USC 41, Arizona 14 | Final Stats (PDF)
Before I get into a brief and direct review of Arizona’s loss to USC last night, I want to start with one really good thing: J.J. Taylor.
The effort and toughness displayed by Taylor last night was commendable, and it’s a shame it did not rub off on more players, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
Now, for the rest of the game.
There is not much to say. Arizona’s worst nightmare came to life with another slow offensive start and a pair of turnovers that led directly to two short-field USC scores. Remarkably, it could easily have been a 7-0 game at halftime.
Let’s do credit the defense for yet another strong first-half performance. It is simply unfair the position that unit is being put in the last two weeks with the turnovers from the Wildcats’ offense and special teams.
On the first six drives of the game, Arizona’s defense held the Trojans to 61 yards on 24 total plays. Yet, the Wildcats trailed 10-0. Both USC scores, a 31-yard field and a 9-yard touchdown pass, started in Wildcat territory, at the 34 and 21-yardlines, immediately following turnovers.
In my Friday preview, I wrote:
“The Trojans have one of the nation’s worst turnover margins, so helping them more than they hurt themselves is not the recipe here.”
So, what happened Saturday? For the first time in 17 games (yes, 17 games!), USC won the turnover battle.
That, in a nutshell, was the ballgame.
Here is a quick review of the keys to the game.
1. Start fast (all phases)
While Arizona’s defense held up its end of the bargain for much of the first half, the Wildcats, once again, got off to a miserable start against USC.
Last week in my “What to Expect From USC” feature, I noted the Trojans had outscored the Wildcats 38-6 in the first half of the last two meetings. Last night’s 17-0 halftime lead bumps that margin to 55-6 the last three seasons.
Arizona needed an early spark from someone in any phase of the game. Instead, a muffed punt by Stanley Berryhill III and a fumble by Michael Wiley set up easy scores for the Trojans, who didn’t even have to mount a drive to be in scoring position.
However, the slow start isn’t anything relegated to the series with USC. It has become a trend over the last two seasons. Consider:
- The Wildcats have been outscored 47-7 in the first quarter against FBS teams in 2019.
- Arizona has been outscored by a combined 141-51 in the first quarter of the last 17 games against FBS teams dating to start of 2018 season.
- Over those 17 games, the Wildcats have been shut out in the opening quarter 11 times (five in 2019, six in 2018).
- Only four times in those 17 games has Arizona led after the first quarter (3-1 record overall, 1-0 in 2019).
This is a very disturbing trend, and something I identified before the start of the season. After seven games, there is little evidence of growth. In fact, there is regression on the offensive side of the ball with a mere seven first-quarter points against FBS teams this season.
At some point, this comes down to coaching and game-planning, as well as putting the right players on the field to execute the plan.
This reminds me of a very simple coaching philosophy that Andy Lopez, national champion baseball coach for the Wildcats, often referenced: “Have a plan, get them ready, play the right guys”.
The Wildcats’ offense needs to revaluate the plan and how they prepare to execute that plan, and certainly evaluate if they are playing the right guy(s). More on that later.
2. Establish the run (offense)
Behind Taylor’s spirited effort, the Wildcats did have some success running the ball early on, but it wasn’t enough to sustain drives. The Trojans were more than content to allow a few good runs to otherwise commit numbers with run and pass blitzes to dominate the line of the scrimmage. They did it very well.
Arizona’s offensive line, which was without veteran guard Cody Creason, was outmatched in this game. The speed and athleticism of the Trojan defensive front led to several holding penalties and simply missed assignments that led to free shots at the quarterback. And when there was no tight end in the game, there were times where Arizona’s line was outnumbered, which puts the onus on the quarterback to account for the free rusher and make the decision where the ball needs to go quickly.
Khalil Tate again struggled to identify and handle the edge pressure, which was no help to the offensive line. Teams are going to continue to dial up these blitzes with press coverage on the outside that make Tate – or Grant Gunnell – make quick decisions.
I do question why the Wildcats used so much empty (five receivers) and 10 (one back, no tight end) personnel throughout the game, after using Bryce Wolma as an attached tight end at the start of the game with some success. I would have liked to have seen Wolma used more throughout to at least make USC’s front adjust and bump out wider.
The same goes for using two backs with Nathan Tilford as a bigger back. He had success in the second half when het got in the game. I think he and Taylor can be a really effective combo because they have similar running styles, but there is nearly a six-inch difference in height when those two are coming at you. That can be a challenge for defenses to adjust to.
3. Win the turnover battle (all phases)
This is clear, obvious and, quite frankly, inexcusable. The continued issues catching punts has to be addressed (remember, the Wildcats nearly lost a loose ball on a punt at Colorado, too.).
4. Keep the Trojans in front (defense)
The Wildcats did a very nice job of this in the first half. Things did get loose in the second half when Arizona went a little deeper into its bench for a variety of reasons as the game began to get out of hand.
There was one key play late in the second quarter that sparked USC’s only extended drive of the half. One a third-and-three from the USC 20-yardline, Tyler Vaughns broke open on a skinny post and picked up 30 yards. Christian Roland-Wallace had the outside coverage, and it appeared as though he expected middle zone coverage that was not there to help inside, which left a clean window for Kedon Slovis to deliver a perfect strike to Vaughns.
Several plays later, the Trojans scored to take a 17-0 lead that effectively put the game out of reach with Arizona’s inability to move the football.
5. Strike up OUR band (Pride of Arizona)
I included this as an all-encompassing key to the game, but the Wildcats gave the Pride of Arizona little opportunities to play the fight song.
However, what a great opportunity for young men and women of the marching band to make the road trip to South California. Marching bands are very much a part of what makes college football so great, and while it may not be feasible to travel to every game, it would be nice if this is the start of an annual trip for the Pride of Arizona.
Closing Thoughts
Plenty of people have their thoughts on the quarterback situation, understandably. Here is mine, which remains unchanged for how I felt after the Washington game.
Both quarterbacks – Tate and Gunnell – need to be talked to openly and honestly, and I believe that has been taking place. Tate is the starter and Gunnell is the backup. I do not have a problem with that.
However, my game plan (which does not have to be communicated publicly despite the interest and frustrations of all of us) is that both players are going to play in the first half. The hotter hand can take over for the remainder of the game, or both can continue to play if switching up is working.
I say this rarely being a fan of two-quarterback systems. But I believe the program in Kevin Sumlin’s second season is at a crossroads, notably at the quarterback position where one player is at the end of his career and the other is just beginning. I don’t see one quarterback giving the team a significantly greater chance of winning OR losing right now.
While it is fair to disagree with Sumlin’s postgame comments (see Michael Lev’s tweet below) that there is no “controversy”, I applaud him for addressing it straight up and putting an end to speculation before the team even boarded the plane to come back to Tucson. So long as that message was consistent to the team and continues to be throughout this week, it is the right course of action.
At the same time, the quarterback position needs to continue to be evaluated as it is after every game. What is best for the team has to be the top priority moving forward.
Time to get ready for Stanford.
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