It is officially game week! After a long off-season, Arizona football is just days from the opening kick-off. ZonaZealots breaks down Arizona’s 5 Keys to Beating BYU.
It’s our favorite time of year for some of us and for football fans everywhere this season could not have come any sooner! After a long, hot summer, Arizona fans can rejoice with the first game nearly days away.
The anticipation is high, and with Arizona football poised for another potential bowl season, we are just glad to see football back in action.
Arizona will certainly have a tough test this season, and with the 19th overall most difficult schedule, this game will be indicative of what kind of season Arizona may have.
It will also be a tough one. The Cougars are coming off a great 9-4 season, and return veteran quarterback, Taysom Hill to lead an entirely new coaching staff.
With that, we will look at Arizona’s 5 Keys to beating BYU.
Next: No. 5 : Stopping the Run
No. 5: Stopping the Run
Seems obvious. It is no secret BYU has been more of a running team these past few years. However, with an entirely new staff, it is tough to say what the Cougars will exactly do.
The belief is the Cougars will have a balanced attack, but with veteran Algernon Brown returning, it shouldn’t be hard to imagine him not being heavily involved in this offense. The big, bruising Brown ran for over 700 yards last season, including 11 touchdowns.
Veteran QB Hill is certainly no slouch either. In his career, he has over 2,000 yards rushing, despite missing all but the majority of one game last year due to injury.
Arizona certainly has struggled to stop the run in head coach Rich Rodriguez’s tenure, but with new defensive staff in tow, the hope is the Wildcats will look more like the Desert Swarm days defensively, rather than the days of recent.
So let’s recap, stop the run, help minimize BYU’s offensive attack. Do that and Arizona greatly increases their chances at winning this game!
Next: No. 4: Get the Ball to Anu
No. 4: Get the Ball to Anu
Get the ball to Anu? What do you mean?
Despite his weaknesses as a quarterback, one thing you can’t deny is this kid is a winner. He has been the starter for the Wildcats since he was a redshirt freshman, and that’s saying something.
Arizona hasn’t had many returning tenured veterans at quarterback under Rodriguez, but barring something drastic, Anu Solomon will be a third-year starter this season. That veteran experience definitely will come in handy.
Despite his struggles last year, Solomon still had a respectful season. One of his bigger challenges last season came from under center.
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As you may recall, the Wildcats had issues snapping the ball sometimes. Having a backup center come in just days before the season definitely didn’t help either.
Things get tough to start this year, as the Wildcats lose their starting center again, as Zach Hemmila had tragically passed just weeks ago.
So for this next key, regardless of who is at center, Arizona has to get the ball to Anu. At the end of the day, he is a veteran playmaker who knows the system, and getting the ball to him is vital to the teams’ success.
No need for him having to chase down bad snaps which only kill the Wildcats’ rhythm and drives. Against the Cougars, Arizona needs to be clicking if they want to win against a formidable opponent.
Next: No. 3: Protect the Football
No. 3: Protect the Football
Too cliche? Yeah, probably, but this part of the football game is always important if you want to win.
Arizona finished the year tied for 92nd place in the turnover margin. At -4, the Wildcats only had 16 turnovers gained, compared to the 20 turnovers they gave up last season.
That statistical category has to improve if Arizona hopes to improve in the win column. Adversely, BYU was ranked 51st, turning the ball over the same amount of times as the Wildcats, but creating six more turnovers.
They are a well-disciplined and very opportunistic football team, and the Wildcats cannot be giving them any extra opportunities in this one.
Take care of the football + give yourself more opportunities offensively = greater chance at winning the game
Next: No. 2 : TACKLING!
No. 2: TACKLING!
Again, not a shocker this is included. Arizona’s defense has struggled mightily these past few seasons, and missed tackles have certainly been a part of that.
Injuries, bad personnel, bad development, recruiting, you name it. A myriad of reasons why the Wildcats have struggled these past years defensively, however, with a new defensive staff, new schemes, there is hope things will at least improve slightly.
Gone are veteran leaders and NFL players Phillip “Scooby” Wright and Will Parks, but Arizona returns a few solid pieces. Also, early reports are this defensive unit will play much more aggressive.
Will that mean immense amounts of success? Not likely, but sometimes you can help negate deficiencies by tailoring the defense to your respective strengths, and blitzing more, which Arizona intends to do.
For this next key, Arizona will need to tackle better this year if they hope to make improvements defensively, and that all starts with BYU.
As we had said previously, the Cougars are a well-disciplined and opportunistic football team. Minimize those missed tackles, and the Wildcats put themselves in a better position to win this game.
Next: No. 1 : Get the Offense in Rhythm
No. 1: Get the Offense in Rhythm
Score points? Seems easy right? Not so fast!
Always tough to get things going so early in the season, even for a Rich Rodriguez led offense. These are typically 18-23 years old kids (minus BYU) playing in their first game of the season, jitters are to be expected. Add in a formidable opponent like BYU who held opponents to just 22.8 points per game last year, and this key starts to make even more sense.
Arizona’s success has been predicated on its strong offensive unit under Rodriguez, and with a slew of key, returning starters, 2016 should be no different for the Wildcats.
They have the tools and weapons to be successful, but how will they respond from the opening kick? If Arizona can get into a rhythm early, and calm some of those nerves, they should be all right in this one.
Next: Arizona has the 5th hardest strength of schedule, 19th in the NCAAF
With just days away from the 2016 season, we are excited to have Arizona Football again! This will be a tough challenge for the Wildcats to start, but should they execute these 5 keys, they should be all right! Bear Down, Arizona!