Grading Seth Doege’s Performance Heading Into the Bye Week
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The Arizona Wildcats are 3 - 0 for the first time since 2015 after beating Kansas State 23 - 17 this past Friday, avenging their 31 - 7 loss from 2024 in Manhattan. Arizona dominated K-State in yards, with 412 compared to their 193.
The Arizona offense amassed 1,312 yards against all its opponents through the first three weeks of the 2025 season, scoring 40 points against Hawaii in the first week, 48 on Weber State in the second, and ultimately controlling the time of possession against K-State in the third.
A lot of the offensive achievements can be attributed to a potent run game, an effective passing scheme and the play-calling of offensive coordinator Seth Doege, who joined the team in December 2024 after a year with the Marshall Thundering Herd.
Doege brought with him an up-tempo offense that wears down on the opposing defense, averaging 37 points scored and 437.3 total yards per game this season.
Punishing run game
Doege is not afraid to use the run game in his air raid system, something he did last season with the Thundering Herd.
Against Hawaii, Arizona used three different rushers at least six times to dominate the Rainbow Warriors on the ground on the way to a 40 - 6 victory.
By the end of the game, Arizona tallied up 183 yards of rushing offense and four touchdowns scored on the ground.
It was largely the same trend against Weber State the next week. This time, it was the freshman Wesley Yarbrough getting in the mix in place of an injured Kedrick Reescano, who was seen in a walking boot before kickoff.
No running back went over 100 yards in that game, but Doege utilized the attack to open up opportunities for the passing game. 150 yards of running offense were gathered by the end of the 48 - 3 beatdown.
Ismail Mahdi logged 22 rushing attempts in a K-State game that saw Craig limited with a shoulder injury and Reescano still inactive with a lingering foot issue.
The Texas State transfer torched the K-State defense with 189 rushing yards and two receiving touchdowns on the way to being the Big 12 offensive co-player of the week.
Passing game
Fifita struggled heavily last year, forcing passes down the field and at times appearing to be indecisive in where he wanted the ball to go.
A lot of those problems could be pointed to not having a clear No. 2 receiver alongside Tetairoa McMillan, but that was fixed in the offseason with the addition of four transfers and two promising freshmen.
Now, Fifita has looked like a much-improved quarterback who distributes the ball everywhere on the field and is not afraid to throw it deep.
Doege's play calling allowed for Fifita to get back into his groove after a shaky start against Hawaii, torching the Weber State secondary with long bombs to his receivers in a 373-yard, five-touchdown performance.
Doege's play calling against K-State suggested that he wanted to get the passing gam going against the always tough secondary, but the short passes to keep the offense rolling were there.
Grade: A-
Doege gets an A- for his work as an offensive coordinator in the first three weeks of the season, showing that he has a great mind in play calling and adapting to whatever the opposing defense gives him throughout the game.
Although he runs an air raid offense that utilizes tempo to its advantage, he is not afraid to switch to a run-heavy attack if that is what the defense is allowing.
His play-calling has allowed Fifita to distribute the ball to a mix of receivers and keep the chains moving, something that Arizona wasn't able to do too much of last year when McMillan wasn't open.
Doege's grade would be higher, but there is some room for improvement in third-down efficiency. Through three weeks, the Arizona offense is 16 - 39 in that category.
The wide receivers have done an astounding job in getting themselves involved, but a clearly established number 1 hasn't emerged just yet. So far, Javin Whatley looks like he is becoming that guy, but time will tell further down the season.
Costly penalties in the red zone have hurt the Wildcats and taken scoring opportunities away as well, but all that should be cleaned up after the bye week.
Arizona will be back in action on September 27, when it takes on the Iowa State Cyclones at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames at 4 p.m. (MST).
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Nathaniel Martinez and a set of shoulder pads at 7 years old. He later graduated from Pima Community College in 2023, where he began writing for the Pima Post. He is working to achieve a Bachelor’s in Mass Communication and Media Studies.