Bear Down Wildcats

I’ve seen Chi on Twitter.

That’s it.

EastCoastCat wrote: ↑Sun Oct 02, 2022 6:41 am AL, I’m with you 100%.

But I will say if we get a situation where we play our A game on offense and the other team is just so-so for that game we have a shot to upset.

Um, we're gonna need the defence to bring their AAA+++ game to for that to happen.

RichardCranium wrote: ↑Sun Oct 02, 2022 9:46 pm

EastCoastCat wrote: ↑Sun Oct 02, 2022 6:41 am AL, I’m with you 100%.

But I will say if we get a situation where we play our A game on offense and the other team is just so-so for that game we have a shot to upset.

Um, we're gonna need the defence to bring their AAA+++ game to for that to happen.

That's a given. I think everyone knows our D needs to play much, much better.

My point was the opponent needs to help us a bit too, specifically turning the ball over.

Our next five opponents happen to be our conference’s five ranked teams:

Is this the best the PAC has been in a long long time?

There may not be a national champion contender… but I don’t remember the last time the PAC was this tough 1 through 8…. maybe even 10

Alieberman wrote: ↑Mon Oct 03, 2022 5:10 am Is this the best the PAC has been in a long long time?

There may not be a national champion contender… but I don’t remember the last time the PAC was this tough 1 through 8…. maybe even 10

Looks like since the league became the Pac-12 there were 2 years (2013 & 2014) where the Pac had 6 teams ranked in the top 25 at year's end.

Missed it by that much.

Bwahaha...what a joke.

And JDL 7 after throwing 6 TD passes and close to 500 yards.

Those are pre-season rankings right?

Alieberman wrote: ↑Mon Oct 03, 2022 6:07 am Those are pre-season rankings right?

Ahh...my bad. But still the WR ranking is kind of crazy.

Hes so good...

Nason needs to be called out for not substituting out bad players. I rather give true freshman a go then watch missed tackle after missed tackle….

OSUCat wrote: ↑Sat Oct 08, 2022 8:07 pm Nason needs to be called out for not substituting out bad players. I rather give true freshman a go then watch missed tackle after missed tackle….

This. And make sure you know how to tackle before emphasizing takeaways.

I keep going back to how many players participated for Cal in that game a few weeks back. Probably 20 more dudes than we played. Normally I'm the biggest proponent of redshirts, but I think everyone dressed out needs to be playing this season. We have 22 good starters, but we are still VERY young.

Those Oregon backers all looked physically like Levon Kirkland. Some massive dudes who got downhill and had incredible mobility. Best LB corp in the PAC?

I need to see more rotation on the D Line, and more linebackers playing. Our starters are good solid players up front, but they have played 6 physical games in a row now with minimal substition. Right now it seems like Deuce and Ta-'ta'i see spot duty on the edge, but nobody inside.

Now, I realize that there probably isn't an answer on the sideline. But give Kyon, Shand and Dion some air now and again. In the linebacking corps I'd like to see more of Manu and Sterling play- Roberts and Cage have logged a ton of time and are undersized. Same goes with Warnell rotating or at least spelling Gunner at nickel.

My guess is the boys are absolutely gassed in part because we played 3 very real teams to start the season. Washington next week will be interesting. Its on the road, they just lost to Tempe Tech, frankly I don't know much about them. Seems like a game where Christian Young and Hunter Echols can really show out at first glance. Then we get a bye week and while the tough games continue, my guess is the defense will give up less yards per game and be much fresher after that.

My wish for this offseason is more depth. Get some big bodies from the JC ranks, and keep finding skill guys. Simpson has some burst and Speedy Luke is back soon- possibly after the bye!

Cowing is a Day 1 pro contributor. My god we are lucky to have him. As a washed up former HS wideout- Guy is worth the price of admission by himself.

That game just further exposed our weakness on both lines and at LB.

We got a stop on their first series but then for the next 6 drives at least they just bullied us down the field.

Their LB’s were surprisingly quick and physical. They played with an intensity that I have not seen from an Oregon team before. I think they learned a lot from Georgia.

As for us, one recruiting class is not going to fix this mess. We need two more solid ones for sure

Looks like the UDub defense is really banged up and playing a lot of freshmen. No sacks v. ASU and only 2 hurries.

Probably going to be a shootout at Husky stadium, last one to score wins.

Huskies will probably fall out the rankings, so at least the Cats can't say they are playing 5 straight ranked teams which doesn't help your confidence.

The UofA defense.

Irish27 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 09, 2022 12:25 pm The UofA defense.

Nope.

If it were the UA defense the old guy would be outrunning them into the endzone (wouldn't need downfield blocking)

I know we got our asses kicked, but this feels different than a Sumlin ass-kicking. I feel like the team is still heading in the right direction and I don’t think a loss in Seattle will change that either.

The offense is adequate. Would love another quality lineman or two, but what school wouldn't? We're developing a good O personality too. But Jedd Lasso still tries to be cute at times when it isn't necessary. Like the fumble on the first possession against Oregon. We were moving the ball well. Why change what's working? Highly unlikely it changes the outcome against Oregon, but who knows.

D needs a major talent upgrade. Or, maybe a coaching upgrade? Difficult to say, with this being Nanson's first year as DC. I think it's more a talent issue, and would love to see a few big D transfers come in next year. Game changers like the D equivalents of Cowing and JDL, and we will be able to tell if it's talent or coaching.

dmjcat wrote: ↑Mon Oct 10, 2022 12:11 pm

Not surprising. It was really bad against Oregon. Not the only change I would make.

USC game is a 4pm kickoff.

https://www.azdesertswarm.com/football/ ... F_QVUvvdkI

But at the same time, the UA defense has dropped to 119th or worse (out of 131 schools) in the following categories:

454.1 yards per game (119th)
207.4 rushing yards per game (T-119th)
36.3 points per game (121st)
74.19 red zone TD percentage (123rd)
161.19 quarterback rating (124th)
27 tackles for loss (126th)
6.94 yards per play (127th)
5.81 yards per rush (128th)
71.2 completion percentage (130th)
Those numbers aren’t just bad on a national level, several would be the worst in school history if the season ended now. The 2011 UA team that went 2-10 (and fired Mike Stoops halfway through) allowed 6.58 yards per game and a 65.9 percent completion rate, while the 1958 squad gave up 5.3 yards per rush.

A few more 500-yard, 49-point games, which has happened in all three Pac-12 losses, and the 499 yards per game allowed in 2012 and the 38.3 points per game yielded in 2016 (Rich Rodriguez’s only losing season) could also be broken.

With USC, Utah and UCLA yet to come, I think it’s fair to say those records will be shattered

I remember when our defense improved tremendously over the course of 1 season and was actually respectable again. Unfortunately that was last year.

While I'm pleasantly surprised by the offense (amazing what a QB can do), the defense is just awful. Makes me concerned about next year because 1 recruiting class isn't fixing it. Also, I don't think we can put all the blame on lack of talent.

DrWildcat wrote: ↑Thu Oct 20, 2022 9:09 am While I'm pleasantly surprised by the offense (amazing what a QB can do), the defense is just awful. Makes me concerned about next year because 1 recruiting class isn't fixing it. Also, I don't think we can put all the blame on lack of talent.

Will have to utilize the transfer portal heavily. Lots of playing time can be promised.

UAEebs86 wrote: ↑Thu Oct 20, 2022 9:25 am

DrWildcat wrote: ↑Thu Oct 20, 2022 9:09 am While I'm pleasantly surprised by the offense (amazing what a QB can do), the defense is just awful. Makes me concerned about next year because 1 recruiting class isn't fixing it. Also, I don't think we can put all the blame on lack of talent.

Will have to utilize the transfer portal heavily. Lots of playing time can be promised.

Of course, but it feels significantly harder to get good talent on the defensive side of the ball through the portal (or through recruiting for that matter). Feels like we have missed there more than hit. I hope offseason Arizona can come through here.

Last year, defensively, we were far from Desert Swarm but not terrible either. We were losing games from a lack of offense. We supposedly have more talent and more experience this year so what's wrong? The big difference is the coordinator. I think he deserves more than one year but things need to change.

Last year teams knew they didn’t have to score much to beat us. They dumbed it down I think. When they needed to score they did.

In one year our offense is light years better and hopefully with this off season we become much deeper and better on defense. I have a higher degree about these group of coaches than any staff since Stoops first batch of coaches.

Nansen has played and coached in this conference. I think he knows what it takes and he will get it done

No surprise here

This is a big big win. The Cats have something to play for next week. This is a school defining win. The win against UCLA is big, in many ways. We are still bowl eligible and went through the gauntlet of ranked teams and won one of them. The Washington State game is big because I want to see if the Cats have matured as a team or the UCLA game was a fluke. The last 2 games are at home and winnable. I hope Arizona stadium is packed next weekend. The Cats have momentum and a great opportunity for a much better future. Wazzu should be a big game.

How much do you think JDL wants to beat WSU staff?

This was a Big Fucking Deal for the program.

We are a 8 portal guys away from being a really good team. That’s what UCLA did last off season for their D.

Catintheheat wrote: ↑Sun Nov 13, 2022 12:08 am This is a big big win. The Cats have something to play for next week. This is a school defining win. The win against UCLA is big, in many ways. We are still bowl eligible and went through the gauntlet of ranked teams and won one of them. The Washington State game is big because I want to see if the Cats have matured as a team or the UCLA game was a fluke. The last 2 games are at home and winnable. I hope Arizona stadium is packed next weekend. The Cats have momentum and a great opportunity for a much better future. Wazzu should be a big game.

Definitely need to keep this momentum going. If we win out to become bowl eligible we will be one of those sleeper teams the talking heads like to mention all off season as possibly building something great. Would love to have a little hype around here for our football team!

Makes the next week game mean something other than a W or L. If we become bowl eligible that would be in my opinion a miracle. I said we would win 3/4 at most.

We definitely can beat ASU so WSU next week is huge for the program

4 wins was my guess I think. And what I would've been happy with if we competitive. Having something still to play for in mid November is great.

Crushing blow for Jordan. He was going into the draft but now so assume he will have to rehab and come back. He was running forward and not even engaged in a block when it blew out

A lot of guys had issues with footing that night.

Good season. Its good to end a season with a win. Going from 0-12 to 1-11 to 5-7 is good progress.

The freshmen were impressive and we're returning plenty of talent. Add the right transfers and this team could take a big leap next year. BTFD!

If this game would have ended with a failed 2nd and 1 and couldn't pick up a first down we would all be disheartened. I was happy with 4 wins but one had to be ASU. Congrats Coach now get us some defensive players NOW. I can not sit through another game like that.

5 wins was above everyone’s expectations. I thought 3-4 was the max.

Gotta work on getting our D to play better but they never gave up - last 2 ASSU possessions they came up with big plays and to me that shows heart.

BTFD!