It’s hard to argue when your quarterbacks go a combined 23 of 28 for 289 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions. But we’re grading everything on a steep curve against NAU; hence the “minus.” Khalil Tate went 14 of 17 for 138 yards and two TDs in about a half of work. He was accurate and generally decisive. A couple of times he had to use his elite athleticism to avoid negative plays after holding onto the ball to long. Freshman Grant Gunnell performed well in his UA debut, going 9 of 11 for 151 yards and three TDs. He didn’t look out of place or out of sorts. He did get some help from his friends on a couple of slightly off-target passes.
A great night from a group that’s deep and talented and got plenty of work. Six running backs combined for 406 yards on 40 carries – an average of 10.2 yards per attempt. After getting only one touch against Hawaii, Gary Brightwell led the way with 141 yards, including a 94-yard sprint down the left sideline. J.J. Taylor had 102 yards and a touchdown on 10 rushes. Bam Smith, who didn’t play in the opener, ran with savvy and determination and finished with 84 yards and two touchdowns (one receiving). Nathan Tilford gained 40 yards on seven carries. Michael Wiley chipped in 39 on nine.
A strong performance overall for this unit, but not flawless. For example: Tayvian Cunningham caught three passes for 58 yards and two touchdowns and continues to look like a find. He also dropped a pass on third down in the third quarter with no defenders around him. While the receivers blocked well in the run game, too many defenders came free on bubble screens. Drew Dixon led the receiving corps with four catches for 46 yards and a touchdown – all career highs. His catch in traffic on a Gunnell slant might have been the best of the night. Cedric Peterson finally got the ball, but the blocking breakdowns limited him to 16 yards on four grabs. Thomas Reid III had one catch – for 75 yards and a TD. Redshirt freshmen Zach Williams and Jake Peters filled in admirably for injured TE Bryce Wolma.
When you score 65 points, compile 720 yards and average almost 10 yards per play, the offensive line deserves a lot of credit. Some of the holes opened up for running backs were massive. The quarterbacks generally had ample time to scan the field. There were a few too many negative plays; four running backs had at least one run for a loss. Arizona was able to get just about every lineman who dressed some work. Freshman tackle Jordan Morgan even lined up at tight end on a handful of plays.
It was a tale of two halves for the defense overall. NAU had 13 points and 171 yards in the first half, 28 and 271 in the second. The front sacked Lumberjacks QB Case Cookus only once, by Jalen Harris on the opening drive. But the Wildcats did hit him a handful of times and made him uncomfortable; several of Cookus’ throws looked hurried. Five players tied for team-high honors with four tackles, and two of them were linebackers: Tony Fields II and Anthony Pandy. They combined for three of Arizona’s five TFLs. NAU finished with 69 net rushing yards, a total depressed by a 27-yard loss on bad punt snap.
This unit produced two interceptions but again suffered too many breakdowns. Cookus finished with 373 passing yards. Cornerbacks Jace Whittaker and Christian Roland-Wallace had the picks. Roland-Wallace also surrendered a touchdown on a play where he failed to locate the ball. Safety Tristan Cooper had four tackles and a pass breakup. Cornerback Bobby Wolfe and safety Christian Young also had breakups, but Young got ejected for incurring two unsportsmanlike-conduct penalties. Safety Jarrius Wallace had four stops before exiting because of injury.
Lucas Havrisik continued to be a weapon on kickoffs, booting 7 of 10 for touchbacks. The kickoff-coverage team limited NAU to 14.0 yards per return. Brian Casteel showed some nifty moves on a 42-yard punt return up the right sideline. Brightwell and Cunningham replaced Taylor on kickoff returns, handled the ball cleanly but couldn’t break free. Freshman Seth MacKellar snapped the ball well in his UA debut. Freshman punter Kyle Ostendorp, also making his debut, averaged 38.0 yards on two attempts. Neither had plus hang time.
The Wildcats came out crisply, especially on offense. Noel Mazzone got Tate in a rhythm early with some swing passes and achieved better balance in the run/pass ledger (22 of each in the first half). Marcel Yates’ defense held NAU in check in the first half before faltering in the second. The Wildcats were playing a lot of backups, and they likely didn’t want to show much on film with Texas Tech looming and watching. Arizona had way too many penalties – 11 for 127 yards – and many were post-play fouls. Kevin Sumlin wasn’t happy about his team’s lack of discipline, but at least some of that falls on the coaches.
