Arizona football roundtable: On Anu Solomon being pulled, Jack Banda, and the Wildcat secondary

It's been a strange season so far

It was a weird game for the Arizona Wildcats on Saturday, which was really just a microcosm of how the entire season's gone so far.

Let's talk about some of the major things that happened against the Colorado Buffaloes, and what this week's game will look like:

1. Scale of 1-10, how shocked were you RichRod pulled Anu Solomon?

Gabe Encinas: Probably about a 7. Especially considering the fact that Arizona was backed into their own end zone when Jerrard Randall took over, that was pretty shocking.

I even thought Randall was just going to come in for just that one play and then head back out for Anu to have more breathing room, but nope. That might have saved the game, and might have saved Arizona's season, because after the first minute and a half of play, Arizona had nothing going on offense, and Jerrard Randall came in as the spark plug.

Ryan Kelapire: 8. I can't recall the last time Rich Rod pulled a QB because he was playing poorly, and I never expected him to pull Anu for Jerrard Randall, that's for sure. Hey, it worked though, so it was obviously the right move.

Jason Bartel: I was at an 8.5 when it happened. Putting Randall in at running back or wide receiver? Alright, that would not have been surprising. But straight pulling Anu? I did not see that coming, nor did I envision it working either. Thank goodness I was wrong on both fronts.

2. So...the corner situation is scary heading into WSU, yes?

Gabe Encinas: Very, very scary. Luke Falk throws the ball about 55+ times a game, and our corners are not ready for that. I was impressed with Jace Whittaker getting the start, and coming up with a big hit in Colorado's first drive, and then he just got worked from there on out. Not to mention Cam Denson and his history of getting beat on killer 60+ yard plays.

DaVonte' Neal should hopefully come back, but it makes you wonder how much confidence the coaching staff has had in Sammy Morrison and Jarvis McCall, where they have to play another true freshman in Jace Whittaker above them. I'm also wondering where Kwesi Mashack has been, because even as a 5'8" corner, the little dude is nasty and he's impressed from time to time covering Cayleb Jones in practice.

Ryan Kelapire: It is scarier than anything else you'll see on Halloween. Washington State's air raid against this secondary is not really a fair fight. Expect Luke Falk to have a huge day.

Jason Bartel: If WSU doesn't put up at least 400 yards through the air, I'll be shocked. The corners have not looked great, and the safeties haven't necessarily looked very good when forced to cover wide receivers either. It's gonna be a long game, with a lot of scoring.

3. Did you know that there was a guy named Jack Banda on this team before Saturday?

Gabe Encinas: I had heard the name before, and knew he was a defensive end, but that's about it. I couldn't tell you what recruiting class he came out of, where he was from, or what number he was.

With Anthony Fotu suspended, whoever this Jack Banda guy is needs to step up. He played well against Colorado, and had two sacks, which makes him Arizona's sack leader for the season, which tells you a lot about the pressure this team has been getting on the quarterback.

Ryan Kelapire: I had heard of the legend of Jack Banda, but I thought it was just a myth. In all seriousness though, I didn't know who he was, and I was impressed by the pass rush he was able to generate.

Jason Bartel: I thought people that were calling out Jack Banda actually meant Jack Flatau, who's moved on to USD. Then when I discovered Banda was a redshirt sophomore, I felt even worse about not knowing who he was.

4. What would you like to guarantee this week?

Gabe Encinas: This is a trick question. If I guarantee something good on behalf of Washington State, in order to try some reverse psychology, and it fails, then I will get made fun of. If I guarantee something bad on behalf of Washington State, I will jinx it. If I guarantee something good on behalf of Arizona, it will also jinx it. This is a lose-lose question.

Ryan Kelapire: I guarantee that there will be hundreds and hundreds of passing yards in this game.

Jason Bartel: I would like to guarantee that I am going to beat this cold that I have.

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