Bear Down Wildcats

Each week, Arizona football head coach Rich Rodriguez and his staff will select Player of the Week honorees based on performance leading up to and including the game each week. The Wildcats defeated UNLV, 58-13, Friday night at Arizona Stadium.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Anu Solomon is the Offensive Player of the Week. In his collegiate debut, he completed 25-of-44 passes for 425 yards and four touchdowns. The yardage total set a new freshman record (previously held by Keith Smith – 418 at California in a four overtime game in 1996).The 425 yards also tied Nick Foles’ mark for ninth-most in UA single game history.

Sophomore linebacker Scooby Wright is the Defensive Player of the Week. He led Arizona defenders with eight total tackles, including seven unassisted. He sacked UNLV’s quarterback for a loss of seven yards. Wright was also named Hard Edge Player of the Week.

Redshirt junior kicker Casey Skowron is the Special Teams Player of the Week. In his collegiate debut, he connected on seven extra points and 3-of-4 field goals attempted. He made field goals of 28, 49 and 39 yards. He tied the single-game record for points by kicking (16). Kicking off, Skowron booted nine times for a total of 584 yards and an average of 64.9 yards per kick. He recorded seven touchbacks.

Luca Bruno, Hank Hobson, Makani Kema-Kaleiwahea, Drew Riggleman, Casey Skowron and Blair Tushaus were given the community service award for their trip to Diamond Children’s Medical Center on Thursday.

From the scout team, redshirt freshman Abraham Mendivil on offense, junior cornerback Patrick Glover on defense and redshirt freshman safety Carter Hehr on special teams were honored for their efforts during the UNLV game preparations.

Freshman running back Nick Wilson is the Offensive Player of the Week. He rushed for 174 yards on 30 carries with one touchdown. In his first career start, he topped 100 rushing yards for the second consecutive game. The yardage is fourth-most in single-game history for a Wildcat freshman, while the 30 totes matched Nic Grigsby for the most rush attempts for a freshman (2007 vs. Washington State).

Redshirt senior safety Jared Tevis is the Defensive Player of the Week. He racked up a single-game best 16 tackles and 1.5 tackles for a loss of four yards. He grabbed his first interception of the season with less than two minutes to play as UTSA was driving towards the end zone. Tevis was also the Hard Edge Player of the Week.

Redshirt junior kicker Casey Skowron is the Special Teams Player of the Week. He was a perfect 4-for-4 on field goal tries (38, 23, 44 and 28 yards) and booted both extra point tries to tally 14 points. Skowron’s efficiency matches the single-game best at Arizona, tying a handful of others who were 4-for-4 in field goal tries.

From the scout team, junior offensive lineman Freddie Tagaloa on offense, redshirt freshman safety Carter Hehr and redshirt freshman defensive lineman Luca Bruno on defense and redshirt freshman linebacker RJ Morgan on special teams were honored for their efforts during the UTSA game preparations.

azpenguin wrote:All those tackles, that game saving INT... and once again a deserving Cat gets shut out of the Pac-12 player of the week award. It went to Leonard Williams of - you guessed it - USC. (11 tackles and a sack.) Skowron goes 4-4 on FGs and 2-2 on XPs, racking up 16 points, with two touchbacks on eight kickoffs, and the award for special teams goes to Andre Heidari of - you guessed it - USC. (2 FGs, including the game winner, and an XP, and one touchback on four kickoffs.) Sigh.

azpenguin wrote:All those tackles, that game saving INT... and once again a deserving Cat gets shut out of the Pac-12 player of the week award. It went to Leonard Williams of - you guessed it - USC. (11 tackles and a sack.) Skowron goes 4-4 on FGs and 2-2 on XPs, racking up 16 points, with two touchbacks on eight kickoffs, and the award for special teams goes to Andre Heidari of - you guessed it - USC. (2 FGs, including the game winner, and an XP, and one touchback on four kickoffs.) Sigh.

ghostwhitehorse wrote:

azpenguin wrote:All those tackles, that game saving INT... and once again a deserving Cat gets shut out of the Pac-12 player of the week award. It went to Leonard Williams of - you guessed it - USC. (11 tackles and a sack.) Skowron goes 4-4 on FGs and 2-2 on XPs, racking up 16 points, with two touchbacks on eight kickoffs, and the award for special teams goes to Andre Heidari of - you guessed it - USC. (2 FGs, including the game winner, and an XP, and one touchback on four kickoffs.) Sigh.

Fuck Larry Scott.

TUCSON, Ariz. – Each week, Arizona football head coach Rich Rodriguez and his staff will select Player of the Week honorees based on performance leading up to and including the game each week. The Wildcats defeated Nevada, 35-28, Saturday night at Arizona Stadium.

Freshman running back Nick Wilson is the Offensive Player of the Week for the second-straight outing. In his third career game and second career start, he rushed for 171 yards on 29 carries with two scores. Wilson averaged 5.9 yards per carry in addition to hauling in two receptions for 15 yards. He totaled 186 all-purpose yards.

Sophomore linebacker Scooby Wright is the Defensive Player of the Week. He led the Wildcats in tackles with a career-high 14 stops, including eight solo stops and a tackle for a loss of three yards. On the season, Wright has totaled 33 tackles, good for No. 2 overall in the Pac-12.

From the scout team, freshman quarterback Zach Werlinger on offense, redshirt junior linebacker Sir Thomas Jackson on defense and redshirt junior linebacker Haden Gregory on special teams were honored for their efforts during the Nevada game preparations.

Junior offensive lineman Cayman Bundage is the Hard Edge Player of the Week, redshirt sophomore receiver Cayleb Jones is the Student of the Week and sophomore Sani Fuimaono earned the Teammate Award. With their trip to Diamond Children’s Medical Center on Friday, Ty Cruz, Tony Ellison, Patrick Glover, Hank Hobson, Josh Kern, Anthony Lopez, RJ Morgan, David Richards, Casey Skowron, Blair Tushaus and Levi Walton earned the Community Service Award.

Jones, a sophomore from Austin, Texas, gave the Wildcats life in a 22-point second-half rally to stun California, 49-45, in Tucson. Jones hauled in a career-high 13 receptions for 186 yards and three second-half touchdowns, including a pair of scoring grabs in the fourth quarter. Jones had nine catches for 127 yards and 3 TD in second half alone (5-59, 2 TD in fourth quarter). His two fourth quarter touchdown grabs (16 and 15 yards) brought UA within eight and two-point margins to keep the hopes for Austin Hill’s winning Hail Mary catch alive. Of Jones’ 13 catches, nine resulted in first downs or touchdowns. The 13 receptions are second-most in school single-game history, one shy of Jeremy McDaniel’s record of 14 set against California in 1996. McDaniel’s performance came in a four-overtime affair, leaving Jones’ 13-catch output as the most in regulation.. The 186 receiving yards for Jones set a new career-high and rank No. 12 in single-game history at Arizona. Jones topped the 100-yard mark for the third-straight game.

ANGCatFan wrote:Cayleb Jones PAC 12 Offensive POW!

Jones, a sophomore from Austin, Texas, gave the Wildcats life in a 22-point second-half rally to stun California, 49-45, in Tucson. Jones hauled in a career-high 13 receptions for 186 yards and three second-half touchdowns, including a pair of scoring grabs in the fourth quarter. Jones had nine catches for 127 yards and 3 TD in second half alone (5-59, 2 TD in fourth quarter). His two fourth quarter touchdown grabs (16 and 15 yards) brought UA within eight and two-point margins to keep the hopes for Austin Hill’s winning Hail Mary catch alive. Of Jones’ 13 catches, nine resulted in first downs or touchdowns. The 13 receptions are second-most in school single-game history, one shy of Jeremy McDaniel’s record of 14 set against California in 1996. McDaniel’s performance came in a four-overtime affair, leaving Jones’ 13-catch output as the most in regulation.. The 186 receiving yards for Jones set a new career-high and rank No. 12 in single-game history at Arizona. Jones topped the 100-yard mark for the third-straight game.

In addition to his Pac-12 honor, redshirt sophomore Cayleb Jones is the Offensive Player of the Week. He finished with 13 receptions for 186 yards and three touchdowns. Jones’ 13 receptions are second-most in UA single game history and the most in a game since 1996. His 186 receiving yards rank No. 12 in single-game history.

Sophomore linebacker Scooby Wright is the Defensive Player of the Week for the second-straight week. He finished with a career-high 18 tackles, the most for a Wildcat in a single game since LB Marcus Bell had 20 at ASU on Nov. 27, 1999.The 18 stops matches the most for an FBS player in a game this year. Wright’s 4.0 tackles for loss were most since Spencer Larsen had 4.5 at USC on Oct. 13, 2007. Wright now has 7.0 tackles for loss in two career games against the Golden Bears.

Redshirt junior Drew Riggleman in the Special Teams Player of the Week. He punted six times Saturday night for a total of 300 yards and an average kick of 50 yards. He kicked a long of 59 yards with two landing inside the 20-yard line and two touchbacks.

From the scout team, freshman receiver Tony Ellison on offense, freshman linebacker Jamardre Cobb on defense and redshirt sophomore linebacker Alex King on special teams were honored for their efforts during the California game preparations.

Sophomore receiver Nate Phillips is the Hard Edge Player of the Week and redshirt junior Casey Skowron is the Student of the Week.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Anu Solomon was named the Athlon Sports Pac-12 Player of the Week and a Manning Award Star of the Week. He’s a nominee for Manning Award Quarterback of the Week after his school-record performance that included 520 yards, 47 completions and 73 passing attempts.

Jones and Solomon are both nominees for the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl Pac-12 Player of the Week nod. The College Football Performance Awards named Wright as National Defensive Performer of the Week and National Linebacker of the Week. Both redshirt senior Austin Hill and Jones were named CFPA Honorable Mention Wide Receivers of the Week.

ANGCatFan wrote: The College Football Performance Awards named Wright as National Defensive Performer of the Week and National Linebacker of the Week.

Redshirt senior running back Terris Jones-Grigsby is the Offensive Player of the Week. He ran for 115 yards on a career-best 27 carries, and punched in the game-winning touchdown with 2:54 remaining in the game. Jones-Grigsby added a career-high 95 receiving yards on four receptions. His career-long 54-yard reception in the third quarter helped convert a key third down. On the drive, Arizona scored a touchdown to move ahead of the Ducks, 17-14. After that score, the Wildcats never relinquished their lead.

Redshirt senior defensive lineman Dan Pettinato is the Defensive Player of the Week. He had seven tackles, a sack for a loss of two yards and a forced fumble. Arizona’s defense recorded five sacks, the most in a game for the Cats since registering six vs. Arizona State in 2010. On third down, the Wildcats held Oregon to a 4-of-14 clip, including 1-of-5 in the second half. Arizona’s defense registered seven total tackles for loss and held the Ducks to a 3.5 yards per carry average. Only four of Oregon’s 25 first downs were picked up via the rush.

Freshman receiver Tyrell Johnson is the Special Teams Player of the Week. At kick returner, he had four returns for 99 yards and a long of 30 yards. He ended the game with 116 all-purpose yards, including one reception for 17 yards.

From the scout team, freshman running back Omar Boyd on offense, redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Dwight Melvin on defense and redshirt sophomore linebacker Jason Sweet on special teams were honored for their efforts during the Oregon game preparations.

Senior center Steven Gurrola and redshirt freshman defensive lineman Parker Zellers are the Hard Edge Players of the Week and redshirt freshman defensive lineman Calvin Allen is the Student of the Week. With their trip to Pueblo Gardens School last week, senior Brendan Murphy, senior Blair Tushaus and sophomore Nate Phillips earned the Community Service Award.

While there were several worthy coordinators this week, we felt the Wildcats’ achievement of limiting Oregon to 24 points at Autzen Stadium and sealing the win with a takeaway late in the game gave Casteel the edge over other coordinators.

In the 31-24 win, Arizona limited Oregon to 4 of 14 third-down conversions. Only four other teams in the last four years have the Ducks converted less than 29% of third-down opportunities.

Oregon finished the game by averaging just 3.5 yards per rush. Only Stanford and LSU have been able to accomplish that mark against the Ducks in the last four years.

The win moved the Wildcats to 5-0 on the season.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Anu Solomon is the Offensive Player of the Week. He threw five TD passes to five different receivers en route to totaling 294 passing yards on 26 of 38 pass attempts. He also totaled 31 yards on the ground. He tied his career high with five passing touchdowns (also five vs. California on Sept. 20)..

Sophomore linebacker Scooby Wright is the Defensive Player of the Week. Already named the Walter Camp Football Foundation National Defensive Player of the Week, he recorded eight tackles, three sacks and forced three fumbles. The Wildcat defense contributed significantly to 24-0 lead in the first quarter. Arizona held WSU quarterback Connor Halliday to 6-of-13 passing for 33 yards on the first four drives of the game, which resulted in three punts and a turnover on downs.

Redshirt sophomore DaVonte’ Neal is the Special Teams Player of the Week. He collected 109 all-purpose yards with 29 yards in the air and an 81-yard punt return for a touchdown. He also caught a two-yard TD pass for his second score of the contest.

Neal’s 81-yard punt return for a touchdown in the first quarter marked the longest return of his career, his first touchdown on a return and ranks tied for 10th-longest in school history. The 81-yard scoring play is UA’s fourth over 80 yards this season (two passing, one rushing).

From the scout team, freshman receiver Darius Aguirre on offense, redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Dwight Melvin and redshirt freshman safety Carter Hehr on defense and freshman linebacker Elijah Marshall on special teams were honored for their efforts during the Washington State game preparations.

Redshirt senior safety Jared Tevis is the Hard Edge Player of the Week. With their trip to St, Joseph’s Hospital last week, seniors Hank Hobson and Terris Jones-Grigsby and junior David Richards earned the Community Service Award.

Wright, a sophomore from Windsor Calif., forced three fumbles and tallied three sacks to lead Arizona to a 59-37 win over Washington State. Wright led an Arizona defense that held WSU to 106 yards of total offense on its first five possessions of the game, which resulted in the Cougars punting three times, turning the ball over on downs once (Wright recorded the tackle for no gain on the fourth down play) and throwing one interception. Wright has now forced five fumbles this season, becoming just the third Wildcat since 1973 to have done so (Rick Hunley and Chris Singleton). He ranks second in the nation, averaging 2.0 tackles for loss per game, and third in the nation with 1.29 sacks per game.

Sophomore receiver Samajie Grant is the Offensive Player of the Week. He hauled in two receiving touchdowns on six catches for 83 yards and a long of 27. On the season, he totals 381 receiving yards on 28 receptions with three scores. He averages 13.6 yards per catch and 47.6 yards per game.

Redshirt senior free safety Jourdon Grandon is the Defensive Player of the Week. He picked off his first interception of the season and forced one of four Arizona turnovers against the Buffs. He ended the game with six tackles, too. On the season, he totals 53 tackles, including 38 solo stops, 1.0 tackle for loss and one interception.

From the scout team, freshman offensive lineman Jordan Poland on offense, redshirt freshman free safety David Price on defense and freshman linebacker Tre Tyler on special teams were honored for their efforts during the Colorado game preparations.

Redshirt freshman Anu Solomon is the Hard Edge Player of the Week. Sophomore linebacker Derrick Turituri is the Student of the Week.

Redshirt senior safety Jared Tevis is the Defensive Player of the Week. Against the Huskies, he recorded 14 tackles, including 10 solo stops, a sack for seven yards, 1.5 tackles for eight yards lost and forced a fumble. The Wildcat defense extended its streak to 12-straight games with a sack.

Redshirt junior kicker Casey Skowron is the Special Teams Player of the Week. He scored 15 of Arizona’s 27 points with a rushing touchdown, two field goals and three extra points. On a fake field goal attempt, Skowron ran for an 18-yard score. He also hit a game-winning 47-yard field goal.

From the scout team, junior offensive lineman Freddie Tagaloa on offense, redshirt freshman free safety David Price on defense and freshman receiver Spencer Marciniak on special teams were honored for their efforts during the Washington game preparations.

Sophomore linebacker Derrick Turituri is the Hard Edge Player of the Week. Redshirt freshman Gerhard de Beer is the Student of the Week.

Merkin wrote:Redshirt freshman Gerhard de Beer is the Student of the Week.

And I thought we wouldn't see his name at all this year.

Arizona football redshirt junior kicker Casey Skowron is the Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week, it was announced by the league office on Monday.

Skowron drilled a 47-yard field goal as time expired, handing the Wildcats a thrilling come-from-behind victory, 27-26, over Washington on Saturday at Arizona Stadium. It was an emphatic end to a sensational game for the redshirt junior who accounted for 15 of Arizona’s 27 points.

Skowron converted three extra points, hit two field goals and scored his first-ever touchdown on a momentum-changing play in the second quarter. The Wildcats had surrendered 17 unanswered points and were trailing 17-7 when Skowron took a direct snap from long-snapper Jose Romero to race 18 yards into the corner of the end zone, turning a fake field goal into a touchdown.

Skowron connected on a 35-yard field goal early in the fourth to bring the Wildcats within two points and set up the dramatic finish for the game-winning 47-yarder as time expired. It was the first game-winning field goal for a Wildcat kicker since 2009 (Alex Zendejas’ 32-yarder broke a 17-17 tie as time expired) and the first to win a game (in the final minute) when Arizona was trailing since Max Zendejas’ 45-yarder against Arizona State in 1983.

On the season, Skowron is 17-for-24 on field goal attempts and 41-for-41 on PAT kicks. His 98 total points scored this season lead all Pac-12 players.

Freshman running back Nick Wilson is the Offensive Player of the Week. The Fresno, Calif. native accounted for 218 rushing yards, three touchdowns and a long carry of 75 yards for a score on Saturday against the Utes. He averaged 10.9 yards per carry on 20 totes. He improved his season total to 1,085 rushing yards, marking the third-straight year Arizona has a 1,000-yard rusher.

Redshirt senior free safety Jourdon Grandon is the Defensive Player of the Week. He totaled four tackles, including a sack for 15 yards lost. He also picked off Travis Wilson and broke up one pass. On the season, Grandon totals 69 tackles, two interceptions, two passes broken up and a forced fumble.

Redshirt junior punter Drew Riggleman is the Special Teams Player of the Week. He kicked seven times against the Utes to total 364 yards and an average of 52.0 yards per punt. He recorded two touchbacks and landed three inside the 20-yard line while booting a long of 67 yards. On the season, Riggleman averages 46.5 yards per punt with 23 kicks of 50+ yards.

From the scout team, freshman offensive lineman Levi Walton on offense, redshirt sophomore linebacker Jason Sweet on defense and freshman tight end Alexei Oro on special teams were honored for their efforts during the Utah game preparations.

Sophomore receiver Samajie Grant is the Hard Edge Player of the Week. Freshman linebacker Marquis Ware is the Student of the Week.

Freshman running back Nick Wilson is the Offensive Player of the Week. He accounted for 178 rushing yards and three touchdowns against ASU. He totaled 24 carries with a long run of 72 yards and an average of 7.4 yards per carry.

Sophomore linebacker Scooby Wright III is the Defensive Player of the Week. He totaled 13 tackles, 5.0 TFL and 2.0 sacks against the Sun Devils. He also forced his FBS-leading sixth fumble of the season on the opening play of the game to set up the Wildcats’ first touchdown.

Redshirt junior kicker Casey Skowron is the Special Teams Player of the Week. On Friday, he was a perfect 6-of-6 on PATs while also kicking off seven times. He totaled 455 yards with five touchbacks and an average of 65.0 yards per boot.

From the scout team, freshman receiver Kaelin DeBoskie on offense, freshman linebacker Tre Tyler on defense and redshirt freshman linebacker RJ Morgan on special teams were honored for their efforts during the Arizona State game preparations.

Senior center Steven Gurrola is the Hard Edge Player of the Week. Junior offensive lineman Cayman Bundage is the Student of the Week. Drew Riggleman, Carter Hehr, Anthony Lopez, Hank Hobson, Blair Tushaus, Trevor Ermisch, Jordan Poland, DeBoskie and Skowron earned the Community Service Award.

Wright, a sophomore from Windsor, Calif., spearheaded an Arizona defense by making numerous big plays to lead the Wildcats to victory over No. 13 Arizona State, 42-35, clinching Arizona’s first-ever South division title and punching its ticket to the Pac-12 Championship game. Wright finished with a game-high 13 tackles, including 5.0 for loss, 2.0 sacks and a forced fumble. Wright delivered a pivotal play to give Arizona early momentum when he sacked ASU quarterback Taylor Kelly on the opening possession, forcing a fumble that was recovered and returned by Anthony Lopez for a 25-yard defensive touchdown. It was Wright’s sixth forced fumble of the year, the most by any FBS player. The linebacker would go on to register four more tackles for loss, giving him 5.0 for the game, the most by any Arizona player since Marcus Bell had 5.0 in 1998. Wright and the UA defense held Arizona State to 380 total yards on 87 plays, an average of just 4.4 yards per play, which ties for the lowest per play mark in the Sun Devils’ last 19 games against the Wildcats. Wright improved his season numbers to 139 total tackles, 14.0 sacks, 27.0 sacks and six forced fumbles. He is the only player in the FBS to rank in the top five of each of those four categories.