NAU at Arizona: Game Review

Arizona 65, NAU 41 | Final Stats (PDF)

Take a look at the scoreboard or glance at the stat sheet and it’s easy to forget what happened Saturday night at Arizona Stadium.

The Wildcats took commanding 21-0, 35-7 and 51-10 leads. It was game over by halftime.

That is what a Power 5 program is supposed to do against an FCS foe.

At the same time, there was plenty to moan and groan about for much of the second half. The defense again was a sieve for big plays through the air and on the ground. More alarmingly, two players were ejected with multiple personal or unsportsmanlike fouls, and the team combined for 127 penalty yards throughout the contest.

However, it is worth keeping the focus on what things looked like in the first half when the game was “in doubt”. Arizona’s offense rolled to seven straight touchdown drives, while the defense got off the field in four plays on its first drive, intercepted a pass on the second drive and later produced two three-and-outs before halftime. The second three-and-out led to a safety on the errant snap on a punt.

All totaled, the Lumberjacks, with a veteran quarterback, mustered 171 yards of offense in the first half. Case Cookus was only 15-of-30 passing for 189 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

 It was a 51-13 deficit, which, again, is what you would expect against an FCS team.

While what transpired after halftime is certainly worth questioning, shuffling personnel and the individual lack of focus that creeps in during a blowout are just a couple of the reasons we should not critique this game on the final score or stats alone.

Instead, I am going to reexamine the five keys I singled out in Friday’s game preview. Here we go:

1. Limit penalties (offense, defense and special teams)

From a team perspective, this was the single most alarming aspect of the game. The Wildcats were penalized 11 times for 127 yards, and two players were ejected for either unsportsmanlike fouls or targeting.

Arizona was No. 128 nationally in penalties a year ago, and despite being a major focus of the coaching staff in spring and preseason camps, this team has not made any strides to playing cleaner and more disciplined football. After two games, the Wildcats are dead last among all 130 FBS with 107.5 penalty yards per game.

Quite frankly, the penalties are unacceptable.

However, it is worth examining where the Wildcats were drawing flags against NAU. Or maybe it should be pointed out where the fouls did not occur: on offense.

Arizona was flagged for just one offensive penalty all night, which was an offensive pass interference call against Drew Dixon in the second quarter a pick play. There was certainly contact, but it appeared that the defender was the one initiating contact, so it easily could have been overlooked.

What could not be overlooked was the eight defensive penalties and two special teams infractions committed. Safety Christian Young was flagged twice for unsportsmanlike conduct, which resulted in his disqualification before halftime. Linebacker Derrion Clark was flagged for a personal foul and, later, a targeting foul, which led to his early exit from the game.

It goes without saying that Arizona’s defense is not good enough to hurt itself with excessive penalties. This has to be cleaned up immediately with no excuses or tolerance going forward.

Getting back to the offensive side, it was an outstanding game from the execution and discipline standpoints even with multiple quarterbacks and shuffling of personnel along the offensive line.

2. Protect the football (no turnovers offensively)

Regardless of competition, give credit where credit is due. The offense did its job and protected the football.

Entering Saturday, the Wildcats had turned the ball over at least once in six straight games, totaling 14 giveaways (2.33 per game).

3. No three-and-outs (get that first first-down each drive)

This was effectively mission accomplished as Arizona scored touchdowns on all seven first half possessions.

Unfortunately, the second half opened with a three-and-out after Tayvian Cunningham – who had a good game with two touchdowns – dropped a third down conversion. But the Wildcats bounced back with consecutive touchdown drives before a couple mop up possessions late in the fourth quarter.

Going forward, I’ll continue to list this as a goal for the offense. The initial first-down of a drive is critical for several factors. First, it allows the offense to get into a quick tempo. Second, it begins to shift field position, and third, it allows the defense to rest on the sideline.

Factors No. 2 and No. 3 don’t show up last night, but they will be important to give the Wildcats a chance against better teams.

4. Play lots of guys (find out who wants to compete – offense, defense and special teams)

The Wildcats played LOTS of guys and rotated personnel throughout the entire game. This is a very positive development, especially for younger players. It may have affected the cohesiveness on defense, especially, but giving significant game experience to the young players will help their development immensely.

Some players certainly solidified or even earned themselves more playing time, while some may see less playing time going forward.  The key is dozens of players gained experience and Arizona was able to rest and protect some of its top players at positions all over the field.

5. Build confidence (make plays, have fun and win as a team)

All things considered, the team did build confidence. While the defense gave up way too many big plays and points in the second half, the game was over by halftime.

There is plenty to work on and correct this week, but practice is always more fun coming off a win. I would expect good enthusiasm this week inside the Lowell-Stevens Football Facility knowing there is a big time opportunity on the table this week to put the pieces together for a strong performance against Texas Tech.

Make no mistake about it, this is a measuring stick game for Arizona.

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