3 Players To Watch Offensively for Arizona Against Hawaii

It is officially game week for Arizona as it opens up the season against a Hawaii team on Saturday that already opened its season in Week 0 last Saturday. The Wildcats will look to use what they learned from that performance heading into Saturday's game.

It was only one game from Hawaii, and the struggles from Stanford QB Ben Gulbranson made it tougher to evaluate the pass defense for the Rainbow Warriors this season.

One of the more noticeable elements of that game was the way Stanford had success in the run game against Hawaii's defensive line. The Cardinal ran for over four yards per carry, including lead back Micah Ford rumbling for 113 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries.

Here are three offensive players to monitor for Arizona this weekend.

1. RB Kedrick Reescano

Oct 19, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats running back Kedrick Reescano (3) against the Colorado Buffalos at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

- As I noted before, the biggest takeaway from Hawaii's defense in its opening game was the struggles against Stanford's run game. It was most noticeable early in the first half as well as in Stanford's drive to the third quarter and start the fourth quarter, which resulted in a 20-play touchdown drive. Stanford wore out Hawaii's defensive line in that drive with five straight runs to start the drive and six straight runs to close the drive, capped off with a rushing touchdown at the goal line.

Ford showed off his physical running style, sometimes Reescano showed flashes of last season. In what projects to be a bigger role for him heading into this year, this is a prime matchup for him.

2. RB Ismail Mahdi

Dec 26, 2023; Dallas, TX, USA; Texas State Bobcats running back Ismail Mahdi (21) runs with the ball against Rice Owls defensive back AJ Stephens (25) in the second quarter at Gerald J Ford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images | Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

It will be the Arizona debut for Mahdi at Arizona Stadium on Saturday. The transfer was an electric playmaker at Texas State the past two seasons, something he'll look to carry into this year under offensive coordinator Seth Doege.

While Reescano brings more of a downhill power element to Arizona’s run game, Mahdi offers a different skill set that should complement each other well. Last week, Stanford had multiple productive running backs against Hawaii's defensive line, which is a game plan Arizona will likely aim to follow between Mahdi and Reescano.

If Arizona is to take a step forward offensively this season, it will need a more consistent run game to help take pressure off Noah Fifita in the passing game. This is a prime matchup at home for Arizona’s run game to get off to a strong start.

3. WR Chris Hunter

Nov 30, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Chris Hunter (16) against the Arizona State Sun Devils during the Territorial Cup at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

As the leading returning receiver, Hunter will look to pick up where he left off last season with Fifita. Arizona brought in several talented wide receivers through the transfer portal this offseason who'll also make a big impact for this offense this season, but Hunter is the one I'll be watching closely on Saturday given his strong end to last year.

In the end, this is likely an offense that'll feature a different top receiver many weeks depending on the opponent, game plan and the flow of the actual game.

This will be the debut of Doege's offense in front of the home crowd Saturday night. There will be lots of key players to watch offensively, but I'm expecting to see more of an emphasis on the run game for Arizona.

What players on the offensive side of the ball are you looking forward to watching on Saturday? Let us know and be sure to follow us on our X account by clicking on the link.