Breaking Down Fifita vs. Sorsby Before Big 12 Showdown
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Arizona is coming off a huge victory at home over Kansas, 24-20. The win secured bowl eligibility for the Wildcats in year two under coach Brent Brennan.
It's a big accomplishment for a program that finished just 4-8 a year ago, and the team has flipped around very quickly. Danny Gonzales has turned the defense into one of the best units in the country, especially at getting takeaways. While the offense has been inconsistent, Seth Doege has found ways to spread the ball around.
The Wildcats managed to take down the Jayhawks by closing out the game on the ground. They got big scrambles from quarterback Noah Fifita, while running back Quincy Craig entered the game and sealed the deal with a 24-yard touchdown run.
Craig won the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week for his performance. Arizona picked up 5.7 yards per carry on the ground last week, which will be a key to a big win on the road over Cincinnati this week.
However, the Bearcats have been explosive offensively this season, meaning the Wildcats could have to match them through the air with Fifita's arm. Brendan Sorsby has captained the Bearcats this season and burst onto the scene as a legitimate contender for the Big 12 crown.
Quarterback play could be a deciding factor this week. Here's how the two quarterbacks compare heading into this week's matchup.
Noah Fifita
Fifita has been the driving force of Arizona's offense this season, as Doege has leaned into the passing game more often. The junior quarterback has thrown for 2,200 yards, 23 touchdowns and four interceptions this season.
Arizona's offense goes as Fifita goes. The Wildcats have scored 31 points per game across their six conference games this year. Overall, Arizona has thrown for 254.4 yards per game this season. While the rushing game has stumbled at times, the aerial assault has typically been reliable.
Fifita's latest outing against Kansas was far from his best. He completed 16-of-31 passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns. He was under a bunch of pressure from the Jayhawks' front seven before the Wildcats eventually pivoted to a run-first attack.
Kansas sacked Fifita five times, which made running the offense difficult. Cincinnati doesn't present the same threat this week, with just 16 sacks this season.
Fifita's two touchdown passes tied him with Willie Tuitama and Nick Foles atop the program's all-time touchdown passes list with 67. This week, he could break that record. Fifita has thrown for multiple touchdown passes in all but two games this season.
Though he's not much of a runner, Fifita has used his feet to extend plays this season. The Wildcats can be bitten through the air, as demonstrated in their latest loss to Utah, when Devon Dampier tossed two touchdowns. The Bearcats allow 225.6 passing yards per game, which is 13th in the Big 12.
Fifita has done a good job of getting several receivers involved in games. Kris Hutson and Javin Whatley have been reliable pass catchers, while Tre Spivey is a touchdown threat from anywhere on the field. It's not unreasonable to expect Fifita to continue to have success this week on the road.
Brendan Sorsby
Sorsby is one of the best quarterbacks the Wildcats have seen this season. The former Indiana transfer has a lot of different tools in his bag and has popped up on the NFL radar after his strong showings this year.
This season, Sorsby has thrown for 2,064 yards, 21 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He's also a mobile threat with 453 yards rushing and eight touchdowns on the ground. He has struggled with being super efficient, completing just 60.8% of his passes.
Utah had some different coverages that confused Sorsby in his last outing, and some pressure threw off the Cincinnati offense, despite not taking a sack. He completed just 11-of-33 passes for 221 yards and one touchdown and an interception, while adding a rushing touchdown.
One of the things Sorsby does really well is take care of the ball. He's minimized turnovers, while the Arizona defense has lived on takeaways this season.
Cincinnati has only let Sorsby get sacked twice this season in nine games, which is astounding. A lot of that has had to do with Sorsby extending plays with his legs and escaping the rush, and some of it is the quick throws that the offense uses to spread out the defense and take shots deep.
Arizona's struggles against dual-threat quarterbacks are well-known at this point, but Sorsby doesn't just look to run. He uses his legs in very smart ways to keep defenses guessing.
Cincinnati is scoring 35.6 points per game (third in the Big 12) and picking up 436.4 yards per game this season (fourth in the Big 12). Sorsby, like Fifita, is the straw that stirs the drink offensively. He is heavily involved in every play, even when he isn't carrying or throwing the ball. He can be used as a decoy, which will test the discipline of the Arizona front this week.
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Logan Brown is an alumnus of the prestigious Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. He currently works as a General College Sports Reporter On SI. Logan has an extensive background in writing and has contributed to Cronkite Sports, PHNX Sports, and Motion Graphics.
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