After falling in their first game against BYU, the Wildcats of Arizona almost found themselves giving one up against Grambling State before a rally in the second half allowed them to take home the win. Now in the final game before conference play the Cats will be taking on the Rainbow Warriors of Hawaii at home in a match that the home team is looked at as 24 point favorites. Considering how the season has gone, spreads really mean nothing for this Arizona team.
No Stumbling Out of the Gate
Against the BYU Cougars, Arizona took until the fourth quarter to really get started in regards to their offensive tempo. Two big runs by Nick Wilson gave the team the lead before losing on a last second kick to start the year off 0 – 1. Lining up against the Tigers of Grambling State, a game where Arizona was a 45-point favorite to win, it was roughly the same outcome. The main difference this time was the opposing kicker wasn’t in a position to win the game off of one kick. The win gave Arizona their first victory for the year and they must start showing that they can be a quick strike offense before too long. Lucky for them the Hawaii team they face this week gives up just under 30 points in the first half through the season thus far. If Arizona doesn’t get a quick start again this week, there may be murmurs about how hot the seat is getting for Coach Rich Rodriguez.
Solomon May Miss Another Start
After the opener this year Anu Solomon injured his knee in practice and missed the next game against Grambling State. In his place Sophomore Brandon Dawkins threw for 223 yards with a touchdown while adding almost 100 yards rushing and two scores on top of that. While it may have taken some time to get started, Dawkins did show some flashes of big play capabilities. With Solomon still listed as questionable it will be interesting to see exactly what Rodriguez does when deciding on his quarterback. In all likelihood, even if Solomon is good to go, Dawkins should get the start. The last thing Rodriguez can afford right now is to further push back the development of Solomon by getting him hurt again and go into Pac – 12 play with a sophomore at quarterback for the first part of the conference schedule.
Backfield Drama In the Rear View
The Arizona football program has been in the media for a few reasons as of late. One is for the new uniforms they will be wearing to honor the U.S.S Arizona that were shown in ads earlier this week. The other is for a player who will no longer be allowed to be a part of the squad. Orlando Bradford, the co-starter at running back with Nick Wilson, was dismissed from Arizona football this Wednesday after he was charged with a total of four counts of aggravated assault as well as three counts of kidnapping. The suddenness of the events turned a lot of people’s heads and it is likely the players have yet to fully grasp what all transpired earlier with Bradford. But now with him out indefinitely, freshman running back J.J. Taylor will become the new co-starter with Wilson. Taylor has seen limited action this year, but he can be quite an explosive option as he also returns punts for the team and has a second gear unlike many other players on the team. It will be interesting to see how he adjusts to the new role on the squad.
The game kicks off in Tucson from Arizona Stadium at 9:45 PM as the night cap game on the Pac – 12 Network.