Gunner Cruz and Will Plummer combined to complete 20 of 39 passes for 153 yards with two interceptions. Cruz averaged just 3.73 yards per attempt and appeared to have made little progress since his last start vs. San Diego State. His final pass was an interception that was returned for a touchdown in the third quarter. Cruz was playing with a thumb injury suffered earlier in the series that could cost him the rest of the season. Plummer got the ball out quicker and attempted more downfield throws but wasn’t particularly accurate (7 of 17). His interception came on a ball that was catchable but off target.
Second-year freshman Jalen John was one of the few standouts on offense. He had a career-high 71 yards on 11 carries and ran with authority between the tackles. His 23-yard run to the 1-yard line equaled Arizona’s season long. Michael Wiley gained just 7 yards on seven carries, a victim of blocking breakdowns against a Colorado front that crowded the line. Wiley did gain 29 yards on four catches. Some of John’s best work came with Clay Markoff at fullback. Markoff also caught one pass for 8 yards.
Downfield production was minimal for this group, mainly because of struggles by the quarterbacks. Stanley Berryhill III led the way with eight catches, but they netted only 48 yards. No other wideout or tight end had more than two grabs. Tayvian Cunningham and Boobie Curry were targeted a combined four times; they had zero receptions. Tight ends Alex Lines and Bryce Wolma also had no catches and rarely were targeted. Lines was flagged for holding in the second quarter, negating a 12-yard run by John on second-and-1.
Colorado had a season-high nine tackles behind the line of scrimmage, totaling 22 yards in losses. Only two of those were sacks, but the others put the Wildcats behind the chains far too often, especially in the first half. The line was at its best when Arizona ran directly at Colorado. But it couldn’t generate a push when the Cats needed a yard to score in the second quarter. The unit was missing starting right guard Josh Donovan (leg) and was without starting left guard Donovan Laie because of injury for a portion of the second half.
The main thrust of the defensive game plan was to slow the Buffaloes’ run game, and the Wildcats did that for the most part. Colorado rushed for just 117 yards – a season low for a UA opponent – and averaged just 3.0 yards per attempt. DT Trevon Mason paced the group with six tackles, including two TFLs (one sack). DT Kyon Barrs had four stops before exiting with a lower-leg injury. (He said he was fine after the game.) If there’s anything to quibble with it’s that Arizona pressured Colorado QB Brendon Lewis multiple times but sacked him only once.
Cornerbacks Christian Roland-Wallace and Isaiah Rutherford had been stellar in coverage before Saturday, when each allowed a long completion. Buffs WR Brenden Rice won a 50-50 ball against Roland-Wallace in the first quarter for a 31-yard gain. In the third quarter, Rice beat Rutherford down the right sideline for a 62-yard TD. Safety Jaxen Turner was fortunate that Dimitri Stanley dropped a would-be TD pass in the first quarter. Christian Young, who plays a hybrid safety-linebacker position, had a team-high seven tackles and one pass breakup. Rutherford matched Mason with two TFLs.
For the second time this season, Arizona allowed a blocked punt that the opposition returned for a touchdown. Colorado’s Trevor Woods maneuvered around Anthony Pandy and got his left hand on Kyle Ostendorp’s second punt of the third quarter. Woods then scooped up the ball and ran it into the end zone. Ostendorp had a lofty 52.1-yard gross average. But he had five opportunities to pin the Buffs inside their 20-yard line and succeeded in doing so only once. Arizona did not attempt a field goal, and Lucas Havrisik’s lone kickoff went for a touchback.
Jedd Fisch’s initial offensive game plan – a series of jet sweeps and option runs intended to beat the Buffs on the perimeter – didn’t work. Fisch showed little if any confidence in Cruz’s capacity to throw the ball downfield. Fisch’s play-calling during the goal-to-go sequence in the second quarter lacked imagination, and he probably should have tried a second sneak on third down from inside the 1. The touchdown off the blocked punt was a killer; it put Colorado up 13-0 and engaged the crowd. The special teams are co-coached by Keith Dudzinski and Jordan Paopao. Only Don Brown’s defensive plan against the run was worthy of a passing grade – but not enough to avoid a failing mark for the staff as a whole.
