College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Arizona Wildcats season with what you need to know.
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– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Schedule Analysis
– Arizona Previews 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2019 Record: 4-8 overall, 2-7 in Pac-12
Head Coach: Kevin Sumlin, 3rd year, 9-15
2019 CFN Final Opinion Ranking: 66
2019 CFN Final Season Formula Ranking: 105
2019 CFN Preview Ranking: 41
No one knows what’s going to happen to the 2020 college football season. We’ll take a general look at where each team stands – doing it without spring ball to go by – while crossing our fingers that we’ll all have some well-deserved fun this fall. Hoping you and yours are safe and healthy.
5. College Football News Preview 2020: Arizona Wildcats Offense 3 Things To Know
– It was a weird year for the Arizona offense. It could move the ball just fine at times – it finished third in the Pac-12 in total offense, passing, and rushing – but it seemed like it forgot to score enough points.
The wheels came off late against the elite – the O didn’t do much of anything against Oregon and Utah – and now it’s up to offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone and head coach Kevin Sumlin to crank up the attack again.
The offense that closed out 2018 scoring 40 points or more in three of its last four games didn’t hit the 40-point mark against any FBS team in 2019, but there’s hope.
CFN in 60 Video: Arizona Wildcats Preview
– Not to be harsh, but the graduation of Khalil Tate should be addition by subtraction. He was so explosive and was so amazing when he was on that it was almost as if the offense waiting for him to be healthy and consistent before it could get going again. The two-quarterback system over the second half of the year didn’t fly, but now it should be Grant Gunnell’s job without any real concerns.
The 6-6, 225-pounder hit 65% of his passes for 1,239 yards and nine touchdowns with an interception – rocking for 352 yards in the win over UCLA – but he has to win games and get the offense moving.
He’s got the receivers in place to push the ball down the field. Jamarye Joiner is back after leading the team with 552 yards and five scores, Brian Casteel returns after leading the way with 45 catches, and in all, nine of the top ten wide receivers are expected to be back along with Oregon transfer Brenden Schooler.
– JJ Taylor and Khalil Tate combined for over 1,100 rushing yards – they were the team’s top two rushers. 6-1, 210-pound senior Gary Brightwell will be the main man after finishing third on the team with 390 yards and five scores, and 6-2, 207-pound Nathan Tilford and 176-pound Bam Smith both add a little pop. Now they all need to someone to pave the way.
The Arizona offensive line that was so banged up and such a problem under Sumlin struggled in pass protection, but it was decent for the ground game. It has two good parts to work around in C Josh McCauley and OT Donovan Laie. Four of the five starters are back.
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Arizona Wildcats Defense 3 Things To Know
4. College Football News Preview 2020: Arizona Wildcats Defense 3 Things To Know
– Kevin Sumlin is making yet another attempt to fix a defense that allowed over 34 points per game over the last two years – and that was an improvement for a Wildcat program that gave up over 36 points per game over the three years before the regime change.
In comes Paul Rhoads – the former Iowa State head coach who worked with Arkansas and UCLA over the last four years – and now he has to change the Pac-12’s worst defense that allowed 471 yards and couldn’t get off the field. There wasn’t a pass rush, and there weren’t enough third down stops.
– The big early positive is a linebacking corps that will come up with a whole lot of tackles. Colin Schooler is the potential All-Pac-12 star – he led the team with 98 tackles – and Tony Field, Anthony Pandy, and hybrid Jalen Harris are back, too.
Harris led the team with just four sacks. Senior end JB Brown is back on one side, and 6-5, 310-pound Trevon Mason is back after stepping into the starting role coming out of the JUCO ranks. There’s enough bulk on the inside to be stronger against the run – Finton Connolly is gone, but almost everyone else of note is back.
– To be fair to the secondary, there wasn’t enough of a pass rush to help the cause. That was only part of the problem, though, for a defense that allowed 300 or more passing yards in seven of the 12 games and came up with just two interceptions over the final eight.
Lorenzo Burns is a good-tackling veteran corner who led the team with four interceptions, and Scottie Young is back at one safety spot after finishing third on the team with 66 tackles. All-star safety Jace Whittaker is gone, but almost everyone else returns.
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Top Arizona Wildcats Players
College Football News Preview 2020: Top Arizona Wildcats Players
Best Arizona Wildcats Offensive Player
OT Donovan Laie, Jr.
The hope is for QB Grant Gunnell to rise up into a superstar, and Jamarye Joiner is a dangerous receiver who should turn into even more of a top target, but the 6-4, 315-pound Laie is growing into a potential all-star at his left tackle gig after starting out at guard.
He’s got the NFL combination of size, frame and power, and now it’s up to him and C Josh McCauley to help raise the level of a line that struggled too often over the last few years.
2. WR Jamarye Joiner, Soph.
3. QB Grant Gunnell, Soph.
4. C Josh McCauley, Sr.
5. RB Gary Brightwell, Sr.
Best Arizona Wildcats Defensive Player
LB Colin Schooler, Sr.
While he’s only 6-1 and 229 pounds, he’s been a big tackler for the linebacking corps for the last three seasons with 313 stops, nine sacks, and 46 tackles for loss.
Steady, he came up with nine tackles or more in seven of his 12 games and 20 total in the last two. In a perfect world, the defensive line does more to get into the backfield and he can use his range to do other things, but he’s been one of the team leaders in tackles for loss over the last three seasons.
2. LB Tony Fields, Sr.
3. CB Lorenzo Burns, Sr.
4. LB/DE Jalen Harris, Jr.
5. DT Trevon Mason, Sr.
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Arizona Wildcats Keys To The Season
College Football News Preview 2020: Arizona Wildcats Keys To The Season
Biggest Key To The Arizona Wildcats Offense
The offensive front has to give everyone more time to work, especially the quarterback. The O was able to crank up yards – moving the ball wasn’t all that much of a problem – but the success comes when the passing game dominates.
The yards were there even when the Wildcats were losing, but they were 3-0 last season and 5-0 over the last two years when the passing game completed 65% or more of its throws. Grant Gunnell is a good enough and accurate enough quarterback to live around the 65% mark – that’s what he hit last year – if he’s given time to do what he does.
Arizona gave up 2.75 sacks and seven tackles for loss per game. Improve that just a little bit, and the offense will do what it must to make up for the issues on …
Biggest Key To The Arizona Wildcats Defense
Get … off … the … field. There wasn’t enough of a pass rush, there weren’t enough big stops on the early downs, and there weren’t enough takeaways.
And there weren’t enough third down stops. Again.
To be fair to Kevin Sumlin and the current coaching staff, 2013 was the last time your Arizona Wildcats managed to allow teams to convert 40% of their third down tries – that team gave up third down conversions 39% of the time.
Last year’s defense was 123rd in the nation in third down stops, allowing offenses to convert 47% of their chances on the year, and 43% or more in nine of the 12 games.
To put this in context. under 40% is fine and under 35% is good.
Washington was the only team held under 35% by the Wildcats – Arizona lost – and Colorado was the only other team held under 40%.
Key Arizona Wildcats Player To A Successful Season
DE JB Brown, Sr.
The offense will be fine. It might not be consistent again, and it might sputter a bit against the stronger defenses, but it’ll be good enough to win with. The defensive side is the issue, and it all starts with generating more of a pass rush.
The Wildcats only averaged 1.42 sacks – the lowest in the Pac-12 – and 4.5 tackles for loss per game. They need someone who can consistently get into the backfield from the defensive front – the linebackers tend to do most of the heavy lifting – and that means the 6-3, 255-pound Brown has to be a bigger factor.
He has been a decent part of the rotation over the last few years – coming up with 21 tackles with three sacks and five tackles for loss last season – but if he has a big year, the defense will, too.
Key Game To The Arizona Wildcats Season
Stanford, Sept. 12
Stanford was awful last year. It was banged up, beaten, and was a shadow of its Pac-12 championship-level self. It also whacked Arizona 41-31 for its sixth straight win in the series.
2000 was the last time the Wildcats were able to get by the Cardinal, and this time around it’s the Pac-12 opener and a chance to get off to a potentially big start.
The first three conference games are against teams that didn’t go bowling last year. Win, and if there are home victories over Hawaii and Portland State to kickoff the season, it’ll be the program’s first 3-0 start since 2015.
– Arizona Wildcats Schedule Breakdown & Analysis
2019 Arizona Fun Stats
– Sacks: Opponents 33 for 191 yards – Arizona 17 for 93 yards
– Time of Possession: Opponents 32:36 – Arizona 27:24
– Fumbles: Arizona 10 (lost 6) – Opponents 8 (lost 4)
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Arizona Wildcats Win Total Prediction, What Will Happen
1. College Football News Preview 2020: Arizona Wildcats Win Total Prediction, What Will Happen
Is this the year when Arizona finally comes up with a consistently decent season?
The 10-4 season with a trip to the 2014 Pac-12 Championship and Fiesta Bowl seems like it was a million years ago, and now in Year Three under Kevin Sumlin, it’s vital for the offense to be more explosive and for the defense to be able to do something right on a regular basis.
There’s enough experience returning on the defensive side to expect to be a wee bit better, and even with a few losses on the other side, there’s no reason not to expect a whole lot more production.
4-10 in the team’s last 14 games, getting off to a big start is a must.
And for Sumlin, at least showing a big improvement is a must, too.
Set The Arizona Wildcats Regular Season Win Total At … 5.5
Bet at BetMGM Win Total Line: 4.5
The Wildcats have to start out rolling with the first three games – Hawaii, Portland State and Stanford – all at home. The next six games after dealing with Hawaii are against teams that didn’t go bowling last year.
There’s no real break in interdivisional play – missing Cal and Washington State isn’t like missing Oregon and Washington – but there aren’t two Pac-12 road games in a row and there’s a week off between the away games against Texas Tech and UCLA.
The Wildcats need to be good enough to at least get to the four wins of last year without a problem, and they should be able to get a fifth victory somewhere.
But where?
They have to get by Colorado at home, and they’ll have to pull off an upset somewhere. Beating Arizona State for the first time in the Sumlin era would be a big deal, especially if it’s for a bowl game.
Expect a better team and a better season, but it’ll be a push to get to six wins.
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– Schedule Analysis
