Bear Down Wildcats

This team just doesn't get any big plays. Didn't help to have Wilson out tonight but this team just lacks explosive players.

They really are an odd team. Tons of 5 yard receptions but rarely any big plays. It's just not what you normally see from spread teams.

For all the hype the receivers have been getting they are pretty damn slow. TJ Johnson/Neal are really the only exceptions. Do you ever seen any separation for Jones/Hill/Richards/Griffey?

Also besides the TD to Baker, was USC ever out of position on defense? Why when I'm watching Baylor, Oregon, ASU, etc. are there always people getting wide open? That almost never happens with Arizona. I know I'm wrong when I say this but it feels like the Wildcats have like 5 pass plays.

Are Nate Phillips and Samanje Grant suppose to be really fast? Never saw any separation.

One common denominator: Anu Solomon & his overthrowing ways (bad decision making also).

IIRC Arizona was top in most longest plays in CFB (or near the top) . But that was when they had a dual threat with Nick Wilson.

Not having Wilson today really hurt, Anu needed him to open up the pass plays.

Merkin wrote:Are Nate Phillips and Samanje Grant suppose to be really fast? Never saw any separation.

Yeah well I consider them more slot receivers.

I think Anu throws a nice short ball, and has a decent fade.

He doesn't seem to throw nearly as well on post routes.

I didn't really see why we didn't abuse their corners even more. Like, a lot more.

We were happy taking the dumps for the first downs, and USC was happy giving them to us.

For as good as Cayleb Jones is in terms of ball skills, I don't think he has any real chance to be in the NFL. He can never get open.

First game this season UA had problems making big plays on offense. Can't say I agree with the idea that this team is not explosive based only on this game, when in the 5 prior games they were explosive.

RockyRaccoon wrote:For as good as Cayleb Jones is in terms of ball skills, I don't think he has any real chance to be in the NFL. He can never get open.

You sound stupid.

btfd16 wrote:

RockyRaccoon wrote:For as good as Cayleb Jones is in terms of ball skills, I don't think he has any real chance to be in the NFL. He can never get open.

You sound stupid.

Seriously? The guy is not fast. I don't think that is even an argument.

Last two weeks against future NFL DBs his stats are:

10 catches for 117, no TDs, long of 23.

Like I said, not bad but lacking any real explosion. Not to mention most of his catches the last couple of weeks have been because of good scheme/execution rather than him beating a corner back and getting open.

He reminds me a lot of Juron Criner. In other words a great college receiver who will struggle to make it in the NFL.

Lots a room on that ASSU bus dude. Fell free to jump on over there if you want.

When we went 5 wide, USC went nickel and rushed 3. Not sure where you think that big play will come from when they have 2 safeties 30 yards deep.

We scored a a big play wheel route but the lack of a running game hurt our big play opportunities. To think we had a shot yo win after 4 empty red zone trips amazes me. USC definitely played a bend but not break scheme. They used with much success against Furd and other then the last 2.5 minutes against your new team ASSU, they controlled things pretty well

i have seen a less explosive spread offense....our 2007 version.

azcat49 wrote:Lots a room on that ASSU bus dude. Fell free to jump on over there if you want.

When we went 5 wide, USC went nickel and rushed 3. Not sure where you think that big play will come from when they have 2 safeties 30 yards deep.

We scored a a big play wheel route but the lack of a running game hurt our big play opportunities. To think we had a shot yo win after 4 empty red zone trips amazes me. USC definitely played a bend but not break scheme. They used with much success against Furd and other then the last 2.5 minutes against your new team ASSU, they controlled things pretty well

Christ. That's just how I look at the game. Why can't I be a little critical when I see something that is a problem?

And hey, UA rushes 3 and drops 8 and that certainly doesn't stop our defense from giving up explosive passing plays.

Jones is a future NFL player according to EVERYONE I've talked to, including a former agent, a scout, and a couple of football coaches. The only place I see or hear that he isn't is from disgruntled UA fans.

Part of the reason Jones' stats are "down" the last two games is due to game plan (Oregon couldn't stop our RBs), and part due to Solomon just flat out missing him several times a game. He still is, on a loaded team of WRs, UA's leading WR in catches, yards and TDs. The reason for that is even when he is "covered", he has the body and the hands to still be "open". I would agree that he is not a "burner" speed-wise, but I disagree with the idea that he is somehow "too slow".

I don't think he gets picked in the Top 2 rounds, but he will in all likelihood be drafted by an NFL team, and will likely make a roster.

Reydituto wrote:...due to Solomon just flat out missing him several times a game...

Yup.

RockyRaccoon wrote:

azcat49 wrote:Lots a room on that ASSU bus dude. Fell free to jump on over there if you want.

When we went 5 wide, USC went nickel and rushed 3. Not sure where you think that big play will come from when they have 2 safeties 30 yards deep.

We scored a a big play wheel route but the lack of a running game hurt our big play opportunities. To think we had a shot yo win after 4 empty red zone trips amazes me. USC definitely played a bend but not break scheme. They used with much success against Furd and other then the last 2.5 minutes against your new team ASSU, they controlled things pretty well

Christ. That's just how I look at the game. Why can't I be a little critical when I see something that is a probleem

And hey, UA rushes 3 and drops 8 and that certainly doesn't stop our defense from giving up explosive passing plays.

Every big play they had was in the run game. You can be critical all you want but don't be surprised when people disagree.

Reydituto wrote:Jones is a future NFL player according to EVERYONE I've talked to, including a former agent, a scout, and a couple of football coaches. The only place I see or hear that he isn't is from disgruntled UA fans.

Part of the reason Jones' stats are "down" the last two games is due to game plan (Oregon couldn't stop our RBs), and part due to Solomon just flat out missing him several times a game. He still is, on a loaded team of WRs, UA's leading WR in catches, yards and TDs. The reason for that is even when he is "covered", he has the body and the hands to still be "open". I would agree that he is not a "burner" speed-wise, but I disagree with the idea that he is somehow "too slow".

I don't think he gets picked in the Top 2 rounds, but he will in all likelihood be drafted by an NFL team, and will likely make a roster.

Yeah I can certainly see that.

I think the truth is, and people can disagree with me, is that this still isn't the team Rich Rod wants on offense. He wants burners from Florida and California on the outside and in the backfield and this team really doesn't have that yet. I think he has had to adjust the offense somewhat due to personnel but in the next few years it will be more wide-open like you saw in his West Virginia days.

azcat49 wrote:

RockyRaccoon wrote:

azcat49 wrote:Lots a room on that ASSU bus dude. Fell free to jump on over there if you want.

When we went 5 wide, USC went nickel and rushed 3. Not sure where you think that big play will come from when they have 2 safeties 30 yards deep.

We scored a a big play wheel route but the lack of a running game hurt our big play opportunities. To think we had a shot yo win after 4 empty red zone trips amazes me. USC definitely played a bend but not break scheme. They used with much success against Furd and other then the last 2.5 minutes against your new team ASSU, they controlled things pretty well

Christ. That's just how I look at the game. Why can't I be a little critical when I see something that is a probleem

And hey, UA rushes 3 and drops 8 and that certainly doesn't stop our defense from giving up explosive passing plays.

Every big play they had was in the run game. You can be critical all you want but don't be surprised when people disagree.

I guess I was referring more to the Cal/Oregon games.

Long scrimmage Plays National Rankings:
10+yards -18th
20+yards -32nd
30+ yards -49th
40+ yards -32nd
50+ yards -30th
60+ yards -12th
70+ yards -8th
80+ yards - 3rd
90+ yards -1st

I think National Rankings would disagree with OP. It could be better, but by no means is Arizona not explosive. That is also with all the miss opportunities.

I really should rephrase.

What I should have said is "roster" not "team".

Rich Rod is such an innovator that his schemes have made up for the deficiencies the roster has in terms of speed and explosiveness. That is why they are still creating some big plays, although the yards per play have been down since Pac-12 play started.

RockyRaccoon wrote:

Reydituto wrote:Jones is a future NFL player according to EVERYONE I've talked to, including a former agent, a scout, and a couple of football coaches. The only place I see or hear that he isn't is from disgruntled UA fans.

Part of the reason Jones' stats are "down" the last two games is due to game plan (Oregon couldn't stop our RBs), and part due to Solomon just flat out missing him several times a game. He still is, on a loaded team of WRs, UA's leading WR in catches, yards and TDs. The reason for that is even when he is "covered", he has the body and the hands to still be "open". I would agree that he is not a "burner" speed-wise, but I disagree with the idea that he is somehow "too slow".

I don't think he gets picked in the Top 2 rounds, but he will in all likelihood be drafted by an NFL team, and will likely make a roster.

Yeah I can certainly see that.

I think the truth is, and people can disagree with me, is that this still isn't the team Rich Rod wants on offense. He wants burners from Florida and California on the outside and in the backfield and this team really doesn't have that yet. I think he has had to adjust the offense somewhat due to personnel but in the next few years it will be more wide-open like you saw in his West Virginia days.

I don't really disagree there, I have no doubt that Rich Rod wants more speed on offense.

Which isn't to say this team is "slow" either (I think the team is relatively quick, but does not have enough top-end speed), he just wants even more guys with more speed. Neal will become faster as his ankle continues to heal and strengthen. I think we'll see more fly sweeps by Ty Johnson as time goes on.

I don't think we'll ever see a Pat White or Denard Robinson type QB here. Rich Rod knows you have to be able to throw the ball effectively in the Pac-12. But that doesn't preclude adding more speed at the other skill positions. If UA can hang on to RB Trevor Speights in the 2016 class, he will turn Nick Wilson's "Lightning" into "Thunder" by comparison.

I meant to add earlier that although it's a small sample size of 6 games, I have yet to see Jones get caught from behind. I think he needs to improve his route precision, and do his part to get on the same page as Solomon, but he's an all-conference talent and there's few WRs in all of CFB for whom I would trade.

Good thing Jones has a great stiff arm Rey.That UTSA guy probably wouldn't have caught him

azcat49 wrote:Good thing Jones has a great stiff arm Rey.That UTSA guy probably wouldn't have caught him

Ha, forgot about that, that guy seemingly came out of nowhere, but in the end, he was not caught.

What's been working all season has been simple: When in doubt, throw it to Cayleb Jones.

Bump.

One of the slowest receiving corps in the nation. They almost never go vertical in the passing game because of the lack of speed. Everything is slants, outs, comebacks, and MAYBE a post every once in a while.

We need a lot more guys like T.J. Johnson before the offense will look the way RR wants it to. I really believe it has handicapped his play calling/scheme and it has showed since Pac-12 play has started.

RockyRaccoon wrote:They almost never go vertical in the passing game because of the lack of speed.

I disagree.

I think we don't go vertical more often because Anu has accuracy issues.

How many times did we draw PI calls? How many of those were due to poorly thrown, often underthrown, balls? Seems like a lot that I remember. I've seen separation this year, between our WR's and the other team's DBs but the ball rarely, if ever, gets there in stride.

PieceOfMeat wrote:

RockyRaccoon wrote:They almost never go vertical in the passing game because of the lack of speed.

I disagree.

I think we don't go vertical more often because Anu has accuracy issues.

How many times did we draw PI calls? How many of those were due to poorly thrown, often underthrown, balls? Seems like a lot that I remember. I've seen separation this year, between our WR's and the other team's DBs but the ball rarely, if ever, gets there in stride.

I was SCREAMING at the TV for them to go vertical. Finally they attempted it and Grant goes for 6. I am fine with all the curl routes, and the quick outs. However, the only receiver you might not want to send deep is Richards. Everyone else can absolutely go deep.

Go Cats!!

Grant, Phillips, Neal, and Johnson all run sub 4.4's. The outside receivers are slow and possession guys and the slot guys are fast. Good combination imo. Anu just needs to get his accuracy down because the two games I've watched in person they've all gotten open downfield, but anu doesn't see them.

We get a lot of PI calls because we start figuring out which cornerbacks can't cover our outside receivers and Solomon starts throwing that way. Notice that most of the PI calls are at the sideline. That's by design. If you're a 5'9" corner and you're up against Cayleb Jones and you see him looking for the ball all of a sudden, about all you can do is hit him and hope your timing is right. Usually it isn't. I think the reason we don't see them going more vertical right now is because the coaches don't have faith in the pass protection for that long. If Solomon is hitting those slants in the middle of the field - and if the receivers aren't dropping them - this offense becomes a nightmare. Regardless, I would think the number one thing the coaches are working on right now is fixing the running game. It showed signs of clicking late when Wilson started seeing his gaps better.

catinfl wrote:Grant, Phillips, Neal, and Johnson all run sub 4.4's. The outside receivers are slow and possession guys and the slot guys are fast. Good combination imo. Anu just needs to get his accuracy down because the two games I've watched they've all gotten open downfield, but anu doesn't see them.

I think you've hit the nail on the head, catinfl. They are open, Anu's deep ball has improved significantly since his first couple of games, and they have plenty of speed. For whatever reason he seems to not be seeing them. Shouldn't the coaches be emphasizing this? I was truly begging for one attempt over the middle down the field. 2 plays later they try it and Grant walks in.

Heard on 80% of the Arizona Cardinals passing plays one of the options is a deep ball. They absolutely want their QB's going deep to stretch the field. I think this is the simplest, quickest fix to the Wildcats' offensive struggles. Then again, what do I know?

Go Cats!!