UCLA Football: Previewing the Arizona Wildcats - Part 2 - Offense

As mentioned in Part I of the preview, Arizona is scoring over 39 ppg and has the #4 offense in the country. They gain nearly 200 ypg on the ground and over 350 ypg through the air, and possess one of the best offenses in the country. The production is not a fluke given coach Rich Rodriguez's pedigree, but it's also related to the talent Arizona has on the roster.

Arizona might not be the deepest team in the Pac-12, but they have a dynamic dual-threat quarterback, a very good running back, a group of big, strong, and fast receivers led by one of the best young sophomores in the country, and an offensive line that returns all five starters from last season. That's a recipe for success if there ever was one in college football.

Quarterbacks

Arizona lost Nick Foles to the NFL, but they happen to have an excellent replacement in Matt Scott (6'3 196 lbs. Sr.). UCLA fans are well aware of Scott's ability after he led the Wildcats to a win at the Rose Bowl two years ago, and Scott has been great this season. Scott is completing 62.9% of his passes and has 2,724 yards with 20 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. He has also ran for 365 yards on 80 attempts with 4 touchdowns, and has even punted twice.

After Scott, Arizona has B.J. Denker (6'3 177 lbs. Jr.) and Javelle Allen (6'2 226 Fr.). Denker isn't a very good fit for RichRod's offense, but he would play should something happen to Scott. Allen is a big, mobile quarterback that will be Arizona's quarterback in the future. He hasn't played this season, and he's likely to redshirt at this point.

Running Backs

Unlike Arizona St., Arizona doesn't have a stable of productive running backs. It does, however, have Ka'Deem Carey (5'10 197 lbs. So.). Carey has been excellent this season, rushing for 961 yards with 12 touchdowns. He's a true bell-cow, averaging over 22 carries per game. He adds 24 receptions for 230 yards and a touchdown.

Daniel Jenkins (5'9 196 lbs. Jr.) is the backup, but he has only 30 carries for 121 yards and 3 receptions for 26 yards on the season. Jared Baker (5'8 191 lbs. Fr.), Elliot Taylor (5'10 186 lbs. Jr.) and Kylan Butler (5'7 186 lbs. Jr.) all also have carries this season, but expect Carey and Jenkins to carry the load this weekend.

Taimi Tutogi (6'1 260 lbs. Sr.) is listed at fullback after playing at H/TE last year. He isn't just a blocker, and has 10 receptions on the year including a touchdown.

Receivers and Tight Ends

Arizona has a trio of really good receivers in Austin Hill (6'3 211 lbs. So.), Dan Buckner (6'4 215 lbs. Sr.), and Richard Morrison (5'11 183 lbs. Jr.) Hill starts at slot, and has had an incredible season with 54 receptions for 937 yards and 7 touchdowns thus far. He scorched USC for 10 receptions and 259 yards last week and had 11 catches for 165 yards and 2 touchdowns against Stanford earlier in the season.

Buckner starts outside, utilizing his big 6'4 frame. Arizona has a lot of big receivers, and Buckner takes advantage of his size. He has 51 catches for 656 yards and 3 touchdowns on the year.

Morrison is one of the few small receivers on the roster. He starts in the slot and has 23 receptions for 171 yards and two touchdowns this season. Johnny Jackson (5'10 179 lbs. Fr.) will back up Morrison and Hill inside.

The other starter outside is technically Terrence Miller (6'4 226 lbs. Sr.), who is a very talented receiver, but has been battling injuries all year long and it's unclear if he'll play. If he does not play, David Richards (6'4 203 lbs. Fr.) will likely get the start as his listed back-up, but Arizona will also use Tyler Slavin (6'2 205 So.).

Drew Robinson (6'5 256 lbs. Sr.) TE/H-Back. Robinson will play the TE spot. At 6'5 250 lbs., he has good size. Tutogi will be used as a lead blocker, which fits his 6'1 250 lbs. frame perfectly.

Offensive Line

The Wildcat line has struggled last year, giving up a little over 2 sacks per game and struggling with run production. However, they were very young and have benefitted from a year of experience and change in scheme. They return all five starters from last year's unit and have only given up 12 sacks and 44 tackles for loss this year, and are managing roughly 200 yards on the ground.

Arizona starts a pair of sophomore tackles that played last year as freshman, LT Mickey Baucus (6'8 303 lbs. So) and RT Fabbians Ebbele (6'8 305 lbs. So). At the guard spots, LG Chris Putton (6'4 298 lbs. Jr.). and RG Trace Biskin (6'5 295 lbs. Sr.) flank C Kyle Quinn (6'3 300 lbs. Sr.) and form a pretty experienced interior.

That concludes the preview of the Arizona Wildcats' coaching and offense. Fire away with any questions or comments.