After a disappointing first year with Kevin Sumlin at head coach, the Wildcats are looking to improve off of a 5-7 record during their 2018 campaign. With the majority of this team returning I would expect some improvements however, there is a good amount that this team needs to work on. Let’s take a quick look at the schedule for Arizona Football this season:
- August 24 – @ Hawai’i
- September 7 – Northern Arizona
- September 14 – Texas Tech
- September 28 – UCLA
- October 5 – @ Colorado
- October 12 – Washington
- October 19 – @ USC
- October 26 – @ Stanford
- November 2 – Oregon State
- November 16 – @ Oregon
- November 23 – Utah
- November 30 – @ Arizona State
*December 6 – Pac -12 Championship Game*
(Bold indicates Pac – 12 game)
Most are pretty confident in the fact that Khalil Tate will be lining up under center as QB1 for the Wildcats this year, which is good, but taking a look at depth, there isn’t much at QB for the Wildcats. With some bolstering defenses in the Pac-12 this can cause some problems for the Wildcats. Khalil Tate is only 6’2” which isn’t that big nor is it to small but with some big guys consistently getting pressure on the senior year quarterback, this can be the formula for getting an injured QB down the back half of the season. If this happens, there is no clear-cut backup for Khalil which can cause multiple problems throughout the season. If there is no set backup then reps are getting split between backups (not to mention the Khalil as well) and the entire offense is trying to get familiar with a new QB who has a slightly different style compared to Khalil. The quarterback position along with the offensive line play is going to be a huge factor for this team in 2019.
Another problematic issue for the Wildcats is at wideout. There is a ton of underclassmen at this position that have a mix of questions next to them. No question there is some raw talent at the position but having those questions along with the QB issue mentioned above this can spell trouble quickly for the Wildcats. However, the team’s number one wideout in Cedric Peterson (who is a returning senior) will most likely carry most of the load in terms of the passing attack. At the same time though, I’m sure a lot of the coaching staff is hoping that Peterson can help guide some of the young core at wideout to help build more of a promising future for the Wildcats as starting in 2020 there will be a lot more underclassmen on the team and you will see more of coach Sumlin’s recruits coming into the program.
The more promising aspect of the offense will be the running back committee. J.J. Taylor will be RB1 for Arizona football, with help from Gary Brightwell behind him. I would expect a little more of an even split (but Taylor getting a slight more) when it comes to touches. Unless one of them bursts with a great performance consistently, this should be a running back by committee team. Again, this will be based off of offensive line play and how they can handle some of these big Pac-12 defensive fronts.
When looking at this team on defense it is interesting. The corners were plagued by injury last year but have the ability to be a cornerstone of this teams defense, the backers are pretty stout and can hold their own, meanwhile, the defensive line (mainly the interior) is a position that can fans should be worried about. Getting back to the corners, being plagued by injuries are never the ideal situation but it is a part of the game so heading into this season it is something to watch. One wrong plant or one wrong angle on a tackle and these injuries can come back but, if they are able to maintain a healthy DB core then I think we will see some fast flying plays for the Wildcats. Again, the part to be worried about is the d-line, which can cause this team to get exhausted because they are going to try to make up for the mistakes the defensive line is making (both for the rest of the defense but even the offense if they are giving up points). The Wildcats do have transfer Trevor Mason coming in defensive tackle though and is expected to contribute immediately so hopefully, he is able to produce as expected.
Overall, I know this team wants to improve but I think they are going to lose one more game than they did last year and finish with a 4-8 record with the only wins being against Northern Arizona, UCLA, Oregon State, and Utah. Of course, these are just predictions but it is hard to see this team generate a lot of points and have a strong defense when the defensive front is very weak.
What are your expectations for Arizona football this year?
Written by Tyler Pastorius
