Michael Lev's
Football Report Card

Grades for the Arizona Wildcats' 20-17 victory over UCLA


Sat, Sep 28, 2019
UCLA @ Arizona
Quarterbacks

You couldn’t ask for much more from freshman Grant Gunnell in his first career start. Gunnell completed 29 of 44 passes for 352 yards with one touchdown and nary a turnover. He ran the offense well, seemed to be under control and helped the Wildcats convert some critical third downs. Gunnell wasn’t perfect, of course. He missed some open receivers and held the ball too long on a sack out of an empty-backfield set. But it certainly appears Arizona has found its quarterback of the future – or the present, for however long Khalil Tate is sidelined.

ReviewerGrade
Michael LevA-
FansB+
Running backs

Despite Gunnell getting the start, Arizona didn’t run the ball as much as you would have expected. J.J. Taylor’s replacements combined for 20 carries, which netted 108 yards. Bam Smith led the way with 35 yards on six rushes. But he did most of his damage as a receiver, catching five passes for a team-high 99 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown. Junior Gary Brightwell started and had a team-high seven carries for 33 yards, including a 10-yard TD. Nathan Tilford worked in as a change-of-pace back in the second quarter and had 33 yards on three rushes, including a team-long 28-yarder.

ReviewerGrade
Michael LevB+
FansB
Receivers/tight ends

The receivers knew they needed to step up for Gunnell, and they did a solid job for the most part. Brian Casteel had a career-high seven receptions, although he worked mostly underneath (44 yards). A 42-yard TD turned into a 2-yard loss in the fourth quarter when Casteel’s knee was ruled to be down on a quick out. Cedric Peterson, Jamarye Joiner and Stanley Berryhill III each had three catches, totaling 115 yards. Peterson had a drop, however, and Berryhill lost a first down when he tried to gain extra yardage on a crossing route. The switch from Tate to Gunnell did not result in an uptick in TE targets.

ReviewerGrade
Michael LevB
FansB
Offensive linemen

No position group faced a bigger adjustment with the QB change than the offensive line. Whereas Tate tries to keep plays alive and create chaos in the secondary, Gunnell generally hung in the pocket. He was sacked two times, although, as mentioned, he held the ball too long on one of them. If you take out sack and kneel-down losses, Arizona had 125 rushing yards on 25 attempts – a decent 5.0-yard average. Penalties were this unit’s biggest problem. The Wildcats were guilty of multiple false starts, a holding call and an ineligible-downfield infraction.

ReviewerGrade
Michael LevC
FansC+
Defensive front

A real mixed bag here. Linebackers Colin Schooler (13 tackles, two TFLs, one PBU), Tony Fields II (10 tackles, 1 PBU) and Anthony Pandy (seven tackles, one sack) continued their outstanding play. Fields, in particular, was a force. But the Wildcats surrendered 217 rushing yards, including 127 by Joshua Kelley and 63 by Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who found huge running lanes on scrambles early in the game. UA coach Kevin Sumlin said Arizona’s gap integrity was lacking at times. The Wildcats rotated liberally along the defensive line and eventually got pressure on Thompson-Robinson. Jalen Harris had a sack and knocked DTR out of the game.

ReviewerGrade
Michael LevB-
FansB
Defensive backs

This group performed well against a passing attack that piled up 507 yards the previous week. Thompson-Robinson and backup Austin Burton combined to complete only 22 of 42 passes for 228 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Lorenzo Burns had the pick, his third of the season. Safeties Christian Young and Scottie Young Jr. combined for nine tackles, and each had a pass breakup. Jace Whittaker, back at his usual cornerback spot, also had a PBU, as did safety Tristan Cooper.

ReviewerGrade
Michael LevB+
FansB
Special teams

As Sumlin said, aside from Lucas Havrisik’s missed field goal in the second quarter, Arizona’s special teams outperformed UCLA’s – which wasn’t expected to be the case. Havrisik bounced back by making 40- and 41-yarders later in the quarter. He also booted all five of his kickoffs for touchbacks, never giving Demetric Felton – who had a 100-yard return at Washington State – a chance. The biggest breakthrough came from punter Matt Aragon, who averaged 47.4 yards per attempt with three dropped inside the 20. Aragon had a career-long 70-yarder, and his 47-yarder in the fourth quarter pinned the Bruins at their 9-yard line with 2:52 left. The long field forced them into a field-goal attempt, which they missed to effectively end the game.

ReviewerGrade
Michael LevA-
FansA-
Coaching

Sumlin and his staff were able to coax the Wildcats to a win without two of their best players. Noel Mazzone’s pass-heavy attack with a freshman making his first start at quarterback raised eyebrows, but Mazzone clearly had confidence in Gunnell – and the plan worked for the most part. Marcel Yates switched thing up in the secondary against the more run-oriented Bruins, moving Whittaker back outside. Some schematic adjustments helped limit Thompson-Robinson’s scrambling after the first series. Sumlin acknowledged there’s a “luck of the draw” element to icing the kicker, but his decision to do so worked. Penalties (10 for 74 yards) continue to be an issue.

ReviewerGrade
Michael LevB+
FansB
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