Timing of UA off week just right for RB Taylor
No Arizona Wildcat needs a week off more than tailback J.J. Taylor.
The redshirt sophomore carried a career-high 40 times Friday night against Colorado — six days after carrying a career-high 30 times against Oregon. Those 70 rushes netted 404 yards, giving Taylor 1,221 for the season.
Taylor ranks third in the country behind Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor (1,363) and Memphis’ Darrell Henderson (1,280). Jonathan Taylor has an FBS-high 208 carries. J.J. Taylor has 207.
“We don’t want to hand it to J.J. 40 times,” UA coach Kevin Sumlin said Monday. “We’re all better off when we’re splitting time.”
Taylor’s increased workload was born out of necessity. No. 2 tailback Gary Brightwell suffered an apparent ankle injury in the second quarter against Oregon. He did not return and sat out the Colorado game.
Regarding Brightwell’s availability for Arizona’s post-bye trip to Washington State on Nov. 17, Sumlin said: “We’ll see. … We’ll probably know a little more by the end of the week.”
Sumlin said players “we’ve depended on for the last 10 weeks” would get more rest than reps this week. Taylor most certainly falls into that category.
Taylor — who’s listed at 5-6, 184 pounds — looked spent after the Colorado game. That shouldn’t have come as a surprise: He carried the ball on eight of Arizona’s final 10 offensive plays as the Wildcats ran the final 5:07 off the clock.
Two of the runs displayed the full range of Taylor’s talents.
On third-and-9 from the UA 2, Taylor broke through the line, fended off a tackle, used his right hand to maintain his balance and practically crawled for an additional 10 yards.
On third-and-6 from the UA 35, Taylor scooted through a hole on the right side and raced down the sideline. Then, recognizing the situation, he slid to the turf, staying in bounds so the clock would keep running after the chains were reset.
“It was typical J.J.,” Sumlin said. “He’s got great balance. He’s got great talent. He’s got great want-to.
“Both of those runs, that tells you the experience level that he has, the intelligence that he has. … He’s talented, but he’s also a very smart player.
“To execute that the way he did says a lot about him.”
Taylor, who finished with 192 yards, also had several blitz pickups that gave quarterback Khalil Tate time to complete passes down the field. The ability to size up the defensive front and block the free rusher is what separates Taylor from the rest of the UA running backs.
“The back’s gotta be a lot like the quarterback to be able to sort these things out,” Sumlin said. “That takes some work. You have to be comfortable with that. Being able to protect is a big deal.”
With Brightwell unavailable, Anthony Mariscal and Nathan Tilford each carried the ball once against Colorado.
Mariscal had been the No. 3 tailback, so it was no surprise he got the call on a key third-and-1. Tilford hadn’t dressed for the first nine games.
The highest-ranked recruit in Arizona’s 2017 class, Tilford was expected to be part of a three-man rotation. But inconsistencies in his game — including blitz pickup — prevented the sophomore from climbing the depth chart.
Arizona might need him down the stretch. This week offers Tilford an opportunity to “show what he can do” and “develop and create more trust,” Sumlin said.
Tate ‘looks healthier’
The bye will give Tate additional time to get closer to 100 percent. He missed most of the Utah game and all of the UCLA game because of a sprained left ankle that had bothered him since early September.
Tate moved and played better against Oregon and Colorado. He passed for a career-high 350 yards and five touchdowns against the Buffaloes and had a season-long 25-yard run.
“He looks healthier,” Sumlin said. “That’s the first time seen we’ve him run like that in a long time.”
Havrisik’s work pays off
Kicker Lucas Havrisik was among the unsung heroes of the Colorado game.
Demoted in midseason after making only four of his first nine field-goal attempts, Havrisik drilled 49- and 55yarders in the second quarter against the Buffaloes. The Wildcats ended up winning by eight points.
“When you basically get benched … there’s only one or two ways to go,” Sumlin said. “Some guys understand it and take ownership and continue to work. And then some guys can go the other way.
“Instead of pouting … he continued to work at it. You never know when your opportunity is going to come. Obviously, he made the most of his opportunity.”