No one’s happier that this is Khalil Tate’s final season than the Colorado Buffaloes. Tate again tormented the Buffs, passing for a career-high 404 yards and three touchdowns. Showing no signs of the injuries that kept him out of the UCLA game, Tate moved well when the pocket collapsed and ran just enough to keep the defense honest. After throwing an interception late in the second quarter that led to a CU touchdown – a pass across his body into traffic that he never should have attempted – Tate caught fire. He launched a 75-yard TD pass to Cedric Peterson on the next play from scrimmage. After the pick, Tate completed 24 of 28 passes for 304 yards and two touchdowns.
This group had a hard time getting going against a CU defense determined to stop the run. Running backs combined for just 60 yards on 20 carries. But there were some bright spots. Nathan Tilford had the highest average per carry among the backs (4.6 yards), and his output included a pair of 5-yard touchdown runs. Michael Wiley finished second on the team with six receptions, which netted 48 yards. Gary Brightwell managed just 27 yards on 11 carries, but he came up big on the final drive with consecutive 5-yard runs that produced a critical first down.
This unit arguably had its best outing of the season. Eight wideouts caught passes, led by Brian Casteel (7-74-1). Jamarye Joiner and Tayvian Cunningham each had four receptions, totaling 124 yards, although Joiner did have a drop. Peterson finished with three catches for a career-high 99 yards. Even freshman Boobie Curry got in on the action, making his first career start and catch, good for 19 yards. There’s no arguing that this was the best blocking performance by the wideouts in the screen game, which essentially became the running attack in the second half.
As mentioned, running room was difficult to come by. The line struggled to generate a consistent push. This was the second straight game in which Arizona – the top rushing team in the Pac-12 – failed to crack 100 net yards on the ground. On the plus side, the line opened a sizable hole on Tilford’s second TD run; Tate wasn’t sacked; and the group did not commit any penalties.
This one’s tricky to assess. Colorado rushed for 159 yards, and QB Steven Montez wasn’t sacked. However, Arizona did pressure him into some throwaways, and Tony Fields II’s hit on Montez on the Buffs’ final offensive snap – an incomplete pass on fourth-and-4 – was as important as any play in the game. Fields continued his stellar play with a team-high 11 tackles and a pass breakup. Other members of the front came up with clutch plays when Colorado entered the red zone. Colin Schooler, Finton Connolly, Anthony Pandy and Trevon Mason each had a tackle for loss.
It was a rough outing for the DBs. Montez passed for 299 yards and a touchdown, and the secondary got fooled on a trick-play pass by receiver K.D. Nixon that resulted in a 38-yard TD. CB Jace Whittaker, who has been one of the top defenders in the Pac-12, had an off game, including surrendering a 49-yard reception to Tony Brown down the right sideline. Brown finished 10-141 in the top-receiver role with Laviska Shenault out of the lineup. The secondary was credited with just one pass breakup, by Christian Roland-Wallace. Safety Tristan Cooper had nine tackles, and his coverage on the final pass play was outstanding.
Mental mistakes by special-teamers put the Wildcats in some precarious positions in the first half. Casteel tried to field a 63-yard punt by Alex Kinney at the UA 8-yard line, fumbled the ball and had to scramble to recover it. Later in the half, Casteel fair-caught a punt at the Arizona 4. At the end of the half, Joiner neatly scooped up a squib kick and raced to the left sideline. But he stepped out of bounds at the Colorado 46, negating a touchdown. Punter Matt Aragon had an OK day, averaging 40.6 yards per attempt. Lucas Havrisik booted all six of his kickoffs for touchbacks and went 5 for 5 on extra points.
Kevin Sumlin has the Wildcats believing in themselves, and that self-confidence led to the team’s first road win in over a year. His message about discipline also hit home; Arizona committed just one penalty for 5 yards. Offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone made a pivotal adjustment at halftime. With Arizona’s run game scuffling (14-40) against a loaded box, Mazzone shifted to a pass-oriented attack. The Wildcats had a 14/14 run/pass split in the first half. In the second – when Arizona produced more yards and points – it was 12/27. Marcel Yates’ defense struggled for extended portions of the game but stiffened in the red zone. His decision to dial up pressure on the fourth-and-4 play proved to be prudent.
