Arizona Football Talk: Arizona-BYU Prediction
Welcome! To another edition of the Arizona Wildcats Insiders Podcast featuring your host Troy Hutchison, who will be delivering a daily podcast discussing everything happening surrounding Arizona athletics, giving you an inside look at all the programs on campus.
Hutchison has been covering Arizona for the last seven years with his coverage spanning all-across UA’s campus from football and men’s basketball to Title IX sports. Plus, with so many former Wildcats playing at the next level in their prospective sports, there will be moments where he will take a deep dive into the Cats excelling outside of Tucson.
Arizona sought to get back on track after an underwhelming first season under Brent Brennan, during which the team finished 4-8 and missed a bowl game despite preseason high expectations.
Well, after changes were made to the coaching staff and the roster, Brennan seems to have the Wildcats moving in the right direction, with the team starting the year with three straight impressive wins over Hawaii, Weber State, and Kansas State.
After a quick bump in the road against Iowa State, Arizona (4-1, 1-1 Big 12) was able to bounce back with an impressive 41-13 win over Oklahoma State, putting the Wildcats two wins away from a bowl berth.
On the offensive side of the ball, Arizona was led by quarterback Noah Fifita, who racked up 376 passing yards while going 28 of 38, which led to five touchdowns on the day for the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week award winner.
Leading the charge in the receiving room was Tre Spivey, who set the tone early in the game with two catches that resulted in touchdowns to put the Wildcats ahead by double-digits early.
On the defensive side of the ball, Arizona held Oklahoma State to 158 total yards, which marked the second time this season the Wildcats have held an opponent to under 200 yards of total offense.
So far this season, the Wildcats have recorded 13 sacks, which ranks them 31st nationally. Meanwhile, Arizona has allowed opponents to average 15.6 PPG, which puts UA 19th nationally along with Iowa.
Now, the Wildcats will be getting ready to face off against No. 18 BYU (5-0, 2-0) at home with a 5 p.m. (MST) kickoff on ESPN2.
To get you ready for the game, we at Arizona Wildcats On SI have come up with our prediction for the Wildcats’ game against BYU.
Game Prediction
- Arizona: 21
- No. 18 BYU: 17
Reason
When looking at this game, both Arizona and BYU are some of the better defensive teams in the Big 12 and rank in the top 35 points allowed with the Cougars coming in at No. 6 (12.2 ppg) and the Wildcats at No. 31 (15.6 ppg).
With the forecast set for a 95% chance of rain and the high being 83 degrees, this could be a muddy, grind it out, hard noise style of game. Meaning it could come down to the running game and the defensive front.
Arizona has drastically improved on the defensive side of the ball and have something to prove in the running game after a slow game against OSU. So, we’ve got the Wildcats winning a narrow nail-biting game.
Please be sure to share your thoughts on our game pick for Arizona-BYU. To do so, follow us on our X account by clicking on the link.
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Troy Hutchison grew up attending Arizona athletic events, which gave him a unique perspective and knowledge of the athletic department's rich history. He attended UA and began covering the Wildcats in 2018. As the Arizona Wildcats Beat Writer on SI, he is set to deliver wall-to-wall coverage to give fans an in-depth perspective.