Three Bold Observations: Arizona vs. Hawaii
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The long offseason finally came to an end and the Wildcats’ were back in action looking to start the season on a high note and wash away the memories of the underwhelming 4-8 season in the first year of Brent Brennan as head coach.
After many chances to the coaching staff with the hirings of Seth Doege (offensive coordinator), Danny Gonzales (defensive coordinator), Josh Miller (tight ends coach), Josh Bringuel (linebackers coach), Joe Salave’a (defensive line coach) and Craig Naiver (special teams coach), the Wildcats were looking to see how the changes were going to play out on the field.
After a first drive stop of Hawaii and forcing them to go 3-and-out, Arizona’s offense directed by Doege went to work and put together a balanced 4-play drive that was capped off by a 13-yard rushing touchdown from running back Kedrick Reescano.
From that point on, it was all Arizona as both sides of the ball were clicking and setting the tone early in the game. The Wildcats were able to take care of business in an impressive 40-6 win over the Rainbow Warriors
The energy that Gonzales’ unit brought was something that really wasn’t seen last season. Defenders were flying to the ball and making things difficult on the Hawaii offensive line.
Arizona was able to have its way with the offensive line and got into the backfield and recorded five sacks and 10 tackles for loss. In comparison the Wildcats totaled 28 sacks during the 12-game season averaging 2.3 per game.
As a team, the defensive had five players get in on the sack party.
Offensively, the Wildcats were led by quarterback Noah Fifita, who was coming off an underwhelming 2024 season. Against Hawaii, Fifita was able to get on track, tossing for 161 yards on 13 of 23 and recorded a touchdown pass.
Although there was some passing success for the Wildcats with Fifita finding eight different targets on the night, it was the running game that took control for Arizona.
The Wildcats saw their top three running backs go off for 199 yards on 23 rushing attempts and logged a touchdown each. Overall, Arizona finished with 183 yards on the ground and it was RB Quincy Craig, who led the way with his 125 yards and a touchdown run of 55 yards on just seven touches.
The offensive line was highly successful in the running game and allowed just two sacks against the Hawaii defensive unit.
In comparison, Fifita was sacked 28 times last season. So, if the Wildcats line holds the two per game number, that would be four less than the 2024 season.
Not only did the Wildcats cause issues in the backfield for Hawaii, they were able to create chaos on the field and came up with five turnovers and five different players in Jack Luttrell, Chase Kennedy, Taye Brown, Julian Savaiinaea and Gavin Hunter getting their hands on the ball.
Still, the offense had its issues in the passing game with miss chances at completions and some defensive lapses that led to a couple of chunk plays for Hawaii.
However, when you are able to walk away with a 34-point season opening win, it was a good day for the program.
We at Arizona Wildcats On SI went ahead and came up with our three observations from Arizona’s win over Hawaii.
Three Bold Observations
Noah Fifita’s Game
- Last season there were many lows for Fifita, who saw his completion percentage drop by 11% and his interceptions and sacks increase leading to a year to forget.
- With Doege, Fifita seemed to fit his system better than the last coordinator and the offense seems to match his skill set. And in the opening game, he was able to toss for a touchdown and find the end zone with his legs without turning the ball over.
- However, there were missed chances on the field for the offense with Fifita missing some of his targets and that led to him going 13 of 23 on his passes where he totaled 161 yards.
- Overall it was a solid game for Fifita, but there is room for him to grow in this system.
Running game
- The talk in Arizona camp heading into this season under new offensive coordinator Seth Doege was establishing a run game that the Wildcats didn't have last season.
- It was in full force in Saturday's win over Hawaii as the group of Kedrick Reescano, Ismail Mahdi and Quincy Craig all found the end zone.
- The highlight play was a 54-yard touchdown run by Craig.
- Arizona rotating through three running backs should help keep them fresh all season, while the consistent efficiency on the ground will make things easier in the passing game for Noah Fifita and the pass catchers.
Turnover battle
- The Wildcats were flying around the field defensively Saturday night in their season opening win over Hawaii.
- Arizona forced five turnovers with three interceptions and two fumble recoveries.
- The Wildcats have made an emphasis of playing more aggressively and with more physicality, which includes the defensive backs in the secondary on wide receivers. Genesis Smith had a pass breakup on a huge hit in the end zone.
- The aggression and physicality also led to five sacks for Arizona and 10 different players recording a tackle-for-loss.
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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.
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Ari Koslow is a sports writer covering the University of Arizona athletics at On SI. Koslow has been covering Arizona sports for several years. Born and raised in Seattle, he is a diehard Seahawks fan and a longtime sufferer of the Mariners. He is a huge fantasy football fanatic. Koslow is a graduate of Arizona’s School of Journalism.