Daniel Jenkins on his way to a 91-yard touchdown. Photo by Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports
Rich Rodriguez’s second season is off to a good start, as the Arizona Wildcats take care of business against lower-division Northern Arizona, 35-0.
It is the second shutout of the RichRod era. Arizona beat South Carolina State, also an FCS school, 56-0 last season.
Friday’s game was filled with big plays for the Wildcats — a 91-yard TD run by Daniel Jenkins, a 23-yard interception return for a score by Tra’Mayne Bondurant, a 30-yard scoring scramble from B.J. Denker and a 61-yard QB keep by Javelle Allen.
Jenkins ran 12 times for 139 yards. Bondurant had two interceptions.
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Whoa … Javelle Allen has a little burst to him. The redshirt freshman QB, who lost weight and got into better shape after spring ball, kept the ball on a run up the middle and dashed 61 yards for a touchdown. The Cats are up 35-0 with 4:40 to go.
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Javelle Allen is the second quarterback in the game for Arizona. …
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NAU marches down to the UA 4-yard line but an illegal-block penalty and a sack by Derrick Turituri saves the Arizona shutout as the Lumberjacks miss a 45-yard field goal. Cats up 28-0 with 5:43 left.
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B.J. Denker has gone all the way at quarterback, into the fourth quarter. Perhaps the QB competition wasn’t much of a competition at all. Rich Rodriguez was coy all camp, and part of his motivation was to keep all the quarterbacks on their toes.
There’s 13:18 left, so the Cats will have a couple more possessions, but it’s clear Denker has earned a second start, if only because he has taken care of the ball. Beyond that, we’ll see.
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Here’s a nice picture from the end of Daniel Jenkins’ 91-yard touchdown run, as he gets a lift from guard Cayman Bundage:
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Tra’Mayne Bondurant picks off his second pass of the game, and that’s the third INT for Arizona in the third quarter. We go to the fourth with Arizona up 28-0.
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Place-kicking. Sigh. Jake Smith yanks a 28-yard attempt wide left. We’ll probably see Casey Skowron get a shot, too. RichRod said the competition has been close.
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The defense comes up with its second turnover of the half, this time on an interception by freshman CB Devin Holiday. He was in the right spot in the right time, as WR Nick Cole had to reach for a high throw, tipping the ball to Holiday.
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Arizona pulling away now, scoring again to make it 28-0 with 8:34 to go in the third quarter. This time, B.J. Denker drops back to pass and see the field open up in front of him. He takes off, racing through NAU defenders and spinning into the blue end zone turf for a 30-yard TD.
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True freshman linebacker Scooby Wright continues to look like quite a find. He is the one who tipped the pass that led to Tra’Mayne Bondurant interception for a touchdown, nearly came up with a safety. He’s been used inside and outside, showing that good motor that everyone has been talking about.
Arizona Wildcats head coach Rich Rodriguez taps the statue of John Button Salmon before facing the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks at Arizona Stadium. Photo by Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports
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Johnny Jackson now returning punts for Arizona.
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ZonaZoo nearly intact after halftime. Remember, five students will win $500 each in fourth quarter.
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Nate Phillips has now muffed two punt catches, and we would assume Rich Rodriguez has only so much patience with a true freshman at the position.
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Can’t start the second half any better than Arizona just did. Safety Tra’Mayne Bondurant picks off a tipped pass from Kyren Poe and returns it 21-0 for a touchdown. The Cats go up 21-0, suddenly with a lot more breathing room.
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Arizona leads 14-0 at halftime, with Daniel Jenkins energizing the crowd late in the first half with a 91-yard touchdown run. The Cats’ defense has been solid, able to get into favorable third-and-long situations and holding standout RB Zach Bauman to 31 yards on 10 carries.
Daniel Jenkins has nine carries for 129 yards.
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For the record, the longest TD run in school history is from Trung Canidate (96 yards).
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And there goes Daniel Jenkins for a 91-yard touchdown run, right up the middle and right past the NAU defense. The Lumberjacks couldn’t catch him from behind, although it was impressive to see UA receiver Clive Georges make up ground from the opposite side of the field. He has a lot of pure speed.
That’s the third-longest run in UA history. Arizona up 14-0.
DJ for Heisman???
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NAU’s Kyren Poe is 10-for-10 passing, but for only 75 yards … and still no points for NAU. Arizona up 7-0 with 5:46 to go before half, with the rain coming down a bit harder now.
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Who knew a RichRod game could turn into a battle of punters? I might need a nap.
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True freshman Nate Phillips has a scary moment at punt return, letting the ball bounce off his chest, but the Cats recover. We’ll see if RichRod sends him back out there the next time.
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Arizona comes up empty on its third drive and Drew Riggleman, with a tenuous hold on the punting job, shanks his first attempt, high and to the right, out of bounds for an 18-yard effort. Rich Rodriguez has said that kicker Jake Smith was also competing for the punting job in camp.
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A rainy first quarter comes to an end with Arizona up 7-0 and on its third possession. B.J. Denker has completed 5 of 7 passes for 64 yards and one TD. He has six rushes for 24 yards.
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Arizona stalls and turns the ball over on downs on its second drive. The Wildcats go for it on fourth-and-5 from the NAU 43, but B.J. Denker lobs a wobbly pass to Daniel Jenkins along the right sideline that ends up caught out of bounds.
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Arizona gets its first sack of the season as nose guard Tevin Hood bulls his way into the backfield. That helped the Wildcats stiffen after NAU approached the red zone, and the Lumberjacks had to settle for a 42-yard field goal try by Andy Wilder. He missed wide left amid a light desert rain.
One of the things to watch is what Rich Rodriguez calls the pass-rushing SWAT team. That group included linebackers Sir Thomas Jackson and Derrick Turituri, and defensive lineman Kirifi Taula.
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Scooby Wright starts his first game as a true freshman at outside linebacker. Cool stuff.
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Arizona goes 75 yards for a touchdown on its first drive. B.J. Denker runs the offense with tempo and efficiency, completing a 31-yard pass, with touch, down the left sideline to Garic Wharton. The Cats get the six points on an 11-yard pass, as Denker rolled left and then threw back to the right to wide-open running back Daniel Jenkins.
Arizona goes up 7-0 (Jake Smith boots the extra point) with 11:11 to play in the first quarter.
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No surprise. B.J. Denker starts at quarterback and keeps on the read option for 9 yards on the first play.
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The pregame Wildcat Walk takes the team into the new Lowell-Stevens facility in the north end zone, past the statue of John “Button” Salmon. The players and coach Rich Rodriguez tapped Button on the head for good luck.
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ZonaZoo did its job, 9,000 packed into the east stands about 10 minutes before kickoff.
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Defensive end Dan Pettinato (knee) was not on this week’s injury report as he rehabbed a spring injury, but he is not dressed for tonight’s game.
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One big question has been answered: Ka’Deem Carey will not play tonight, suspended one game by coach Rich Rodriguez.
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Welcome to the first game blog of the season. This will be the spot for updating coverage before and during tonight’s game, so check back often:
ARIZONA VS. NORTHERN ARIZONA
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Arizona Stadium
TV/radio: Pac-12 Networks/KCUB (1290)
Monsoon watch
The installation of the FieldTurf CoolPlay already paid benefits. Arizona didn’t miss any practice time during camp, even though the grass at its practice field had to unexpectedly re-sodded.
The Cats were able to practice in Arizona Stadium on the turf for about a week; that might have been difficult in previous years as the grass surface might have gotten chewed up from so much use.
And the surface will be able to handle any monsoon downpours on game day. Suzy Mason, the associate athletic director for event management/facilities, said, “That field is safe and playable within 40, 45 minutes. The drainage is spectacular, with safe and sure footing.”
ZonaZoo changes
The student section has been trimmed from 10,000 to 9,000, with an emphasis on having the students stay for the entire game. The words on the back of the official ZonaZoo shirt reads: “ZonaZoo STAYS the entire game.”
The UA is also giving away cash in the fourth quarter of the first two home games — $500 to five students. The catch: Students have to be there to win all that extra spending money. Greed works.
Arizona also has made changes to the admission of the students, opening the gates just 90 minutes prior to game time, rather than two hours, before they can rush in for open seating in the east stands. The plan is for the students to gather around the new Lowell-Stevens Football Facility in the north end zone to greet the team at the end of the Wildcat Walk … and then they can do in when all the other gates open.
“We were hearing feedback from the students that it was just a long day,” Mason said.
“For a lot of them, there were heat-related issues. Generally, they partake in some adult beverages beforehand, and when they were waiting in line underneath the east stadium for four hours or five hours, it was just a long day.
“There weren’t necessarily the healthiest decisions in terms of what they were eating or what they were drinking.”
Arizona is hoping the new plan will alleviate the need to be in line for so long, with the ability of the students to self-police and “save a couple of seats” for friends perhaps allowing for more of a gradual fill-up to the ZonaZoo section.
If the students don’t have to be there as early, perhaps there won’t be a mass exodus at halftime.
NAU three players to watch
1. RB Zach Bauman — Has 3,676 career yards, 99 vs. UA in 2011.
2. QB Kyren Poe — Sophomore from Chandler Hamilton High will make his first start.
3. CB Anders Battle — All-Big Sky player led team with 64 tackles last season.
Prediction
The lower-division Lumberjacks are ranked 18th in the Football Championship Subdivision coaches poll and won at the Mountain West’s UNLV last season, 17-14. So, this isn’t necessarily a push-over game, despite Arizona being a 34-point favorite.
What the Wildcats need to get out of the game is clarity in terms of the quarterback position and some positive answers to a couple of nagging questions — can the outside receivers beat man coverage and make defenses pay for stacking against Ka’Deem Carey, and do the Cats have a situational third-down pass-rusher?
Arizona is 6-0 against NAU, winning by an average of 23.3 points, since the series resumed in 2002.
Arizona 40, NAU 17.
Pregame reading
Arizona-NAU: Five things to watch
Arizona football: Season prediction
Javier Morales has a lot of notes at WildAboutAZCats.net
Scott Terrell adds up the expectations for Year 2 of RichRod era
FoxSportsArizona.com’s Steve Rivera with an excellent profile of defensive line coach Bill Kirelawich
Greg Hansen’s Mr. Football column is back at the Arizona Daily Star
GameDay Central from ArizonaWildcats.com
ON TWITTER
UA true freshman running back:
Game tommorow , excited cuz even tho I'm redshirting seeing the atmosphere of the game is guna make me work even harder this whole year
— Pierre Cormier (@PCormierTwo) August 30, 2013