The Mailbag: Aug. 15
Welcome to my first mailbag! Thank you to those who wrote into me via email or chimed in with a question on Twitter.
I received a number of good questions and comments to get this first mailbag started. The intent of the mailbag is to get your questions and thoughts to spark the conversations about the Wildcats throughout the year. This is not limited to football, but that is where we are starting.
With that said, I hope to continue this mailbag throughout the season. Feel free to send your questions and comments my way anytime, and don’t hesitate to share your interests for topics I can write about. Your engagement is encouraged!
There are several ways you can join in the conversation with me, including on Twitter (@BlairWillisUA), but the easiest way for everyone to submit direct feedback for my blog will be sending an email to bwillis@dryheatsports.com.
Let’s get started with our first questions:
Scott M writes: I’m interested to see how this entirely new receiving corps is going to be this year and how they grow. Should be fun to watch. What’s your prediction for the top 4 receivers in yards (in order) by year end and give us a rough estimate on how many yards for each?
This is an outstanding question on multiple levels, and I, too, am interested to see how the receivers perform this season. As I alluded to in my Five Key Questions post last week, this unit is deeper and more talented than last year’s group, but it lacks the game experience.
Before I settle in and take a stab at the four leading receivers for this season, we have to realize a couple things. First, how much these receivers are relied upon will depend significantly on how effectively the Wildcats can run the football. If Arizona’s offensive line solidifies and emerges as a strong unit, then expect the Wildcats to lean heavily on the rushing attack, especially if Khalil Tate is able to present a run threat as he did in 2017. Now, the systems are different and the zone read offense Tate thrived in with Rich Rodriguez is different than what Noel Mazzone’s offense runs. But there are plenty of RPO plays and reads that will make Tate a dangerous runner when the opportunity presents.
All of that said, there will be times Arizona does have to pass effectively. Just as the run sets up the pass, there will be teams that can take the run away and force Tate (or whoever is the QB) to throw the ball. I will be most interested in seeing which receivers step up this season and are consistently able to A) get open, and B) catch the football. While I say this year’s unit is more talented than last year’s, there is no question that guys like Shun Brown and Tony Ellison were incredibly sure-handed. That is a skill in its own right.
So which players are going to step up and make the tough catches this season? That remains to be seen. The good news for Taylor Mazzone and Theron Aych (outside and inside receiver coaches, respectively), is there is depth here to tap into if certain players struggle. Because of that, the receiver rotations early in the season are going to be fascinating to watch. I expect a revolving door at receiver for the first few games with 8-10 players seeing playing time.
Lastly, along with getting open and catching the football, which players are going to block on the perimeter to turn the 10-yard gains into 20-plus yard explosion plays in the run game. That is an area where Cedric Peterson has been strong and a key reason why he’s started so many games the last two years despite his receiving numbers not jumping off the page. When you have the potential to run the ball as well as Arizona could with a stable of running backs and a running quarterback, the receivers have to block.
Now back to the question. Who will the leading receivers be? I will take Cedric Peterson, Brian Casteel, Drew Dixon and a running back.
I put Peterson at the top of this list because he is battle-tested, has emerged as a leader and is likely to going to a player willing to block on the edge to see significant playing time. I then take Brian Casteel because I am very excited about his potential, which I highlighted in my preseason player awards post. Casteel should primarily be in the slot and will have favorable matchups with linebackers and safeties. Third I will take a shot with Drew Dixon because he had a strong spring and it seems as his progression as continued in the fall. Tate will want a player he can target downfield and Dixon’s size is most comparable with Shawn Poindexter, who was a big play threat last season.
That leaves my fourth choice and I’ll turn to the running backs. Noel Mazzone loves to use his running backs in the passing game and that becomes even more true when two backs are on the field together. Additionally, DeMarco Murray was a pretty good pass-catcher himself as a running back (he had over 2,000 receiving yards in the NFL!) and has been a tremendous addition to the coaching staff. I anticipate plenty of two-back sets this year, and see players like Gary Brightwell and Michael Wiley having the ability to play in the slot and be utilized in a variety of motions to stretch defenses horizontally. For what it’s worth, J.J. Taylor (16 receptions) is the second-leading receiver among returnees behind Peterson.
In terms of yardage, I don’t see any players threatening 1,000 yards because there will be so many players rotating. However, there could be three or four players top 500 yards, which is good balance. And I neglected to mention players like Stanley Berryhill, Jamarye Joiner, Boobie Curry and Tre Adams, among others, that will all have opportunities to emerge as the statistical leader of this group. Much depends on how well the Wildcats run the ball and how Tate has developed understanding the pass progressions within the offense.
From Twitter, @WildcatBearDown writes: Remember when we had the Sun Tran bus shuttles to Arizona Stadium. Why not do it again so more fans can show up?
This topic is an important one that fits into the entire Arizona game day experience that I hope to write about in the future. But for now, the Sun Tran bus shuttles were a win-win for UA and fans attending the games years ago. Unfortunately, the service had to be stopped prior to the 2014 season due to federal funding laws. Yes, you can read more about that here from an Arizona Daily Star article.
The UA has done the best it can to replace that service with its own shuttle. Fans can park for FREE in the Park Avenue Garage and then take a Cat Tran Shuttle over to a dropoff location near the stadium.
Arizona Stadium does not fall in an ideal footprint on campus to have ample parking close to the stadium. But quite frankly, most college stadiums are lacking in this area.
For fans looking for affordable parking, the UA really does a great job and I wish more people were aware of the options. First off, there is FREE parking for a vehicle with four or more passengers in the Tyndall, Main Gate, Park Avenue (this is the garage with free shuttle service, too) and Highland Garages. If your party is less than four, then these garages are only $10 to park in, plus there are surface lots along Sixth Street that are also $10.
Other garage parking closer to the stadium is $15 in the Sixth Street Garage or $20 in the Cherry and new South Stadium Garage. All in all, these are quite affordable public parking options.
You can see all of the UA parking polices for a football game day here and see the entire campus parking map with lot locations here.
The one area I would like to see game day transportation improved is in the Ride Share (Uber/Lyft) pickup and dropoff location(s). Currently one location is listed, which is on Cherry Ave. several blocks north of the stadium. This is a suitable location, especially for those coming to tailgate on the mall, but I think there are better (or more) options.
In a perfect world, I would utilize Enke Drive from Campbell Avenue to near McKale for Ride Share Drop Off. The complication to this is that the designated parking in the Hillenbrand Aquatics parking lot and other spaces near here are designated for donors and/permit holders. The lot does not need to be affected, but if the street could be clear of parking and used only as access for permit holders or ride share drivers, then this is a feasible option.
Let’s keep with the perfect world scenario and understand why this is an ideal location. First, the drop off would be near the southeast entrance to McKale. Here, the McKale A Store and McKale Ticket Office are just steps away. Anyone getting dropped off here is immediately at the point of sale for tickets and merchandise, Will Call, etc. Second, there is a direct path between McKale and the swimming facility to head over to tailgating on the mall. Third, the Davis Sports Center (where pregame festivities will be held this season) is straight ahead on the walk over the stadium. This location is far enough from the stadium to not be a burden on pedestrian traffic close to kickoff, but close enough to make it convenient for fans. The drivers can simply turnaround and exit back out Campbell.
Beginning in the fourth quarter, I would open access for ride share drivers to enter from Sixth Ave. onto National Championship Drive, turn right onto Enke and queue down where the dropoff point was. Again, this would require some logistical changes and challenges (stadium security being one of them), and take away a handful of parking spaces from donors/permit holders so that Enke can be clear of parked vehicles. But there are hundreds if not thousands of fans that can benefit from better Ride Share pickup locations when leaving the stadium. They need to be clearly identified and communicated, which will make leaving late night games easier and safer for all.
Indeed, one of the best ways to alleviate parking issues near a venue is to give reason for patrons to leave their vehicle at home (or elsewhere off campus). The Shuttle Service from Park Ave. Garage is a good option, but providing the most convenient Ride Share options is something that has to be done for today’s fan, especially younger fans familiar with the apps. If you can get people close to the stadium and present them with tickets and merchandise options steps away from their drop off location, you are greatly enhancing the experience for fans and making it safer if it helps keep drivers of any level of impairment off the road.
This is just one of many ideas to expand Ride Share options. We can explore others, including exclusive partnerships like some places have with Uber or Lyft, down the road.
From Twitter, @azjangle writes: Do you buy into the importance of beating ASU over other teams or is it just another game?
In no way, shape or form is it “just another game”. Rivalry games fuel the passion for the teams that we love and hate, which is ultimately why we love sports so much. So when you’re an Arizona fan, beating ASU carries a certain significance outside the results from the rest of the season.
Now, does that mean an Arizona fan is going to be worried about a 13-1 season that includes a trip to the Rose Bowl after winning the Pac-12 Championship when the only loss was to ASU? Certainly not. Arizona fans are never going to forget a season like that and will take it every year. Sure, Sun Devil fans will claim their bragging rights for being the lone team to beat the Wildcats, but so be it. The same would also hold true for Arizona fans during a 1-11 season. Of course morale isn’t going to be good, but if the Cats end the year with a win over ASU, then all is not lost and those bragging rights get everyone through the long offseason.
The reality is Arizona is not going 13-1 or 1-11 year after year. Most always it’s going to be in the middle. And that is where the measuring stick that is the Territorial Cup rivalry holds water. One of the measures of success for a program is how well you do against your rival. More times than not, if you’re consistently beating your rival year after year, then you have established yourself as the better program. That increases ticket sales, boosts recruiting, helps sell merchandise and makes the admissions folks happy, too.
So for Arizona, and really most any football rivalry, your goal is first to compete for the conference championship. If you win the Pac-12, you can go on to bigger things like a New Year’s Six bowl or contend for a national title. Second, you want to finish as close to the top of the conference as you can to earn the best possible bowl destination. And third, what plays into both of those aforementioned factors, is beating your rival. If you do that, then you’ve improved your chances for a bowl and contending for the league title. If you have otherwise had a disappointing season, then the rivalry game is one last chance to salvage something out of the season. Some of the most inspired performances I have seen have been by a UA team or an ASU team that has a losing season but puts everything on the line in the Territorial Cup. The players and coaches know they represent so much more than themselves in the rivalry game.
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