Khalil Tate started and led a pair of drives that ended in field goals. Is it Tate’s fault that J.J. Taylor’s 3-yard touchdown run on the first possession was wiped out by a penalty? No. But Tate suffers by comparison to freshman Grant Gunnell, who led all five of Arizona’s TD drives. After Gunnell entered the game for two first-half series, Tate returned and fell into an old, bad habit: holding the ball too long, resulting in back-to-back sacks. After a three-and-out to start the second half, the coaches turned to Gunnell for the rest of the game. Tate finished 7 of 12 for 109 yards; Gunnell went 19 of 29 for 269 yards and two touchdowns.
There was a lot of blame to go around Saturday, but you couldn’t pin any of it on the RB corps. Taylor again performed superbly, totaling 167 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns. Taylor set career highs with seven catches for 89 yards, and his effort in the second half of a lopsided loss was exemplary. Gary Brightwell looked healthy and spry after missing some time because of injury and not being involved in the offense. He had 92 scrimmage yards on just 11 touches, including a 38-yard TD reception. Youngsters Bam Smith and Michael Wiley couldn’t get much going (three touches, minus-6 yards).
A solid performance by this group. While Taylor led Arizona in catches, three wideouts had three receptions apiece: Tayvian Cunningham (3-52), Jamarye Joiner (3-51) and Brian Casteel (3-34). Cedric Peterson made a clever in-route adjustment and broke multiple tackles on his 35-yard TD catch. Both he and Casteel broke free on plays where Gunnell scrambled and bought time. TE Bryce Wolma had the first catch of the day, an 18-yarder, but otherwise wasn’t involved in the passing attack.
We’re grading this one on a curve, because for most of the game, Arizona was without three regulars. Already missing veteran right guard Cody Creason, the Wildcats lost his replacement, Bryson Cain, and ironman center Josh McCauley on the same play during the first drive. Steven Bailey (center) and Jon Jacobs (right guard) filled in admirably. Arizona also had to plug in freshman Jordan Morgan when left tackle Donovan Laie missed some snaps. The Wildcats surrendered four sacks totaling 30 yards in losses, which dropped their average per rush to 3.1 yards.
The first problem UA coach Kevin Sumlin identified in his postgame news conference was Arizona’s inability to stop the run, especially on the edges. Tailbacks Artavis Pierce and Jermar Jefferson combined for 219 yards and four touchdowns. Meanwhile, Tyjon Lindsey gained 42 yards and scored a touchdown on a pair of end-arounds. In short, the front got pushed around all afternoon. Arizona did have a season-high three sacks, including the first of DT Myles Tapusoa’s career. LB Colin Schooler had nine tackles, including one TFL.
This group looked lost and confused. Communication seemed to be lacking, as it appeared UA defensive backs were unsure of their assignments at times. OSU receivers repeatedly came open in critical situations such as third downs and the final drive of the first half. Isaiah Hodgins did major damage in the middle of the field, finishing with seven catches for 150 yards and two touchdowns. No one covered TE Noah Togiai in the back right corner of the end zone on the 23-yard TD pass that capped OSU’s seven-play, 92-yard, 54-second drive in the final minute of the second quarter. QB Jake Luton finished 20 of 26 for 328 yards and three touchdowns. CB Lorenzo Burns had a team-high 10 tackles – never a good sign for a defense.
Lucas Havrisik made two field goals but missed one that would have cut Arizona’s deficit to eight points early in the fourth quarter. He also missed a PAT. Sumlin said afterward that Havrisik has “been battling some things” and “hasn't been 100% for the last couple weeks.” Havrisik did manage seven touchbacks in eight kickoffs, the lone exception being his onside-kick attempt that caromed out of bounds. Freshman punter Kyle Ostendorp performed well, averaging 47.5 yards on two punts, with one landing inside the 20. Joiner showed promising signs as a punt returner.
Sumlin’s decision to fire defensive coordinator Marcel Yates and promote Chuck Cecil clearly didn’t have the intended effect. No one expected dramatic scheme changes in less than a week, but the defense disturbingly seemed to lack passion as well. Sumlin again fell into the trap of chasing points early in the game, going for two with the score 14-12 less than two minutes into the second quarter. The Wildcats failed to convert, putting them in catchup mode for the rest of the game. Arizona’s clock management at the end of the first half also was questionable, leaving OSU with just enough time to drive for a back-breaking touchdown.
