Defensive Grades From Arizona's Win Over Baylor

Baylor entered the day with the nation's No. 2 passing offense and was a point-scoring machine, led by quarterback Sawyer Robertson and a couple of dynamic pass catchers. On Saturday, Arizona limited Robertson to just 162 passing yards, his second-lowest total this season, with one touchdown and two interceptions.

The Bears did run for 181 yards, which is a mild concern for the Wildcats facing a run-heavy operation in Arizona State next week, but the pass defense, once again, stole the show.

According to Pro Football Focus, several Wildcats stood out in a big defensive performance. Here are the five highest-graded defenders from Arizona's win.

5) LB Taye Brown

Brown had a huge day against the run, making 10 tackles and picking up 1.5 sacks, two tackles for loss and forcing a fumble. The fumble came early in the fourth quarter , poking the ball away from Baylor running back Bryson Washington, and Arizona would score on the next play with a 28-yard touchdown run by Ismail Mahdi.

The junior linebacker has been a force this season in the middle and on the edge. He allowed one short catch, but was a big contributor filling gaps against the run.

According to PFF, Brown had an overall grade of 73.8, with a tackling grade of 71.4, a run defense grade of 71.8, a coverage grade of 66.1 and a pass rush grade of 70.1.

4) LB Max Harris

Harris has been a beast as well from the middle linebacker position. He made eight tackles and had half a tackle for loss in the win. Harris isn't always on the field for passing downs, as his 6-foot, 230-pound frame is much better suited to defend the run.

He flows well with the traffic inside and outside to find the ball. He is also one of the more secure tacklers on Arizona's defense, and he didn't miss any of his chances on Saturday.

According to PFF, Harris had an overall grade of 75.2, with a tackling grade of 84.4, a run defense grade of 76.2 and a coverage grade of 66.0.

3) CB Michael Dansby

Arizona was without cornerback Jay'Vion Cole, so Dansby had to step up in coverage on the outside. He did just that, limiting Baylor receivers to four catches for 29 yards, though he did surrender a touchdown pass.

Dansby made three tackles and had two pass deflections against Baylor. He also had one pressure on a corner blitz. Dansby's play has been inconsistent this season, but this was one of his best games filling in on the perimeter.

According to PFF, Dansby had an overall grade of 79.4, his best grade this season. He also had a coverage grade of 79.2, a tackling grade of 77.9 and a run defense grade of 71.2.

2) DB Treydan Stukes

One of Arizona's best seniors had a memorable final outing in front of the Tucson crowd. Stukes made seven tackles from his nickel spot and nabbed his third interception of the season in the end zone in the fourth quarter.

Stukes allowed three catches for just 19 yards in the game, locking down Baylor's passing game in man coverage for a large portion of the day. Robertson had a 26.7 NFL rating when targeting Stukes. The senior nickel corner has been a star this season, consistently lining up with some of the best receivers the Big 12 has to offer.

According to PFF, Stukes had an overall grade of 81.2, with a coverage grade of 87.8, a tackling grade of 81.2 and a run defense grade of 55.5.

1) LB Jabari Mann

One of Arizona's reserve linebackers put the finishing touches on the rout in Tucson. Mann played 31 snaps, tied for the most for him in a game this season. Mann had a career-high six tackles and a big interception in the fourth quarter.

Mann also had one pressure in the game. He had some struggles against the run, but his big moment was a pick-six late in the game. Mann jumped an errant pass over the middle by Robertson and darted to the end zone for the final score of the day. A huge moment for the redshirt freshman.

According to PFF, Mann had an overall grade of 82.5, with a 91.9 coverage grade, a 51.9 tackling grade and a 40.7 run defense grade.

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