Last year it was all about the quarterbacks. That another quarterback -- and a returner at that -- failed to make the cut should give you an indication of just how deep the league is with talented skill and defensive players (hint, there’s a lot of them). This is the one that stuck in my craw. I thought he should have been in the top 25, but I got shot down. Compromises had to be met. While his debut season tapered at the end, he still put up very solid numbers for a redshirt freshman, tossing 28 touchdowns to nine interceptions and throwing for 3,793 yards. The completion percentage (58 percent) needs to be higher. This fifth of the Pac-12 blog is banking on marked improvement in his second year.
When the Wildcats faced uncertainty at running back in the wake of All-American Ka'Deem Carey's departure for the NFL, Wilson quickly emerged as a suitable replacement. He rushed for 104 yards in his debut and followed it up with a pair of 170-plus-yard performances to round out nonconference play. An All-Pac-12 honorable mention pick, Wilson finished his true freshman season with 1,375 yards rushing and scored 17 touchdowns -- second-most in the Pac-12.
With Nick at 25 and Anu an honorable mention, I think that means Cayleb Jones and every other Wildcat (not named Scooby) will be left off of the list. Now we just wait to see where in the top 5 Scooby will end up.
Jones is primed for a breakout season in 2015. A season ago he averaged 73 receiving yards a game but that number could rise as defenses try to handle Arizona’s many offensive threats and weigh the pros and cons of trying to bring more guys into the box to stop the run. If that happens, Jones is Anu Solomon's go-to guy. With another offseason to build chemistry, expect Solomon to look to Jones more and more and for Jones’ plays to be even more explosive.
Of the 12 coaches, Rush picked the one whose fans have the deepest passion, the longest memories, the greatest lung capacity and … did I mention deep passion?
catinfl wrote:Griffey, Richards, and Jones on the outside
Grant, Phillips, Ellison, and Johnson on the inside.
Probably forgetting a few, but good luck defending that...
And good luck keeping your eye on Wilson at the same time.
Wheel Route
*salivates*
Of the 12 coaches, Rush picked the one whose fans have the deepest passion, the longest memories, the greatest lung capacity and … did I mention deep passion?
This whole having a really good offense loaded with weapons is so new and fun to Arizona fans. When you actually look back through history, our program seemed pretty allergic to offense and point scoring until about 2009.
i was going to put the ua/asu records here...but i forgot what they were.
catinfl wrote:Griffey, Richards, and Jones on the outside
Grant, Phillips, Ellison, and Johnson on the inside.
Probably forgetting a few, but good luck defending that...
And good luck keeping your eye on Wilson at the same time.
Eh, got that all covered... wait, Solomon just took off around the other side with the ball.
This year could be one for the ages offensively. Not only are there so many weapons but these guys have already been playing together for two years (counting some redshirts there.) Everyone knows where everyone else is going to be and the playbook should be wide freakin' open (although probably not until UCLA.) I could see this team dropping 60+ more than once.
catinfl wrote:Griffey, Richards, and Jones on the outside
Grant, Phillips, Ellison, and Johnson on the inside.
Probably forgetting a few, but good luck defending that...
And good luck keeping your eye on Wilson at the same time.
Eh, got that all covered... wait, Solomon just took off around the other side with the ball.
This year could be one for the ages offensively. Not only are there so many weapons but these guys have already been playing together for two years (counting some redshirts there.) Everyone knows where everyone else is going to be and the playbook should be wide freakin' open (although probably not until UCLA.) I could see this team dropping 60+ more than once.
But then the 2016 team... holy taco.
If Scooby, Solomon, Jones and Wilson all come back..could be amazing. In the last 40 years of Arizona history, we've only had 8 teams that scored 30+ a game. 5 are in the last 7 seasons..and 3 with Rich Rod.
2016 could be the best ever. Best ever Arizona offenses (not counting teams from the teens and 20s that played high schools) are:
For the number of plays run that 75, 83 and 98 teams were pretty potent.
That said if we can average in the upper 30's against the quality of the south teams, that would be very impressive
Waiting at the Rose Bowl patiently for the cats to arrive
"I've got a fever, and the only prescription is more wildcat sports"
2019 BDW Survivor Pool Champion
I think Scooby was #2 in the postseason after Mariota, so I can't imagine he wouldn't be #1. You can't put Cody "I rack up stats vs bad teams" Kessler or Jeff "My defense is NAIA level" Goff. Deforest Buckner will probably be on the list, but I dont know who the 5th player will be on the top 5. Vernon Adams I suppose?
MrBug708 wrote:I think Scooby was #2 in the postseason after Mariota, so I can't imagine he wouldn't be #1. You can't put Cody "I rack up stats vs bad teams" Kessler or Jeff "My defense is NAIA level" Goff. Deforest Buckner will probably be on the list, but I dont know who the 5th player will be on the top 5. Vernon Adams I suppose?
What does the Cal defense have to do with rating Goff as a QB? He is arguably the best QB in the PAC this season.
#53 Jared Goff - If Cal fielded what amounted to even an average -- or maybe slightly-below-average -- defense during the past two seasons, Goff would be a national name and on just about every preseason Heisman watch list. But it didn't, so he isn't. Without the wins to garner more national attention, Goff quietly put up a remarkable sophomore season (3,973 yards passing, 35 TD, 7 INT, 62.1 completion percentage) and tops Mel Kiper Jr.'s rankings of eligible quarterbacks for the 2016 draft.
MrBug708 wrote:Here is Goffs report on the top 100 list
#53 Jared Goff - If Cal fielded what amounted to even an average -- or maybe slightly-below-average -- defense during the past two seasons, Goff would be a national name and on just about every preseason Heisman watch list. But it didn't, so he isn't. Without the wins to garner more national attention, Goff quietly put up a remarkable sophomore season (3,973 yards passing, 35 TD, 7 INT, 62.1 completion percentage) and tops Mel Kiper Jr.'s rankings of eligible quarterbacks for the 2016 draft.
So because he has a shit defense his ability as a QB will not get enough attention. That makes sense. What does not make sense is rating the 25 best players on anything other then their individual ability / impact.
MrBug708 wrote:I think Scooby was #2 in the postseason after Mariota, so I can't imagine he wouldn't be #1. You can't put Cody "I rack up stats vs bad teams" Kessler or Jeff "My defense is NAIA level" Goff. Deforest Buckner will probably be on the list, but I dont know who the 5th player will be on the top 5. Vernon Adams I suppose?
Pretty obvious choice here. Wright returns as the most decorated defensive player in the country after bringing the Vince Lombardi/Rotary, Chuck Bednarik and Bronko Nagurski awards to Tucson, along with pretty much every first-team All-America honor, first-team NFL All-Pro and Pop Warner MVP Trophy available. You get the point. He made a whopping 163 tackles last year for a league-leading average of 11.6 per game. He also contributed 14 sacks, led the league with 29 tackles for loss and also led the conference with six forced fumbles. In other words, the guy is a one-man wrecking crew.
