Arizona Wildcats' quarterback situation still up in the air
Michael Lev
Arizona Daily Star
The quarterback situation has been a season-long source of uncertainty for the Arizona Wildcats, and it remains so heading into the final two weeks.
Redshirt sophomore Brandon Dawkins has started the past three weeks and in eight of the Wildcats' 10 games. Former starter Anu Solomon has played in relief the past three weeks and "might" start at Oregon State this week, UA coach Rich Rodriguez said Monday.
As has been the case since Week 1, Dawkins and Solomon are listed as "co-starters" on the official team depth chart. The only guarantee Rodriguez would make Monday is that both will play in Corvallis, Ore.
Rodriguez said he and others have been harsher on the quarterbacks than usual because the Wildcats aren't winning. They're 2-8 and have lost seven games in a row.
"When you don't win, you're probably more critical — you missed this touchdown or missed this opportunity here," Rodriguez said. "But if you go back, you probably had them in games you won in the past, too. You just didn't seem to focus on it as much."
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Arizona's passing production is the worst it has been under Rodriguez. Five quarterbacks have combined for a 51.7 percent completion rate, 1,872 yards, 11 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Rodriguez insisted that Dawkins has improved over the course of the season, even though his numbers suggest otherwise.
In his first three games, Dawkins completed 61.7 percent of his passes for 625 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. In his past five appearances, Dawkins has a 46.1 completion percentage, 540 yards, three TDs and four picks. Last week's game against Colorado marked the third straight time Dawkins failed to complete 50 percent of his attempts.
"There were moments in the last game … boy, he's pretty good," Rodriguez said. "Then there's other times like, gosh, we'd think we would hit that. And he's trying hard; it's not like he's not trying. So there's been some improvement. I think it's always harder to judge that when you don't win."
Dawkins has a 122.71 efficiency rating for the season. Solomon's is 119.85.
MORE: Complete Arizona Wildcats coverage
Penalty postscript
Rodriguez used words such as "not very smart," "silly" and "uncharacteristic" to describe Arizona's plethora of penalties against Colorado.
Some he didn't agree with, however, and he plans to bring those to the attention of the Pac-12.
The two Rodriguez mentioned Monday occurred in the first half. The first was a chop block called against offensive linemen Nathan Eldridge and Freddie Tagaloa. As Rodriguez noted, Colorado's Josh Tupou was holding onto Eldridge when Tagaloa cut-blocked him, not the other way around.
The second was a ruling of intentional grounding against Dawkins. Referee Michael Batlan said there were no receivers in the area when Dawkins threw the ball out of bounds late in the second quarter. At least one receiver was nearby.
Another first-half call had Rodriguez puzzled. The officials ruled that Nate Phillips fumbled after catching a pass from Dawkins, even though Phillips barely had possession of the ball before Ryan Moeller's hit knocked it loose. The previous week at Washington State, a replay review determined that Trey Griffey didn't complete a catch even though he appeared to take four strides with the ball in his hands.
"I could see the replay that he had it, made a move and then he dropped it," Rodriguez said of the Phillips play. "But if that was a catch, I would have thought that Trey Griffey's was a catch."
Late-night lament
Saturday's game at Oregon State kicks off at 8:30 p.m. Arizona time, and Rodriguez isn't happy about it.
Ten of Arizona's 12 games this season will have started at 7:30 or later local time. The Wildcats won't get home from Corvallis until early Sunday morning. They then will begin a short week in advance of the season finale against Arizona State a week from Friday.
"It's ridiculous how many times we've played night games at Arizona," Rodriguez said. "I understand that early in the year we're going to play at home at night because of the heat, and that's better for our fans. Pac-12 after dark? It's in the early morning by the time your kids get home and you get home."
Working in conjunction with the schools, the TV networks conduct a "draft" each week to determine the time slots. The Pac-12 Networks had the last three picks for Saturday. The league picked Oregon-Utah for 11 a.m. PT/noon MT, Stanford-Cal for 2:30/3:30 and Arizona-Oregon State for 7:30/8:30.
"I know how the system works," Rodriguez said. "The networks, they pay big money so … they're able to pick which games they want. We're at the mercy of them.
"I also think it's my job as coach to see what's best for the program, particularly the players. (People say) well, they can rest way on the way home or they can rest on Sunday. They'll fall asleep on the plane. But when you've got to get on a plane, go through security, get on a bus, it's 4 or 5 in the morning, you're not sleeping as well as you are in your own bed."
The Pac-12 did not respond to emails seeking an explanation of Saturday's scheduling decisions.
Extra points
Rodriguez described this season as "maybe the most frustrating year I've ever had." Arizona has been plagued by injuries, bad luck and other misfortune during its seven-game losing streak. The results, Rodriguez said, are not a reflection of how hard everyone is working.
Rodriguez said he hasn't lost confidence in Josh Pollack's kicking ability, even though he missed three of four field-goal attempts vs. Colorado. Pollack will remain the starting kicker. There could be a change at punter, Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez indicated that kickoff specialist Edgar Gastelum wouldn't play for Arizona again. Gastelum missed the Colorado game because of a concussion, which Rodriguez said happened when Gastelum got hit in the head by a ball in practice. "I'm not going to say the concussion is the reason he might not be playing," Rodriguez said. "I wouldn't expect to see him suited up, let's put it that way." Gastelum, a transfer from Arizona Western College, no longer appears on the Wildcats' online roster.