Rodriguez, teammates come to defense of struggling QBs
As he noted Monday, no one is more critical of Arizona’s quarterbacks than Rich Rodriguez.
But with Brandon Dawkins — and, to a lesser extent, Anu Solomon — receiving considerable criticism after a poor performance Saturday, Rodriguez came to their defense.
“As you all know, that’s the hardest position to play in sports, period. There’s nothing that compares to it,” Rodriguez said. “To play it at a high level, to play it effectively, is really tough, particularly when the pieces around you are sometimes new, whether it’s up front, on the perimeter or at running back. Sometimes it’s comical when people are overly critical of any quarterback play when they’ve never coached it or ever played it.”
Dawkins and Solomon combined to complete only 5 of 18 passes during Arizona’s 34-10 loss to Stanford. It was Dawkins’ first start since Oct. 8; he missed the Oct. 15 game against USC because of a concussion. It was Solomon’s first appearance since Sept. 3. He had been out because of a knee injury.
The entire offense struggled, and the veteran quarterbacks played a major part in that.
A review of the game by the Arizona Daily Star showed that Dawkins missed opportunities to throw to open receivers at least seven times. He ran on five of those occasions, gaining 14 yards. He also threw the ball away twice.
Solomon was guilty of missing open receivers once among his five snaps off the bench.
Rodriguez said it’s an oversimplification for media and fans to blame the quarterbacks for the Wildcats’ recent offensive woes.
Grant is The Guy
Grant is learning on the job, but Rodriguez liked what he saw from the senior against Stanford. So the converted receiver will remain at running back for the rest of the season, health permitting.
“As the game went along, Samajie got more and more comfortable with it,” Rodriguez said. “He was seeing things, pressing the blocks well. We’re going to keep him there.
“With our injury situation at running back, I’m glad we have Samajie. If he can stay healthy – not get that bug, knock on wood – I think he can be pretty good. I’m excited for him to be there.”
Grant finished with 64 yards on 19 carries, his final numbers suppressed by an ill-advised cutback that lost 24 yards.
Not Miller’s time
Starting “Stud” linebacker DeAndre’ Miller has not recorded a tackle the past two games. Rodriguez attributed Miller’s struggles to him being less than 100 percent. He missed two games because of an ankle injury.
“It sounds like excuses when you talk about guys being injured, but one thing that happens when guys are injured is they miss a lot of practice time,” Rodriguez said. “You can do all the rehab with the trainers and strength coaches you want, but this is a game that you have to play to get better at. When you’re injured, it’s hard to get better, even for a veteran guy; you miss all those live reps.”
Despite his recent slump, Miller still leads the team with three sacks.
Extra points
Rodriguez declined to comment on the status of middle linebacker Michael Barton, who missed the second half vs. Stanford because of a knee injury. Backup Jake Matthews said he’s ready to take on a bigger workload if necessary. The Wildcats don’t have many other options at that position with Cody Ippolito out for the season.
The team quickly transitioned Sunday to game-prep mode for Washington State because the Cougars’ style of play is so different from the Cardinal’s. Arizona crowded the line of scrimmage, focused on stopping the run and left its cornerbacks in one-on-one coverage vs. Stanford. That won’t work against WSU’s spread attack.
Despite injuries and other issues, Rodriguez said he’s “disappointed” in the offense’s performance this season. “We expect to score and move the ball,” Rodriguez said.