Arizona Wildcats Football

Arizona Wildcats starting quarterback Anu Solomon is nursing a knee injury that has held him out of his team's last three games.

Continue for updates.

---

Solomon to Miss Week 5

Thursday, Sept. 29

On Thursday, ESPN.com's Brett McMurphy reported Solomon will miss his fourth straight game Saturday against the UCLA Bruins.

The three-year starter has already missed more games in 2016 than he missed in 2014 and 2015 combined.

Last season, Solomon sat out for a pair of games after suffering two concussions, though that was the only game action he missed through his freshman and sophomore seasons.

Solomon has appeared in just one game this year, the season opener against BYU. He completed 20 of 30 passes for 213 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions in Arizona's 18-16 loss.

It was an uncharacteristic performance for one of the most prolific passers in Arizona history:

He led the Wildcats to a pair of bowl appearances, including a win at the New Mexico Bowl last season, while helping the program reach a ranking as high as No. 8 in 2014. 

In Solomon's absence, sophomore quarterback Brandon Dawkins has taken control under center, leading Arizona to a 2-1 record over its last three games.

As a dual threat, Dawkins has passed for 625 yards, three touchdowns and one interception while leading the Wildcats with 391 rushing yards and seven scores. 

His lone loss came against a Washington team that ranks 10th in the country with a defense that has allowed just 14.5 points per game, the 15th-best mark in the FBS. 

Against a UCLA defense that's allowing almost 350 yards per game this season, the Wildcats will hope Dawkins is on his game as they try to get back into the winning column Saturday.

         

Stats courtesy of ESPN.com.

Arizona Wildcats running back Orlando Bradford was arrested Wednesday and subsequently dismissed from the team, according to Michael Lev of the Arizona Daily Star (via AZCentral.com).

Lev cited Tucson Police Department spokesman Sgt. Pete Dugan, who said Bradford was charged with seven different felony counts of domestic violence—four for aggravated assault and three for kidnapping.

Dugan noted that the charges are for multiple alleged crimes that occurred over the course of several days.

On Thursday, Bradford was accused of domestic violence by a second woman and charged with four new counts of domestic violence, per Caitlin Schmidt of the Arizona Daily Star. 

The woman contacted police Wednesday morning, and Michael Coppinger of USA Today reported that officers found the woman with "obvious injuries, and she claimed Bradford assaulted her several times over the past few days."

Bradford was a sophomore on the football team. According to Lev, he was a co-starter with Nick Wilson on Arizona's depth chart. He had five carries for 16 yards on the season and ran for 208 yards and three scores a year ago.

The Wildcats are 1-1 on the season and play Hawaii on Saturday before opening Pac-12 play against Washington on Sept. 24.

The BYU Cougars and Arizona Wildcats will battle at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale on Saturday night in a game oddsmakers believe to be almost too close to call, with both teams welcoming back quarterbacks who missed time last season.

    

Point spread: Wildcats opened as 2.5-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark. (Line updates and matchup report)

College football pick, via Odds Shark computer: 37.2-25.3 Cougars

    

Why the BYU Cougars can cover the spread

The Cougars saw Taysom Hill win their quarterback competition over Tanner Mangum after he missed almost the entire season a year ago with a foot injury. Mangum had played well in Hill’s absence, taking over late in a season-opening road victory against the Nebraska Cornhuskers and winning the game on a Hail Mary pass in the final seconds.

With Hill back, BYU has a veteran leader who will be looking to finish his career strong following a series of injuries. The Cougars covered each of their first three games last season and will try to get off to a similar start this year.

    

Why the Arizona Wildcats can cover the spread

Arizona hopes to see signal-caller Anu Solomon play up to his potential in his junior year after missing two games in 2015 due to a head injury. Solomon came in with a lot of fanfare as a freshman out of Las Vegas high school powerhouse Bishop Gorman and was recruited by BYU as well.

But his second season was not as good as his first, and he will now try to lead the Wildcats to a third consecutive Week 1 win with him under center. The Wildcats have also won eight straight season openers overall, according to the Odds Shark college football database, and will be playing close to home here.

    

Smart pick

BYU looked like a team of destiny at times last season with Mangum before fizzling out at the end, and Hill will give his teammates extra motivation right out of the gates with his return. The Cougars are 17-7 against the spread in their last 24 games as underdogs, and they will be up to the task behind Hill and pull off the small upset in Arizona’s backyard.

    

Betting trends

Arizona is 2-4 ATS in its last six games.

The total has gone under in BYU's last three games against Arizona.

BYU is 17-7 ATS in its last 24 games as an underdog.

    

All point spread and betting lines data courtesy of Odds Shark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Odds Shark on Twitter and YouTube for injury information, line movement updates and more game analysis, and get the free odds tracker app.

After reopening his recruitment, quarterback Braxton Burmeister of the 2017 class committed to play for Arizona on Friday. 

Adam Gorney of Rivals reported the news, while College Spun passed along video of Burmeister's commitment: 

Braxton Burmeister commits to Arizona via Periscope pic.twitter.com/PM5LW4mlho

— The Spun (@TheSpun) May 13, 2016

According to 247Sports' composite rankings, the La Jolla, California, native is a 4-star prospect who rates as the No. 9 dual-threat quarterback, the No. 30 player from the state of California and the No. 260 overall recruit nationally.

Burmeister initially committed to play at Arizona in 2014, but he changed his mind in March and decided to make himself available to other schools after a fantastic junior season for La Jolla Country Day High School:

I've decided to open my recruitment pic.twitter.com/C40C776Hkc

— Braxton Burmeister (@Braxton1B) March 12, 2016

While the Wildcats remained in the mix, Burmeister's change of heart put other schools such as Utah, Washington and Indiana back in the running as well, per 247Sports.

The 6'1", 211-pound signal-caller did it all for his high school team as a junior and gave himself an opportunity to garner even more interest from top schools across the nation.

According to MaxPreps, Burmeister threw for 2,771 yards, 31 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 2015 to go along with an additional 868 yards and 20 scores on the ground.

That dual-threat ability made Burmeister an attractive recruit to many of the nation's top programs, as did his performance at the Elite 11.

Bleacher Report's Damon Sayles provided a look at Burmeister's explosive dropback and quick release from the event:

Braxton Burmeister (@Braxton1B) doing the things that'll make #BearDown fans happy. Nice throw. #Elite11 pic.twitter.com/23bs8o9lPH

— Damon Sayles (@DamonSayles) February 28, 2016

ESPN.com's Erik McKinney also captured a great throw from Burmeister that showed off his impressive arm strength:

Arizona QB commit and #ESPNJr300 prospect Braxton Burmeister pic.twitter.com/dgZt0Re7T9

— Erik McKinney (@ErikTMcKinney) February 28, 2016

The learning curve can be steep for young signal-callers who make the leap from high school to college, but Burmeister's skill set suggests he could be a superstar.

Even if he needs further development when it comes to reading defenses and anticipating his receivers' patterns, Burmeister has a chance to be effective as a young player because of his legs.

Burmeister's speed and elusiveness have bailed him out often throughout his high school career, and they should serve him well at the next level too.

Sitting and learning for at least one year may be the best course of action for Burmeister, though, as further development from a passing perspective would give him a better opportunity to excel.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

It was only a month ago that the college football season officially came to a close but luckily for all the football junkies out there, the offseason isn’t too long when you factor in spring football starting around the FBS.

While half of the country may still be under a few inches of snow on February 12, the Arizona Wildcats will happily head outside into the warm desert air and be among the first schools in all of FBS to begin spring practice. It may seem like it was just yesterday that the team was taking the field to capture a wild New Mexico Bowl win, but head coach Rich Rodriguez’s group is right back at it over the next several weeks and looking to sort out a host of issues before a long offseason hits in late March.

Here are a few questions surrounding the Wildcats as spring practice gets underway.

What will the defense look like?

Spring football is not about game plans or opponents but yourself. As a result, many coaches refer to the 15 practices they have at the beginning of each year as an opportunity to teach. That will certainly be the case this year as the Wildcats go through some major changes defensively.

That starts with the coaching staff, which is almost all new on that side of the ball following the departure of Jeff Casteel and the recent hire of new coordinator Marcel Yates from Boise State. With that change comes a big shift in philosophy from the 3-3-5 alignment Arizona had been running for the past several years, to Yates’ version of what amounts to a 4-2-5. Not only does that mean new schemes to learn this spring, but new positions for many players as well.

It will also be interesting to see how well the new coaching staff jells without much time to together. Defensive line coach Vincent Amey was only officially hired this week, even though he was an internal promotion. Jahmile Addae also hasn’t been in his role for long and cornerbacks coach Donte Williams is a fresh face from San Jose State. They didn’t have much time to all get on the same page before heading out onto the field to teach their players.

Speaking of personnel, replacing Scooby Wright III will undoubtedly be the biggest test the team faces, but luckily it had some experience in that department when the defensive star was out with an injury last season. Still, the team leader is busy training for the NFL draft now and from a leadership and on-field standpoint, he’ll undoubtedly be missed in 2016. Cal transfer Michael Barton will likely be counted on to pick up some of the slack as somebody with plenty of experience around the Pac-12.

How much can quarterback Anu Solomon improve?

Anu Solomon burst onto the scene as a freshman for Arizona and promptly led the team to an unexpected Pac-12 South title back in 2014. The following season, when many expected him to build off the momentum of his first year as a starter, things didn’t quite go as expected. While part of last season’s struggles were due to injury, there was no doubt some sophomore slump issues involved as well.

Still, as one could see in the team’s bowl game, a top-notch and healthy Solomon can be a dangerous signal-caller against any defense. Given his ability to damage teams with his legs and his improving arm, he should enter 2016 as one of the better quarterbacks in the Pac-12 and has the potential to put up his best numbers yet this season. Another year in Rodriguez’s system will be big for the quarterback, and Solomon could use this spring to further refine his passing to become even more dangerous. Just how much he can improve will be an interesting storyline to follow in Tucson.

What makes things interesting is that while Solomon will start practice as the entrenched starter at the position, there is little doubt that he’ll get pushed for the job this spring. Backup Brandon Dawkins showed flashes during limited playing time last season and could wind up seeing time with the first team. Highly touted true freshman Khalil Tate will also be somebody to keep an eye on as the coaches love his potential, and getting an early start on learning the offense is never a bad thing.

Who steps up at receiver?

Quarterback isn’t a huge concern on Rodriguez’s radar, but sorting out his receiving corps is much more pressing for the veteran head coach. Gone are playmaker Cayleb Jones and solid contributor David Richards, both tall outside receivers who the team will be hard pressed to replace.

Now a senior, Trey Griffey returns as the top option on the outside and figures to be option No. 1 for Solomon in the passing game after coming up with some big catches each year he’s been on campus. Nate Phillips and Samajie Grant are solid out of the slot, and ex-defensive back Cam Denson is using the spring to make the switch to become a receiver instead of covering one.

In past years with Jones, Richards and Griffey, the Wildcats were able trot out a tall lineup of receivers (all over 6'3") that few teams could match up with. They won’t have that advantage in 2016, but they could sort out new ways of attacking opposing secondaries this spring with the host of options they have among pass-catchers.

What early enrollees will make an impact?

Spring practice also presents a new crop of early enrollees their first chance to get a taste of playing college football, and the Wildcats are likely hoping one or two of them can wind up making an impact as freshmen during the fall.

Arizona will have seven newcomers take the field this spring, including four grayshirts and a trio of high school early enrollees. Quarterback Khalil Tate was the highest rated among the group, and as referenced earlier, he could look to make some waves early on as a backup quarterback. He was listed as an athlete coming out of high school, though, so it’s possible he shows the coaching staff enough to get a look at another position the team might be thin at while still taking reps behind center.

Defensive back Isaiah Hayes and linebacker Kahi Neves are both a pair of 3-star recruits who will also suit up this month and next for practice, and each has a chance to contribute early on as well given there are spots up for grabs at the positions they play.

Are these changes enough to get Arizona back on top in the Pac-12 South?

Two seasons ago, Arizona was the surprise team in the Pac-12 South who combined a little luck with great play on both sides of the ball to capture the division title. That high-water mark, which included a New Year’s Six bowl game, was an impressive accomplishment for the program but also part of the reason why 2015 felt like such a disappointment.

Injuries no doubt played a major part in the reason why the team just barely reached the .500 mark, but there were still plenty of Arizona fans who went home disappointed for a myriad of reasons after a tough loss.

Will this spring be a chance to get back on track to the ways of 2014, or is it simply going to be used to sort out the issues brought up in 2015? We won’t get a good answer on that until later this fall, but the changes Rodriguez is implementing are encouraging.

After struggling defensively last year, he made the bold move of dismissing his defensive staff filled with longtime friends in order to bring in Yates’ more aggressive style of defense. The moves were also done to boost the team’s standing on the recruiting trail, but it’s reasonable to expect a nice improvement on that side of the ball going forward.

Offensively, there’s plenty to like about the Wildcats with Solomon behind center, Griffey catching passes and a hopefully healthy Nick Wilson running the ball. Offense hasn’t been all that much of an issue under Rodriguez, and one wouldn’t expect it to be in 2016 given the chance the players will get use this spring to learn even more of the uptempo spread system their head coach is known for running.

Yes, the talent level in Tucson isn’t quite as good as some of their peers in the division, but there are plenty of reasons why a good spring and summer could translate on the field in Tucson later this year. The Pac-12 South is as wide-open as it has been with no clear favorite this upcoming season, and the changes being implemented by the coaching staff could certainly pay dividends quickly.

Is that enough to go from fifth to first in the league? Maybe not, but the team is used to surprising people when they least expect it, and that could be the case once again if it’s a productive two months in the desert for Arizona.

Bryan Fischer is a national college football columnist at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter at @BryanDFischer. Unless noted otherwise, all recruiting information is from 247Sports.

Not only is New Mexico 4-0 against the spread when getting a touchdown or more on the betting lines this season, but it won three of those games outright. The Lobos find themselves in that same spot heading into their matchup with border-rival Arizona in the New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque.

New Mexico Bowl point spread: The Wildcats opened as 11.5-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark. (Line updates and matchup report)

College football pick, via Odds Shark computer: 32.8-29.6 Wildcats

Why the Wildcats can cover the spread

Arizona started 5-2 this season, but a three-point loss at home to Washington State began a 1-4 slide, ending in a 52-37 loss at rival Arizona State in the season finale. The Wildcats fell down to the Sun Devils 31-10, rallied to within 38-30 with plenty of time on the clock but gave up a pair of interception returns for scores, killing any chances of a comeback.

Just prior to that, Arizona knocked off Utah in overtime 37-30, winning outright as a six-point dog. And just before that, the Wildcats led USC in Los Angeles into the fourth quarter, eventually losing 38-30 but covering easily at plus-19.

Arizona is 4-2 ATS this season as a favorite and 3-1 ATS when favored by single digits.

Why the Lobos can cover the spread

After winning a total of 11 games in their first three seasons under head coach Bob Davie, the Lobos came up with seven this season, becoming bowl-eligible for the first time in eight seasons. New Mexico started 1-2, with a 34-10 loss at Arizona State, then won five of its next seven, including back-to-back upsets of Utah State (as a 20-point underdog) and Boise State (as a 30-point dog). The Lobos then led Colorado State into the fourth quarter but lost 28-20, then pulled off one more upset, beating Air Force in the season finale 47-35.

The Lobos outrushed the Falcons, who rank second in the country at 322 yards per game on the ground, by 155 yards. So that's four games in a row New Mexico has won the ground battle. Not coincidentally, the Lobos are 3-1 ATS over that span.

Smart pick

Sometimes bowls are won, and bowl spreads covered, by the team that's happiest to be there. And in this case, that would be New Mexico. Plus, the Lobos are getting points playing on their home field. Take New Mexico.

Betting trends

New Mexico is 0-6 SU in its last six games against the Pac-12.

New Mexico is 1-6 SU in its last seven bowl games.

Arizona is 1-4 ATS in its last five bowl games.

The total has gone over in six of the last seven New Mexico Bowls.

All point-spread and lines data courtesy of Odds Shark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates, and get the free odds tracker app.

Arizona Wildcats quarterback Anu Solomon is dealing with a concussion and may not play in Saturday's Pac-12 showdown against Arizona State.  

Continue for updates.

---

Solomon 'Questionable' vs. Sun Devils

Thursday, Nov. 19

FoxSports.com's Bruce Feldman provided the update on the Wildcats' sophomore signal-caller, who had lost three straight starts before helping Arizona to a thrilling, double-overtime win over Utah last Saturday.

Solomon was injured in that landmark triumph. He also suffered a concussion against UCLA in late September and missed the subsequent 55-17 loss to Stanford. Considering he's had multiple concussions in a span of mere months, it may be best for Solomon to sit.

Saturday's road trip to Tempe marks the Wildcats' regular-season finale. Solomon was instrumental in ensuring their bowl eligibility in the victory over the Utes, so there's little for Arizona to gain aside from bragging rights over its intrastate rival if any doubt lingers about Solomon's status prior to kickoff.

Jerrard Randall would fill in for Solomon if the latter weren't able to play. Randall isn't as precise of a passer as Solomon but did throw the game-winning touchdown pass to wide receiver Nate Phillips in relief duty against Utah.

The redshirt senior is an excellent ball-carrier who's amassed 680 yards rushing on only 74 carries this season with five TDs on the ground.

University of Arizona linebacker Scooby Wright faced adversity soon after the 2015 college football season began, and now the reigning Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year is dealing with yet another injury.

Continue for updates.

---

Wright Out Several Weeks with Right Foot Sprain

Monday, Sept. 28

Wright was one of the most dominant players in college football on either side of the ball last season, but the 21-year-old star has struggled to stay on the field in 2015 thus far.

According to head coach Rich Rodriguez, via Zack Rosenblatt of the Tucson Star, the 2014 Chuck Bednarik Award winner suffered a sprained foot against UCLA on Saturday and is expected to miss several weeks.

Expectations for Wright were huge entering the campaign after he registered 164 tackles and 15 sacks for the Wildcats. Those numbers established him as one of the most productive defensive players in college football in more than a decade, per ESPN Stats & Info:

Scooby Wright on sideline with knee injury; last season was first FBS player with 150+ tackles, 10+ sacks in 1 season since 2003 #Elias

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 4, 2015

Unfortunately, he hit a major speed bump in Arizona's first game of the season when he suffered a knee injury. It seemed to be quite significant, as the Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner couldn't even walk under his own power, according to Bleacher Report's Bryan Fischer:

Scooby Wright limping heavily and using a cane to move on the sideline. That’s not encouraging.

— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) September 4, 2015

Despite that, Wright's father wasn't overly concerned with the severity of the injury, per Anthony Gimino of Tucson News Now:

I'll add this: Scooby Wright's dad said before the MRI that the injury was "not major," although that leaves a lot to interpret.

— Anthony Gimino (@AGWildcatReport) September 4, 2015

Wright was eventually able to work his way back into the lineup, but there is undoubtedly concern among the Wildcats coaches and supporters now that he is on the mend for the second time this season.

Arizona entered the season as a Top 25 team with Pac-12 title hopes due largely to Wright and the defense as a whole. Without him on the field, though, the Wildcats will lose a great deal of dynamism and reliability defensively.

That is a bad combination in a conference with as much offensive talent as the Pac-12 has, and it could lead to the Wildcats' season entering a state of disarray if Wright isn't back soon.

The likes of Haden Gregory, Derrick Turituri and DeAndre' Miller will be looked upon to step up during his potential absence, but none of them brings the same all-around skill set and ability to take over games as Wright.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

Arizona Wildcats quarterback Anu Solomon is dealing with a concussion suffered in the team's 56-30 loss to UCLA on Sept. 26.

Solomon suffered the injury to his head on a 12-yard run during the second quarter with Arizona trailing 28-7. After picking up the first down and sliding between three defenders, the sophomore was slow to get up.

He missed the team's Week 5 clash vs. Stanford after failing to make the trip, per Ryan Finley of the Arizona Daily Star.  However, the quarterback is reportedly set to make his return in Week 6 vs. Oregon State, according to ESPN's Brett McMurphy. 

Continue for updates.

---

Analyzing How Solomon's Injury Impacts Arizona

Senior quarterback Jerrard Randall stepped in for Solomon but was ineffective in the air, going 4-of-16 for 45 yards. He was better with his legs, rushing for a 39-yard touchdown as Arizona was trounced by UCLA.

Freshman Brandon Dawkins also got a few snaps under center, completing both of his passes for 15 yards. 

Solomon has been a vital part of Arizona's offense so far this season. According to ESPN.com's Ted Miller, Solomon came into Saturday night's game as the Pac-12's third-most efficient passer with 10 touchdowns and zero interceptions. He was 4-of-10 for 55 yards Saturday before the injury. 

Arizona dropped out of the top 25 following the blowout loss, and seeing how Randall performed after Solomon went down, the Wildcats need to hope their quarterback can recover, otherwise they will have a lot of work to do to find themselves ranked once again.

Stats courtesy of ESPN.com.

Arizona Wildcats star linebacker Scooby Wright is set to return to the field Sept. 26 against UCLA, head coach Rich Rodriguez said, per Anthony Gimino of Tucson News Now.

Wright suffered a knee injury against the University of Texas at San Antonio on Sept. 3 and had been held out of action ever since. Wright had a procedure on his lateral meniscus, as Brian Hamilton of Sports Illustrated reported Sept. 5.

Wright is arguably the most valuable defensive player in all of college football.

According to Sports-Reference.com, the superstar tallied 164 total tackles, 31 tackles for loss, 15 sacks and five forced fumbles last season on his way to being named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and winning the Bronko Nagurski, Chuck Bednarik and Vince Lombardi Awards.

He even finished ninth in Heisman Trophy voting as a defender on an Arizona team that doesn't get the national attention other blue-chip programs receive.

It's not just the raw talent the Wildcats missed during Wright's absence, but it's also his versatility. He frequently lines up at defensive end or on the outside as a pass-rusher and is more than comfortable with occupying the middle linebacker position on most downs. He is a matchup nightmare for any offensive line.

Wright needs to be on the field for the Wildcats to be a complete defense, and his return has to have Rodriguez and Arizona feeling good.