Arizona Football Journal: 5 Positives After the Wazzu Loss
By Brad Malone
Arizona Football delivered Wildcats fans another gut punch on Saturday, after a 45-42 loss to Washington State. With three losses in the Pac-12, it looks like another ‘wait ’til next’ year campaign for Arizona.
The Wildcats still have a lot to play for, but the dream of being the first team in school history to go to the Rose Bowl is most likely over.
Oct 24, 2015; Tucson, AZ, USA; Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Cayleb Jones (1) catches the ball as he is tackled by Washington State Cougars safety Shalom Luani (18) during the fourth quarter at Arizona Stadium. The Cougars won 45-42. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports
The Rose Bowl was a long shot, but going into Saturday with only two conference losses and a ton of luck I felt the Cats might surprise us. I thought we could overcome our injury shortcomings on defense. Wazzu proved me to be extremely wrong.
As a fan who has never tasted from the Rose Bowl cup, I go into every season thinking there is a chance. Even before Scooby went down, I didn’t think this was the year but it didn’t stop me from believing. What’s the point of watching if you have no faith your team has a chance to win?
The Cats have four games left. It’s not going to be easy, but with one more win they become bowl eligible.
In the history of Arizona football, the Wildcats have never been to four straight bowl games.
With the conference race now a very, very, very long shot, a fourth bowl game in a row is a great goal to have going into the final month of the season.
After the loss to the Cougars, there is a lot to be concerned about, and that’s the coaches job. For Wildcats fans who still seem to be in the dumps after Saturdays loss, I’ll attempt to cheer you up a little, all you have to do is eliminate the negative and accentuate the positive (Jungle Book reference).
In that light, here are some positives to celebrate.
2014 Cayleb Jones is Back
After an explosive 2014 campaign, Cayleb Jones has had a quieter season in 2015. On Saturday against the Cougars, he showed why he could play on Sundays in the near future.
Arizona Wildcats
Jones had eight catches for 131 yards, including a touchdown late in the third quarter.
On that same drive, the Cats went deep into the playbook and turned Jones into a quarterback on a dippity doo play. He found Trey Griffey open for a 25-yard game. Who knew Jones was a southpaw?
Jerrard Randall Has an Arm
Anu Solomon did not have a bad game, but with the Cats trailing by 17 in the third quarter, Rich Rodriguez decided to go to the bullpen. Jerrard Randall got the nod and did his best Trevor Hoffman impersonation.
Against the Cougars, Randall gave his best performance of the season.
Randall has been exciting us all season with his explosive legs, but against Washington State his arm became another weapon. Randall threw two touchdowns and was 11 of 16 for 137 yards passing.
Randall kept it old school and ran for 59 yards on his first play of the game in the third quarter. He finished with 108 yards on the ground.
The Kid Jr.
It’s nice to have Trey Griffey back in the lineup after a foot injury had sidelined him most of the season.
Griffey had a somewhat quiet day on offense with three catches for 48 yards, but he made a lot of noise on special teams. He finished with three tackles and was all over the field early on.
A Baker’s Half Dozen
Jared Baker went off last week against Colorado.
With Wazzu in town, Baker came back down to earth. He only had 27 yards rushing on 11 carries.
Baker made up for it by scoring three rushing touchdowns for the second straight game.
The Force Awakens
Star Wars is only 52 days away. Did you see the final trailer? Pretty cool, but where’s my childhood hero, Luke Skywalker?
May the force be with our Wildcats this weekend on Halloween!