Offensive Players to Watch For Arizona vs ASU
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Arizona's season has flipped on its head very quickly. After narrow defeats at the hands of BYU and Houston, it seemed as if the Wildcats were one of those teams that could fight and come close, but ultimately weren't good enough to take down good teams and win on the road.
However, everything has flipped over the course of a four-game winning streak. Arizona has a pair of road wins, including over a ranked Cincinnati team, and just shut down a Baylor offense that is one of the best in the country.
Now, the Wildcats turn their attention to a shortened rivalry week bout with Arizona State in Tempe.
The reigning Big 12 champions are banged-up, missing starting quarterback Sam Leavitt for the rest of the season, but journeyman Jeff Sims has won all three starts for the Sun Devils since taking over.
The Sun Devils like to keep the ball on the ground with the dual-threat Sims and Raleek Brown, who ran for 255 yards against Colorado last week.
Arizona's offense has been booming in recent weeks, and since Brent Brennan's defense has had trouble with heavy rushing attacks this season, the weight could be on his offense to outscore the Sun Devils in their building. Here are three players on Arizona's offense to pay attention to this week.
QB Noah Fifita
Noah Fifita has not put up the big statistical performances through the air the past few weeks, but that is because the Wildcats have become increasingly more balanced in recent weeks. The Wildcats ran wild on the Bears, which sets a good tone heading into the rivalry, but Fifita is still doing his job.
Fifita will have to take it up a notch this week against an ASU defense that is second in the Big 12 against the run and 11th against the pass. The Sun Devils are missing players in the secondary, but Fifita's ability to get the ball out quickly and push the ball downfield could be a difference maker.
One of the things to watch with Fifita is how he handles the pressure. Arizona State defensive coordinator Brian Ward throws a lot of different blitz looks that can create problems if Fifita doesn't know where to go with the ball.
When blitzed this season, Fifita has completed 58.6% of his passes, down from 68.2% when he faces a regular rush. The Sun Devils are second in the conference with 31 sacks. Defensive ends Prince Dorbah, Clayton Smith and Justin Wodtly have the ability to keep Fifita within the pocket, and the three have played extremely well lately.
Bottom line, Seth Doege might go back to leaning more on Fifita in this matchup. Last season, Fifita completed just 14-of-29 passes for 129 yards and one touchdown. In 2023, in his last visit to Tempe, Fifita completed 30-of-41 passes for 527 yards, five touchdowns and one interception. The Wildcats hope to see more of that this time around.
WR Kris Hutson
Kris Hutson has shaped into the top option in the passing game for Fifita. He had a career day against Baylor, making nine catches for a career-high 133 yards and one touchdown. Now, he's likely going to draw ASU's top corner, Keith Abney II, for most of the contest.
Arizona has mostly played Hutson on the outside this season, but he is capable of moving to the slot if needed. This could be a great matchup for him, given ASU allows 220.2 passing yards per game and doesn't always cover the middle of the field well.
That's where Hutson has thrived this season. Fifita has consistently found him over the middle to keep the clocking rolling and the chains moving. Arizona could also use the sixth-year receiver in the screen game more often, as ASU's secondary has struggled to tackle at times.
🚨 MOSS'D 🚨
— Arizona Football (@ArizonaFBall) November 22, 2025
Kris Hutson ain't messin' around on Senior Day. pic.twitter.com/9jcQGWhhzj
The matchup with Abney is dangerous. Abney is sticky in man coverage and won't allow Hutson to jump over him for a contested catch like he did this past weekend. The ASU cornerback has received some attention as a potential first-round draft pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, so this will be Hutson's biggest test yet.
LT Ty Buchanan & C Ka'ena Decambra
This could go for the offensive line as a whole, but I'm picking Ty Buchanan and Ka'ena Decambra for a reason. These are two of the cornerstones of the unit, and depending on whether or not Tristan Bounds plays on the right side, they will be asked to shoulder more of the weight up front.
Buchanan has had a tough time in pass protection at different points this season. He's allowed three sacks and 18 pressures this season. As previously mentioned, Arizona State has plenty of talented edge rushers who can wreck this game.
Decambra has been phenomenal at clearing space in the running game inside, which will be hugely important against a Sun Devils defense allowing just 119.3 rushing yards per game. However, Decambra has also run into some issues in protection, specifically picking up blitzes.
The Sun Devils rely on showing similar looks but sending different pressures, which can be confusing for an offensive line. Decambra will have to contend with a pass rusher from the inside in C.J. Fite, while diagnosing where linebacker Keyshaun Elliott and Jordan Crook are going to go.
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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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