A year ago, Arizona had the nation’s third-leading rusher and a senior quarterback who ran for nearly 1,000 yards himself, leading the Wildcats to the fourth-highest yardage total in the Pac-12.
Those two players – running back Ka’Deem Carey and quarterback B.J. Denker – are now gone, leaving the Wildcats with freshmen in their places.
Somehow, Arizona’s offense has been even more dangerous this year.
The Wildcats enter Saturday’s game against the Bruins leading the conference in yards per game, averaging 542 per contest.
The key to the Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez’s engine is redshirt freshman quarterback Anu Solomon. Through seven games, Solomon has passed for 2,430 yards and 20 touchdowns, while throwing just four interceptions. On top of that, he’s also carried the ball for 191 yards.
“Because his mobility, his ability to throw the ball on the run, that makes that offense go,” said coach Jim Mora. “The way Rich Rod has always designed his offenses is for a quarterback that can put your defense in conflict and this guy can do it.”
Solomon’s versatility allows Arizona to get creative with its offensive approach. Since he’s a threat running and passing, many of the Wildcats’ plays are designed to give him the option to do either and to create uncertainty for opposing defenses.
Arizona runs what defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich dubbed a “quadruple option” – Solomon can hand the ball off on a dive to a running back, pitch the ball to another back, keep it and run himself or keep it and throw to a receiver.
“The whole quarterback run-pass option just goes to another level with this guy,” Ulbrich said.
This system designed by Rodriguez, who was one of the early adopters of the spread tempo offense that is not ubiquitous in college football, has given defenses problems all year and figures to do the same against UCLA.
Sophomore defensive end Eddie Vanderdoes said Arizona’s rapid pace is another key factor in its offensive explosiveness this year. But it’s not just how quickly the Wildcats snap the ball, but how quickly they throw it on passing plays that makes them so dangerous.
Even with all his options on each play, Solomon’s decisiveness and quick passes keep the offense moving, while also taking the defensive line out of the game, said redshirt senior defensive end Owamagbe Odighizuwa.
“I think that’s the biggest thing that’s to their advantage is that they get rid of the ball quick and they have a lot of play-action type looks,” Odighizuwa said. “So I think it’s gonna be challenging but I think if we get just our hands up in the passing lane I think we can still be disruptive up front.”
Further adding to UCLA’s defensive challenge is Arizona’s run game. The Wildcats have two power backs with over 400 yards apiece on the year and have had plenty of success running behind an experienced and veteran offensive line.
The Wildcats place even more pressure on opposing defensive lines by trying to space the defensive linemen out, forcing the defensive away from their assignments and opening holes for big plays.
So this week, with all of the Wildcats’ weapons and the trickery of their offensive system, the Bruins are focused on their defensive discipline more than ever.
“You gotta play with great discipline, you gotta run your butt to the ball and you gotta keep everything in front of us, make them earn every yard,” Ulbrich said.
Well written article. It will be a great game.