In only one year, Arizona’s defence went from being among the worst in the nation to one of the best, mostly thanks to the contributions of big-bodied defensive lineman.
The nearly 1,000 total pounds — or one saltwater crocodile, according to former UA head coach Jedd Fisch — of body mass added to the front line helped Arizona’s defense go from surrendering over 209 rushing yards per game in 2022 to 118.2, which ranked 27th in college football in 2023.
Arizona rose from 125th in total defense to No. 50 — 36.5 points per game to just 21.1 — between the 2022 and ’23 seasons under former defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen, who’s now a co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Texas. Arizona punctuated its defensive improvements in 2023 with a six-takeaway performance against Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl.
Despite a new regime under head coach Brent Brennan, the 4-2-5 scheme of Arizona’s defense remains intact under new defensive coordinator Duane Akina, who was an assistant defensive backs coach at the UA last season and periodically coached at Arizona since his first stint under the late Dick Tomey that started in 1987.
However, the Wildcats lost depth and experience on the defensive line, including eight players that were a part of the rotation such as defensive tackles Tyler Manoa, Tiaoalii Savea, Sio Nofoagatoto’a and Jacob Kongaika, in addition to edge rushers Taylor Upshaw, who led the team in sacks, Orin Patu and promising up-and-coming pass-rushers in Isaiah Ward and Russell Davis II, who both transferred to Washington.
The fluid rotation and depth on the defensive line, with gap-filling interior linemen that occupied blockers, allowed the stars of Arizona’s defense — like All-Pac-12 linebacker Jacob Manu, safety Dalton Johnson and nickel back Treydan Stukes — to make impactful plays.
The only returning starter on Arizona’s defensive line is Bill Norton, the 6-6, 325-pound nose tackle from Memphis, who transferred from Georgia to the UA last spring. Although the Wildcats “lost a lot of major pieces,” Akina is “really optimistic” about Arizona’s defensive line this spring.
The quick-fix method for Arizona’s defensive line is to double-down on the transfer portal and lure experienced and larger linemen to Tucson, but Akina said defensive tackles Chubba Ma’ae, a 6-2, 347-pound senior transfer from UC Davis, redshirt sophomore Isaiah Johnson and redshirt junior Keanu Mailoto have been “pleasant surprises for us.”
“When a new staff comes in, there are some players who are viewed not as positive as some,” Akina said. “It’s a fresh beginning, it’s a fresh start, so they’ve been excellent.”
The Wildcats are also using junior Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei, San Jose State transfer and former All-Mountain West selection Tre Smith, sophomore Dominic Lolesio, redshirt sophomore Sterling Lane II and redshirt freshman Julian Savaiinaea, the younger brother of Arizona star offensive lineman Jonah Savaiinaea, at defensive end. Arizona will add Syracuse transfer Kevon Darton at defensive tackle in the summer.
Amongst the returning defensive linemen, they played a combined 462 defensive snaps last season — 367 of them from Uiagalelei.
While Arizona plans to be “a little more aggressive with the front,” the leaders of the defense are in the “back seven” between the linebackers and five defensive backs in Manu, Johnson, Stukes, Alamo Bowl Defensive MVP Gunner Maldonado and cornerback Tacario Davis.
Linebackers and defensive backs were “the guts of us when I was at Texas and Stanford,” Akina said.
Be the first to comment