Arizona QB Jerrard Randall replaces Anu Solomon in loss to WSU

Arizona quarterback Anu Solomon hasn’t thrown an interception in 182 attempts through seven games this season.

Somehow, that may not be enough to stop the Wildcats’ quarterback controversy from growing following a 45-42 loss to Washington State. Jerrard Randall replaced Solomon in the third quarter, and while the 21 points scored under his leadership matched that of the starter, the gap between the two is narrowing.

RichRod furious in postgame. Short responses. Said he thought Solomon played well, but Randall gave a spark. In other words, not tellin’.

— Ryan Finley (@ryan_finley) October 24, 2015

Head coach Rich Rodriguez went to Randall after Arizona and Solomon went three-and-out on the first possession of the second half. The Cougs tacked on a touchdown to take a 38-21 lead, but it was Randall who gave the Wildcats’ offense an energy that was lacking to that point.

The first play with Randall at quarterback ended with him carrying the ball 59 yards, and he would finish the game with 10 carries for 105 yards.

Meanwhile, Solomon’s day had ended after he completed 12-of-20 passes for 145 yards. He had no touchdowns and no interceptions, but his 7.3-yards per pass average was not Randall’s 8.6. And of course, Solomon wasn’t the same explosive threat in the running game, which itself struggled against WSU’s impressive defensive front.

The Wildcats rushed for 71 yards and 3.2 yards per carry when Randall wasn’t the ball carrier.

Randall also looked more comfortable in the passing game, going 11-for-16 with 137 yards and two touchdowns. His final drive, which went 75 yards in five plays and 1:19 minutes, was capped with consecutive 38- and 20-yard throws.

That made it 45-42, WSU, but a failed on-side kick by Arizona led to the Cougars burning out the remaining 44 seconds on the clock with the run game.

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