate, completing only 58 percent of his throws, showing his youth too often in critical moments.
Better decision-making from Solomon will enable Arizona to maintain what it did last season, when it won the Pac-12 South and reached 10 victories. If he doesn't progress, the Wildcats take a step back.
That is great to hear!FightWildcatsFight wrote:
"I tell you what," said quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator Rod Smith, "it's a lot less stressful now because he's in a better place mentally than last year.
"I don't want to say there's not as much teaching going on, but there's not as much teaching going on. Now, it's more correcting and tweaking rather than teaching because he has a better understanding of what we're doing."
. . .
Solomon's offseason work focused on acceleration and speed. He's not an overall athlete like Rodriguez's first quarterback at Arizona, Matt Scott, or the runner that was RichRod's second QB, B.J. Denker. Where Solomon got into trouble last year was in the second half of the season when a foot injury stole his ability to threaten defenses on the ground in the zone-read scheme. That's a must.
Solomon's running style might best be described as "crafty," which is why he focused his offseason training on improving his acceleration and speed. We'll see the results Sept. 3 when the Wildcats open against UTSA.
"You don't make excuses, and it's not, but as the same time he wasn't the same player," Smith said of Solomon's foot injury. "He just wasn't. I mean, it is what it is. But at the same time, he's a tough kid. He tried to play through it. He still had some good moments in spots, even injured."
. . .
Put your faith in Anu. He's ready to make all kinds of new impressions.
"Everyone is looking up to me," Solomon said.
"I can't mess up. ... I can't be that guy who hides. I have to be the guy who steps forward and makes sure everyone is on point."
I'll post the Rich Rod quotes regarding Anu from Gimino article:ANGCatFan wrote:Gimino on Anu at TNN
Now, the reality check.
"As much as I tease Anu and get on him, when you look back on it, he really had a pretty good year. For a redshirt freshman, he was phenomenal," Rodriguez said.
"Football is really important to him, so I thought in the offseason he did a great job. He'll be a better player. I think Anu is poised for a big year. And I think any coach will say it -- you can't have success unless that guy plays pretty well. And Anu played pretty well last year."
gumby wrote:Meanwhile, Jesse Scroggins ....
Year 6.
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/college/ ... b8849.html
Yeah....no.Scroggins, 23, contemplated entering his name in the NFL draft in the spring before discovering his chance to play another season. Lindenwood will be his fourth team at three different levels of college football.
“It didn’t hit me until practice started,” Scroggins said. “I was like, ‘I’m in St. Louis. I’m getting a master’s degree. I’m playing football again.
“Hot damn, I’m winning.”
