Colorado vs. Arizona: Wildcats players of the game

Who stood out in the loss to Colorado?

This was the last chance Rich Rodriguez had of pulling his annual upset, but the bid came up well short. The Arizona Wildcats fell at home to the Colorado Buffaloes 49-24. The Wildcats didn’t do as bad as the scoreline indicates though.

Arizona actually out-gained the Buffs, had only two fewer first downs, and also won the turnover battle. The Wildcats struggled in the redzone, which has been a lingering problem that hasn’t gone away this year. Going 1-for-4 on field goals didn’t help the cause either, but I’ll get into the players of the game.

Offense: Samajie Grant - Running back

Game Stats - 16 Carries, 113 yards, and 2 touchdowns.

Samajie Grant was a bright spot for the Wildcats on Saturday. He hurdled his way for his first rushing touchdown of his college career, and broke off a lot of big runs to help the Wildcats turn in the best offensive performance in a while. He averaged 7.1 yards per carry and bounced a ton of runs to the outside for big gains.

Defense: Michael Barton - Linebacker

Game Stats - 7 tackles, 5 solo, 1 sack, and 1.5 TFL

After missing the last game with a knee injury, Michael Barton continued his very solid season and was all over the field for the Wildcats.

Special Teams: Jake Glatting - Punter

Game Stats - 3 punts, 128 yards, 42.7 yards average, and one inside the 20

He shanked one punt badly, but his other two were very solid punts with a lot of hang-time. Josh Pollack had a pretty solid day punting the ball, but him going 1-for-4 on field goal tries might indicate he should just focus on one thing. In his defense, Edgar Gastelum, who usually handles kickoffs, got a concussion from getting hit in the head by a football in practice, and was unable to play. Regardless, not the best game for Pollack.

Honorable Mentions:

Paul Magloire Jr. - Linebacker

Game Stats - 9 tackles, all solo, 1 PD

Paul continues to have a good season, and in my opinion, has the best chance of getting drafted of any player on this team.

Nate Phillips - Wide Receiver

Game Stats- 4 receptions, 55 yards, 13.8 average

Mr. Consistency strikes again with another solid game. He has been solid since his freshman year and Arizona will miss him next year. He now has a reception in each of the last 43 games he’s played in.

Shun Brown - Wide Receiver

Game Stats- 2 receptions, 58 yards, 29.0 average, 1 carry, 29 yards

If there has been one bright spot this year on offense, it has been Shun Brown. He had one big catch and almost busted an end around for a touchdown. He has become Brandon Dawkins’ go to guy it seems, and should lead a wide receiver unit next year that is losing a lot of experience.

from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts http://ift.tt/2fvE0Kz
via IFTTT