Pacific Takes - Arizona football: Wildcats look to keep on spreading and shreddingWhere The West Coast Is The Best Coasthttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52598/pt_fav.png2014-02-21T07:00:03-08:00http://www.pacifictakes.com/rss/stream/44424852014-02-21T07:00:03-08:002014-02-21T07:00:03-08:00Another wide open QB competition in Tucson
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<figcaption>Brendan Maloney-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p>Four quarterbacks fighting to replace B.J. Denker as Arizona's starting quarterback.</p> <p>For the third-straight year of his three-year tenure at Arizona, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="#">Rich Rodriguez</a> will be breaking in a new starting quarterback, and for the second-straight spring practice, he will be having a very open quarterback completion. 2014's competition might be even more wide open than the furious 2013 competition as at least five quarterbacks have a decent shot at winning the starting job.</p>
<p>Like it did in 2013, there is a good chance that Rodriguez won't have a starter chosen by the end of spring and it could bleed into fall camp and here are the guys that will be the favorites of the impending competition.</p>
<p>Many expected senior and former USC-player Jesse Scroggins win the job over <span>B.J. Denker</span> last season due to his size, arm strength and athleticism, but Denker won the job and Scroggins battled injuries and didn't see the field. Scroggins has the physical tools, but didn't perform well in camp last year and you have to wonder if Rodriguez is wary of starting a senior that he will have to replace after the season at quarterback for the third year in-a-row.</p>
<p>Redshirt freshman <span>Anu Solomon</span> was so well-regarded coming out of powerhouse Bishop Gorman in high school, that some thought he might be able to win the job as a true freshman, but he was unable to and redshirted. With a year of experience under his belt, Solomon might now truly be the favorite to grab the job as his poise and dual-threat abilities make him perfect for Rodriguez' offense.</p>
<p>Like Scroggins, redshirt freshman <span>Connor Brewer</span> left a powerhouse program (Texas), and like Solomon was an incredibly decorated high school quarterback. Brewer is a bit more of a traditional quarterback than the other guys in the competition, so I can't help but think that might make it hard for him to rise to the top in Rodriguez' high-speed offense that has excelled so much with dual-threat quarterbacks in his first two seasons, but if he can use his accuracy to his advantage he has a shot.</p>
<p>Yet another transfer, this one a former LSU signee, <span>Jerrard Randall</span> might be the most athletic of all of them and if he can put it all together, might have the most potential of any QB on the Wildcats' roster. Randall isn't very big at 6'1 190, but also the fastest, whose running ability could also help ease the loss of <span>Ka'Deem Carey</span>.</p>
<p>The least talked about of those in the competition is sophomore Nick Isham, a small (6'0 188) QB, but is the only quarterback who has major college football experience, having started some games as a true freshman for Louisiana Tech under Cal coach Sonny Dykes. He doesn't have a ton of buzz around him, but he proved that he can really throw the ball around and put up stats at Louisiana Tech.</p>
https://www.pacifictakes.com/2014/2/21/5430922/2014-arizona-football-spring-preview-wide-open-quarterbackJack Follman2014-02-10T09:01:03-08:002014-02-10T09:01:03-08:00Arizona football schedule 2014
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<p>For more on Arizona football, <a href="http://www.azdesertswarm.com">head on over to Arizona Desert Swarm</a>.</p> <p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph0"><strong>Pac-12 future schedules</strong></p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph1"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.pacifictakes.com/pages/arizona-wildcats-football-future-schedules">Arizona</a> | <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pacifictakes.com/pages/arizona-state-sun-devils-football-future-schedules">ASU</a> | <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pacifictakes.com/pages/california-golden-bears-football-future-schedules">Cal</a> | <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pacifictakes.com/pages/colorado-football-future-schedules">Colorado</a> | <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pacifictakes.com/pages/oregon-football-future-schedules">Oregon</a> | <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pacifictakes.com/pages/oregon-state-football-future-schedules">Oregon State</a> | <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pacifictakes.com/pages/stanford-football-future-schedules">Stanford</a> | <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pacifictakes.com/pages/ucla-football-future-schedules">UCLA</a> | <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pacifictakes.com/pages/usc-football-future-schedules">USC</a> | <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pacifictakes.com/pages/utah-football-future-schedules">Utah</a> | <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pacifictakes.com/pages/washington-football-future-schedules">Washington</a> | <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pacifictakes.com/pages/wsu-football-future-schedules">Washington State</a></p>
<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/arizona-wildcats">Arizona Wildcats</a> have to feel pretty good about their 2014 regular season schedule. They get seven home games and five road games. They get bye weeks situated at strategically important times. Their non-conference schedule looks thoroughly non-threatening and should put Arizona solidly at 3-0 to start 2014 (barring a major upset). And then they'll have a pretty decent Pac-12 schedule with few mines to trip them up. They should be poised for a good season if <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/135337/b-j-denker">B.J. Denker</a> can continue to improve and the Wildcats find replacement running backs to spread and shred.</p>
<p>Here's the 2014 regular season schedule.</p>
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<li>August 30: vs. UNLV</li>
<li>September 6: at UTSA</li>
<li>September 13: vs. Nevada</li>
<li>September 20: vs. California</li>
<li>September 27: BYE</li>
<li>October 2 (Thu.): at Oregon</li>
<li>October 11: vs. USC</li>
<li>October 18: BYE</li>
<li>October 25. at Washington State</li>
<li>November 1: at UCLA</li>
<li>November 8: vs. Colorado</li>
<li>November 15: vs. Washington</li>
<li>November 22: at Utah</li>
<li>November 28 (Fri.): vs. Arizona State</li>
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<p>Arizona's two toughest games are on the road in Autzen and in the Rose Bowl, and it's difficult to see them having the horses this season to win either of those two contests. Outside of that? There are ten winnable games on the schedule if the Wildcats can find the appropriate replacement for <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/135340/ka-deem-carey">Ka'Deem Carey</a>.</p>
https://www.pacifictakes.com/2014/2/10/5314592/arizona-wildcats-football-schedule-2014Avinash Kunnath2013-12-31T03:00:01-08:002013-12-31T03:00:01-08:00An Independence Bowl viewing guide
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<p>They meet in Shreveport!</p> <p><b>Independence Bowl</b><br><br>Game: Arizona vs. Boston College<br>Date: December 31, 2013, 9:30 am PT, 12:30 pm ET<br>TV: ESPN<br>Online: <a target="_blank" href="http://espn.go.com/watchespn/index">WatchESPN</a><br>Radio stream: <a target="_blank" href="http://tunein.com/radio/AdvoCare-V100-Bowl-Arizona-vs-Boston-College-Dec-31-2013-p566879/">Watch here</a></p>
<p>Blog info: <a target="_blank" href="http://www.azdesertswarm.com">Arizona Desert Swarm</a> (Arizona) & <a target="_blank" href="http://www.bcinterruption.com">BC Interruption</a> (Boston College)</p>
<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/arizona-wildcats">Arizona Wildcats</a> and the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/boston-college-eagles">Boston College Eagles</a> will feature two of the nation's premier running backs (and one could argue that they were the two best) in <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/135340/ka-deem-carey">Ka'Deem Carey</a> and Andre Williams. Both teams are definitely run-oriented and will feature their own particular brand of rush attack (spread versus smash mouth). Now they meet in Shreveport of all places!</p>
<p>Arizona had a decent season again. This year was highlighted by their incredible toppling of Oregon, and also beat the Pac-12 punching bags of 2013 in Cal, Colorado and Utah. However they struggled with a lot of their Pac-12 foes, particularly in the South--losses to Arizona State, UCLA and USC all held them back from the upper echelon and kept them in the middle of the pack.</p>
<p>Boston College had an equally unremarkable season, and they did cross the continent to get get blown out by USC. Their most remarkable performances came against Florida State and Clemson, where they played close only to fall short in the end.</p>
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https://www.pacifictakes.com/2013/12/31/5234848/2013-independence-bowl-arizona-vs-boston-college-tv-online-radioAvinash Kunnath2013-10-09T06:00:07-07:002013-10-09T06:00:07-07:00Arizona gets ready for USC, faces the future
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<p>We chat with our Wildcat writers to learn more about what the Wildcats have to do for the present and the future.</p> <p><b>If you were Arizona, where would your focus be on the recruiting front to help improve the Wildcats?</b></p>
<p><b><a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/jasonbartel">Jason Bartel</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.azdesertswarm.com">Arizona Desert Swarm</a>:</b> Defensive line could be an issue with two seniors in Tevin Hood and Sione Tuihalamaka leaving. I'm horrible when it comes to understanding recruiting, but as far as I can tell from the transfers and the guys that are sitting out this year, the offense is in a pretty good place moving forward, and a lot of freshmen at linebacker and in the secondary are proving they can play big boy football.</p>
<p><b><a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/offensivelyfoul">Kevin Zimmerman</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.azdesertswarm.com">Arizona Desert Swarm</a>: </b>There aren't any notable holes at any one position this season aside from quarterback, but at that spot, the Wildcats will certainly have more options next season with Texas transfer Connor Brewer and four-star recruit Brandon Dawkins committed. On offense, Ka'Deem Carey and Daniel Jenkins will leave a big hole to fill at running back, and what's left behind them is relatively unknown. Defensively, Arizona will be losing some guys in the secondary, but most importantly will need to begin recruiting better athletes there and along the defensive line. Right now, the spurs, bandit and linebackers are carrying a lot of weight on their shoulders.</p>
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<b><a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/pachoopsab">Adam Butler</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pachoops.com">Pac Hoops</a>:</b> Depth, depth, depth and I'd be scrounging that up out of Southern California. That area has been a national pipeline but RichRod holds some national cred and while the area is a one-headed monster I'd jump in there and gather up as much talent as I could. What's more is the Wildcats are still just filling a nearly baron cupboard stemming from the Stoops era. Plus, why wouldn't I want to get over to SoCal?</div>
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<p><b><br> What are the keys to victory against USC? How do the Wildcats pull off a win in what figures to be an emotional environment in Los Angeles?</b></p>
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<b><a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/jasonbartel">Jason Bartel</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.azdesertswarm.com">Arizona Desert Swarm</a>:</b> I think that the offense and the defense need to be able to weather the storm early in the game, and then hopefully take control of the game in the second half. I don't expect Arizona to be leading at halftime, but the USC defense showed against ASU that they will tire out against a fast-paced offense, and they didn't look particularly good against the read-option plays that the Devils were throwing at them. So basically, playing a full 60 minutes and not getting down on themselves early in the game is key for the Wildcats this week.</div>
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<b><a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/offensivelyfoul">Kevin Zimmerman</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.azdesertswarm.com">Arizona Desert Swarm</a>:</b> Stay home. The defense can't take too many risks. USC is bound to try some tricky things this week with Ed Orgeron trying to make the Trojans have fun playing football again. USC is probably going to pound the small Wildcats with their run game, so the offensive needs to at least keep the defense fresh by winning the time-of-possession battle. And the offense simply has to keep the defense honest. It very well could've been a fluke and a snowball effect last week against ASU, but the Trojans are darn good. Arizona has to get 3-4 yards per play without trying to do too much.</div>
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<b><a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/pachoopsab">Adam Butler</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pachoops.com">Pac Hoops</a>: </b>The primary key would be to outscore them. After that, I'm interested to see how the Wildcats have adjusted within the passing game. Defensively we were satisfied with what we saw in Washington and no one has been overly impressed with USC's offense. With Marqise Lee remaining "highly questionable" the Arizona defense has got to be feeling at least a little more comfortable. If you'll recall, he caught 345 yards of pass in Tucson last fall. You might also recall <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sg_qUPtYahE" target="_blank">this awesome video</a>. Alas, the Wildcats may be best suited in controlling this ball game's tempo in order to win it. I imagine these Trojans will be chomping at the bit to get out and move. Slowing the tempo - yes I'm asking that of a RichRod offense - may behoove them early.</div>
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https://www.pacifictakes.com/2013/10/9/4819280/arizona-wildcats-usc-trojans-2013-previewAvinash Kunnath2013-10-01T07:00:06-07:002013-10-01T07:00:06-07:00Arizona offense a disappointment against UW
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<figcaption>Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The crew from <a href="http://www.azdesertswarm.com" target="new">Arizona Desert Swarm</a> drops by to chat about Arizona's troubles in Seattle.</p> <p><b>Where did Arizona struggle the most against Washington? What were the most disappointing aspects of the loss?</b></p>
<p><b>Kevin Zimmerman, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.azdesertswarm.com">Arizona Desert Swarm</a>: </b>The passing attack clearly left the run game and defense hanging. Ka'Deem Carey can play like an All-American, but if he's going to have a stacked box against him, he'll have to settle for a 4.5 or so yards-per-carry average and won't be able to break anything big. That's probably enough to have an offense that will help the defense stay off the field, but of course it's not enough to score many points. I'm not the optimist that believes <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/135337/b-j-denker">B.J. Denker</a> will figure it out, nor that he should be the guy in place to do so. But the coaching staff could put him in better situations to hit easy passes across the middle or on bubble screens -- though I fear throwing across the field on bubble screens might be too much to ask even. Anyway, it's a work in progress and the coaching staff will have to start getting gimmicky or find tricks game-by-game if the Wildcats are going to pull off some upsets.</p>
<p><b>Jason Bartel</b><b><b>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.azdesertswarm.com">Arizona Desert Swarm</a></b>:</b> Seems pretty obvious, but the passing game struggled the most, although special teams weren't too far behind. But that was not the most disappointing part of the loss for me. Not using <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/77388/daniel-jenkins">Daniel Jenkins</a> at all in a two-back set was the most disappointing for me. All we've seen so far is the ability to use both running backs to counteract the lack of a deep threat on offense, and that just flat out didn't happen against Washington. And it certainly doesn't seem like Jenkins was hurt since he came in when <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/162424/javelle-allen">Javelle Allen</a> came in to replace Denker, so I don't understand why he wasn't out there getting touches early and often. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/135340/ka-deem-carey">Ka'Deem Carey</a> can't do this all on his own.</p>
<p><br><b><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/158313/adam-butler">Adam Butler</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pachoops.com">Pac Hoops</a>: </b>I grew up hearing from my coaches a lot about the differences between aggressive mistakes and passive mistakes. My coaches could live with aggressive mistake (translated in football terms to perhaps a roughing the passer) but the passive ones, the times where someone would screw up because they backed away from the play, those drove my coaches batty. That was BJ Denker, unfortunately, on Saturday where he tried to be too cute often and backed away from his throws. Literally. Arizona's scheme is to protect him from having to be a major factor in the offense yet to beat good teams he must be. On Saturday Denker's play as a passer was passive.</p>
https://www.pacifictakes.com/2013/10/1/4788982/arizona-wildcats-washington-huskies-2013Avinash Kunnath2013-09-28T07:00:06-07:002013-09-28T07:00:06-07:00Can Arizona run away from Washington again?
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<p>Will Rich-Rod have his Pac-12 coming out party in Seattle, or are his Wildcats still not ready for the big stage?</p> <p><b>1. With Arizona State's loss to Stanford, would you consider Arizona on equal or lesser footing than the Sun Devils, and are they the main threat to UCLA now?</b><br><br>I don't think we can say where Arizona stands until after the Washington game. It'll all depend on how the quarterback situation looks and if Rich Rodriguez's offense can put up points without a vertical threat. I happen to think Arizona will be in decent shape even if B.J. Denker can't sling it more than 15 yards at a time, but we won't know until the Wildcats play a very good Huskies team. So for now, I think Arizona is just a step behind ASU in terms of where they stand. But if Arizona shows well this week, then I just might put them ahead of the Sun Devils -- it's just hard to do right now knowing ASU has a very capable quarterback.</p>
<p><b>2. What have you seen from Arizona through their non-conference schedule that has really impressed you? </b><br><br>The good news is that the offense is scoring decently enough by running, running and running. But aside from that, I think that it's really positive to see the defense creating turnovers and gaining confidence. It gave up a lot of points and yardage last season, but with so many returning players, the defense very well could be good enough to keep this team competitive -- and without many offensive options outside Ka'Deem Carey.</p>
<p><b><br>3. What have you seen from Arizona through their non-conference schedule that really concerns you? </b></p>
<p>The quarterback situation, obviously. We've harped on it quite a bit, but it's scary that they've needed to build a passing attack but haven't implemented it into game play so far. Part of me hopes it's so that B.J. Denker will surprise a lot of people this week and beyond, but the cynical side of me says it's because there's not much the passing game can do.<br><b><br>4. If you could describe Arizona as a dessert, it would be _______________ because __________________________.</b></p>
<p>Like a really good vanilla ice cream but with no cherry on top. I think this team is going to end up being a run-heavy squad that will still put up points and yardage despite defenses knowing what to expect. There's nothing fancy and only one flavor, but it's not necessarily a bad thing. The Wildcats will be simple but simply effective. <b></b><b><br><br>5. Arizona ripped up Washington last year, but this is looking like a much more improved squad. </b><br><br>I think the Huskies are legitimate this season and had a lot of bad things go their way last year. They also didn't do so poorly when you consider the schedule. Last year, the Wildcats were coming off a bye and hosted a Washington team coming off two very tough losses to Oregon and USC. I usually don't go with qualitative analysis like that, but I think the Huskies were simply not in a good place mentally. This year should be very different and a lot more interesting.<img src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/images/cleardot.gif"></p>
https://www.pacifictakes.com/2013/9/28/4771858/arizona-wildcats-football-2013-rich-rodriguezAvinash Kunnath2013-09-11T09:00:06-07:002013-09-11T09:00:06-07:00Where does Arizona stack up in the Pac-12 South?
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<figcaption>Ethan Miller</figcaption>
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<p>We concluded our conversation with <a href="https://twitter.com/jasonbartel" target="new">Jason Bartel</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/offensivelyfoul" target="new">Kevin Zimmerman</a> of <a href="http://www.azdesertswarm.com" target="new">Arizona Desert Swarm</a> to learn more about the Wildcats and what they still have to work on to get better as a team.</p> <p><b>What do the Wildcats still have to work on as a team to improve? What are the biggest weaknesses you see so far?</b></p>
<p><b>Jason: </b>Pass protection and punting are probably the two biggest areas. Think Denker will look downfield more against UTSA and he'll prove that he can throw the ball. The longest completion of the year so far is 31 yards, and that was in the first couple minutes of the NAU game. Biggest weakness is clearly the passing game. Part of that's on Denker, and part of that's on the inexperience at receiver.</p>
<p><b>Kevin: </b>Can't really go with anything other than the lack of a passing attack here. The defense was bad last season but looks much improved from last year, though I suppose you could worry about the lack of pass rush (I don't believe we've seen anything more than basic schemes from Jeff Casteel to this point, however). Likewise, there are a lot of returning players across the roster. Even with a few freshmen in the receiving group, it all comes down to who can get them the ball.</p>
<p>Again, it's a wonder what's behind Denker. It's easy to say Arizona should try to find a quarterback who's a better passer, but there must be a reason Rodriguez hasn't pulled the trigger on that.</p>
<p><b>Where would you rank Arizona in the Pac-12 South at this moment based on how everyone else has performed?</b></p>
<p><b>Jason: </b>Third behind UCLA and ASU.</p>
<p><b>Kevin: </b>I'd put the Wildcats third behind UCLA and ASU. For as big of questions as they have, I think the Wildcats deserve to be ranked ahead of USC. And though Utah has shown signs its ready to come in the Pac-12, I'm not going to buy into their success until the consistency is there.</p>
<p>UCLA and ASU deserve to be ahead of Arizona. They have better defenses. Oh, and they are pretty set at QB.</p>
<p><b> What new things would you like to see from Arizona against UTSA?</b></p>
<p><b>Jason: </b>New thing? I'd like to see Denker have less than 11 rushing attempts. He's not big enough to take the kind of punishment he's been taking for an entire year.</p>
<p>I'd like to see <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/135340/ka-deem-carey">Ka'Deem Carey</a> start, and I have a feeling that'll happen. Jenkins started the UNLV game because RichRod said he "earned it". I think Ka'Deem went out there and earned the starting job back.</p>
<p><b>Kevin</b>: If we get away from the quarterback situation, I'd like to see the Wildcats continue with their playmaking on the defense side of things. So far they've scored more points from the defense than they've given up, and against a cupcake non-conference schedule, that'd be good to keep up with.</p>
<p>But yeah, it'd be nice to see if there are any other quarterbacks who might be better off. At the least, it'd be nice to see Denker get more opportunities to toss it about, just to get him more comfortable once Arizona needs him to take some pressure off the run game.</p>
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<p><i><a href="https://twitter.com/jasonbartel" target="new">Follow Jason </a>and <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/offensivelyfoul">Kevin on Twitter </a> and check out <a href="http://www.azdesertswarm.com" target="new">Arizona Desert Swarm</a> for more Wildcats action!</i></p>
https://www.pacifictakes.com/2013/9/11/4713772/arizona-asu-ucla-football-2013Avinash Kunnath2013-09-10T09:00:09-07:002013-09-10T09:00:09-07:00Will Arizona keep on spreading and shredding?
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/vPY26p-L12Y3JWYrFjFYu9FmSG8=/0x93:4000x2760/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/19258905/180033989.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Ethan Miller</figcaption>
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<p>The Arizona Wildcats have destroyed their first two opponents, and we chatted with <a href="https://twitter.com/jasonbartel" target="new">Jason Bartel</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/offensivelyfoul" target="new">Kevin Zimmerman</a> of <a href="http://www.azdesertswarm.com" target="new">Arizona Desert Swarm</a> to learn more about how well his team has been performing.</p> <p><b>How much do you trust <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/135337/b-j-denker">B.J. Denker</a> after his first two performances? What are his strengths and what are his weaknesses?</b></p>
<p><b>Jason: </b>I've found that I'm sort of the contrarian here, and I think Denker is doing exactly what he needs to be doing to get the most out of this offense. Through two games, he doesn't have a pick, and his only turnover was on a botched snap in the third quarter of UNLV. He's shown that he can read defenses effectively. If you count the Colorado game from last year, the team's averaging about 50 points per game in his three games. I think that's pretty good. I'd rather have him out there than <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/162424/javelle-allen">Javelle Allen</a> or Jesse Scroggins.</p>
<p>I think his biggest strength is recognizing where the running lanes are immediately. That shows with the large number of really long runs that the Cats have had in the first two games. His weakness is recognizing open guys downfield. Everything seems to be at a quicker pace for him compared to everyone else, and he doesn't get his eyes downfield enough to see if someone's actually open down there. He just decides to take off the second the pocket collapses even a little bit on him.</p>
<p><b>Kevin</b>: I actually trust Denker more than most people, I think. The general feel is everyone is very down on him, but if we're talking about trust, he seems to be making the right plays and not trying anything he can't do -- I think he knows the offense better than any other quarterback and is a decent-enough game manager. He's pulling the ball on zone reads, isn't forcing passes into tight spaces when he shouldn't and aside from a couple of possessions late in the UNLV game hasn't played out of his comfort zone.</p>
<p>Now, the issue is whether he's too one-dimensional. Everyone is worried about his lack of an arm and lack of accuracy on passes greater than 10 or 15 yards. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="#">Rich Rodriguez</a> has coached offenses that didn't necessarily have a great passer and had success, so we're hoping that's the case if Denker is truly the best option. He looks like he's fast enough to be a threat to run so that fits with the offense. But if teams start stacking the box on the run game, it sure will get interesting.</p>
<p><b>With <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/135340/ka-deem-carey">Ka'Deem Carey</a> back, do you think are the Wildcats the second most explosive offense in the Pac-12?</b></p>
<p><b>Jason: </b>Eh, tough to say. Washington and UCLA probably have strong cases for that distinction. Don't think he'll keep up his average of over 10 yards a carry, but having three running threats (Carey, Jenkins and Denker) on every play is kind of nice.</p>
<p><b>Kevin: </b>I think because of the one-dimension aspect of this offense, it might be third or fourth in terms of explosiveness, at best. Oregon, ASU and UCLA can all run the ball and pack a lot of snaps into little time. Washington so far has also looked impressive since <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/86098/keith-price">Keith Price</a> has a little bit of time in the pocket. So even with Carey, I think the lack of a passing threat will do a great deal to keep it simple for opposing defenses.</p>
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<p><i><a href="https://twitter.com/jasonbartel" target="new">Follow Jason </a>and <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/offensivelyfoul">Kevin on Twitter </a> and check out <a href="http://www.azdesertswarm.com" target="new">Arizona Desert Swarm</a> for more Wildcats action!<a href="http://www.azdesertswarm.com" target="new"><br></a></i></p>
https://www.pacifictakes.com/2013/9/10/4712932/arizona-wildcats-football-kadeem-carey-2013Avinash Kunnath