Vanilla play calling dooms Arizona Football in loss to ASU

The season comes to an end for Arizona Football (5-7, 4-5), as conservative play calling dooms the Wildcats in the final stretches of the game.

This is what the game is played for. Needing a win to become bowl eligible, Arizona Football had the chance to knock off the Sun Devils, but the team and staff squandered their opportunities in the most crucial of moments.

Everything was leading up for an epic showdown in the desert. Bitter rivals, a lot of animosity between players, and small skirmishes before the game is exactly what you would expect from a game like this.

Arizona Wildcats

The Wildcats came out strong, looking ready to play. Early on, Arizona would take a 10-0 lead over ASU, before the Sun Devils would respond.

On the ensuing drive, ASU would go 75 yard in three plays, scoring on a 58-yard touchdown from Manny Wilkins to Brandon Aiyuk to cut the lead to 10-7.

A few back and forth plays by ASU and Arizona would keep this thing close for much of the first half.

Leading 19-14 with over a minute to go in the first half, the Wildcats would drive the field, going 44 yards in six plays to kick a field goal from 36-yards out to make it 22-14 Arizona just as the time expired.

The second half would have a bit more theatrics. A quick three-and-out by Arizona set up for an eventual safety by the Cats, as PJ Johnson would tackle ASU’s Eno Benajmin in the end zone to give Arizona the 24-14 lead.

Another field goal by Arizona would give the Cats the 27-14 advantage, before ASU would even score again, to pull within a touchdown at 27-21.

That would set-up for back-to-back scores by the Wildcats to make it 40-21 with a little over 17 minutes to play in the game. However, no lead is safe, and that’s when Arizona would begin to squander this game away.

From then on for whatever reason, Kevin Sumlin and staff would go to conservative play calling, and the Wildcats just stopped executing.

Slowly but surely, the Sun Devils would climb back into this one, first scoring on a field goal, then a touchdown followed by a successful two-point conversion.

Just like that, about eight minutes from the time Arizona took a 19-point lead, the Wildcats’ lead was just down to eight points at 40-32.

On the ensuing drive, Khalil Tate would throw an interception to give ASU great field position. Luckily the defense held their own, holding ASU to just a field goal, as the Sun Devils trimmed the lead down to 40-35.

Two plays later, Arizona would predictably fumble the ball away, giving the Sun Devils great field position again and a chance to take the lead. Like clockwork, ASU would score on the next play from Benjamin, to take the lead. However, a failed two-point conversion kept the score at 41-40 ASU.

The Wildcats would get one chance to get the win. Needing a bit of ‘Mojo’, Tate and the Wildcats drove the field, going 54 yards in 15 plays to set-up for a 45-yard field goal by Josh Pollack.

Hoping for some late-game heroics, Pollack would kick the ball, pushing it to the right of the posts, ending Arizona’s season with a loss and officially eliminating the team from any postseason play.

Final, ASU 41 Arizona 40. Barf.

When the Wildcats had a chance to really put this one out of reach and step on the throats of ASU, Sumlin and the staff failed their athletes. The game was in their hands, and they threw away the opportunity.

We can blame the turnovers, the missed field goal and the failed two-point conversions all we want, but it was the staff that failed this team. Like so many times this season, it was the staff that didn’t do enough to put their team in a position to win.

The conservative offensive play calling the last 11 minutes of the game was absolutely inexcusable and was the reason for the loss, not the turnovers.

It will be a long off-season in Tucson with plenty of questions and story lines to keep us busy! Oh what could have been, but instead the Wildcats quietly settle back into their place of irrelevance for now.

The loss was certainly disappointing, but here’s to hoping Sumlin can right the ship, and the Wildcats learn from their mistakes this season. As always, Bear Down, Arizona!