Bear Down Wildcats

Did Bondurant play at all? He's still on the team, right?

Bondurant played. He was on the official participation list, but he will have to earn his spot back.

ANGCatFan wrote:Bondurant played. He was on the official participation list, but he will have to earn his spot back.

Stats?

Bondurant 1 tackle. Post game stats always available at arizonawildcats.com.

I feel like last night was a big step forward for the D. We had guys step up and carry us, and others shake off mistakes early to make big plays later on. Nice work all the way around.

What a game by Scooter and Tevis.

But rushing 3 just drives me batty. If a pedestrian qb like Carter can alnost win the game for UTSA whats a good QB going to do with all that time?

Seems to me Casteel blitzed more against UNLV.

Denson didn't get much time but he got some at the end of the game, and I like what I saw. He's got a lot to learn but I'd like to see him on the field more.

I've seen so many times people saying that Tevis is going to lose his starting spot to this guy or that guy. I saw a lot of that last year and a lot during the offseason. No, no he's not and you saw why last night. He's not the fastest or the most gifted athlete on defense, but he just knows how to get to the football.

Merkin wrote:Seems to me Casteel blitzed more against UNLV.

It's easier to blitz when you have a good lead and you know the other team is going to throw more often.

Casteel did ramp up the pre-snap pressure at the line to confuse the QB and OL regarding where the blitzer was coming from, which I liked, but it bit us in the ass on at least one pass plays over the top where Scoobie couldn't get back into coverage quick enough.

If we were told UA would give up 23 points in a win, I don't think anyone would have been alarmed. C-USA team or not.

But the wide open TE play after play was driving me nuts all night, and I'm glad we miss Stanford TY. I know TE's slip down field, and I remember Scooby just couldn't cover one play. But there were some must gets for UTSA that seemed obvious who the target was but there was no plan to stop it.

Calling all "scary pass rusher guys". Could one of you attend Arizona? PT guaranteed.

The defense against UTSA was shaky, but when it did come down to it, they made the plays when it mattered most. Wright and Tevis played out of their minds.

My glass half full take with regards to the defense @ UTSA:

1st TD drive - About 85 yards right down our throats. Methodical. Frustrating. We are good for 1-2 of these per game.

2nd TD drive - We stopped them on 3rd and 10 but they were bailed out by the PI. It was a bad throw. It wasn't being caught regardless. It's plays like these that make me think yeah, maybe it was a penalty by to book but was it a penalty by common sense? In any case, it was a penalty, the drive is kept alive, and they score a TD. That is something that can be fixed.

3rd TD drive - miracle catch on 4th and 11 kept this drive alive. We put the QB on his a$$ and he threw it up for grabs. The big TE made a play. I don't think it was bad defense. Sometimes players make plays. If it wasn't desperation time that would have been a punt.

They had one other solid drive that resulted in a missed FG. The rest of their drives were 3, 6, 3, 3, 5, 3, 3, 4, and 2 plays respectively. That's on the road, in their dome, in their biggest game ever, with their 5th year senior laden team. I'll take it.

We still struggle against running QBs and Nevada has a good one.

Anyone else a little more than disappointed that Jordan Allen has been silent on the DL? I was really looking for him to make more of an impact.

Jordan who?

TuiTouchdown wrote:Anyone else a little more than disappointed that Jordan Allen has been silent on the DL? I was really looking for him to make more of an impact.

If you've watched the line at all this year you would know they are all getting double teamed. In known blitzing situations you'll notice he becomes more active due to lining up one on one against the O.

Two guys quit yesterday from the D

LB Ryan Dunn - no playing time transfer
and some DE kid from Tucson i've never heard of

whatisee wrote: LB Ryan Dunn - no playing time transfer

Probably a good time since some schools have not started yet. He could come to Cal Poly which hasn't started, and not lose any time since we are IAA, however, the 'Tangs are already two games in.

Although there were times that the UTSA QB had all day to throw, the Cats did get three sacks on the night.

Also, the big difference in the defense in the second half that I noticed was pursuit - or lack thereof. In the first half they were trying to chase guys down and then getting beat as the ball carrier would get past them. In the second half they played a lot more patiently and stayed home on the ball carrier to get to them, and played a lot better as far as gap responsibility. Casteel wants these guys to fly to the football but he doesn't want them to fly past it, which is what they were doing in the first half.

When Reggie Gilbert came in, the pressure started to finally come. He looked really good against UTSA.

Steve Rivera FSA with an article on Gilbert:

"I just have to have the confidence but it felt good when I got out there," said Gilbert, who played last week against Texas-San Antonio after he missed the season opener after suffering a ligament problem on his foot just a week into fall practice. "It was good to be out there with my teammates and (good) to help my teammates with the win."

Help? Gilbert (6-feet-4, 262 pounds) was a big reason why, in as much as he got to the quarterback in the fourth quarter to register one of the team's four sacks. Arizona had none in its first game, against UNLV.

Gary Randazzo at WSR with a story on our defensive leaders.

If Arizona’s defense does continue to arc toward improvement, it will be a result of three defenders who are quickly emerging as leaders on and off the field.

Gimino at FSA on Ippolito.

Ippolito is part of what has been an all-sophomore starting group at linebacker, joining middle linebacker Scooby Wright and outside linebacker Jake Matthews. DeAndre' Miller is another sophomore who has seen plenty of time. Yet another sophomore, Derrick Turituri, figures to be in the rotation, at least in third-down passing situations.

Wright is the star of the group, with 19 tackles and two sacks, while helping to get everybody lined up correctly.

"He's great with that," Ippolito said. "We all help each other. Sometimes, I'll ask him a question. Sometimes, he'll ask me a question. But he's A-plus on that. ... I'll even get psyched up from him."

Interesting quote from Dan Hinxman, Nevada beat writer for Reno Gazette-Journal:

What is the strength and weakness of Zona's Defense?

Lots of strengths, especially against Nevada. Their 3-3-5 is tough against the Pistol (Nevada has always struggled more against the 3-3-5 than other formations), and they're very athletic and talented in the secondary, which could allow them to go man-to-man. If they're successful in man-to-man, Nevada will have a long day cuz they can then play 7 in the box and limit the run game.

Cody Fajardo 15/19 with 2 drops.

Horrible

ANGCatFan wrote:Interesting quote from Dan Hinxman, Nevada beat writer for Reno Gazette-Journal:

What is the strength and weakness of Zona's Defense?

Lots of strengths, especially against Nevada. Their 3-3-5 is tough against the Pistol (Nevada has always struggled more against the 3-3-5 than other formations), and they're very athletic and talented in the secondary, which could allow them to go man-to-man. If they're successful in man-to-man, Nevada will have a long day cuz they can then play 7 in the box and limit the run game.

Really?

There nothing we can really say on how our defense perform. give up 28 point, 321 in the air, poor pass coverage. no 100 yard rusher on Nevada side, We came out with a win

The D got stops when needed. Cats win.

As weak as the games have been overall the past two games, the light is that they've made big stops when they've absolutely had to. But yeah, still much more improvement needed.

My Observations on the defense.
I don't understand why our corners play ten feet off the ball, but anyway Nevada was a good team with a good QB. We really missed Worthy and we need Sani more than ever just to have a backup at NT. Zellers was getting pushed around. He may be good for a couple snaps here and there, but no way he'll be able to stay on the field the whole game at 247 and be effective. McCall had three or four penalties that weren't called and were lucky they weren't. Scooby is a beast. I really like Matthews and Turituri too. All three of them played well and those are probably your starters. Secondary let WAY to many big plays. We got pass rush, but Fardenjero picked it apart. Turituri blitzing is working. Send him more. Also, give up with the Bondurant crap. He's one of our most talented players on the team and we NEED him on defense. He makes plays. He creates turnovers. He's a difference maker and I think he has earned his way back.

It doesn't matter that the corners play ten yards off - Arizona is not the only team that does that by a long shot. What matters is that the corners don't seem to know where the receivers are going. They're not allowing a lot of yards after catch but they're making it way too easy to get those catches.

Zellers got abused tonight. How is it that Sani of Fanene cant come in and be ready? Minimize there responsibility to just taking up blockers to keep them off Scooby.

Our corner play againsr what i would call average receivers was embarresing IMO. We were abused with the off shoulder throw all night. If we cant stop the run we cant really roll safeties. Seems we had a ton in the box yt? onight and we reallystruggled with there run game and thus yt? here passing game opened up

catinfl wrote: Also, give up with the Bondurant crap. He's one of our most talented players on the team and we NEED him on defense. He makes plays. He creates turnovers. He's a difference maker and I think he has earned his way back.

Didn't he get beat bad one play?

azcat49 wrote:Zellers got abused tonight. How is it that Sani of Fanene cant come in and be ready? Minimize there responsibility to just taking up blockers to keep them off Scooby.

Our corner play againsr what i would call average receivers was embarresing IMO. We were abused with the off shoulder throw all night. If we cant stop the run we cant really roll safeties. Seems we had a ton in the box yt? onight and we reallystruggled with there run game and thus yt? here passing game opened up

Man, if Zellers failed Wright (career high 14 tackles), imagine Worthy being healthy.

Well msybe they did dumb it down but i saw there center just maul him several times. He is just not big enough.

We sold out to limit the run and we did OK. I think they averaged about 3.5 yards a carry and Fejardo only got about 20 on the night but in sellinng out we were not very good in the secondary

Here are a couple of questions, is the 3-3-5 a complicated defense to run? Do the Cats have the right personnel to run the 3-3-5? Or is it a combination of both? OPINIONS please..

My opinion is that schemes are overrated. You need quality personnel in order to be successful.

The main problem I see, and it's been there since Desert Swarm, is that we just can't seem to control the line of scrimmage on defense:

- On rushing plays teams constantly push us backwards
- On passing plays (and I'm less critical on this point) opposing QB's have too comfortable of a pocket to find receivers

Jason Bartel at SB Nation interviews Reggie Gilbert.

What does the line as a whole need to do to generate more pass rush?

We just gotta get after the quarterback. The third down mentality. We definitely have to create a third-and-long. Last week we had a lot of third-and-shorts, so we really couldn't tell if it was a pass down or run down. But I think this week we definitely have to create the third-and-longs so we can put our ears back and get after 'em.

How is Parker Zellers progressing at nose tackle?

I'm very proud of the way he's come along. He's only a freshman, but I think he handled himself pretty good in last week's game so I can't wait to see what he's going to do this week. Last week was his first start, and he did some good things. But then we also have a few things we need to work on. Him individually and us as a D-line. Every day's just a progression and we're working trying to get better every day.

Good Steve Riverea article on Jonathan McKnight. No time like the tomorrow to have a great game.

"Some of the best corners are the guys you never notice," Rodriguez said. "He's not getting beat. He's not getting attacked."

"Where he is now is where he should have been two years ago," Lockwood said. "It's just a shame because you wished he had another year."

Did you know we added another linebacker? Me either. Gimino mentions it as an extra note in his story on Darick Holmes.



Jason Sweet is a 6-1, 222, redshirt sophomore linebacker from Niceville, FL, who is an Air Force Reserve PJ (parajumper) who served in combat in Afghanistan. He has returned to the school to get a medical degree which means he will be adding both brains and true toughness to the team.

PJs are the real men of the Air Force (no matter what a fighter pilot tells you) and Sergeant Sweet will be able to teach the team about real life teamwork and sacrifice. He is already a true hero, hope Sweet also becomes a hero on the field for the wildcats.

Here's a photo from Gimino's linked story on Sweet.

ANGCatFan wrote:Did you know we added another linebacker? Me either. Gimino mentions it as an extra note in his story on Darick Holmes.



Jason Sweet is a 6-1, 222, redshirt sophomore linebacker from Niceville, FL, who is an Air Force Reserve PJ (parajumper) who served in combat in Afghanistan. He has returned to the school to get a medical degree which means he will be adding both brains and true toughness to the team.

PJs are the real men of the Air Force (no matter what a fighter pilot tells you) and Sergeant Sweet will be able to teach the team about real life teamwork and sacrifice. He is already a true hero, hope Sweet also becomes a hero on the field for the wildcats.

Here's a photo from Gimino's linked story on Sweet.

Thank You Sergeant

Dude...

Good Steve Rivera story on Coach Casteel.

There wasn't any hesitation or doubt when Jake Fischer was asked who Jeff Casteel was and what was he about.

"A mad genius; a mad genius," said Fischer, who at linebacker was at the center of Casteel's hybrid and unconventional 3-3-5 defense for two years.

He's also a guy who always looks to add a new twist or scheme to a system few people play. And a master motivator. And, and, and. He's all that and more.

There was a point to where I knew what they were going to run 95 percent of the time," Fischer said recently. "Coach Casteel and the defensive staff helped me develop that mental edge. Let's face it. I'm not the biggest, not the fastest, but we were smart. But we were able to get there before the play did."

"It's getting the guys to understand that, hey, we might not be the best athlete, but then again, the best athlete doesn't always win," Lockwood said. "It's all about playing with heart and playing the game and getting after it physically."

Lockwood said Casteel typifies Arizona's "hard edge."

Gimino with a must read story on Scooby. This article proves 2 things; Scooby is a player you can build a defense around and Gimino is the best sports writer in town.

Thanks for the kind words. Like most freshmen, Scooby wasn't all that comfortable in interviews last season, but his personality is coming out now, on and off the field. Enjoy him. (Love that T-shirt!).

ANGCatFan wrote:Did you know we added another linebacker? Me either. Gimino mentions it as an extra note in his story on Darick Holmes.



Jason Sweet is a 6-1, 222, redshirt sophomore linebacker from Niceville, FL, who is an Air Force Reserve PJ (parajumper) who served in combat in Afghanistan. He has returned to the school to get a medical degree which means he will be adding both brains and true toughness to the team.

PJs are the real men of the Air Force (no matter what a fighter pilot tells you) and Sergeant Sweet will be able to teach the team about real life teamwork and sacrifice. He is already a true hero, hope Sweet also becomes a hero on the field for the wildcats.

Here's a photo from Gimino's linked story on Sweet.

That is one bad ass dude. I have a nephew who is in PJ training and it is brutal. Makes SEAL training look like a walk in the park. 95% dropout rate for PJs, only 70% or so for SEALs now.

The way we've been tackling in space is getting better every week. Which of course makes the defense look all the better.

Chicat wrote:The way we've been tackling in space is getting better every week. Which of course makes the defense look all the better.

The tackling was really good for the most part today. I also thought the defense played really physical today. Some pretty big hits.

Not sure how you can discuss the best defenses in the PAC-12 and not mention Utah. Of the teams remaining on our schedule, that is the game that concerns me the most, by a decent margin.

And it is certainly not because of their offense.