The University of Utah is stream rolling through their 2019 season with two games left to play, as they’re chasing a CFP birth. However, first things first, as the football program is taking things one game at a time. GoAZCats.com publisher, Matt Moreno was kind enough to provide Ute Nation some insight on a struggling Wildcats squad.
The Wildcats weren't expected to win the Pac-12 South, but how disappointing of a season has this been for the fan base and administration?
Extremely disappointing. I think the fan base had an idea that it was possible the Wildcats wouldn’t make a bowl game, but I think the fans also anticipated much more competitive games with signs of progress. The team looks worse in certain areas than it did a year ago and that has taken the air out of the sails. Attendance has been on the decline throughout the year and if there’s one thing that everyone knows in Tucson about Arizona football once the fans start turning their attention to the basketball season it’s hard to get them interested once again. That shift started early this year and there is plenty of finger pointing from the fans right now directed at anyone associated with the team. As far as administration goes, there has not been much comment publicly about the status of the program right now. There certainly is a sense that some of the decisions about the coaching staff this year have come from up top, but nothing has been said one way or the other from the administration.
After another coach being fired during the season, is it only a matter of time before Sumlin is gone, too?
Probably, but it’s not going to happen any time soon. Arizona’s biggest football boosters are not as active as they once were and with a $10 million price tag for firing Sumlin after this season it is not likely he is going anywhere especially after the school already had to pay Rich Rodriguez’s expensive buyout just a couple years ago. The buyout doesn’t go down by very much after next season and is still probably out of the range of comfort for the program to make a move. What it means is Arizona is going to have to build around Sumlin until it decides to make a move with him.I anticipate even more coaching staff moves once the season comes to an end and some of those decisions are being urged along by people higher up the chain than Sumlin. The program is in a worse spot than it was when Sumlin took the job, but until the price to get rid of him comes down it’s hard to imagine Arizona changing course to cut him loose in the near future.
What's the reasoning behind the back and forth of Tate and Gunnell at quarterback, and has that hurt the offense's rhythm?
I wish I had a clear answer to give you, but there just isn’t one. It is one of the biggest head-scratching situations I can remember in my time covering the program. On the surface Sumlin says he likes both options with the running ability of Khalil Tate and the passing ability of Grant Gunnell being something he sees benefiting the offense. In his mind it can keep a defense off balance and give his team an edge. In reality that hasn’t happened much throughout this whole experiment and part of the reason is Arizona’s offensive line has been banged up for a lot of the year. The other part is neither quarterback is quite living up to his end of the deal. Tate has again been hesitant to run this season at times and that makes him more one dimensional. He’s not at his best when he’s trying to be a pocket passer. Meanwhile, Gunnell has looked like a freshman at times this year with some bad decisions that have led to negative plays.
Gunnell feels like the right player to go with in this situation, but Sumlin continues to come back to Tate and he eventually stuck with him for most of the game against Oregon after Gunnell started for the second time this season. The leash for Tate has been a lot longer than it has been for Gunnell and to me it feels like it will be Tate’s show the rest of the way even if they do continue to use a two-quarterback system.
What, in theory, felt like the right move for Arizona when Sumlin decided to try using two quarterbacks has turned into a bit of a mess with neither player truly being as effective as he could be. It definitely has not led to more success offensively and I do think it has thrown the entire offense off in a lot of ways. Blocking for and catching passes from both quarterbacks presents a lot of differences for the players around them and it just hasn’t equated to the production Sumlin and his offensive staff hoped for when they made the move.
Who are some Wildcats for Ute fans to pay attention, some obvious, but also some that might be under the radar?
On offense I have to start with running back JJ Taylor who let the media know this week that Saturday’s game will be his last at home for the Wildcats. He is listed as a redshirt junior but he has yet to actually apply for a medical redshirt and he doesn’t plan on doing so. He has been the heartbeat of the team this year and even in games when Arizona has struggled he has played hard through the end of the game. I would expect the Wildcats’ offense to go through him and Sumlin has been adamant about getting him as many touches as possible. In addition to Taylor, two receivers to watch will be Jamrye Joiner and Brian Casteel.
Joiner is a converted quarterback who replaced Tate last season in the game against the Utes. He has since been moved to receiver and is a more natural fit there. He has been a bit of a boom or bust type of player at receiver, but he is plenty capable of making some game-changing plays on offense and on special teams. Casteel has become a favorite receiver for both Tate and Gunnell this season, and the Wildcats will use him all over the field. He is another player the Arizona coaching staff tries to get the ball to as much as it can.
Defensively, the attention has to begin with the linebacker group that is made up of three juniors including the team’s leading tacklers Colin Schooler and Tony Fields II. That duo has been contributing since arriving on campus, but they have been joined by Anthony Pandy who has become an important piece to the Arizona defense. His versatility is something that has been valuable to the coaching staff and he can be an X-factor for that group. Up front defensive end Jalen Harris and defensive tackle Trevon Mason have been the most productive members of a somewhat underperforming group this year. That duo currently accounts for most of the sacks and tackles for loss among the defensive line.
Arizona’s strength is at the cornerback position, but that group has been picked on some this season despite its talent. Jace Whittaker and Lorenzo Burns are the two veterans of the group with Burns having his best season at Arizona while Whittaker has been able to remain effective despite being moved around to some different positions this year. The newcomer is freshman Christian Roland-Wallace who has been impressive since he arrived on campus. He looks like a senior, physically, but he has had to take his lumps as of late. He was part of a miscommunication that led to a 73-yard touchdown on the second play of the game against Oregon.
What kind of scheme would you devise to attack the Arizona defense?
Lately, it hasn’t really mattered much with teams being able to effectively run and pass on the Wildcats. However, the easiest answer is to go heavy on the passing game. Arizona has allowed the second-most passing yards among all FBS teams this year, so clearly opponents are getting the message. The middle of the field has given the Wildcats problems this year and truly the last few years. That’s one reason the move was made to fire defensive coordinator Marcel Yates this season. Teams know they can take advantage of Arizona’s linebackers and safeties with the passing game and there just aren’t a lot of answers the defense has been able to come up with to stop it.
Even teams that don’t typically rely on the pass have gone that route because it is an easy way to put Arizona in a hole. The Wildcats are no strangers to giving up explosive plays, so big passing plays early in games have been the norm. It tends to soften up the defense leading to a better running game late. Arizona’s run defense is not terrible, so it can make it more difficult to go to the ground game, but using the passing game to open things up is the route I would go.
How would you stop the Wildcats’ offense?
I would focus on the red zone. The offense isn’t bad and you can just expect that the Wildcats will move the ball, but one of the issues has been getting in the end zone. A lot is going to depend on which quarterback is taking the snaps, but the first focus for me would be taking away the running game. Taylor has been such a big part of what the Wildcats do that making the team more one dimensional usually is a good strategy. Once a team is able to force Arizona to throw the ball the next thing to do is dial up some pressure to make the quarterbacks uncomfortable. Both quarterbacks have been forced into some bad decisions this year when teams have turned up the heat with blitzes and with a banged up offensive line it makes sense now more than ever to really try and put pressure on the quarterbacks. Since Tate has been less likely to break off huge runs this year the concern of letting him escape the pocket isn’t as big as it has been in the past.
What’s your prediction and why?
Arizona is limping into the offseason right now. The offensive line injuries are a real concern and the backups left a lot to be desired last week against Oregon. Throw into that another coaching change on the defensive side just a couple days before a game and it just doesn’t feel like a recipe for any kind of success for Arizona. Fans of the Wildcats know that every season there is a game Arizona wins that it has no business winning for no reason whatsoever, and while I would typically say this would be that type of game it just doesn’t feel like that type of season for this team.The mentality just doesn’t seem to be in the right place at this stage. Arizona did play better in a lot of ways against Oregon and it is a team that has done better with the motivation of playing a more prominent opponent, but I just don’t see that being the case this week. I’ll go with Utah winning this game 41-14 over the Wildcats.
