Quarterback still a question for Arizona in buildup to BYU opener


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PROVO — If you believe in such things, BYU football may have an advantage as it prepares for the season-opener against Arizona, with a new head coach, offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator — and all but one position coach from a year ago gone from the program.

But the Wildcats may own one wild card, and head coach Rich Rodriguez isn’t tipping his hat before he is forced: starting quarterback.

Arizona has yet to name a starter at football’s most important position, with junior Anu Solomon still battling sophomore Brandon Dawkins for the top spot.

That question may not be as big of a deal for BYU’s preparation as some think, though.

“Both quarterbacks are pretty similar,” linebacker Butch Pau’u said. “They are both fast and agile, and both can get the ball wherever they want to get it to.”

Pau’u’s new defensive coordinator Ilaisa Tuiaki seemed to agree with that assessment. The longtime linebackers coach who most recently came from Oregon State and Utah has planned to contain Solomon for three years, and he knows what it’s like to coach against Rodriguez’s offense.

A native of Honolulu who prepped at Las Vegas’ Bishop Gorman High School, Solomon owns 6,460 career passing yards with 48 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. But he also missed key portions of the 2015 season after suffering two concussions, and Dawkins has made the push to start in the offseason.

The quarterback battle is simply a choice of two similar styles of play, Tuiaki admitted. Both were among the top-rated dual-threat quarterbacks in the nation in their recruiting classes.

Arizona quarterback Brandon Dawkins (13) runs during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Arizona, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2015, in Tempe, Ariz. Arizona State won 52-37. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Arizona quarterback Brandon Dawkins (13) runs during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Arizona, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2015, in Tempe, Ariz. Arizona State won 52-37. (AP Photo/Matt York)

“We’ve defended Anu Solomon for three years, and he’s not as fast — but he’s slippery and knows how to get out of the pocket and make guys miss,” Tuiaki said. “It’s not just film I’ve watched against us; he’s always getting away from tackles. He’s a playmaker. “I think (Dawkins) is faster than Anu, but they are both really good quarterbacks.”

On defense, the Wildcats also like to push the tempo. They’ll often match the pace of Rodriguez’s up-tempo offense — though the scheme and coordination may change, as well, after former Boise State defensive coordinator Marcel Yates arrived in Tucson this summer.

Offensive coordinator Ty Detmer admitted there are some takeaways the Cougars can take from their multiple matchups with the Broncos and Yates’ defenses since the BSU grad returned to Boise in 2014. But there are a lot of differences, as well.

He’s even open to seeing the Wildcats’ transition as similar to the one Tuiaki is undergoing with BYU’s defense.

“Personnel-wise, they may be a little like us: we want to be more four-down and have the personnel for three-down,” Detmer said. “Those outside ends are more hybrids, and I think that is the same situation they are in. They want to be four-down, but also play three-down. We’ve been seeing a lot of that in their spring, and it’s been good for us to transition on the offensive line.

“But you watch what they do, and you always go back to what a coordinator likes to do and some of the tendencies they have there. You scheme for that, and then adjust come game time.”

The biggest thing, then, will be containing the quarterback — whether Arizona rolls out Solomon or Dawkins on Saturday at University of Phoenix Stadium.

“The biggest thing for us will be to contain the quarterback inside the pocket,” Pau’u said. “When they are in space, those guys can move.”

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