Hate to say it. Fish would have won this game with this team. He’s a slime ball but he’s already doing a nice job at Washington.

just wait until next year when all our 2star recruits come in. We could be in for a long road.

Happy Saturday everyone! Here is the game thread for tonight's game between Arizona and Texas Tech.

The Wildcats will look to carry their momentum from last week's win at Utah into tonight in front of what is expected to be a big crowd at Arizona Stadium. It is another big game against a potent Texas Tech offense, though the Red Raiders have yet to prove much on the road losing their only road game against Washington State so far this season.

GAME INFO

Who: Arizona (3-1, 1-0) vs. Texas Tech (4-1, 2-0)

Kickoff: 8 p.m. (MST)

Where: Arizona Stadium | Tucson, AZ

TV and channels: FOX

Radio: 1290 AM | XM: 198, 384

All-time series: Texas Tech leads 26-5-2

Odds: Arizona (-6.5), O/U (64)

Hey guys, throughout the Red-Blue game I will be posting in here sharing my thoughts on what we see tonight out of the team. Plus, we will have postgame video in here available following the conclusion of the press conference.

Arizona got it's season back on track when it went into Salt Lake City and defeated then-No. 10 Utah in a 23-10 upset in an environment the Utes don't typically lose in marking a new journey for the Wildcats. After a sluggish start to the year head coach Brent Brennan stated that sometimes teams will take a couple weeks to get going and now that the Cats knocked off the favorite to win the Big 12, they are poised for big things in Brennan's first year manning this ship.

One thing that's worth noting is the parity seen around the league so far. Oklahoma State looked to be the top contender beginning 3-0 with Utah before losing to the Utes by three points and then crumbling to Kansas State 42-20. UCF looked to be a potential sneaky team as well before getting completely boat raced by a Colorado team that's been playing down to competition, but now the Buffaloes look ready to make some noise.

The Big 12 will be very competitive in 2024 and the results are sure to come down to the wire. On paper the Utah game initially appears like Arizona is heading back to it's 2023 form but for the Cats, they'll have to be weary of the high-flying offense coming to Tucson on Saturday as Arizona looks to move to 4-1 and 2-0 in conference play. The Red Raiders in question have won three straight playing fast and furious and that kind of quick striking tempo could prove volatile for a Wildcats defense that feels like they found their footing a week ago.

Texas Tech has seen success when matching up against Arizona in the past holding the 26-5-2 all-time lead, but it was actually UA that got the upper land last time around holding off TTU 28-14 at Arizona Stadium in 2019.

The Wildcats have been favored the whole week and the spread currently stands at -6.5 with an O/U of 64 and there is the making of a classic shootout come Saturday with the higher performing defense putting their team over the hump.

Both teams will put their undefeated conference records on the line with only one coming out on top and here are three players to watch on each team that may show out Saturday night.

Arizona

RB Kedrick Reescano - stats vs. Utah: seven carries, 73 rushing yards, 10.4 yards per carry

With junior running back Rayshon "Speedy" Luke announcing he'll redshirt the rest of the 2024 season, the Wildcats are expected to double down on their top two options in running backs Quali Conley and Kedrick Reescano.

Conley is not only the more experienced of the two but the primary option out of the backfield rushing for 322 yards (5.9 YPC) and four rushing touchdowns along with being quite productive as a receiving option as well catching 11 passes for 83 receiving yards.

While Conley starts for the committee, Reescano has been sneakily showing his ability to be an explosive change of pace back to give the offense some new life in drives they need it the most. Twice now Reescano has received carries in tight ballgames that he took for an explosive run (20-plus yards) and with that must be continuing to gain the confidence of the coaching staff.

On the season Reescano has 147 rushing yards (9.2 YPC) and a touchdown and the touches he receives may be on the incline as Arizona gets comfortable with the running backs in the room.

TE Keyan Burnett - stats vs. Utah: five receptions, 76 receiving yards, one touchdown

After weeks of Arizona trying to find options offensively outside of superstar WR Tetairoa McMillan, have the Cats finally found one?

Tight end Keyan Burnett certainly made his case and may have stamped that conversation shut with his 76 yard performance and 35-yard touchdown catch which was not only his first collegiate score but also put the Utes away for good.

This effort paid off weeks of training camp hype that projected Burnett as well as the tight ends in general to get more looks in the offense this season, and with tight ends coach Matt Adkins taking over play calling duties that may have played a role in the breakout game.

In what projects as a shootout come Saturday night against Texas Tech, expect the Wildcats offense to be passing, a lot, and with that bringing more volume potentially the way of Burnett.

DB Genesis Smith - stats vs. Utah: three tackles, one interception

Arizona's secondary is loaded with talent and big names across the landscape of college football like one cornerback Tacario Davis who won Big 12 defensive player of the week honors on the back of a seven tackle and five pass breakup performance against Utah.

Quietly though one of the more consistent and underrated players in the unit has been sophomore defensive back Genesis Smith who made a key interception putting Arizona in Utah territory. Earlier in the season Smith also picked off New Mexico quarterback Devon Dampier when the Wildcats were searching for a spark, and Smith rewarded them with a big play.

There's potential that defensive back Treydan Stukes who plays the similar star role to Smith may miss this contest with an injury suffered against Utah, and if that's the case then Smith will be asked to step up and play his most meaningful reps of his young career.

In a game where the Wildcats defense will go against a Texas Tech team that wants to air the ball out, that's more opportunity for a player like Smith to make his presence felt once more.

Texas Tech

QB Behren Morton - stats vs. Cincinnati: 251 passing yards, 66% completion percentage, two passing touchdowns

Whenever an offense has the ability to move down the field and score points like Texas Tech does there has to be key running that supercar and for the Red Raiders it's quarterback Behren Morton.

Morton is a fourth year player that has played here and there in each of his years but after going with a different starter each year the Red Raiders finally turned to Morton as the starter and he's showing them fortune for that decision.

In 2024 Morton has thrown for 1,426 yards with 14 passing touchdowns to only two interceptions. That ratio is exactly why the offense has been so tough to stop as their ball security is phenomenal.

Just as much credit to this offensive success goes to the Red Raiders offensive line who have only allowed five sacks or around one sack per game. In games such as the Washington State game where the pass protection is expected to hold up for 58 pass attempts makes the stat more astonishing.

The Wildcats are coming off of a matchup where they allowed 280 passing yards to Utes quarterback Isaac Wilson but he was also picked off twice and sacked three times in a performance defensive coordinator Duane Akina was surely fired up for.

RB Tahj Brooks - stats vs. Cincinnati: 32 carries, 172 rushing yards, 5.4 yards per carry, two rushing touchdowns

While Texas Tech throws the football up there with the most in the nation, there's a certain bell cow running back by the name of Tahj Brooks that keeps defenses honest and quite frankly runs through that honesty.

An All-Big-12 running back a year ago, Brooks chose to play another year with the Red Raiders and is keeping up that all conference play he standardized in 2023. In four games as he missed the Washington State game, Brooks has ran for 551 yards with 5.4 yards per clip and finding pay dirt four times.

Listed around 5-foot-10 230 pounds he is built lower to the ground but is a tough tackle assignment for the best defenders in college football and goes up against a rush defense in Arizona that allows 150.5 yards a game. That same defense however just held a potent Utah rushing attack to 84 ground yards and 2.9 a carry so the matchup is worth noting.

Having an asset at running back like Brooks who's expected to be drafted to the NFL following this season, makes a defenses gameplan that much harder when choosing to defend a high-powered passing game or letting a bowling ball of a back run all over you.

WR Josh Kelly - stats vs. Cincinnati: eight receptions, 111 receiving yards

Whenever the ball leaves Morton's hand, it's more likely than not going the way of former Fresno State, then Washington State wide receiver Josh Kelly who leads the team in receptions by a large margin with 39 compared to 17 from Coy Eakin which is the closest behind him.

The Wildcats played against Kelly a year prior when he was a Cougar and held him to a modest one reception for nine yards, but now is playing in debatably the best offense he's been apart of in college. His amount of receptions and receiving yards with 487 is more than halfway to crushing his career-highs and he may be able to do so with great performances in the following games ahead.

Kelly will line up against a Wildcats secondary that was every bit of the old saying "bend but don't break" last Saturday against Utah. Utes receiver Dorian Singer had great success getting open and catching the ball for massive gains picking up nine receptions for 155 yards, however Utah had two red zone trips out of the four end in turnover on downs thanks to the aforementioned defensive backs Davis and Stukes. The other two trips resulted in the Utes' only 10 points on the day with a field goal and touchdown pass to a tight end.

UA's secondary defenders are big and play with a lot of physicality, two things that Kelly will have to combat with finesse and technique to make his marquee plays.

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Here is this week's podcast episode with Troy and I discussing the win over Utah plus Arizona's Big 12 home opener against Texas Tech.

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Arizona now has another four-star recruit in its 2025 class after receiver Isaiah Mizell was awarded a bump up in the rankings in the midst of a stellar senior season. The UA commit has been pursued by a number of programs since making his pledge to the Wildcats, and Notre Dame has been the school to grab his attention the most. He just visited with the Irish, and it will be a key task for Arizona to keep him in the mix through signing day.

Interesting

Following a bounce back in a big way as the Wildcats traveled to Rice-Eccles Stadium and upset then-No. 10 Utah 23-10, Arizona sits at 3-1 on the year and 1-0 in conference play in its first year as a Big 12 member.

Now the Cats gear up to welcome Texas Tech to Tucson in a late night Big 12 clash which just so happens to be UA’s first conference game at home. The Red Raiders are coming off a thrilling 44-41 shootout in which they outlasted Cincinatti picking up a 4-1 record going 2-0 in the conference to this point.

The Red Raiders have more or less owned the Wildcats in both of their histories going 26-5-2 in their matchups. Although Texas Tech has has so much success in the past, it was actually the Cats that picked up the 28-12 win in their most recent matchup back in 2019 off the backs of a 300-plus yard running day.

GAME INFO

Who: Arizona (3-1) (1-0) vs. Texas Tech (4-1) (2-0)
Kickoff: 8 p.m. (MST)
Where: Arizona Stadium | Tucson, AZ
TV and channels: FOX
Radio: 1290 AM
All-time series: Texas Tech leads 26-5-2
Odds: Arizona (-5.5), O/U (63.5)

Please join the discussion below as we’ll have you covered with all the content disclosed this week and will chat back and forth about what could potentially be offensive fireworks on Saturday.

Hello everyone, here is the game thread for tonight as Arizona opens Big 12 play on the road in Salt Lake City against Utah.

It remains unclear if it will be Cam Rising or Isaac Wilson under center for the Utes. Either way, it will be a tough game for the Wildcats in a tough environment coming off their bye week.

Arizona will be looking to prove it remains a top contender in the Big 12 facing the current favorite in the conference.

GAME INFO

Who: Arizona (2-1) at No. 10 Utah (4-0, 1-0)

Kickoff: 7:15 p.m. (MST)

Where: Rice-Eccles Stadium | Salt Lake City, Utah

TV and channels: ESPN

Radio: 1290 AM | XM: 81, 381

All-time series: Utah leads 25-20-2

Odds: Utah (-8), O/U (47)

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Make sure to check out our quick post-game review as Troy and I looked back on Arizona's upset road win over No. 10 Utah on Saturday night.

Arizona football sits with a 2-1 record in the midst of it's early season bye week and the assessment so far of the performance is a mixed bag of many things. With a coaching staff change bringing Brent Brennan in from San Jose State, there were bound to be some growing pains and while those are definitely evident on the field, Wildcats fans are hoping things will get clicking sooner rather than later.

The Wildcats have seen signs of optimism in different areas through three weeks but the only problem has been sustaining that positive play. The season opener against New Mexico showcased an explosive element from the Arizona offense that demonstrated it was one of the best in the nation and had the ability to hang with any team in the country. That 61-point, 627 yard game from offensive coordinator Dino Babers' group looks so far like a flash in the pan as they have not come close to replicating that type of production putting up half of that yardage in the NAU and KSU games with a combined 29 points since week 1.

On defense it is a similar story as to open the season Arizona's defense looked all over the place and in that allowed 39 points and 471 yards to the Lobos in a shocker that had fans severely worried about the upcoming contests. The Wildcats however bounced back defensively in week 2 allowing 10 points and just under 200 total yards to NAU. It was that rally on defense that arguably won the game for Arizona as the offense heavily struggled to sustain drives.

Week 3 against Kansas State brought each of the Wildcats greatest weaknesses and put them all on display in what was a commanding 31-7 victory for KSU where Arizona looked sluggish and allowed the other Wildcats to do whatever they wanted to.

That's why the bye week comes at an opportune time for the Wildcats to flush out the loss and negative plays and get back to the drawing board.

Here are the areas of struggle plaguing Arizona to start to 2024 campaign.

Lack of offensive rhythm

Having the ability to play lights out offense isn't something that is out of the realm of possibilities for this Arizona team. They proved that in week 1 but just haven't been able to return to form in that sense again yet. While it's unrealistic to expect quarterback Noah Fifita and co. to go out and score 50-60 points every single week, it's realistic seeing that capability to at least score a couple touchdowns a game and stay in it when the defense is playing sound as well.

There are a couple factors to point at as to why this has been an issue in the early part of the season such as major injuries along the offensive line making the lineup nearly different every week, receivers not named Tetairoa McMillan still coming along, but most importantly the play calling has been a big part of the mishaps.

It feels like Dino Babers calls a different philosophy each week and that's led to the team not really having an offensive identity. Against New Mexico it was extremely pass heavy, he called a run dominant game in the NAU game and then Kansas State was probably the most balanced he's called the offense before things got out of hand and the Wildcats had to pass because of negative game script. The rhythm is simply not visible yet and that'll be a big development going forward with No. 12 Utah on the horizon.

The under utilization of the tight ends

Back in training camp, maybe the biggest talking point from what Arizona was showing to the people in attendance was the heavy involvement of the tight end position. Whether it was Keyan Burnett who especially flashed, Roberto Miranda, or San Jose State transfer Sam Olsen, each of them looked like good players and like they could potentially be key players going into the season.

It's worth noting that Babers wasn't Brennan's play caller at San Jose State but in Brennan's final year with the program three tight ends combined for 49 receptions for 673 receiving yards and five touchdowns with Olsen playing a huge role in that. In three games at UA Burnett, Olsen, and Tyler Powell have combined for seven catches and 79 receiving yards.

It looked as if the tight end would be heavily involved in the Wildcats offense in camp and the production on the field just hasn't reciprocated for all that effort put into them in preparation for the season. The involvement of more tight ends, particularly the highly athletic Burnett could prove valuable for this offense.

Run defense allowing big holes

Let alone the NAU game that might be an outlier, Arizona's defense has not been able to stop the run at all. Whether it's scrambling quarterbacks or a running back that can see the hole, the Wildcats defenders are left in pursuit mode as the ball carrier takes a huge gain down field.

Rushing quarterbacks have especially hurt UA's defense as seen in UNM's Devon Dampier who ran for 130 yards and two touchdowns along with KSU's Avery Johnson who rushed for 110 yards last Friday. The pinpoint problem here is a little harder to navigate as there are many variables that go into stopping a quarterback when he gets his legs churning but each of the following could be improved upon.

The Wildcats need better contain off of the edge first and foremost. When a passer looks to takeoff, it is either around the edge of the offensive line or right through it as a gap opens up and Arizona has been particularly gashed when a quarterback rolls out. Rolling out is really tough to defend because containing the quarterback too close as a coverage player can allow the big play over their heads while playing to far back can allow the field general to scamper for a decent gain. That's why the edge rushers on the team desperately have to play their contain tighter to prevent the roll outs and if that doesn't work there are many athletic defenders on the team such as a Genesis Smith that could play a spy/overhang role when matched up against someone with legs.

Costly penalties on both sides of the ball

Anyone who has watched Arizona play so far has seen the sheer amount of penalties that have killed drives or extended them for the opposing team. The Wildcats have been called on at least nine penalties for 74 or more yards in every contest going all the way up to 95 and 100 in the NAU and UNM games respectively.

That amount of yardage is comparable to a skill player having a good or even great game for their team and that's inexcusable for a team with Big 12 Championship aspirations. Brennan would agree and he has even stated in press conferences that he "has to coach this team better" but that has yet to be seen on the football field.

Holdings and personal foul calls have been the primary suspects and one personal foul even had cornerback Tacario Davis ejected in week 1. These penalty losses make the Wildcats beat themselves and if there was an issue that needs prioritizing first, it's the penalty issue.

Offense and defense playing complimentary

One thing that Arizona football has yet to accomplish this season has been a "complete" or fundamentally sound football game and that's something that brought this team a lot of success in 2023. Yes, UA does have wins this season where one side of the ball significantly outperformed the other but that is not sustainable for a team that has immense expectations even for itself.

This has to be a focus for Coach Brennan in this bye week and in game preparation next week against No. 12 Utah because the last time the Wildcats when into a big test on the road they inflicted too many self-inflicted wounds to come out victorious and that showed as K-State dominated Arizona all game long.

Coaching up the offense, defense, and special teams to play cleanly and together is the recipe for success and the key to winning a big football matchup come week 5 in the college season.

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Arizona has landed a late-night commitment from Chandler High safety Hamisi Juma this evening. The 6-foot-4 prospect, who previously was at Tolleson, picked the Wildcats over early offers from Arizona State, NAU, Colorado State and UNLV. He is the second commitment for UA in the 2026 class alongside offensive lineman Michael Langi.

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Coming off of a much needed bye week, Arizona looks to bounce back from a 31-7 loss to No. 23 Kansas State and address it's early season inefficiencies that have hindered the team's performance through the first three games. This week, the Wildcats face arguably their biggest challenge of the season as they'll head on the road this weekend to Salt Lake City to take on No. 10 Utah and open up Arizona's first conference season as part of the Big 12.

Each team knows each other fairly well as former Pac 12 league mates from 2011-2023 and the Utes will look to avenge their loss last year to the Wildcats in a game Arizona dominantly won 42-18. This effort snapped a six-game losing streak that stretched all the way back to 2016.

It could potentially be overblown, but there's been speculation on if the garbage time touchdown pass to star receiver Tetairoa McMillan in the final minute of the game may have caused some lingering frustration to Kyle Whittingham's group, fueling a little extra motivation for the Utes heading into this year's rematch.

While the game's spread is currently listing Utah as eight-point favorites, the margin has shifted all week and could potentially tighten more as Saturday approaches.

Both Arizona and Utah are coming into this matchup with something to prove, and here are three players from each team to keep an eye out for on Saturday.

Arizona

OT Rhino Tapa'atoutai - stats vs. Kansas State: 65 snaps

It's safe to say that really none of Arizona's offensive lineman had good games against KSU and most of that can be attributed to the fact it was the Wildcats first matchup against a Power-4 conference defensive line so the physicality brought at the position is definitely a sizable difference compared to New Mexico and NAU.

Now that the Wildcats were able to take great experience out of the game in Manhattan and have a bye week to look into the details, expect Arizona's o-line to show up more prepared against a cerebral Utes defensive front.

That Utah defensive front just so happens to be lead by star defensive end Van Fillinger who is leading the Big 12 in sacks with 5.5 and that's good for second in FBS.

When Arizona takes on Utah all eyes should be on how the Wildcats contain Fillinger and he'll most likely line up on the left side that is manned by redshirt freshman left tackle Rhino Tapa'atoutai.

If Tapa'atoutai was going to be tested as a young player who is starting his first season, it's certainly this game where Fillinger is one of the best pass rushers in the Big 12 and one of the better talents Tapa'atoutai will have to block against.

There isn't much tape on Tapa'atoutai still as he left midway through the New Mexico game with injury after having a solid showing, sat out the NAU game while healing, and then coming back to face K-State but playing a second straight game healthy is good for him as he stacks more experience and there's no better game to prove himself in.

LB Jacob Manu - stats vs. Kansas State: six tackles

The entire defense from a run stopping perspective was not great at all allowing 235 yards on the ground to Kansas State and this has honestly been an issue dating back to the New Mexico game where the Lobos ran for 211 yards on Arizona.

While this is a combination of opposing running backs and mobile quarterbacks having success, it culminates in a weakness defensively that can be exploited anytime someone plays the Wildcats.

Linebacker Jacob Manu is someone who struggled against K-State and generally hasn't looked the same as his usual self coming from a player that was first team All-Pac-12 just a year removed from today. Angles of pursuit and wrapping up ball carriers have been areas Manu has thrived at in the past but has started slow in to begin 2024.

Going up to a hostile environment at Rice-Eccles Stadium and facing a top-30 rushing team with the leading FBS and Big 12 rusher is a challenge that'll show what kind of team the Wildcats want to be coming out of a bye week, and for the red and blue to have success against this rushing attack, Manu will have to step up as the leader he is and fly around Utah's football field.

WR Montana Lemonious-Craig - stats vs. Kansas State: six catches, 75 receiving yards, 12.5 yards per reception

As Arizona continues it's search for someone other than McMillan to step up and take some of the pressure off of the No. 1 receiver, Montana Lemonious-Craig had a solid game against KSU will plenty of room to build upon it.

Lemonious-Craig's six catches and 75 yards were the most in each category since his career-best performance in 2022 where he caught eight passes for 119 receiving yards and a touchdown to help the Colorado Buffaloes win their only game that season.

Coming off easily his best performance as a Wildcat, Lemonious-Craig had a bye week to truly hone in on his skills and build off of a nice game going to Utah.

Both of the Utes' boundary cornerbacks are listed at 6-foot-2 and 6-foot-1 with Zemaiah Vaughn and Elijah Davis respectively, so the size matchup between these defenders and Arizona's top-two receivers will be a slugfest worth watching.

Utah

WR Dorian Singer - stats vs. Oklahoma State: seven receptions, 95 receiving yards

Former All-Pac-12 receiver with Arizona in 2022, receiver Dorian Singer has come a long way from that season in which he racked up 66 catches for 1,105 receiving yards and six touchdowns.

Singer enjoyed an impressive campaign with the Wildcats and transferred to USC with an opportunity to catch passes from former Trojan heisman winner and now No. 1 overall draft pick to the Chicago Bears, Caleb Williams. This wasn't the best for him production wise as he only logged 24 catches for 289 receiving yards (22.2 rec. yards per game) along with three touchdowns.

After a disappointing stint with Southern California he transferred again to Utah and has caught a rhythm each of the last two weeks hauling in five passes for 66 yards against Utah State along with seven catches for 95 yards against Oklahoma State.

Utah's offense has a great amount of talent and while a Whittingham runs the ball a lot, look for Singer to have another high-volume game as a change of pace player.

RB Micah Bernard - stats vs. Oklahoma State: 25 carries, 182 rushing yards, 7.3 yards per carry

A sixth-year senior, running back Micah Bernard has been electric for Utah as the primary option for the first time in his career in a Utah offense that likes to run the football and is coming off of a career-high 182 rushing yards against the Cowboys.

Bernard has dealt with some injuries during his career that have hindered his ability and even forced him to miss all but two games last year, but to start 2024 he is off to the races with a Big 12 and FBS leading 456 rushing yards so far and is on pace to shatter his career-high of rushing yards which is 533 that he racked up in 2022.

He is sure to be heavily involved once more facing an Arizona defense that allows 172.7 rushing yards a game and has given opposing teams lots of success on the ground and coming out of the bye week is still figuring things out along it's defensive line.

CB Smith Snowden - stats vs. Oklahoma State: two tackles, three pass breakups

When you think of the Utes defense, offensive coordinator Dino Babers said it best when pointing out their "experience," but cornerback Smith Snowden is one of the younger starters and has really turned that next gear as of late.

Snowden played in 11 games last season only garnering seven tackles, but starting every game so far in 2024 as Utah's nickel corner he's accumulated 15 tackles with three for loss along with four passes defended and an interception.

All of his plays on the ball have occurred in each of the last two games against Utah State and Oklahoma State and with that should be an intriguing player to keep an eye on as Arizona continue to attempt getting a variety of other pass catchers involved.

Should receivers like Reymello Murphy or Jeremiah Patterson get more involved in the slot, they'll line up across a good player in Snowden.

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Troy and I took some time to look back at the loss to Kansas State for Arizona and assess where things stand now as the Wildcats head into the Week 5 matchup with No. 10 Utah.

Arizona basketball has released its 2024-25 non-conference schedule on X with the three key matchups/events to look forward to are on the road at Wisconsin, home against Duke, the Battle for Atlantis and a neutral site game against UCLA in phoenix. Here's the video of the players guessing the opponents:

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Arizona's non-conference schedule:

Red-Blue Showcase (Oct. 4 Tucson) and (Oct. 11 Glendale)
(Exhibition) Eastern New Mexico (Oct. 21)
(Exhibition) Point Loma (Oct. 28)
Canisius (Nov. 4)
Old Dominion (Nov. 9)
@Wisconson (Nov. 15)
Duke (Nov. 22)
Battle for Atlantis (Nov. 27-29)
Southern Utah (Dec. 7)
(Neutral site) UCLA (Dec. 14)
Samford (Dec. 18)
Central Michigan (Dec. 21)

The Big 12 hasn't released its conference schedule at this moment. But, that is how the Wildcats' non-conference will shape up for the 2024-25 season. Of these games, which ones are you looking forward to the most? And which one scares you the most?

Hello everyone, here is the game thread for tonight's huge game between Arizona and Kansas State. Both teams enter the game 2-0 but with some question marks after the first two weeks of the season.

This is a huge game for many reasons, including a chance for a statement win on the road for Arizona as well as a huge game for the resume for the College Football Playoff.

Noah Fifita, Tetairoa McMillan and the entire offense will look to bounce back after last week's struggles against NAU, while the defense will try to keep Avery Johnson and the Kansas State run game in check.


GAME INFO

Who: No. 20 Arizona (2-0) at Kansas State (2-0)

Kickoff: 5 p.m. (MST)

Where: Bill Snyder Family Stadium | Manhattan, Kans.

TV and channels: FOX

Radio: 1290 AM | XM: 83, 84

All-time series: Arizona leads 5-1-1

Odds: Kansas State (-7), O/U (60.5)

Well, it didn't matter what unit was on the field for Arizona. The Wildcats had no answer for KSU in 31-7 lopsided loss to end non-conference play.


Here's my recap of the underwhelming performance:

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Arizona opens (kind of) Big 12 play tonight in Kansas as the Wildcats travel to Manhattan to square off with K-State in a top-25 matchup. It will not count as a conference game since it had already been scheduled prior to realignment, but it will still be a great measuring stick for Brent Brennan's team ahead of the actual start of conference games.

Troy and I previewed the contest in our latest podcast episode that you can listen to above.

Hey guys, I talked to the Kansas State Rivals site and got an inside look at the KSU football program.


Here's a Q&A with publisher Kevin Fielder:

The Wildcats are coming off the heels of a close defensive win against NAU in week 2 where they were able to escape that game 22-10. Arizona's opponent also faced a scare when Kansas State trailed 10-points at halftime and was able to best Tulane off of a fumble recovery that was returned for a touchdown in the fourth quarter putting KSU up 34-27 and 2-0 in the win column.

Each team shares a defensive unit with a plethora of talent across the boards with young quarterbacks manning the offense that have the capability to rally the team when they need it the most. While this is is a non-conference game and the last one scheduled at that, it's the first Big 12 matchup for both teams in the 2024 season and a great opportunity for each as Arizona will go on to face No. 12 Utah next after a bye week and Kansas State will take on 2-0 BYU next week.

Arizona currently stands as seven point underdogs in a contest that could really go both ways and the health of the team as well as complimentary football should be the key factor in the Wildcats coming away with the upset.

Here are three players on each team to look out for come Friday.

Arizona

C Josh Baker - inactive vs. NAU

Every football team has a glue guy, the kind of player that holds his side of the ball or even the team together and when they miss a game it is sorely noticed. For UA's offense that is certainly Josh Baker who didn't play against NAU which broke his streak of starting 28 consecutive games for the Wildcats in his tenure with the program.

He was more so a healthy scratch it seemed like in week 2 and it was all in preparation for the game versus K-State. He's expected to play on Friday and if he does, it'll be interesting to see how cohesively the offensive line plays together. Whenever guys are shuffled around on the line they're being asked to all play as a collective when they haven't prepared in that order during the off-season and training camp.

If starting left tackle Rhino Tapa'atoutai is able to give it a go as well, then the offensive line will be in great shape as they take on a competitive Wildcats defensive unit that has racked up nine sacks so far and Arizona will need to protect quarterback Noah Fifita as he looks to bounce back from an off game in his previous performance.

LB Taye Brown - stats vs. NAU: 12 tackles, two tackles for loss

Arizona has been searching for a starting linebacker right next to Jacob Manu for a while now and have brought in many different names who unfortunately haven't worked out the best. Sophomore Taye Brown was primarily a special teamer last year and recorded only six defensive tackles in 2023 but has since been thrust into the starting role beside Manu in Brent Brennan's first season as coach.

In the two games so far, Brown has been a dependable piece and a solid tackler racking up a career-high 12 tackles and two tackles for loss against NAU. Facing KSU will be a big test for him as Coach Klieman's group has two running backs they feel great about in DJ Giddens and Dylan Edwards who've combined for 335 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the season and that's without mentioning quarterback Avery Johnson who's a severe rushing threat as well totalling 77 yards on the ground.

The defense as a whole has their work cut out for them in this matchup but seeing how this front-seven and Brown in particular are able to play this run game will be something to watch out for and could be a big turning point in a potential Arizona upset.

DE Tre Smith - stats vs. NAU: six tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble

The season is young but Tre Smith is coming off of his best game as a Wildcat and he'll need to bring this same type of juice off the edge if Arizona wants to succeed against Kansas State.

UA recorded it's first sacks in the NAU game and Smith was a big part in not only getting through to the passer, but opening up lanes for his teammates Isaiah Johnson and Chase Kennedy to bring down the quarterback.

In the teams opener with New Mexico, they played a high-level athlete in quarterback Devon Dampier who caused real havoc for the Arizona defense with his legs. He ran for 130 and two touchdowns and was the reason the Lobos were in that game to begin with. On Friday the Wildcats deal with a quarterback who head coach Brennan described as "faster" than Dampier and he certainly looks so on the tape.

Avery Johnson is hyper athletic and can cause significant issues for Duane Akina's unit if they don't prepare enough for him. One of the biggest things that led to Dampier's success in week 1 was the lack of edge containment that let him roll out left, right, and straight with an opportunity at a chunk play everytime he got going. At 6'5 270 lbs, Smith is an excellent size to succeed in the run game and the defense will count on him to cause pressure and prevent the big run.

Kansas State

QB Avery Johnson - stats vs. Tulane: 181 passing yards, 65% completion percentage, two passing touchdowns, 40 rushing yards

The K-State offense has started somewhat slow in terms of passing as they are ranked 106th in the nation with 173.5 yards a game and that could just be a testament to it's strong running attack and offensive philosophy but it is worth noting as the UA defense will look to force Avery Johnson to beat them with his arm in an effort to limit the run.

In limited playing time to begin his career, Johnson has showcased that he's a very talented quarterback in college with a big arm and extremely mobile legs. In only four starts he's ran for 373 yards and seven touchdowns as well as throwing for 813 yards and nine touchdowns.

He's for sure the most gifted and best all around passer that Arizona has faced in the 2024 campaign and the Wildcats will look to limit his rushing ability as they've been gashed there before. This may be a game where we see Johnson have the highest passing volume of his career where his career-high of completions in a game is a mere 15 and he's yet to eclipse 200 yards passing in a game.

The quarterback duel between Fifita and Johnson from a talent and production standpoint is arguably the most "must-see" matchup in college football this week and whoever has the better performance gives their team a big shot at 3-0.

RB Dylan Edwards - stats vs. Tulane: 54 rushing yards, 13.5 yards per carry, one rushing touchdown

Led by two good running backs, Kansas State loves to run the football having the 20th best rushing offense with 249 yards a game in that department.

After having a decent freshman year at Colorado, Dylan Edwards decided he'd transfer closer to home by choosing Kansas State and this year he's been a good back for them complimenting DJ Giddens and being very productive with his limited touches. Giddens is the true No. 1 that gets the bulk of the work while Edwards will come in almost as the change of pace back with receiving upside. He's only receiving about five to six touches a game but with those minimal looks he has 114 scrimmage yards on the year and scoring three times total.

In a contest that could go down the wire and be a potential situation where the last team with possession has a chance to close things out, expect Edwards to get his most action of the year, however both running backs are going to be an important watch as Kansas State is built to manipulate Arizona's defensive weakness as seen with the New Mexico game when the defense allowed 211 rushing yards and if Giddens and Edwards get going early it could spell trouble for the 20th ranked Wildcats.

LB Austin Romaine - stats vs. Tulane: eight tackles, two tackles for loss, one forced fumble, two sacks

Pure dominance was on display from the linebacker position as Austin Romaine had the best game of his young career with a performance you can't ask much more of.

In the run and pass game he was effective and applied pressure to Tulane's offense where he'll look to do the same against Arizona.

When the Wildcats faced NAU last Saturday Fifita was sacked three times, albeit with a banged up offensive line. The blitz really affected Fifita's playmaking and it left the offense at a stalemate for most of the game. With K-State bringing a high octane defense that gets after their assignment, the pass protection will be crucial against this front.

Arizona also boasts a smashmouth rushing attack that's averaging 196.5 yards a game on the ground and seeing how Romaine and the rest of his defense plays on Friday will be an interesting watch.

I’d be watching this one anyway - it’s college football on Thursday - but I’m even more pumped this year. Hoping to see Jordan McCloud shred ASU. Always pulling for ex-Wildcats unless they transferred to ASU or Washington, and especially when they’re playing ASU. Unless I saw it wrong I think this game is a pick’em.

It a short week for No. 20 Arizona as it will be hitting the road to face No. 14 Kansas State in the final non-conference game of the 2024 season. Strangely enough, this is two conference opponents getting a chance to play against each other without it counting against their Big 12 records. Last week, UA struggled in an underwhelming 22-10 win over NAU in a game where it found itself trailing 10-6 at the half. But, the ground game led by Quali Conley was able to pick up the slack and help lift the team to a win.

Meanwhile, KSU was trailing at the half 20-10 against Tulane in a tough road game. The Wildcats battled back in the second half and outscored the Green Wave 24-*7 the rest of the way. Kansas State was led on the ground by running back DJ Giddens, who totaled 177 yards of total offense with a touchdown on 23 touches to help his team complete the comeback win.

The last time these two Wildcats faced off was in 1978 when Arizona rocked KSU 31-0 in Tucson. In the seven total matchups, UA has never gone on the road to Manhattan. SO, this will be a first of many for not only the team, but the program as well.

GAME INFO

Who: No. 20 Arizona (2-0) at KSU (2-0)
Kickoff: 5 p.m. (MST)
Where: Bill Snyder Family Stadium | Manhattan, Kans.
TV and channels: FOX (11)
Radio: 1290 AM | SiriusXM: 83, 84
All-time series: Arizona leads 5-1-1
Odds: Kansas State (-7), O/U (56.5)

We will be posting all the weekly content in this thread and this will be used as a space to talk about the Top 20 showdown in Manhattan. Please join the conversation and ask questions that you may have about these two Wildcats.

Arizona had an interesting performance in Saturday's win over Northern Arizona. The Wildcats struggled to find momentum and rhythm on offense while the defense came through to help secure the 22-10 victory over the Lumberjacks. So, it is not surprising then that PFF assessed the game and delivered more positive grades on the defensive side of the ball. Here's a rundown of the top grades handed down from PFF plus an overview of the snap counts. Plus, I have some takeaways from what the numbers mean as we assess the Wildcats through the first two weeks of the season.

OFFENSE

Top 5 overall grades

1. WR Devin Hyatt - 90.2 (5 snaps)
2. RB Kedrick Reescano - 73.1 (8 snaps)
3. RB Quali Conley - 70.3 (47 snaps)
4. TE Tyler Power - 68.0 (19 snaps)
5. OL Alex Doost - 67.2 (4 snaps)

Top 5 individual grades

1. OL Jonah Savaiinaea - 90.2 (pass blocking)
2. OL Leif Magnuson - 87.9 (pass blocking)
3. WR Devin Hyatt - 84.5 (passing/receiving)
4. RB Quali Conley - 81.2 (passing/receiving)
5. OL Wendell Moe - 74.6 (pass blocking)

Snaps played

1. QB Noah Fifita - 61
2. OL Leif Magnuson - 61
3. OL Wendell Moe - 61
4. OL Jonah Savaiinaea - 61
5. OL Ryan Stewart - 61
6. OL Grayson Stovall - 61
7. TE Keyan Burnett - 56
8. WR Tetairoa McMillan - 49
9. RB Quali Conley - 47
10. WR Montana Lemonious-Craig - 39
11. WR Jeremiah Patterson - 23
12. TE Tyler Powell - 19
13. WR Malachi Riley - 18
14. TE Roberto Miranda - 15
15. WR Chris Hunter - 12
16. RB Kedrick Reescano - 8
17. RB Rayshon Luke - 6
18. WR Devin Hyatt - 5
19. OL Alext Doost -4
20. FB Kayden Luke - 4

DEFENSE

Top 5 overall grades

1. DL Tre Smith - 79.3 (44 snaps)
2. DL Chase Kennedy - 78.7 (44 snaps)
3. DB Treydan Stukes - 76.6 (57 snaps)
4. DL Stanley Ta'ufo'ou - 76.0 (13 snaps)
5. LB Taye Brown - 75.8 (57 snaps)

Top 5 individual grades

1. LB Taye Brown - 86.5 (run defense)
2. DL Stanley Ta'ufo'ou - 84.7 (pass rush)
3. DB Gensis Smith - 80.8 (tackling)
4. DL Ta'ita'i Uiagalelei - 78.9 (pass rush)
5. DL Chubba Maae - 77.7 (run defense)

Snaps played

1. LB Taye Brown - 57
2. CB Tacario Davis - 57
3. CB Marquis Groves-Killebrew - 57
4. LB Jacob Manu - 57
5. DB Genesis Smith - 57
6. DB Treydan Stukes - 57
7. DL Chase Kennedy - 44
8. DL Tre Smith - 44
9. DL Ta'ita'i Uiagalelei - 43
10. DL Chubba Maae - 34
11. DB Owen Goss - 30
12. DB Dalton Johnson - 27
13. LB Sterling Lane II - 22
14. DL Isaiah Johnson - 13
15. DL Lance Keneley - 13
16. DL Stanley Ta'ufo'ou - 13
17. DL Cyrus Durham - 1
18. DL Dominic Lolesio - 1

BREAKDOWN

• Let's first take a look at some of the overall numbers for the Wildcats through two games. UA is still holding strong overall with an 89.9 grade overall this season, which is good enough to sit at No. 25 among all FBS teams according to PFF. The offense ranks 27th with an 80.2 overall while the defense is at No. 55 with a 77.1 PFF grade.
• It's no shock that the defense received higher marks than the offense in Week 2 including registering an 86.5 in the run defense category. The Wildcats only had a higher number three times last season in games against NAU, Colorado and Oklahoma. UA received its highest pass rush grade ever from PFF with an 82.9 in the win over the Lumberjacks. UA only reached as high as 76.7 in that category last year when it played NAU.
• Defensively, the Wildcats scored best as a group in the tackling category with nine players scoring above a 70.0 in that area.
• As we begin to see some trends, defensive back Genesis Smith has been the defensive player to receive the most consistent praise from the staff at PFF when it comes to players who have been on the field often. His overall defensive grade of 80.3 puts him at No. 29 among all FBS safeties, but only six players above him have played as many snaps as he has. His coverage grade of 83.6 puts him at No. 20 nationally in the PFF grades with only four players above him having played as many snaps as he has.
• The defense was again active with 30 total pressures and 22 hurries against the Lumberjacks on Saturday according to PFF. UA only had eight missed tackles as well.
• Receiver Devin Hyatt registered a very high score of 90.2 after finishing with one catch for 30 yards against NAU, but it has to be considered that he only played five snaps in the game skewing the grade just a bit.
• Offensively, there weren't a ton of positive grades handed out as 16 of the 20 players who saw the field for UA scored below a 70.0.
• The Wildcats scored well in the pass protection category with Jonah Savaiinaea and Leif Magnuson both earning above an 87.0 in that area.
• Despite being held to just 11 yards receiving against NAU, Tetairoa McMillan remains the top-graded receiver in the Big 12 and No. 9 overall with an 87.6. Only two players ahead of him have been targeted as much (19 times).

Hello everyone, here is the game thread for the game tonight between Arizona and Northern Arizona. The Wildcats are looking to move to 2-0 after opening the season with a 61-39 win over New Mexico last weekend. The defense will look to get back on track against the Lumberjacks, while Noah Fifita and Tetairoa McMillan will look to pick up where they left off following a historic performance to open the season.

We will update you throughout the game in this thread.

GAME INFO

Who: No. 21 Arizona (1-0) vs. Northern Arizona (1-0)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. (MST)
Where: Arizona Stadium | Tucson, Ariz.
TV and channels: ESPN+
Radio: 1290 AM | XM: 85
All-time series: Arizona leads 16-2
Odds: Arizona (-35.5), O/U (61.5)

Join the conversation below!