BYU Football: Scouting the Schedule – Arizona
By Shaun Gordon
The Offense
The offense was the class of the PAC-12 in 2017, led by Khalil Tate. They led the conference in scoring, rushing yards, and total yards.
They’ve got some holes to fill, and their offensive line will be thin and inexperienced, but with a talent like Tate at quarterback, this offense should be just as potent.
Quarterback
This is one area where Arizona should excel. Tate enters his Junior year as a Heisman candidate and pre-season All-American. He led the Wildcats in both passing and rushing, and he’s one of the most dynamic players in the country.
He’s not the most accurate passer. His completion percentage in 2017 sat at 62%, and he threw nine interceptions against only fourteen touchdowns. But he’s accurate enough to be dangerous with both his arm and his legs, although he’ll probably be using his arm more under Sumlin.
BYU struggled last year against dual-threat quarterbacks, and if the Cougars can’t contain Tate it will be a long game in the Arizona desert.
If Tate goes down, though, things will get dicey for Arizona. The backup role will likely fall to K’Hari Lane, a redshirt freshman who has no college experience.
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Running Back
Among the running backs last season, Nick Wilson got the starting nod throughout the season, although freshman J.J. Taylor finished the season with more yards (862 to 630).
Wilson is gone, but Taylor looks to avoid a sophomore slump and create one of the most dangerous backfield combos in the country with Tate.
Nathan Tilford also saw the field as a freshman last season, rushing 13 times for 122 yards and 2 touchdowns. He’ll be a capable backup for Taylor, and he’ll get his fair share of touches as well throughout the season.
Receiver/Tight End
One thing Tate did remarkably well was spread the ball among his receivers. Six pass catchers had at least 150 receiving yards, and five of those six are back.
The wideouts will be led by the senior trio of Tony Ellison, Shun Brown, and Shawn Poindexter. There’s depth there too, with Cedric Peterson (Jr.), Devaughn Cooper (So.), and Brian Casteel (So.) all having game experience too. Brown has been a reliable punt returner for the Wildcats as well, and he’ll likely hold that spot again in 2018.
Tight End, on the other hand, will be a one-man show. Bryce Wolma had a solid freshman season in 2017, catching 28 passes for 241 yards and 2 touchdowns. He’s entrenched in the starting spot, and his likely backup, Jamie Nunley (So.), saw action in 11 games and caught 6 passes.
Offensive Line
This is where the Wildcats will worry on the offensive side of the ball. Arizona lost three of their starters. Adding to that, their starting left tackle, Layth Friekh (Sr.), will miss the first two games of the season.
So the Wildcats will enter their matchup with only one returning starter, Nathan Eldridge (Jr.) at center. The two starting guards will likely be Bryson Cain (So.) and Michael Eletise (So.), while Cody Creason (Jr.) will bring experience to the right guard spot.
Aside from those four, there’s almost no experience along the offensive line. Expect to see Alex Kosinski (Jr.) fill in for Friekh for the first two games, then drop into the two-deep.
Depth and injuries could turn a potent offense into a mess if the line doesn’t hold up.