Fixing the offensive line was very high on Arizona’s list of offseason priorities after going 4-8. The Wildcats signed eight transfers, including ones with starting experience at Power 4 schools, and even moved a defensive lineman to the other side to help shore up the line.
The results have been mostly good, if not inconsistent. Yet one guy has managed to improve leaps and … bounds during his time with the program, turning into Arizona’s most effective blocker.
“He’s gotten 10 times better, and now
he looks like he belongs,” offensive coordinator Seth Doege said of fifth-year senior Tristan Bounds. The Michigan transfer has started seven games at right tackle, including the last six, and for the season is the Wildcats’ highest-graded offensive lineman at 73.3.
Not bad for someone who spent four seasons at Michigan but only got into seven games for a combined 49 snaps. Bounds played all 63 snaps in Arizona’s comeback win over Kansas, and in a game when Noah Fifita was sacked five times and hit on a few more occasions, Bounds did not allow one pressure on 39 dropbacks.
Bounds’ 80.4 pass-blocking grade is third-best among Big 12 tackles, per Pro Football Focus, and the only sack he allowed came in his first career start in the season opener against Hawaii.
“This is definitely the most fun I’ve had it playing college football in my fifth year now,” Bounds said, crediting his teammates and coaches. “We have a great cohesive unit. We really embody five as one, everybody’s working together to a common goal. And then I would say coaching staff here has done a really good job for me, from Coach (Oglesby) just helping me build my technique up as well as build my confidence in myself as a player.”
Doege said the 6-foot-8, 291-pound Bounds arrived “a little light” and underdeveloped despite four seasons at Michigan. That lack of polish made it seem like Bounds’ ceiling would be as a rotational player, not a starter.
“And then he just kept he kept chopping at it, he kept working at it, kept working at it,” Doege said.
Bounds got the Week 1 start at right tackle over Rhino Tapa’toutai, who was still coming back from knee surgery. Tapa’toutai started the next two games but struggled mightily, getting called for several holding penalties and ultimately getting pulled for Bounds, who has started since.
“Early in the season was he playing at the level he’s playing that right now? Absolutely not,” Doege said. “There was a thought where we felt like almost like he’s a liability. But then again, he just kept getting more confident. He kept playing through it. He kept trusting the preparation, trusting the coaching. And then next thing you know, he’s one of our better O-linemen. I think it’s just a it’s another example of how Coach Oglesby does such a good job of developing.”
Freshman LB on cusp of breakout
Defensive lineman Mays Pese became the first true freshman to start under Brent Brennan when he got the nod against Kansas. Pese has played in all nine games, recording 13 tackles with 1.5 for loss.
Yet the first-year Wildcat who had the biggest impact in that win was linebacker Myron Robinson, who subbed in for an injured Max Harris and logged seven tackles with a TFL in 24 snaps. His hit on Kansas QB Jalen Daniels on 3rd down late in the 4th quarter briefly knocked Daniels out of the game, forcing the Jayhawks to attempt a field goal (which they missed) ahead of Arizona’s game-winning drive.
“I loved seeing Myron Robinson,” said Harris, who ended up returning and tied for the team lead with nine tackles but was not on the field for the final two defensive drives. “I always knew what he could do, it’s fun to see him display that in the game.”
The 6-foot-1, 235-pound Robinson was a 3-star prospect from San Antonio who picked the UA over offers from Georgia Tech, Houston, Washington State, among others. When arrived in June he was expected to be in the mix to play immediately, but injuries wiped out nearly all of training camp and kept him from making his debut until the Big 12 opener at Iowa State.
“His development was was hindered,” defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales said. “You have to be very careful with true freshman, because you can ruin a true freshman if he ain’t ready. He’s gotten a little run here and there and has been productive and made plays, didn’t feel he was quite ready for the big time. Saturday, I probably still wasn’t 100 percent positive, but he was ready.”
Cincinnati dealing with RB injuries
At 195 yards per game, Cincinnati is 25th in FBS in rushing offense. The Bearcats average nearly six yards per carry, with quarterback Brendan Sorsby being a big part of that production with 453 yards and eight of their 17 rushing touchdowns.
But Cincy is banged up at the actual running back position, with senior Evan Pryor missing the last game Nov. 1 at Utah and senior only getting seven carries while working through an injury. That duo has combined for 1,011 yards and 11 TDs.
At least one of the two will be available this weekend, but possibly not both.
Arizona has struggled defending the quarterback run this season but those teams also had good traditional ball carriers to balance things out. BYU’s LJ Martin ran for a career-high 162 yards to complement Bear Bachmeier and Dean Connors had 100 yards for Houston to pair with Connor Weigman.
