Arizona has no problem earning "alumni yards," those statistics that look good from the stands but have little impact on the game.
But things get bleak when the Wildcats reach the red zone — the area inside the opponent's 20-yard line.
The Wildcats' eight red-zone touchdowns rank ninth in the Pac-10. Only Stanford, which has played just three games, has fewer red zone scores. Arizona leads the Pac-10 with 318.2 passing yards per game but scores roughly six times for every 10 trips inside the 20.
The Wildcats' red zone issues have been the team's most glaring problem during its 1-3 start. Even if the passing numbers please the fans, coaches are increasingly frustrated with the end result.
"The red zone offense has really led to our demise offensively," UA coach Mike Stoops said.
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Through four games, Arizona has left as many as 49 points on the field.
"From the 30 to the 30, we're good — we move the ball as well as anybody," quarterback Willie Tuitama said. "It's just that when we get down inside those areas, that's when we start to mess up a little bit."
Players and coaches say Arizona's problems have to do more with execution — a word the Cats toss out like used Gatorade cups — than play-calling or even bad luck. Arizona's offense might lead the Pac-10 in passing yards, but struggles when faced with a short field.
Tuitama, the triggerman in the Air Zona attack, has fumbled and thrown an interception inside the 20 this season. He has also admittedly struggled to find open receivers in the post-snap blur. His history of head injuries has all but eliminated quarterback draws and sneaks from the Wildcats' running attack, meaning he has little recourse when the defense drops as many as eight players into pass coverage.
The UA is further hurt by its inability to establish a traditional running game. Arizona's 71.5 rushing yards per game are last in the Pac-10 and 113th nationally. First-year offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes said the Wildcats must average about 200 rushing yards a game to be balanced.
"I think that, in general, the red zone is tougher. The field shrinks, and when you're not running the ball very well … then it's a little tougher in the passing game," Dykes said. "We have to continue to execute better in our passing game — be more precise — and improve our running game."
Frustrated by the lack of progress in the red zone, coaches are tinkering with personnel.
True freshman Nicolas Grigsby will make his his second career start in Saturday's game against Washington State. Coaches are hopeful that Grigsby, who is more elusive than senior Chris Jennings and sophomore Xavier Smith, can bail them out on third-and-short or fourth-and-short situations.
Establishing the run would allow Arizona to incorporate more play-action passes to two of its most promising players, fullback Earl Mitchell and tight end Rob Gronkowski. When things have gone right, Mitchell and Gronkowski have been major factors. They have combined for two of the Wildcats' eight red-zone touchdowns.
Dykes said he won't break with the Wildcats' pass-first attack to save the running game. He was burned the last time he tried.
The Wildcats ran into trouble in their Week 1 loss at BYU when, faced with a fourth-and-five play in BYU territory, Dykes called a draw play. Since opening up the playbook in Week 2 to include more downfield passing, Arizona averages 434 yards per game.
"The yards will come — I'm not too worried about that," Tuitama said. "The main thing for me and this offense is to put points on the board."
Up next
• What: Washington State at Arizona
• When: 7 p.m. Saturday
• TV: FSNAZ*
• Radio: 1290-AM, 107.5-FM, 990-AM (Sp)
* See PAGE C4 for where to watch on DISH Network and DirecTV.
