LAS VEGAS, NV – After much anticipation, the Jedd Fisch era kicked off for Arizona Football as the Wildcats came up just short in their loss to BYU.
In a game that featured a large contingency of BYU fans in attendance, and also had the Cougars favored by double-digits, it would have been easy for Arizona Football to roll over in this one.
All off-season, we heard about how this group believes, and how hard they fought to compete and get better this year. On Saturday, we got a good showing from our Cats.
Traveling to Vegas and breaking in a brand new quarterback, coaching staff, and system, Arizona looked competitive. Despite a couple of crucial mistakes, the Wildcats fell 24-16.
Gunner Cruz looked poised, showing there isn’t a quarterback controversy after all, as he completed 34 of 45 passes for 336 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Rushing, the Wildcats had some difficulties in finding their rhythm, but Michael Wiley and Drake Anderson combined for a respectable 99 yards rushing on 23 carries.
While it wasn’t the outcome we all wanted, Arizona Football showed a lot of promise. Here are our grades for the Wildcats in their loss.
OFFENSE: C
When you break in a brand new quarterback and have an entirely new offensive unit, you’re bound to run into some snags. For Arizona, that is exactly what happened as the Wildcats had 426 yards, but only put up 16 points.
Overall, Arizona’s offense looked okay, and while they started to find a rhythm in the second half, they did have some trouble running the football and sustaining drives.
After one game, there’s still plenty to clean up and still plenty to work on, but with continued development, it should be a pretty decent group that will get better.
Because of the missed opportunities and mistakes, this group earns a C. Still respectable, but there is also a lot of room for improvement!
DEFENSE: B+
Really can’t complain about the defense in this one. They did still have troubles in containing running backs coming out the backfield as pass catchers, and overall they generated little pressure against the quarterback, however, they held BYU to just 24 points and 368 yards.
Outside of a couple of big plays that led to points and the Wildcats being gassed on a few series, this was a group that looked impressive.
Coach Don Brown (aka Dr. Blitz) deserves a ton of credit here as he schemed well and had his guys prepared as best as he could.
Can’t expect much more from the Arizona defense here, they played very well all things considered.
SPECIAL TEAMS: C-
If I had to break it down into two categories, the kicking team gets more of a D-, while the rest of the special teams gets a B+, earning an overall grade of C-.
Kyle Ostendorp had big booming punts, and the punt return team showed great pursuit discipline in getting to the football and keeping containment. Never allowing for any big returns, Arizona even pinned BYU inside the 1 that led to a safety a few plays later.
In addition, Tayvian Cunningham had a great return that set up a Wildcats touchdown after they got the safety.
Where Arizona did falter is in their kicking game. Usually a reliable kicker for the Wildcats, it was a rough night for Lucas Havrisik, as the senior missed on two attempts, one from 31 yards, and again later from 44. He would connect on a 28-yard attempt in the second quarter, and later on a 37-yard attempt in the fourth to redeem himself a little bit.
While Lucas did put the kick-offs through the end zone and connected on two field goals, it just wasn’t his night. I am sure he will bounce back just fine but he still needs to work on his accuracy.
Overall, this group gets a C-. It wasn’t all bad, and there were some glimpses here and there, but there’s a lot to clean up and get better on as well.
COACHING: A-
Overall, the coaching staff did an amazing job. They came up with a great scheme and did their best to put this team in a position to win. And for the first time in a while, this group wasn’t completely outcoached.
All off-season, we wondered how coach Fisch would be, and after getting our first taste against a talented BYU squad, there is a lot to be optimistic about. This team has fight, they have grit, they just need to make plays when they’re given the opportunity.
Outside of a few conservative play calls early, this group gets a well-deserved A-, and this season, I feel I can confidently say, coaching won’t be an issue for Arizona, which is an amazing thing to say.
OVERALL: B
Hard to give a team an A in a loss, especially when the Wildcats were just a few plays away from possibly even winning this thing, but overall, there is a lot to be happy and optimistic about. This team has a lot of fight and a lot of spirit.
Outside of a few missed kicks, this game possibly could have been a 24-22 game, which is insane considering the adversity the Cats have had to battle for the past year.
Let’s hope this group’s confidence remains high because this is a group that could surprise a few teams this year!