Biggest Takeaways in the Arizona Football loss to Mississippi State

Despite valiant efforts from Arizona Football to stay in this one, the Wildcats fell to Mississippi State, and these were the major takeaways in that loss. 

We are now into week three of the Arizona Football season, and despite a great start to the year following their 38-20 victory over San Diego State last weekend, the Wildcats have come crashing back down to reality.

Returning to action to take on a talented SEC opponent in Mississippi State, the Bulldogs were the better group in this one.

Outgaining the Wildcats 426 yards to just 316 yards en route to their 39-17 win, Mississippi State dominated in multiple aspects of this game.

So with Arizona Football now falling to 1-1 on the season, we look at the major takeaways following their loss to Mississippi State.

Good Jayden de Laura, Bad Jayden de Laura

Last week, Jayden de Laura was nearly flawless, showing great command of the offense as he threw for 299 yards and four touchdowns to just one interception while completing 22 of 35 passes en route to Arizona’s 38-20 win.

This weekend, the sophomore quarterback was not as adept. Being flushed out of the pocket, and making forced throws on the run, de Laura was not as comfortable as he was in week one.

Instead of staying patient, the offense looked a bit rushed and not as crisp at times yesterday. Credit to Mississippi State’s defense for that, but Jayden did not do himself any favors by throwing three picks, a few that were thrown into double-coverage.

As good of a player as he is, he is also not perfect by any means, and against good defenses, he needs to keep his composure and not try to do too much. Last night appeared to be evidence of that.

The Three-Man Rush still does not work

Many times last night, the Wildcats ran a three-man front. Now granted, I am sure part of that is due to personnel, and part of that is Mississippi State’s offense commanding respect, particularly in the secondary. However, eerily reminiscent of the defenses run by Marcel Yates before, the Wildcats looked like burnt toast.

Seldom putting pressure on a good quarterback in Will Rogers, the Bulldogs’ offense threw for 320 yards and ran for 106.

All preseason, we’ve heard defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen likes to mix his coverages and defensive looks, but on Saturday night, Arizona had no answer for the Bulldogs, forcing them to just three punts. Also, the Wildcats rarely dialed up any blitzes.

Now hopefully, this look is not a long-term one this season, otherwise, Arizona could be in quite a few offensive shootouts this season.

The Offensive Line needs some more work 

Overall, I feel the Wildcats had a tough night. Surrendering a pair of sacks and allowing de Laura to be flushed out of the pocket on quite a few of his dropbacks, this is a group that got manhandled up front.

Granted, credit goes to Mississippi State’s size up front and defense overall, but the offensive line struggled mightily, especially as Arizona finished its night with just 40 yards rushing on 22 carries and 17 points.

Moving forward, the Wildcats’ offensive line has to improve quickly, otherwise, they are going to continue to struggle against better opponents.

The Wildcats are still a work in progress… be patient

Look, this is the same program that saw a 20-game losing streak, and is just a year removed from a 1-11 finish in which their lone win came against a Covid-riddled Cal team.

Now, unfortunately, as good as an off-season as the Wildcats had, overall, we are just not there yet, and on Saturday evening, Arizona played a good SEC team that’ll win quite a few games this season, look no further than the 39-17 box score.

The Wildcats are still a work in progress and bigger things are on the horizon for the Cats, fans just need to be patient as it will take time!

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