蜜柚直播

1. 鈥淛UST NOT THE SAME鈥�

The ESPN2 announcing crew spent a large portion of the broadcast talking about UA quarterback Khalil Tate鈥檚 health 鈥� specifically the left ankle he sprained in Week 2 that鈥檚 clearly still bothering him. At one point, analyst Rod Gilmore said: 鈥淗e鈥檚 just not the same.鈥� How does that manifest itself? Simply put, there are certain plays Tate doesn鈥檛 seem to be able to make that he made look easy last year. Case in point: Early in the third quarter, Tate pulled the ball and ran to his right. USC safety Talanoa Hufanga had a decent angle on him. A year ago, when Tate was running free and easy, he accelerated past defenders who appeared to have angles on him. This time, he couldn鈥檛 beat Hufanga, who tripped him up. Tate gained 9 yards on the play; last year he might have had 19 or 29. 鈥淵ou see the same thing I see,鈥� UA coach Kevin Sumlin said afterward when asked about Tate鈥檚 mobility. 鈥淗e鈥檚 not 100 percent. He鈥檚 battling through it. 鈥� It鈥檚 unfortunate, but that鈥檚 where we are right now.鈥� Aside from affecting his speed, burst and cutting ability, the injury seems to be impacting Tate mentally. He just doesn鈥檛 have that best-athlete-on-the-field confidence he had for most of 2017.

2. ENERGY ASSESSMENT

Tate said after the game that he and his teammates didn鈥檛 play hard enough for four quarters. Linebacker Colin Schooler said the Wildcats didn鈥檛 play with enough energy. Sumlin refuted that and cited the choppy nature of the game, which featured 26 penalties. The truth is, 蜜柚直播 had a chance to get off to a fast start and ignite the crowd but didn鈥檛 capitalize on it. Two play calls proved costly. The first came on the Wildcats鈥� first possession. On third-and-8 from the UA 45-yard line, when Tate and the offense appeared to get an audible from the sideline. The ensuing play, presumably from offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone, was a 5-yard run up the middle. 蜜柚直播 then punted into the end zone. Penalties on USC and some sound defense created a third-and-13 for the Trojans at their 7. Marcel Yates called for the dime package but elected to send only four rushers, giving freshman quarterback JT Daniels time to complete a 20-yard pass to Michael Pittman Jr. USC would score on that drive and take a 7-0 lead. It鈥檚 easy to second-guess play-calling, but neither of those calls made sense in the moment. They also sapped the energy from the stadium 鈥� and maybe even the Wildcats.

3. ATHLETES IN ACTION

The difference between USC and 蜜柚直播鈥檚 previous two opponents 鈥� Southern Utah and Oregon State 鈥� was most evident when the Wildcats had the ball and couldn鈥檛 move it. Runs that went for 5 or 6 yards 鈥� or more 鈥� against the Thunderbirds and Beavers went for 2 or 3 against the Trojans. Big plays in the passing game turned into minimal gains or incompletions. Three examples: (1) On 蜜柚直播鈥檚 second possession. Tate connected with JJ Taylor in the right flat. USC cornerback Isaiah Langley did what no OSU defender could the previous week: bring down Taylor one on one in the open field. (2) On a third-and-10 play in the second quarter, 蜜柚直播 set up a screen 鈥� a perfect call against the blitz. Gary Brightwell dropped the pass, but it wouldn鈥檛 have mattered; USC鈥檚 Hunter Echols beat Cody Creason to the spot and would鈥檝e blown up Brightwell. (3) Later in the second quarter, Tate slightly underthrew Shun Brown on a deep pass to the left side. It looked as if it would be completed anyway, but USC鈥檚 Ajene Harris leaped and deflected the pass. After facing the Trojans for the first time, Sumlin should have a better idea of the type of athletes he needs to recruit to close the talent gap.

4. THIS TIME IT鈥橲 PERSONNEL

Each week we provide some notes on individual players, so here goes 鈥� Taylor is an excellent all-around player, but it鈥檚 clear that Brightwell 鈥� who鈥檚 6-1, 206, compared to Taylor鈥檚 5-6, 184 鈥� should be the goal-line back moving forward. 鈥� Freshman tackle Donovan Laie looked like a freshman for the first time this season. He was beaten for a sack and incurred multiple penalties. But if he learns from this and continues to improve, Laie has a bright future. 鈥� Receiver Shawn Poindexter seemed to be the victim of a targeting foul by USC鈥檚 Olaijah Griffin, but the play wasn鈥檛 reviewed. 鈥� Not only was Brown 蜜柚直播鈥檚 most productive receiver, he also finished runs with authority. 鈥� PJ Johnson looked comfortable at defensive end. The 335-pounder has the quickness of a smaller man and made several plays that required him to run and chase. 鈥� Linebacker Jacob Colacion played well after replacing the injured Tony Fields II (shoulder). 蜜柚直播 can get by with Colacion and Anthony Pandy (assuming he鈥檚 reinstated from suspension) should Fields miss any games. ... Reserve 鈥淪pur鈥� safety Tristan Cooper had his best game of the season, making plays on special teams and all levels of the defense. 鈥� The blocked field goal at the end of the first half wasn鈥檛 the fault of struggling kicker Lucas Havrisik. Wing blocker Jamie Nunley allowed Marvell Tell III to get an inside rush.

5. TATE, FATE

There are several ways to look at what happened Saturday night. One is that USC is simply the superior team. Another is that 蜜柚直播 found something it can build on late in the game, especially on defense. But it all comes back to Tate. If he isn鈥檛 the dual-threat difference-maker he was a year ago, 蜜柚直播 is an ordinary team that will struggle to make a bowl game. If he can recapture the mojo he had in 2017 鈥� or at least some facsimile thereof 鈥� the Wildcats can beat anyone on their schedule. It seems unlikely that the latter will happen if Tate isn鈥檛 healthy. And he might not be able to get healthy without sitting out a week or two. Sumlin and his staff undoubtedly have debated whether that鈥檚 the correct and necessary course of action. 蜜柚直播 has a winnable game coming up against a Cal team that got blown out at home by Oregon on Saturday. The Golden Bears aren鈥檛 sure who their quarterback should be. The Wildcats have their own set of issues at the game鈥檚 most important position.