Arizona football: Brandon Dawkins has a chance to capitalize

Anu Solomon's status is in question, and Jerrard Randall is not the most reliable quarterback in the bunch.

With Anu Solomon's status still uncertain for Saturday, Jerrard Randall would be next in line to take over the offensive duties. His explosiveness is unlike any player in the conference, but his accuracy is a complete liability for the offense. Rich Rodriguez has talked about Brandon Dawkins a decent amount these past few weeks, and he could be in line to get some snaps.

We've really only seen Brandon Dawkins in on six plays this season. He's attempted three passes, completing two for 15 yards, and rushed the ball three times for 78 yards and a touchdown.

Dawkins was once a highly sought after 4-star recruit coming out of high school. He was even once ranked the No. 14 dual-threat quarterback in the nation, turning down NC State, Notre Dame and Utah.

He was thrown in the quarterback competition as a true freshman, and he was someone who I really wanted to emerge as the starter. A 6-3 210lb true freshman quarterback -- who seemed fairly accurate and had some speed -- seemed pretty promising. But it was Solomon who emerged and led Arizona to the Pac-12 Championship Game and Fiesta Bowl.

When Arizona started landing the commitments of guys like Braxton Burmeister (2017), Khalil Tate and then Devon Modster (2016), it made me wonder whether Dawkins would stick it out or transfer for some playing time. Here he is, now in a favorable position to take over the quarterback duties, all contingent on Anu's health and Randall's performance.

Even if Randall does get the start, there's no saying that he's behind the center on every snap. Whether it may be due to his inaccuracy, performance at wide receiver in practice, or any unforeseen injury.

"Brandon might be a little more polished when it comes to the throw game, maybe," quarterback coach Rod Smith said when comparing Dawkins to Randall. This could be time for Brandon Dawkins to play to his strengths, and give the Arizona offense the best of both worlds, with decent accuracy and elusiveness.

It's hard to imagine that Anu Solomon plays this week, and Rich Rodriguez has the confidence in Jerrard Randall.Keeping Jerrard Randall on the field is a must, given his playmaking abilities, but a few mishaps, and we could see No. 13 out there commanding the offense. We'll see what Rich Rodriguez has schemed up for Stanford when it comes to managing his quarterbacks.

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