On paper, in the standings and in Las Vegas, Arizona and USC are pretty evenly matched. Their game Saturday night could be decided by turnovers, penalties or the aspect of the sport Kevin Sumlin considers as important as any other.
“Special teams will be a big factor in this game,” the Wildcats coach predicted Monday.
Sumlin praised the “very, very talented” Trojans for their size and speed — and special-teams prowess. “They’re up at the top of the league,” Sumlin said.
Trojans fans might dispute that contention, but USC is first in the Pac-12 in net kickoff coverage. The Trojans rank in the top four in the league in kickoff- and punt-return average. They also sealed last week’s game against Washington State with a blocked field goal.
Arizona’s special teams contributed significantly to victories the past two weeks, although the unit isn’t quite where Sumlin wants it to be just yet.
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Two Saturdays ago against Southern Utah, J.J. Taylor returned a kickoff 84 yards for a touchdown — the first for Arizona on a deep kick since 2010.
This past Saturday at Oregon State, Arizona gained a first down on a fake field goal in the third quarter. The score was 14-7 at the time. The Wildcats went on to score a touchdown, and the Beavers never drew closer than 14 points.
Sumlin, who coached special teams at Oklahoma from 2003-05, meets with UA special-teams coordinator Jeremy Springer every Sunday. They review video of Arizona’s special teams during the afternoon and begin working on the upcoming opponent in the evening. That’s when trick plays like the one the Wildcats executed last week are born.
“We carry fakes every week,” Sumlin said. “We’re always looking for something. … If the situation is right, and I feel like it’s right, then we’ll utilize them like we did Saturday.”
The situation against OSU had more layers than you might think. Lucas Havrisik already had missed two field-goal attempts, from 43 and 55 yards, kicking into the wind toward the north end zone. This one would’ve been a 44-yarder.
Holder Jake Glatting, who played quarterback and punter in high school, ran an option to the left. Glatting read Jamie Nunley’s block and elected to keep the ball instead of pitching it to Havrisik.
Glatting needed 7 yards for the first down. He gained 8.
“It’s about feel for the game and where you are,” Sumlin said. “This situation came up, and obviously we were able to execute it. I felt like we could get at least 8 yards, and we did.”
Arizona was able to cash in after penetrating the OSU 25-yard line, unlike the two first-half possessions that ended with Havrisik’s misses. The strong-legged sophomore has made only 50 percent of his field-goal tries this year (4 of 8).
It was a cool, damp afternoon in Corvallis, and Havrisik was kicking into the wind. Sumlin said none of that should have mattered.
“There’s no excuses,” he said. “Everybody’s got a job to do. That’s certainly an area where we need to get better.
“We’re working with him. He’s done an excellent job with kickoffs. This is his first year really starting as a placekicker.”
After serving as Arizona’s kickoff and long-distance specialist last season, Havrisik edged senior Josh Pollack for the full-time placekicking job. Havrisik has made 60-plus-yard field goals in practice and warmups, but he’s still learning what it’s like to kick in pressure situations.
“You go to the driving range, you can hit it a mile,” Sumlin said. “But that fairway gets tight. You go to hole (No.) 1, and it’s a different swing. That’s a mindset. That’s something we’re talking about right now.”
Speedy Schooler
Like many schools, Arizona uses GPS monitoring to track how fast and how far players run during practice.
That data shows that linebacker Colin Schooler is one of the Wildcats’ fastest players. He “consistently” reaches the 20-mph range, Sumlin said.
“That’s pretty fast when you’re talking about some of the fastest people on the field being at 22 miles per hour,” Sumlin said.
Schooler, the 2017 Pac-12 Defensive Freshman of the Year, leads the team with 44 tackles and 10 stops for losses. He had a career-high four TFLs against Oregon State.
“He’s a tenacious player,” Sumlin said. “He’s a knowledgeable guy. He’s a great communicator on the sideline. He’s a great communicator with his teammates. He loves to play the game. Football’s in his blood, obviously. (Schooler’s father is a coach, and his brother plays at Oregon.)
“His kind of energy, and his kind of play, is contagious. … He knows what to do, knows how to do it and does it at a high level every week.”
Busy Taylor honored
Taylor was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week after rushing for a career-high 284 yards and two touchdowns against Oregon State. He became the first Wildcat to receive one of the league’s weekly honors this season.
Taylor also had a career-high 27 rushes. He never had carried the ball as many as 20 times previously.
Running the 5-6, 184-pound Taylor that many times isn’t something Sumlin wants to do regularly. But he didn’t rule out a repeat.
“It depends on the situation,” Sumlin said. “We want to rotate our running backs. But … he had a pretty hot hand going. I think the rotation was still pretty good for him. He was able to rip off some long runs.”
Taylor’s afternoon included touchdown runs of 40- and 62-yards. Backup Gary Brightwell carried the ball 13 times, although he did fumble an exchange with quarterback Khalil Tate.
Extra points
- Sumlin on Tate’s performance through four games: “Because of some things that have happened with him physically, the things that he’s encountered over the last three weeks, I think he’s handled things very well.” Tate sprained his left ankle Sept. 8 against Houston and has aggravated it each of the past two weeks.
- Sumlin was impressed with USC freshman quarterback JT Daniels‘ ability to rally the Trojans in the second half last week. “That’s concerning for us, that he’s coming on in the last half of the last game in a pressure situation,” Sumlin said. “Young guys grow at different rates. He’s seen a variety of defenses now. That’s been an experience for him, and he’s continued to grow.”
- Sumlin declined to comment on the status of cornerback Jace Whittaker. The senior returned to the UA lineup Sept. 15 vs. Southern Utah but appeared to hurt his left arm on the opening series. He hasn’t played since.
- Arizona’s Family Weekend game against Cal on Oct. 6 will kick off at 7 p.m. It will be televised by FS1.
- Sumlin on two linemen getting flagged for being too far downfield in the second quarter vs. Oregon State: “It’s something we fixed at halftime. It’s just part of our scheme.” Ineligible receivers can’t be more than 3 yards downfield on a pass play.
