Position Battles That Could Decide Arizona vs Kansas
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Just four games remain for the Arizona Wildcats this season, and they only need to win one of them to qualify for the postseason.
Brent Brennan is striving to reach a bowl game in his second season with the Wildcats, aiming to show growth in a crucial year. The Wildcats have taken tremendous strides this season on both sides of the ball, but particularly on defense.
Danny Gonzales has flipped the Arizona defense in one season to become a turnover threat with a veteran secondary. The Wildcats forced five turnovers a week ago against Colorado. The defense is third nationally with 2.3 turnovers created per game.
This week presents a Kansas team that has similarly bounced back from a rough 2024. With a veteran quarterback at the helm in Jalon Daniels, the Jayhawks have put up points through an aggressive passing attack and a balanced running game with multiple backs.
However, Kansas doesn't defend the field well, grading out slightly better than the Buffaloes in many categories. If Arizona can keep the momentum from Boulder rolling, they should have no issues controlling the pace of the game again on Saturday.
This should be another close game for the Wildcats in Tucson. Here are a few matchups to keep an eye on this Saturday.
Emmanuel Henderson Jr. vs Arizona's Secondary
Emmanuel Henderson Jr. is the top target for Daniels in this offense. Henderson has hauled in 36 catches for 573 yards and four touchdowns. He also has a kickoff return touchdown this season.
Henderson moves around the defense, but is primarily going to lineup on the boundary. His biggest game of the year came against Cincinnati, catching five passes for 214 yards and two touchdowns. He split snaps between outside and in the slot in that game.
Facing a talented and seasoned Arizona secondary, Lance Leipold and the Jayhawks will try to get him the ball as much as possible by moving him around and getting different matchups.
Treydan Stukes has been fantastic from the nickel spot this season, while Ayden Garnes and Jay'Vion Cole had great showings against Colorado on the outside, both nabbing interceptions.
Henderson is blazing fast, so Kansas will utilize him as a deep threat. The Wildcats have struggled against deep passes lately and got lucky a few times against Colorado. Daniels is more athletic and a better passer than what they saw in Boulder, so they need to be better there.
Dalton Johnson typically plays closer to the line, but it could be worth it to keep him deep with Genesis Smith in cover two and try to keep everything in front.
Noah Fifita vs Kansas' Safeties
Noah Fifita torched the Colorado defense in just two and a half quarters last week. He threw for 213 yards and four touchdowns before being pulled in the early third quarter. He won the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week for his performance.
Kansas allows 213 passing yards per game, 11th in the Big 12, and allows a 64.5 completion percentage to opposing quarterbacks. Fifita should be able to continue to have success this week. However, the last line of defense for the Jayhawks shouldn't be overlooked.
Lyrik Rawls and Devin Dye patrol the back end of the Kansas defense. Wherever they go is usually an indicator of what type of coverage they will play. Both Dye and Rawls can play deep, in the box, at the nickel, or even come up toward the line to cover the tailback.
Rawls leads the team with six pass deflections and an interception, while Dye has four deflections and an interception of his own. Kansas only has four picks this season, and Fifita has done a good job of taking care of the ball this season, so turnovers aren't the concern here.
The junior quarterback will often read the safeties first, but Rawls and Dye are veterans as well, and they know how to bait. Arizona has receivers who can outrun anyone, but the Kansas defensive backs play smart. Keep an eye on them as they move around the field.
Kansas' Backfield vs Arizona's Front Seven
Once again, Arizona needs to prove it can stop the run. Kansas has three ball carriers over 250 yards this season. Leshon Williams and Daniel Hishaw Jr. lead the backfield with 391 and 363 rushing yards, respectively. Daniels is also a mobile quarterback, rushing for 271 yards and two scores this season.
The Jayhawks run the typical zone, power and counter run schemes, but they also get tricky with different formations. On occasion, they will snap it directly to a back who will hand it off to Daniels for a run or a pop pass. They also run plenty of reverses and different tricks that keep defenses guessing.
Discipline is the word of the week for the Arizona front seven. That means linebackers Max Harris and Taye Brown have to read their keys along the offensive line and be secure with their tackling. Riley Wilson and Chase Kennedy need to be careful not to get too far up the field on the edges so that Daniels can't pull the ball and run.
Deshawn McKnight and Tiaoalii Savea haven't had much success stopping runs between the tackles, particularly from quarterbacks, and they'll see that again this week. Daniels has been prone to fumbles in the past, so ripping at the ball is a must, but he is more than capable of taking a hit or two in the middle of the defense.
Kansas hasn't run the ball tremendously this season, averaging 158.6 on the ground per game, but the Wildcats haven't done a good job of shutting down the run lately, excluding the inept Colorado offense. This is a big prove-it week for the Wildcats on defense.
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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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