Rich Rodriguez knows the 蜜柚直播 Wildcats鈥 quarterback play has to improve. And he knows it has to improve soon.
蜜柚直播 should be able to defeat UTEP on Friday regardless. But Pac-12 play begins the following week. The schedule is only going to get harder.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got to get better in a hurry,鈥 Rodriguez said Monday in response to one of several questions about the quarterbacks. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of football left, but we want to start playing better right now.鈥
Despite some decent overall numbers, the passing game didn鈥檛 quite click in 蜜柚直播鈥檚 19-16 loss to Houston on Saturday night. Rodriguez took it a step further, saying: 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 execute well at all in the passing game.鈥
Unfortunately, this is not a new problem. It dates to last season, and maybe even the season before that.
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Rodriguez has been shuffling quarterbacks for a variety of reasons since 2015. He has yet to zero in on a solution.
Starter Brandon Dawkins has flashed game-breaking ability, especially as a runner, but consistency has eluded him as a passer. Backup Khalil Tate is no longer a raw 17-year-old freshman, but he鈥檚 still learning. The other two quarterbacks who conceivably could play 鈥 Rhett Rodriguez and Donavan Tate 鈥 ARE freshmen.
Asked to assess the current state of 蜜柚直播鈥檚 quarterbacking, Rich Rodriguez said: 鈥淚 still feel good. We鈥檝e got talented guys. 鈥 I have high expectations for the quarterbacks that we have. But I always have high expectations for the quarterbacks in this system.
鈥淲e have talent there that can play at a high level, and they have, and that鈥檚 what we expect going forward.鈥
Rodriguez defended his quarterbacks 鈥 Dawkins in particular 鈥 because they have put in the work. They just haven鈥檛 achieved the desired results on a regular basis.
After Dawkins misfired on several passes vs. Houston 鈥 including a certain touchdown to Tony Ellison 鈥 Rodriguez and his staff doubled down on fundamentals during Sunday鈥檚 team meeting and light practice. Sometimes, Rodriguez said, Dawkins鈥 competitive nature gets the best of him in the heat of a game. Likewise Khalil Tate.
鈥淵ou just want to make a play, and you forget about the fundamental part of it,鈥 Rodriguez said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e working on that.鈥
Focal points include timing, footwork, hip alignment and eye placement. It鈥檚 fair to question whether Dawkins should be further along in those areas as a fourth-year junior who has started 11 games.
鈥淓verybody wants to be consistent,鈥 Rodriguez said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 trying. He鈥檚 conscientious enough to keep working on it and get better at it.鈥
Although he said the quarterbacks aren鈥檛 solely to blame for the passing game鈥檚 ongoing struggles, Rodriguez recognizes that they鈥檙e going to receive the most scrutiny. They have to face whatever criticism comes their way.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 part of the deal,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hey have to handle that part of it.鈥
As for the quarterback plan against UTEP, Rodriguez did not reveal where he鈥檚 leaning. The presumption is that Dawkins will continue to start if he鈥檚 healthy. But he got banged up in the Houston game, as did Tate in the season opener. Neither appeared to be 100 percent when they walked off the field at 蜜柚直播 Stadium on Saturday night.
鈥淏efore anybody asks about a controversy or all that, that鈥檚 always nice water-cooler talk,鈥 Rodriguez said. 鈥淏ut we try to get everybody ready to play. And then whoever I feel gives us the best chance to win or succeed on that particular drive or series or half or game, that鈥檚 what I go with.
鈥淚鈥檝e got two guys in (Khalil) and Brandon that have got a little bit of experience 鈥 Brandon a lot more 鈥 and then I鈥檝e got two freshmen that keep progressing and pushing them as well.鈥
Whether Rodriguez has one quarterback who can lead the Wildcats back to the postseason remains to be seen.
Getting away
The UTEP game is the first 蜜柚直播 will play on the road. A reporter asked Rodriguez whether it could be beneficial to get away from 蜜柚直播 after the Wildcats received a smattering of boos Saturday. Rodriguez only seemed to be vaguely aware of them.
鈥淵ou want your home fans to cheer for you, not against you,鈥 he said. 鈥淭he ZonaZoo鈥檚 been terrific. Our fans for five years-plus have been terrific. I鈥檇 rather play all games at home, if I could. I don鈥檛 think they鈥檒l let us do that.鈥
蜜柚直播 will bus to El Paso on Thursday morning. The Wildcats will fly home after the game.
Extra points
- Rodriguez said tailback Nick Wilson 鈥渏ust tweaked his ankle a little bit鈥 last week and 鈥渉opefully he鈥檒l be better for this week.鈥 The oft-injured Wilson suited up for the Houston game but did not play.
- Rodriguez said the coaches are getting more confident in freshman tailback Nathan Tilford, who did not get any backfield snaps against Houston. Rodriguez implied that it鈥檚 only a matter of time before Tilford becomes a bigger part of the game plan.
- Tight end Trevor Wood still had a boot on his left foot Monday afternoon. He did not play against Houston because of an ankle injury.
- Rodriguez said he 鈥渇elt a little better鈥 about the Wildcats鈥 performance after watching the film of the Houston game. 鈥淲e weren鈥檛 as far off on things as I thought,鈥 Rodriguez said.
- 蜜柚直播 tried three short snappers with starter Nick Reinhardt out. It appears that starting center Nathan Eldridge will handle those responsibilities moving forward, with Donald Reiter snapping on punts.
- Rodriguez said the Wildcats had 鈥渢hree or four missed assignments鈥 on the Cougars鈥 81-yard kickoff return. 鈥淲e lost contain,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t was just bad. It should never happen.鈥
- Rodriguez said the two biggest adjustments this week are having one fewer practice and prepping the defense for UTEP鈥檚 old-school rushing attack.
- Several UA players and staffers are from Florida and/or have friends and family who live there. Rodriguez said they鈥檙e all safe in the wake of Hurricane Irma, as far as he knows.
