The Arizona Wildcats lost their eleventh straight game to the Colorado Buffaloes 24-13 on Saturday, Dec. 5. Grant Gunnell, Jalen Harris, Tayvian Cunningham and Jordan Morgan were all out for this game against Colorado which heavily affected head coach Kevin Sumlin’s game plans.

After starting the game very well and leading by 13 points midway through the second quarter, the Wildcats’ defense started to break down and let Colorado’s run game destroy them play-by-play. Jarek Broussard finished the game with 25 carries for 301 yards which were good for 12 yards per carry.

Arizona has given up 1,082 rushing yards throughout their first four games of the season, which is good for an average of 270 yards per game.

Arizona’s defense had their first two turnovers this season as linebacker Anthony Pandy had two interceptions which doubled his career total. They only gave up 24 points in the game but Colorado’s rushing game was just too much in the end.

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Freshman quarterback Will Plummer threw for 154 yards and overall had a decent performance. Up until the third quarter, he didn’t make a mistake other than throwing a crucial interception while the Wildcats were inside the five-yard line.

The Wildcats running backs were a bright spot tonight in a losing performance. Gary Brightwell led the team with 20 carries to go along with 113 yards and a touchdown. Michael Wiley also added 126 rushing yards on only nine attempts. Their two running backs are the only thing keeping this offense alive after losing their starting quarterback in Grant Gunnell.

Morale seemed high, according to Roy Lopez and Gary Brightwell, after the game. Kevin Sumlin has lost a few players after opting out, but it doesn’t seem as if he has lost the locker room just yet.

The Wildcats’ path to the end of the season doesn’t get any easier from here as the Arizona State Sun Devils are coming to Tucson for their yearly interstate battle next Friday.

Giving a struggling team a short week to prepare for a very good time the last time we saw them a few weeks ago, isn’t a good formula for success. These next three weeks could be very important for this program’s future, as some might say Kevin Sumlin is coaching for his job in the Wildcats’ final month of the season.

Time will tell if Grant Gunnell plays again this season, if the defense improves on stopping the run and if Sumlin is still the leader of this program by the new year.

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