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Offensive issues and injuries continue in Arizona's blowout loss to CU

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Offensive issues and injuries continue in Arizona's blowout loss to CU

Justin Spears
| Arizona Daily Star

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New week, same offensive issues, more injuries and same result for the Arizona Wildcats football program.

In front of a sellout crowd and picture-perfect weather, the on-field product left a packed Arizona Stadium lifeless as the Colorado Buffaloes defeated the Arizona Wildcats 34-7 on Saturday afternoon in Tucson.

Arizona's loss to Colorado is the third straight setback for the Wildcats, who hadn't lost as many in a row since 2022. The Wildcats (3-4) are below .500 for the first time since the '22 season finished 5-7.

With Colorado's victory (5:2), the Buffaloes surpassed their own win total from a year ago.

The Wildcats' 27-point loss is their largest home defeat since their 27-point loss to No. 12 Oregon in the same 2022 season. The Wildcats also finished in the 2020 Territorial Cup for the first time since their 70-7 loss to Arizona State a single-digit game at Arizona Stadium.

First-year Arizona head coach Brent Brennan began his postgame press conference by apologizing to the approximately 300 UA football alumni in attendance Saturday after the Wildcats “didn't give them enough to cheer about.”

“We are extremely disappointed and have a lot of work to do as a football team,” Brennan said. “Where we are right now is 100% my fault. I need to get to work to fix the problem. There were some opportunities, some shining moments, but not nearly enough to sustain attacks and keep the ball moving against a really active defense.” “

Arizona was aggressive and tried to gain possession early with an onside kick on the opening kickoff. The ball dribbled to the feet of wide receiver Jackson Holman, but the redshirt freshman “seemed like he was waiting for it,” didn’t jump on the ball in time and Colorado recovered in UA territory.

“It’s one of those things where you can’t wait,” Brennan said of Holman. “You have to go. You must put your face on it, get on the ground, and follow the dogpile rules for this move. Just based on their orientation, we thought it was there. We thought it was a chance to steal a possession. … That was our plan, to steal the first possession.”

Brennan said the UA players were “all in” with the decision to use an onside kick early in the game.

“Do I wish we had done it?” Naturally. But we were aggressive coming off the blocks, trying and just couldn’t get it done.”

That was one of three Colorado drives that started on Arizona's side of the field in the first half, with two of them resulting in touchdowns.

Strong offense from the Colorado Buffaloes

The Buffaloes scored on each of their first three drives, helping build a 28-7 lead at halftime. Colorado kicker Alejandro Mata was responsible for all the scoring in the second half with two field goals.

CU quarterback Shedeur Sanders completed 23 of 33 passes (70%) for 250 yards, two touchdowns and one interception; he also had a rushing touchdown.

Arizona cornerback Tacario Davis, who was questionable with a groin injury, started and covered Colorado star Travis Hunter, also questionable with an injury this week, for much of the first half until the Heisman Trophy hopeful preemptively Measures were excluded from the second half. Hunter finished the game with two catches for 17 yards on offense and one tackle on defense.

But Davis also left in the second half; He was replaced by Miami transfer Demetrius Freeney, who played his first defensive snaps in last week's loss to BYU.

Davis wasn't the only Wildcat to leave with an injury on Saturday.

Perhaps the most significant loss came to UA defensive leader and captain, linebacker Jacob Manu, in the second quarter. After celebrating a third down stop, Manu suffered a leg injury and did not return. The Wildcats' injury-plagued defense, already without defensive backs Treydan Stukes, Gunner Maldonado and Marquis Grove-Killebrew, also saw defensive tackle Isaiah Johnson leave pregame warmups with a leg injury.

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The only defensive starter from last year's unit to finish the game was strong safety Dalton Johnson.

Arizona's injuries are “something we need to evaluate,” Brennan said.

“Injuries are such a strange thing,” Brennan said. “But our team, myself and all of us are very concerned about where we are. Where we are is a rarity for me. We have to evaluate every aspect of our work in terms of how we condition them, how we train them.”

Arizona's offense also suffered injuries. Left tackle Rhino Tapa'atoutai left at the end of the second half with a leg injury and was replaced by Oregon transfer Michael Wooten, who struggled in his first appearance.

The Wildcats allowed seven sacks on Saturday after allowing just six in their last six games combined. It was the most sacks for Colorado's defense since 2019. Wooten had two false start penalties and was also called for holding until the UA moved right tackle Jonah Savaiinaea to left tackle and reserve guard Ryan Stewart to right tackle.

Arizona's offense once again failed to score points and find a rhythm.

Struggles on offense for the Arizona Wildcats

After redshirt sophomore wide receiver Chris Hunter scored his first touchdown as a Wildcat on the second drive, which was a 1-yard shovel pass from quarterback Noah Fifita, the Wildcats' subsequent drives were as follows:

  • Kicker Tyler Loop missed a 52-yard field goal
  • Fumble
  • punt
  • punt
  • punt
  • punt
  • punt
  • punt
  • Interception
  • Fumble
  • End of the game

Arizona had as many punts as points – and had more penalties (9) than points. Since scoring 61 points in the season opener against New Mexico, the Wildcats have averaged 16.7 points per game.

The Wildcats' problems on offense are “a collective effort.”

“Just the little details, sloppiness here and there, a few penalties, more turnovers on my part and just little details that we have to clean up,” Fifita said.

Arizona's 245 yards of total offense is its fewest since the Wildcats' home opener against San Diego State in 2021, the season the UA finished 1-11.

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“We have to play better on offense and we have to give our quarterback and our playmakers the ability to move the football effectively,” Brennan said. “From the beginning, I thought Colorado had a good plan with some of the edge stuff they were doing and they put pressure on us a couple of times. We really need to evaluate that and think about what we can do with the men. “We play to their strengths and their experience level and just give ourselves the chance to play clean football.”

Even when Arizona's defense forced two takeaways in the first half, the Wildcats' offense responded with a fumble and a three-pointer. Fifita threw his 10th interception of the season, extending his interception streak to nine straight games dating back to last season.

Fifita finished the game with 16 completions on 28 pass attempts for 138 yards with one touchdown and one interception. UA wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, who was named a midseason All-American by the Associated Press earlier this week, caught five balls for 38 yards.

“The biggest part is I need to coach this team better,” Brennan said. “This is where we are and it’s really quite simple. As hard as it is for me to say this, that is the reality. I'm the head football coach and it's my job to get us right.” .. I have to get it right, what we released today wasn't nearly good enough.

A season after Arizona won 10 games for the fourth time in school history, the Wildcats now have more losses than the 2023 squad.

“We have a standard and we don’t really live up to it,” Fifita said. “Of course, a defeat makes it even worse. I’m extremely disappointed, but as long as we get back to work and just keep believing in each other and not attacking each other, it’s on to the next thing.”

Extra points

  • There were 17 NFL scouts from 13 different teams in attendance at the Arizona-Colorado game. Arizona Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort and Los Angeles Chargers GM Joe Horitz were among the recognized NFL scouts.
  • Arizona nose tackle Chubba Ma'ae (leg) missed his fourth straight game.
  • Arizona honored the late Heath Bray, who died in March at age 54, at Arizona Stadium after the first TV timeout. Bray was a defensive back, quarterback and special teams captain for Arizona from 1988 to 1992 under late UA coaching icon Dick Tomey.
  • The Wildcats' defense fielded a dime package with three defensive linemen – Ta'ita'i Uiagalelei, Stanley Ta'ufo'ou and Tre Smith – with edge rusher Chase Kennedy as a stand-up blitzer and rover linebacker linebacker Jacob Manu and six defensive backs. Redshirt freshman Jack Luttrell, a transfer from Tennessee, made his first start at free safety, while sophomore Genesis Smith started at nickelback; Senior Owen Goss was the extra defender in the six-man secondary.

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