Arizona football fails to deliver statement in win over Northern Arizona

A win is a win, and I’m sure Kevin Sumlin is happy about that as Arizona football escaped an ugly performance against Northern Arizona with a victory.

The Wildcats failed to really deliver a strong message Saturday night, claiming a 65-41 victory over in-state foe Northern Arizona. Yes, Northern Arizona, not top rival Arizona State, but the other team in the state.

If you just take a glance at what the Arizona offense did, you might see something amazing. For instance, 431 yards rushing, including two players over the 100-yard mark. Add in another 289 yards passing and it is easy to see how the Wildcats found the end zone nine times on offense.

However, a quick glance over to the other side shows where the concern is. Northern Arizona scored 41 points, including 373 in the air. With a schedule that features upcoming games with Texas Tech, Colorado, Washington, USC, Oregon State and Oregon, there is real reason to be concerned if you are Sumlin and the defensive coaches.

If Northern Arizona, a member of the Football Championship Subdivision and the Big Sky Conference, can nearly put up 400 yards passing against you, what will Alan Bowman, Kedon Slovis, Jake Luton, Justin Herbert and others do to you?

We knew from the pre-Week 1 matchup against Hawaii where Cole McDonald and Chevan Cordeiro shredded the Arizona secondary for five touchdowns and 436 yards, that this was a real area for concern. But you would think that with extra time to prepare since that game, coupled with it being an FCS program, the team could have at least limited the damage done to them.

One bright side if you are an Arizona supporter was the passing of Khalil Tate, as he completed 14-of-17 for 138 yards and two scores. Backup Grant Gunnell completed 9-of-11 for 151 and three scores, with Gary Brightwell and J.J. Taylor running for 243 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Tate, though, was still controlled in the run game, carrying the ball just twice for one yard. Though one of those carries did find the end zone.

What Arizona does from here on out will be largely dependent on keeping Tate healthy and finding a way to at least patch the holes in the secondary.