Grant Gunnell and Khalil Tate combined to throw for just 132 yards – a UA season low – and zero touchdowns. Gunnell made his first career road start but struggled to move the offense. He played the first three series and the final two, completing 10 of 14 passes for 82 yards. He had a hard time finding open receivers and suffered five sacks. Kevin Sumlin said he turned to Tate because of his mobility; the offensive line was missing multiple starters. Tate completed only 7 of 16 passes for 50 yards. It was his lowest completion percentage in a game in which he attempted at least five passes. Neither QB turned the ball over.
J.J. Taylor continued to be a bright spot, leading the team in rushing and receiving for the second straight week. Many of Taylor’s 74 rushing yards required second and third effort; he often had to elude defenders shortly after getting the ball. Gary Brightwell chipped in 20 yards on four carries but had an uncharacteristic drop on a well-thrown wheel-route pass from Tate in the second quarter. In all, the running backs had 96 yards on 23 attempts (4.2 ypc).
This was easily the least productive outing of the season for this group. Receivers combined for just 11 catches and 77 yards. Brian Casteel had a team-high four grabs, but they netted only 17 yards. Jamarye Joiner, Tayvian Cunningham and Thomas Reid III each had two catches. Reid also had a drop. It’s unclear whether receivers were struggling to get open or the quarterbacks couldn’t find them, but several times Gunnell and Tate ended up holding the ball and suffering the consequences. Additionally, Drew Dixon drew an unsportsmanlike-conduct foul for retaliating after being punched.
Even grading on a curve, this group had a tough night. Injuries forced a major shuffling of the line. Veterans Josh McCauley, Cody Creason and Bryson Cain were out. Three players – Jordan Morgan, Steven Bailey and Jon Jacobs – made their first career starts. Morgan then was lost to injury, causing additional upheaval. Arizona was plagued by false starts at noisy Autzen Stadium, and Bailey committed a personal-foul penalty. The offense as a whole had its lowest output of the season, and struggles up front had a lot to do with it.
The front wasn’t great, but it played with better energy and more sustained effort. Oregon didn’t gash Arizona on the ground, finishing with 138 net yards and averaging 3.5 yards per carry; both were season lows for a UA foe in Pac-12 play this season. The Wildcats equaled their season high with three sacks, and the front contributed two of them (Tony Fields II, JB Brown). The front also had four of Arizona’s season-high seven tackles for losses. DT Trevon Mason bounced back after a midseason lull, recording a career-high six solo tackles.
The secondary made some of the best plays of the game – and also some of the worst. Safety Scottie Young Jr. had his strongest performance of 2019, recording a season-high eight tackles and Arizona’s first interception since Sept. 28. Fellow safety Tristan Cooper deflected the ball to Young. Cooper had five tackles, including one TFL. Jace Whittaker also had five tackles and a TFL – his first career sack. But Whittaker and freshman CB Christian Roland-Wallace miscommunicated on the second play of the game, resulting in a 73-yard touchdown pass from Justin Herbert to Johnny Johnson III. Herbert completed 20 of 28 passes for a season-high 333 yards and four touchdowns.
Another mix of good and bad. Let’s start with the good: Lucas Havrisik looked healthy after struggling against Oregon State. He drilled a pair of field goals, from 23 and 42 yards, and both of his kickoffs went for touchbacks. Taylor had a 47-yard kickoff return, Arizona’s longest of the season, on a nifty trick play that saw him fake a pitch to Brightwell. And now the bad: Freshman punter Kyle Ostendorp had a rough night. After a promising performance vs. OSU, Ostendorp averaged just 34.2 yards on eight punts. Oregon started three drives in UA territory – each time following a punt.
Arizona played hard throughout and was within two scores halfway through the third quarter. But the Wildcats made too many careless mistakes in a game in which they couldn’t afford to make any. Sumlin’s decision to give Tate extended time behind a shaky line made some sense, but the offense stalled in the third quarter when Arizona was still within striking distance. The defense played with more assertiveness in its second game under Chuck Cecil, but the secondary continued to be plagued by communication breakdowns. Ostendorp’s punting technique isn’t where it needs to be, and that falls mainly on special-teams coordinator Jeremy Springer.
