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Arizona Wildcats football escapes Nevada via Rich Rodriguez offense; defense concerning

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Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

Who was your player of the game for the Wildcats? What were the key stats and plays that defined the game?

Sam Barbee (follow on Twitter): I'm going outside the box on this one. Drew Riggleman, the punter, Yeah, the punter! Two punts for 81 yards and they were both inside the 20. It's late! And field position is important. But Arizona's offense was really good; 507 yards of offense can't be trifled with.

Zach Willman (follow on Twitter): Cayleb Jones had a career night with 9 catches for 116 yards and 2 TDs. Anu Solomon was also huge going 22/26 with 278 yards, albeit with a INT. Solomon to Jones looks to be a solid tandem and Jones has the ability to grab quite a bit of extra yards after the catch.

Zach Pugh (follow on Twitter): Anu Solomon continues to impress. This offense remains in great hands with Solomon, and after another 507 yards, should sit nicely in the top 10 with the nation's best offenses. Solomon finished the game with just 4 incompletions to go along with over 10 yards per pass attempt. He also ran for 60 yards. I'm sure every defensive coordinator planning for Solomon is dreading the task.

Chris Turner (follow on Twitter)
: I was impressed with Anu Solomon, but I liked how Nick Wilson played on Saturday. He dominated on the ground for 171 yards and two scores, and really complemented Solomon and the passing attack well against Wolfpack. The entire offense is continuing to look good three games into the year.

What was the most impressive part of today's performance for Arizona and why?

Sam Barbee: Six yards-per-carry is a good, solid running attack. Pretty impressive considering Rich Rod loves to throw it around.

Zach Willman: Offense Offense Offense. Arizona's receiving corps is insanely deep with 6 players getting 2 or more catches all grabbing at least 15 yards. Nick Wilson also had a busy day on the ground with 171 yards on 29 carries. Wildcats Offense looks straight up fun to watch (and coming from an ASU fan).

Zach Pugh
: The balance of this Wildcat offense has been outstanding. It was no different against Nevada, throwing for 278, while running for 229. And they only needed 64 plays to rack up over 500 total yards. The Arizona offense will be difficult to stop for every opponent matching up against the Wildcats.

Chris Turner: The offense was so effective on Saturday, running for 200-plus and passing for 200-plus. Solomon and Wilson lead the way, and that could be a preview for things to come for the 'Zona offense this year.

What was the most concerning part of today's performance for Arizona and why?

Sam Barbee: A late score by Nevada made the margin of victory closer than the game would suggest, and Arizona lost the time of possession battle (if it is a battle).

Zach Willman: 429 yards of offense given up against Nevada? How many times can you get fooled by a Play-Action Pass play leaving an in route or out route completely open?

Zach Pugh: As good as the defense was, they had a tough time getting the Wolf Pack off the field on third down in a drive that spanned 16 plays for Nevada. There was three separate third downs the Wildcats' defense failed to capitalize on. This particular drive ended with a Nevada touchdown that tied the game at 21. An isolated incident, but concerning.

Chris Turner: Defensively, the Wildcats didn't do a good job of containing Cody Fajardo through the air, as he finished with 300-plus yards through the air for three scores, keeping the Wolfpack in it late. We'll need to see some improvement once players like Marcus Mariota and Brett Hundley come to town.

The song that best describes Arizona's performance is _____________ because ____________.


Zach Willman: Wildcat by Ratatat. A song featuring the same wildcat roar they use in their stadium, had to add it!

Zach Pugh: Atmosphere--Trying to Find a Balance. Few teams can do one thing well on offense. The Wildcats can run and pass effectively.

Chris Turner
: Paranoid by Kanye West because I'm sure Arizona fans were just that when they saw they were only beating Nevada by a touchdown for the majority of the game.