Making the Game Prediction for Arizona vs. Oklahoma State
In this story:
Arizona wanted to get back on the right track after an underwhelming first season under Brent Brennan where 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 3-straight impressive wins over Hawaii, Weber State and Kansas State.
However, the Wildcats hit a bump in the road and suffered their first loss of the season in an underwhelming 39-14 performance against No. 14 Iowa State.
On the first drive of the game, the Wildcats marched down the field looking for points but missed a 46-yard field goal by kicker Michael Salgado-Medina, which seemed to set the tone of the game against Iowa State.
Arizona, found itself in an early 22-0 hole against Iowa State due to missed opportunities, sloppy play and unforced errors. The Wildcats would score right before half making it a 15-point game.
Arizona’s defense had been one of the better units nationally coming into the game holding opponents to 8.7 PPG, which was tied for sixth in college football. But, the Wildcats’ defense clearly hit a pump in the road against the Cyclones.
In the first three games of the season, Arizona had done a good job of eliminating explosive plays with the only one that really stood out being the 75-yard touchdown run by KSU.
Through the first three quarters against Iowa State, the Wildcats allowed SIX explosive plays with all of them coming through the air against Arizona’s secondary.
Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht was able to go 14 of 20 passing for 243 yards with most of his yardage coming on those six plays.
Now, although Becht was able to get the job done through the air, he did most of his scoring damage on the ground scoring on the 1-yard line against the Wildcats’ defense three times.
Meanwhile, Arizona couldn’t get off the field when it needed it most as Iowa State went 6 of 12 on third down conversion. Plus, the Wildcats allowed the Cyclones to go 2-for-2 on fourth down conversions.
Everything seemed to spiral out of control for Arizona, which unlike the Cyclones struggled on third downs going an underwhelming 4 of 13 for the game.
Things didn’t go Arizona’s way against Iowa State and the Wildcats will have things to clean up and improve upon which led to the loss against the Cyclones.
Now, the Wildcats will start to prepare for their game against Oklahoma State (1-3,0-1), which is entering the game with interim head coach Doug Meacham. In Meacham’s first game leading the charge for the Cowboys they fell 45-27 against Baylor.
Arizona will be breaking out new jerseys with the Wildcats’ Sandstorm combination as the team looks to get back on track against Oklahoma State. We at Arizona Wildcats On SI have our game prediction for the UA-OSU showdown.
Game Prediction
- Arizona: 42
- OSU: 17
Reason
- I think the Cowboys are coming into Tucson and will be facing a pissed off Arizona team that feels like it shot itself in the foot against ISU, meaning the team will have something to prove on the field.
- Plus, OSU has a lot of moving parts with an interim head coach, an interim defensive coordinator and has seen players enter the transfer portal. The Wildcats will have a chance to make a statement on Saturday.
Please be sure to share your thoughts on our pick for the UA-OSU game. To do so, follow us on our X account by clicking on the link.
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.
Follow THutch1995