Arizona looks to bounce back against Colorado

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After a disappointing showing from the Arizona Wildcats this weekend, they look to bounce back for Homecoming against the Buffaloes of Colorado. The offense couldn’t get much going against UCLA this past weekend,  combining for just 255 yards of total offense.

The lack of production came from everyone on offense. It starts at the line, which didn’t open up many running lanes for Terris Jones-Grigsby and Nick Wilson. Also, leaving Anu Solomon scrambling for his life on just about every drop back. This caused Anu to throw poor, inaccurate passes to his plethora of receivers. Give it up to Solomon for not forcing it in there and turning the ball over, especially as a freshman. Although Arizona has quite possibly the best core of receivers in the nation, you can’t put the blame on them for not making plays. Sure, there were a few plays you have to be able to make to help your quarterback out, but for the most part, Anu wasn’t able to get his feet set and run the offense to his liking. After the game, UCLA’s defensive coordinator claims that Arizona was easily the fastest offense, tempo-wise. Good to know, regardless of being shutout over the last 57 minutes of the game.

The defense did all that it could against the Bruins. When going up against a preseason Heisman candidate in Brett Hundley, a much bigger and stronger version of Oregon’s Marcus Mariotta. Brett Hundley had a good amount of time in the pocket and when he was flushed out, he found a way to extend drives on his own, totaling 131 yards on the ground. Paul Perkins also helped pound the ball through the middle, gaining 78 yards on 21 carries. The passing game was essentially shut down by the secondary, allowing just 189 yards in their air, with 119 coming from junior receiver Jordan Payton. A great showing from the defense, especially considering that they were constantly on the field, as Arizona’s offense went just 6-20 on third down conversions.

The player of that game was Drew Riggleman, Arizona’s punter for those who didn’t know. He finished with 10 punts, averaging 47.7 yards a punt. If Arizona doesn’t go for it on 4th or punt it, it’s up to Casey Skowron to knock it through the uprights. The poor guy just doesn’t seem all there since the USC game, finishing 0-2 this weekend. but he’s still our guy. Hopefully he breaks through this mental barrier and builds some confidence going forward.

November 10, 2012; Tucson, AZ, USA; Arizona Wildcats defensive lineman Reggie Gilbert (84) and defensive lineman Dan Pettinato (90) sack Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Nick Hirschman (8) during the second half at Arizona Stadium. Hirschman was hurt on the play and never returned to the game. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

But that game is in the woods and the Arizona Wildcats have now dropped to #19 in the College Football Playoff poll. This game against Colorado will show how mentally tough Arizona truly is. E tither they bounce back and blow out Colorado like they have the past two years, squeak out a win, or even lose via the Washington State game last year.

If you thought that Arizona’s offense was fast, Colorado’s is even faster. The Buffaloes rank #2 in the nation in plays per game, running over 90 plays per game, 93 on the road. Arizona checks in at #5 in plays per game with just over 87 plays being called, 93 at home. So maybe we can expect a lot of offense this week.

Colorado’s true sophomore quarterback, Sefo Liufau, is ranked #11 in the nation in passing yards this season, just behind Anu Solomon at #10. Solomon also seems to be a little smarter than Lifau, throwing for 21 touchdowns to five interceptions compared to Lifau’s 25 touchdowns to 13 interceptions. But Colorado’s offense lies much in the hands of junior receiver Nelson Spruce. A top target in receiving yards, amounting over 1,000 yards on the season. Spruce has also accounted for 11 receiving touchdowns, good enough for 2nd best in the nation. It seems as if teams have figured this out, blanketing him in double coverage as seen in his latest stats, hauling in just one touchdown in his past four games. Colorado doesn’t have much a run game either, much like Washington State. However, the Buffaloes do have three backs totaling over 300 yards this season, a fairly balance attack between the three.

The Buffaloes have one of the worst defense’s in the nation, allowing 38.7 points a game, tied for 118th in the nation with Washington State. The similarities between Colorado and Washington State are eerie, however Colorado does not have the gunslinging quarterback like Wazzu in Connor Halliday.

This is going to be a game of offense for these two teams, with Arizona hopefully coming up with more stops than Colorado. Not just because Arizona has been much more sound on defense over the past weeks, but because Colorado doesn’t run anything that Arizona hasn’t already seen. With Colorado’s poor defense, we’re hoping that Arizona picks up right where they left off against Washington State to get back in contention of the Pac-12 South.