The Arizona Wildcats hosted the California Golden Bears, and FINALLY broke the losing streak.
Let’s take a look through the Pro Football Focus lens, in conjunction with my analysis, to see how Arizona’s offense performed against Cal.
As a reminder, see the grading scale below:
QUARTERBACKS
Will Plummer
- Snap Count: 75
- Stat Line: 16-for-28, 129 yds, 0 TD, 2 INT & 11 car, 68 yds
- Overall (Last 2): California (67.5) & USC (79.1)
- Passing (Last 2): California (66.8) & USC (78.9)
- Running (Last 2): California (65.1) & USC (65.5)
- Notes: After everything that Plummer has been through, it’s fitting that he was heading to offense win UA won. He showed real grit after having a lacerated hand and a bum throwing shoulder. Even his two interceptions weren’t bad, as oddly as that sounds. One was tipped at the line and fell into the hands of a Cal defender. The other was effectively a punt. The key is how healthy he’ll be against Utah.
Luke Ashworth
- Snap Count: 1
- Stat Line: 0-for-1, 0 yds, 0 TD, 1 INT
- Overall: California (54.8)
- Passing: California (55.3)
- Notes: I feel bad for Ashworth. His first snap under center for UA resulted in an interception, though it really wasn’t his fault. The call was a screen pass and Jordan Morgan did not do a great job of engaging his man. The defender was able to stick his hand up and pop it up into the air. Not really a ding on Ashworth.
RUNNING BACKS/FULLBACK
Drake Anderson
- Snap Count: 16
- Stat Line: 6 car, 19 yds & 1 rec, 7 yds
- Overall (Last 2): California (68.3) & USC (58.3)
- Running (Last 2): California (69.6) & USC (56.0)
- Passing (Last 2): California (62.1) & USC (62.5)
- Pass Blocking (Last 2): California (29.9) & USC (71.8)
- Run Blocking (Last 2): California (59.5) & USC (59.6)
- Notes: Anderson has bounced back nicely after suffering a shoulder injury against Colorado. I still love how he runs and he does continue to be a problem in the passing game. He is a nice change of pace from Michael Wiley and Jalen John, who are more downhill, power runners.
Michael Wiley
- Snap Count: 38
- Stat Line: 12 car, 37 yds, 1 TD & 1 rec, 6 yds
- Overall (Last 2): California (54.5) & USC (59.1)
- Running (Last 2): California (60.9) & USC (64.9)
- Passing (Last 2): California (57.9) & USC (33.6)
- Pass Blocking (Last 2): California (5.5) & USC (74.4)
- Run Blocking (Last 2): California (60.1) & USC (60.0)
- Notes: Wiley has started to get more and more reps after going through a rough patch earlier in the year. He is doing a great job with the opportunities that he’s been given as well, scoring a touchdown in each of his last two games. He had the game winner against Cal on Arizona’s most efficient drive of the day, late in the fourth quarter. He also had a rare bad day in pass blocking. He is usually one of the blockers in the backfield.
Jalen John
- Snap Count: 8
- Stat Line: 4 car, 3 yds
- Overall (Last 2): California (54.7) & USC (63.9)
- Running (Last 2): California (55.7) & USC (67.0)
- Passing (Last 2): California (57.7) & USC (55.9)
- Run Blocking: California (60.0)
- Notes: John has fallen off a little after having recent success. He didn’t really have a great day against Cal. It’ll be interesting to see if his struggles continue in the final three games of the season.
Stevie Rocker Jr.
- Snap Count: 22
- Stat Line: 8 car, 24 yds & 1 rec, 3 yds
- Overall (Last 2): California (65.0) & USC (54.3)
- Running (Last 2): California (66.2) & USC (63.1)
- Passing (Last 2): California (58.8) & USC (44.7)
- Pass Blocking (Last 2): California (6.4) & USC (75.2)
- Run Blocking: California (68.3)
- Notes: Rocker continues to impress during his freshman campaign. He runs hard and shows an impressive ability to find open lanes. He started off a little slow against the Bears but he eventually started gaining momentum and getting bigger gains with each run.
Clay Markoff
- Snap Count: 14
- Stat Line: 1 car, 4 yds
- Overall (Last 2): California (63.7) & USC (54.5)
- Running: California (63.1)
- Passing (Last 2): California (57.5) & USC (59.8)
- Run Blocking (Last 2): California (58.0) & USC (60.0)
- Notes: Markoff is starting to establish himself in the offense. He did a great job blocking against Cal, a lot better than PFF graded him. They have been bullish on Markoff and I’m not sure why. He hasn’t been perfect, but he’s been more effective than they are grading him. Let’s not forget that he also got his first carry of the season....for a first down....on a fullback dive!
WIDE RECEIVERS
Stanley Berryhill III
- Snap Count: 56
- Stat Line: 5 rec, 43 yds & 4 car, 26 yds
- Overall (Last 2): California (65.6) & USC (65.8)
- Passing (Last 2): California (61.8) & USC (68.9)
- Running: California (70.4)
- Run Blocking (Last 2): California (60.2) & USC (36.1)
- Notes: Berryhill is really Arizona’s do-everything player. We know what he can do in the passing game, though he did have an extremely rare drop on a sure-fire first down pass. We also know that he is effective in the running game, having his best day on the ground. But he is also a special teams beast. He is probably one of the better gunners in the conference, if not the nation. He had a great ankle tackle on the Cal returner as soon as he caught the punt. Even better, he downed the ball inside the one on a magnificent punt by Kyle Ostendorp. Finally, he had a great punt return to set up Arizona’s game-winning drive.
B.J. Casteel
- Snap Count: 26
- Stat Line: N/A
- Overall (Last 2): California (54.6) & USC (53.3)
- Passing (Last 2): California (54.2) & USC (54.2)
- Run Blocking (Last 2): California (60.5) & USC (61.3)
- Notes: Casteel has dropped off the last few games, and Cal was no exception. He had his first game where he didn’t have any stats.
Tayvian Cunningham
- Snap Count: 17
- Stat Line: 1 car, 30 yds
- Overall (Last 2): California (66.2) & USC (92.3)
- Passing (Last 2): California (54.8) & USC (90.8)
- Running: California (69.1)
- Run Blocking (Last 2): California (55.7) & USC (56.2)
- Notes: After having a strong game against USC, Cunningham was a little quiet on the receiving front against Cal. He did have an excellent 30-yard run down the sideline early in the game. I want to e see more of him in the deep passing game these last three games.
Boobie Curry
- Snap Count: 14
- Stat Line: N/A
- Overall (Last 2): California (56.6) & USC (58.2)
- Passing (Last 2): California (56.6) & USC (59.3)
- Run Blocking (Last 2): California (60.3) & USC (60.0)
- Notes: Curry didn’t record any stats. Though he made a fantastic catch with a Bear DB in great coverage. Unfortunately, he landed out of bounds.
Jamarye Joiner
- Snap Count: 11
- Stat Line: 2 car, 0 yds & 0-for-1, 0 yds, 0 TD, 0 INT
- Overall (Last 2): California (34.7) & USC (56.0)
- Passing (Last 2): California (33.7) & USC (61.4)
- Running (Last 2): California (57.6) & USC (54.0)
- Run Blocking (Last 2): California (60.0) & USC (60.3)
- Notes: Joiner was clearly hampered, in some way, by his bum knee. I’m not sure if he’ll be fully healed by the Utah game, however, he will most likely see the field in a minimized role.
Dorian Singer
- Snap Count: 60
- Stat Line: 5 rec, 46 yds
- Overall (Last 2): California (60.7) & USC (61.0)
- Passing (Last 2): California (60.6) & USC (60.7)
- Run Blocking (Last 2): California (58.4) & USC (60.4)
- Notes: Singer has made himself a staple in the receiving corps the past two games. Beside Berryhill, he was Arizona’s best receiver against Cal. His best play was on a rollout by Plummer to the right. Singer got open by cutting back to the sideline and snagged a first down.
Anthony Simpson
- Snap Count: 34
- Stat Line: 1 rec, 8 yds
- Overall (Last 2): California (56.1) & USC (53.7)
- Passing (Last 2): California (58.5) & USC (54.8)
- Run Blocking (Last 2): California (42.9) & USC (60.0)
- Notes: Simpson caught his second career pass against Cal. Other than that he was pretty quiet.
Thomas Reid III
- Snap Count: 3
- Stat Line: N/A
- Overall (Last 2): California (60.0) & USC (60.0)
- Run Blocking (Last 2): California (60.0) & USC (60.0)
- Notes: Reid saw some action but didn’t record any stats.
TIGHT ENDS
Alex Lines
- Snap Count: 76
- Stat Line: 2 rec, 16 yds
- Overall (Last 2): California (50.5) & USC (58.8)
- Passing (Last 2): California (52.9) & USC (59.8)
- Pass Blocking (Last 2): California (59.0) & USC (76.2)
- Run Blocking (Last 2): California (51.1) & USC (60.0)
- Notes: Lines is becoming a weapon as each week passes. He is still inconsistent with his blocking, but man, he does make some nice catches. Example, he caught a 13-yarder from Plummer that was thrown behind him. He managed to slow enough and get his hands out to snag it. If the pass was more on target, Lines could still be running. This happened after Plummer suffered some injuries so it can’t be criticized too much.
Bryce Wolma
- Snap Count: 31
- Stat Line: N/A
- Overall (Last 2): California (62.6) & Washington (46.2)
- Passing (Last 2): California (66.4) & Washington (51.6)
- Pass Blocking (Last 2): California (72.6) & Washington (29.5)
- Run Blocking (Last 2): California (52.5) & Washington (51.7)
- Notes: After missing a game due to injury, Wolma came back strong. He was fantastic in pass pro. He didn’t catch any passes, however.
Zach Williams
- Snap Count: 1
- Stat Line: N/A
- Overall (Last 2): California (60.0) & USC (30.4)
- Passing (Last 2): California (60.0) & USC (53.3)
- Notes: Williams didn’t record any stats in limited action.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Paiton Fears
- Snap Count: 84
- Stat Line: 0 Pressures
- Overall (Last 2): California (70.6) & USC (74.9)
- Run Blocking (Last 2): California (65.3) & USC (80.6)
- Pass Blocking (Last 2): California (77.7) & USC (59.9)
- Notes: Fears has his second strong game in a row. He was a wall over on the right side of the line and was one of two starters who managed to stay healthy throughout the game. He has been extremely inconsistent this season, but he stepped up when the team needed him and kept his side clean.
Josh McCauley
- Snap Count: 84
- Stat Line: 2 Pressures (1 sack, 1 QB hurry)
- Overall (Last 2): California (65.4) & USC (65.7)
- Run Blocking (Last 2): California (60.5) & USC (60.9)
- Pass Blocking (Last 2); California (78.4) & USC (75.2)
- Notes: McCauley is Arizona’s best blocking lineman, and he had to showcase that even more against Cal. When Jordan Morgan went down with an injury, McCauley moved from center to left tackle. That’s an insane move and one I didn’t think would work. I was wrong. After have a rather difficult first series, allowing a sack and pressure, McCauley settled right in and made look easy like breathing. Incredible performance from McCauley.
Jordan Morgan
- Snap Count: 29
- Stat Line: 3 Pressures (1 QB hit, 2 QB hurries)
- Overall (Last 2): California (45.1) & USC (67.2)
- Run Blocking (Last 2): California (47.9) & USC (64.1)
- Pass Blocking (Last 2): California (35.8) & USC (68.6)
- Notes: Morgan did not have a good game. Yes he left early with an injury, but while he was in, he wasn’t good. His man was the player that sacked Plummer and hurt his shoulder. His man also swatted Ashworth’s only pass that ended up being intercepted. Morgan has to do better.
Josh Baker
- Snap Count: 84
- Stat Line: 0 Pressures
- Overall (Last 2): California (64.1) & USC (58.7)
- Run Blocking (Last 2): California (57.9) & USC (60.5)
- Pass Blocking (Last 2): California (86.9) & USC (47.2)
- Notes: He has been inconsistent this year, but that didn’t matter as Baker had a fantastic game against the Bears. He moved over to center when McCauley moved out to tackle. You really got to see what Baker will be like as a center, and it is good. He was strong and seemed way move confident and comfortable. His pass blocking was insanely good, the best it’s been all season. PFF got his grade right on this one.
Josh Donovan
- Snap Count: 68
- Stat Line: 1 Pressure (1 QB hit)
- Overall (Last 2): California (58.9) & UCLA (49.8)
- Run Blocking (Last 2): California (55.0) & UCLA (57.5)
- Pass Blocking (Last 2): California (73.5) & UCLA (52.4)
- Notes: Donovan was back after missing multiple games with a lower body injury. He seemed to reaggravate it, but that didn’t stop him from staying in the game. He did have a strong showing in the pass pro area but was not as strong in run blocking. Though that’s been the case all season.
J.T. Hand
- Snap Count: 52
- Stat Line: 1 Pressure (1 QB hurry)
- Overall: California (65.3)
- Run Blocking: California (63.0)
- Pass Blocking: California (76.4)
- Notes: You wouldn’t know it by watching the game, but Cal was Hand’s first action in his career. He played wonderfully. He started out as any freshman would, inconsistent and a tight. As the game progressed, you saw him relax and get more comfortable. And he played great. He also was the pulling guard and created the seal for Michael Wiley’s TD run.
Matthew Stefanski Jr.
- Snap Count: 4
- Stat Line: 0 Pressures
- Overall (Last 2): California (59.1) & Colorado (52.2)
- Run Blocking (Last 2): California (58.9) & Colorado (65.9)
- Notes: Stefanski came in when injuries started to pile up on the o-line. He, too, left early with an injury.
Leif Magnuson
- Snap Count: 16
- State Line: 1 Pressure (1 QB hurry)
- Overall: California (45.6)
- Run Blocking: California (51.7)
- Pass Blocking: California (6.7)
- Notes: Magnuson was another player who took his first collegiate snaps against Cal. He did admirable job but was graded really low after allowing one hurry. I believe that’s due to his limited snaps and the one pressure. Still, I think it’s too low.
Loading comments...