Quarterbacks

[ANGCatFan]

Here is the final position group just in time for the first practice tomorrow. Michael Lev has a QB breakdown from the Star which focuses on the QB battle.

Starting Experience (1)
Anu Solomon (RS Jr) (25)

Returning (2)
Brandon Dawkins (RS So)
Zach Werlinger (RS So)

Newcomers (2)
Khalil Tate (Fr early entree)
Gunther Johnson (Fr)

Here's the easy part. The depth chart entering camp: Solomon, Dawkins, Tate.

Last years' passing stats:


Last years' rushing stats (yardage lost in sacks is not included in this table):



Is the competition real? I hope so. We want the starter pushed to earn his spot and we want the back-up to be ready to lead the team if we have an injury. The issue has been talked about enough. I am just thankful that we have the best 1-2 line-up at QB since Foles and Scott. We can win with either QB and I am expecting Anu to win the job and start his 3rd year as the Wildcat QB.

For me the big question is do you burn Tate's redshirt? I would love to see him in some Jerard Randall sets, because what we saw last year was even when the entire stadium knew a QB run was coming the defense could not adjust to the change in speed and athleticism in the middle of a game. Also, Tate could be one of team's best athletes and playmakers. Many schools wanted him at receiver. Can you afford to leave him on the bench when we will need to score a lot of points to make up for our defensive deficiencies? Tate has a lot on his plate to learn the offense and he wants his shot at QB, but I would prep him for some QB runs and receiving plays.

[azpenguin]

I like the idea of getting Tate on the field as an extra back and some garbage time snaps at QB. Solomon is a junior and barring something big he's the starter next year. Dawkins is a sophomore, and is going to push this year and will probably get some meaningful playing time. Next year Burmeister is going to be coming in. If you get Tate on the field you get him used to D-1 speed and let him get a feel for the offense. Get him on the field somehow.

[chiefzona]

I don't think it matters if you burn Tate's RS or not. I can't see him beating out BB at QB nor anyone else. The table is set for Anu this season and he either sits and eats or gets up from the table.

[Merkin]

Do the 8 Anu fumbles include the Bundage snaps over his head?

[Gilbertcat]

Do the 8 Anu fumbles include the Bundage snaps over his head?

I had erased that from my memory, not happy that its back.

[ANGCatFan]

Do the 8 Anu fumbles include the Bundage snaps over his head?

Yes.

[azgreg]

Do the 8 Anu fumbles include the Bundage snaps over his head?

Yes.

A center snap over the head counts as a QB fumble? Wow.

[dirtbags]

I don't think it matters if you burn Tate's RS or not. I can't see him beating out BB at QB nor anyone else. The table is set for Anu this season and he either sits and eats or gets up from the table.

agree, but i think our QB2, and hence QB3 to an extent, will get their fair share of snaps this season. i saw a blurb from anu, saying that he wants to play a more fearless, physical, "poly" style of football this season. it's great to hear that kind of fire, but i also hope he plays smart and doesn't try to be too much of a tough guy out there. dude is nails and a great scrambler, but is likely one hard hit or so away from not playing football again. makes me worry.

[Puerco]

Nah, come on. He's going to 'push through' that next concussion, right?

[Chicat]

Nah, come on. He's going to 'push through' that next concussion, right?

Couldn't help but wonder after reading Anu's quote if he doesn't already have a traumatic brain injury.

[OSUCat]

Nah, come on. He's going to 'push through' that next concussion, right?

Couldn't help but wonder after reading Anu's quote if he doesn't already have a traumatic brain injury.

Well if he has been getting concussions since third grade, you might be right Chi.

People say I can't be playing with my mind like that, but I've been getting concussions since I was in the third grade

http://www.azdesertswarm.com/football/2 ... uarterback" target="_blank

[azpenguin]

I know he wants to be tough but you don't "push through" a concussion. I can't imagine the "WTF did he say?" that the coaches had flash through their minds when they heard him say that.

[Merkin]

If that was my son I would be calling RichRod the minute I heard that. When it comes to your child's health then you have to be a helicopter parent.

Look at the list of NFL QBs with suspected CTE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_N ... phalopathy" target="_blank

[Chicat]

If that was my son I would be calling RichRod the minute I heard that. When it comes to your child's health then you have to be a helicopter parent.

Look at the list of NFL QBs with suspected CTE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_N ... phalopathy" target="_blank

Yeah, you can't let him make that decision for himself. Not at that age. He's (hopefully) got decades ahead of him.

His comment will actually have the opposite effect. Now coaches and trainers will be looking extra hard at every hit he takes.

[chiefzona]

No hate on Anu but his reckless way at QB will most likely get him hurt. I did see some outlet passes and safety valves being thrown in practice so I'm hoping that RR starts helping the QBs out with emergency outlets so they don't get killed. Sadly, the center competition is completely opened up because of Zach's passing. This will add another scary factor into the equation as Walton and Eldridge will end up battling it out at that position. I'm thinking they'll need as many QBs as possible.

[azpenguin]

I'm hoping he stays healthy, of course. I look back to 2006 and Tuitama's concussion plagued season. He was fine in '07 & '08 but every time he took a hit the fans held their breath. It's possible Dawkins may get playing time just for risk reduction purposes. This would be counter to what RR has done in the past (he likes to keep his starter in until the game is completely out of reach, unless he needs a change of pace like last year with Randall vs. CU and WSU) but he knows what he's up against. I wonder if what he dealt with last year with the no-bye schedule still colors his thinking.

[BibbysTowelDude]

It was clearly testosterone led, player speak.

Anyways Anu is the guy if he's healthy. I imagine Dawkins will see some action here and there to keep him loose and ready to go. Tate may get some garbage snaps but I'd be slightly surprised if ever gets the starting nod at QB and hope he'll move to RB/WR. I'd do my damndest to redshirt him and cross train him.

[ANGCatFan]

Great article by Javier Morales at AST on the quarterbacks. He not only looks at the current race, but has the history on how every Wildcat QB of the modern era won their starting job. Oh, and tables on the performance of every starting Coach Rod QB starting with West Virginia.


"Better get your butt in gear Anu. I'm this far behind you for QB 1 according to some guy on a message board."

[Merkin]

Good article, but would have been better if Morales listed redshirts as redshirts. A true FR is not near the same level as a RS FR QB since they obviously already have an extra year in the system.

Was Tate Forcier the only true FR QB RichRod has started?

Speaking of true frosh:

[azgreg]

Pac-12 position unit rankings: Quarterbacks

http://www.espn.com/blog/pac12/post/_/i ... arterbacks" target="_blank

1. Washington State
2. UCLA
3. California

4. Arizona: Forget the old adage that having two starting quarterbacks means you don't have one. Arizona has a proven starter, Anu Solomon -- he's just being pushed at the moment. Through two seasons as the Wildcats' starter, Solomon has thrown for 6,460 yards, which ranks fourth in school history. If Brandon Dawkins unseats him, that would speak more to what Dawkins has done to impress the Arizona coaches. Either way, the Wildcats might be the team most equipped to handle an injury should the eventual starter go down.

5. Washington
6. Colorado
7. Stanford
8. USC
9. Oregon
10. Oregon State
11. Utah
12. Arizona State

[ASUHATER!]

love seeing asu at #12. they have no idea what they have at qb this year. either way it'll be someone who has never taken a snap before.


can we get a compilation of the position rankings to see where they put Arizona overall?

[azpenguin]

love seeing asu at #12. they have no idea what they have at qb this year. either way it'll be someone who has never taken a snap before.


can we get a compilation of the position rankings to see where they put Arizona overall?

Manny Wilkins has taken a few snaps, but he hasn't thrown a pass IIRC. There's always the possibility that they pull something like Solomon did his first year, of course, but I don't think I'd count on that. They have two beast runners in the backfield and they're gonna live or die off the run.

[ANGCatFan]

First, I haven't read the Star article titled, RichRod won't rule out using 2 QBs. I've seen the quote from the video that the article is based on and just have a hard time buying it. I don't pay for the star anymore and like to save my free looks for articles that may have actual news.

I think Coach Rod is a one QB coach. Yes, if the game is won (or lost) he will put in a 2nd, 3rd, or even 4th QB to give the guys some experience, but in tight games he sticks with his starter.

I wish it was different. I would have liked the 2nd string QB to get some actual game experience before needed in 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015, but it just wasn't the case. He talks about specific packages, hints at playing both QBs, but when the game starts he sticks with his starter until injury forces his hand or the game is decided.

All that said, this is the closest QB competition we have had under Coach Rod. He trusts Dawkins more than he trusted any of the past #2 QBs. So maybe Dawkins will come in earlier with a big lead than he has done in the past.

That is what I think is going to happen. What I want to happen is specific packages for Tate. If he is even close to the runner that Randall was, I want to see him as a change of pace option. Even when the whole stadium knew Randall was going to run he would break free for a huge gain when he came in for an injured Anu. Why wait for the injury. Bring Tate in for a series and give him a chance to run the read option or throw if they want to stack the box. He is too good of an athlete to keep off the field.

[azpenguin]

I think Coach Rod is a one QB coach. Yes, if the game is won (or lost) he will put in a 2nd, 3rd, or even 4th QB to give the guys some experience, but in tight games he sticks with his starter.

While I agree that's been his M.O. for a long time, I think last year may have changed things for him. Randall appeared in 11 games last year. NAU, Nevada and Oregon State were already decided, UCLA, Stanford, Utah and ASU were injury driven decisions. But he was put into tight games against Wazzu and Colorado. RichRod is probably going to be a lot more cautious this year with regard to Anu's health, considering he's got Dawkins backing him up and he feels that Dawkins can play well enough to win. I have to think he remembers the feeling of going into Stanford and ASU without Solomon being available and he is going to want him to have less snaps this year to reduce the chance of him getting knocked out of games. (RR knows damn well that Solomon would have absolutely shredded ASU's secondary.) I wouldn't expect Dawkins to get significant snaps against Washington, USC, Stanford, or UCLA but I could see Dawkins getting a quarter or so of the reps the rest of the way.

Of course, knowing RR, I'm gonna be wrong and he rides Solomon until he leads games by 5 TDs.

[Carcassdragger]

Rich isn't a one quarterback coach unless he's got one that is clearly better under whatever the given situation is. One season at Michigan he alternated a couple of times between Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson.

[Merkin]

Tate Forcier was the last true freshman to start at QB for RichRod.

[ANGCatFan]

SBN with a new QB story. Nothing really new in the story, but the embedded interview with Brandon Dawkins is well worth watching.

[Robert A Booey]

I wonder how long Anu is going to be out. Dawkins looked terrible at times tonight.

[qwertyus]

I wonder how long Anu is going to be out. Dawkins looked terrible at times tonight.

OTOH, he made a few good plays with his feet. IMO Hawaii will be another chance for him to straighten up. Especially if Anu isn't 100 percent, I'd have Dawkins again, and see what he can do.

[PieceOfMeat]

____ looked terrible at times tonight.

Oh look, a statement you can make about any QB we've had in the last 4 years!

[Chicat]

I wonder how long Anu is going to be out. Dawkins looked terrible at times tonight.

Dawkins is at least willing to make plays with his feet. He made some bad reads and awful throws, but those can be corrected. He has an aggressiveness that Anu simply doesn't possess and which keeps defenses on their heels and which we need desperately.

[UAEebs86]

I wonder how long Anu is going to be out. Dawkins looked terrible at times tonight.

Dawkins is at least willing to make plays with his feet. He made some bad reads and awful throws, but those can be corrected. He has an aggressiveness that Anu simply doesn't possess and which keeps defenses on their heels and which we need desperately.

Yep. If RR wants to stick with Anu when he comes back, he needs to drop the zone read and just go to pure spread. Anu will never be a runner again after the concussions and other injuries.

Not sure why some people thought there weren't going to be some rough spots for Dawkins just because it was Grambling. First start as a D1 QB - give him a chance.
He's already better than Randall.

[OSUCat]

Man I think RR really screwed up the whole QB "competition" the last two years. Anu should had been given full first team reps last year and a decision should have been made at the start of camp so they could have gotten all first team reps. The QB's and WR's are not on the same page.

[Chicat]

Man I think RR really screwed up the whole QB "competition" the last two years. Anu should had been given full first team reps last year and a decision should have been made at the start of camp so they could have gotten all first team reps. The QB's and WR's are not on the same page.

I have to wonder though if the entire QB competition is just a line of RR bullshit. Like the "or"s on the depth chart. Dawkins gets zero snaps against BYU even though Anu was not good. Orlando Bradford has gotten 5 carries to Nick Wilson's 41.

I think position battles are simply RR deception to give our opponents a reason to game plan for different personnel and packages. When it comes to the games you see the same guys played until they are almost literally crawling off the field. And for as out of sync Dawkins was with the first team WRs, I have to think he did not get a single rep with them until Anu got hurt on Wednesday.

It's obviously just my opinion, but I don't believe a word out of RR's mouth unless it's corroborated by people unaffiliated with the program.

[azpenguin]

You can see why RR didn't have a quick hook against BYU for Solomon. That wasn't the right time to throw Dawkins into a tight game, especially as the offense started figuring BYU out as the game went along.

Dawkins biggest issue right now is recognizing the options on the field and where the play is developing. Once he gets that, he's going to be truly dangerous. You saw some flashes where he has the tools. He's got a big arm (he missed Griffey by six inches on a ball that went sixty yards in the air) and he's a load in the open field. He also for the most part did a good job of not putting the ball in jeopardy except for a throw near the end of the first half. The play on the bad snap where he turned a 25 yard loss into an incompletion was a hell of a play. I doubt Solomon plays this week against Hawaii, so Dawkins is going to have another chance to get some game experience. While I hope I'm wrong, I have a feeling that Solomon's knee issue may linger a few weeks. Dawkins may need to be ready for UW.

[CalStateTempe]

I hope Dawkins is this generations Foles.

Gamer.

I like what I am seeing even though he's rough around the edges.

Also I saw this am that Arizona is at Nebraska in 2028. We all may be dead by then but that's a cool roadie.

[Merkin]

I hope Dawkins is this generations Foles.

Gamer.

Not a practice player!

It will be great to see Dawkins get all the 1 team reps in practice now. Work down the timing with the receivers.

[CalStateTempe]

I hope Dawkins is this generations Foles.

Gamer.

Not a practice player!

It will be great to see Dawkins get all the 1 team reps in practice now. Work down the timing with the receivers.

Totally,

His arm isn't any worse then what I saw our of Anu is game one, and at least he checks through his progressions.

[Merkin]

I hope Dawkins is this generations Foles.

Gamer.

Not a practice player!

It will be great to see Dawkins get all the 1 team reps in practice now. Work down the timing with the receivers.

Totally,

His arm isn't any worse then what I saw our of Anu is game one, and at least he checks through his progressions.

Yep, even Anu still overthrows receivers as a RS Junior. I know Dawkins took a few sacks, but don't recall any awful ones like the 2 Anu took v. BYU.

[dirtbags]

he looked more like matt scott than nick foles last night. not a knock.

what exactly was anu's knee injury? i wasn't expecting him to not dress last night.

[Chicat]

he looked more like matt scott than nick foles last night. not a knock.

what exactly was anu's knee injury? i wasn't expecting him to not dress last night.

Slipped on some wet turf when they practiced in the rain Wednesday. No report on the actual injury or severity but I'm guessing it was a sprained MCL.*


(*Not a doctor)

[OSUCat]

I think we have the evidence that RR offense system requires a QB that will run. I just hope RR realizes it.

[ASUHATER!]

I think we have the evidence that RR offense system requires a QB that will run. I just hope RR realizes it.

Also helps to have a qb that can throw. Which Dawkins can't do.

[Chicat]

I think we have the evidence that RR offense system requires a QB that will run. I just hope RR realizes it.

Also helps to have a qb that can throw. Which Dawkins can't do.

That throw to Brown looked pretty goddamn good...

[CalStateTempe]

Board contrarian alert!

[ASUHATER!]

I think we have the evidence that RR offense system requires a QB that will run. I just hope RR realizes it.

Also helps to have a qb that can throw. Which Dawkins can't do.

That throw to Brown looked pretty goddamn good...

My point stands

[Chicat]

I think we have the evidence that RR offense system requires a QB that will run. I just hope RR realizes it.

Also helps to have a qb that can throw. Which Dawkins can't do.

That throw to Brown looked pretty goddamn good...

My point stands

So does your penis when we lose.

[ASUHATER!]

I think we have the evidence that RR offense system requires a QB that will run. I just hope RR realizes it.

Also helps to have a qb that can throw. Which Dawkins can't do.

That throw to Brown looked pretty goddamn good...

My point stands

So does your penis when we lose.

Someone's fiesty tonight. My point still is true though. shrug.

[Chicat]

Use lube Hater. Prevents chaffing.

[scumdevils86]

Dawkins needs to be the guy from now on...especially with practically no running backs left on the roster.