Which Seniors Need To Step Up For Arizona Facing Baylor
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Arizona is 7-3 on the season after a huge upset over Cincinnati on the road. Now, the Wildcats will return home to the newly renamed Casino Del Sol Stadium for one last home bout with their group of seniors.
Many of those seniors are key playmakers on both sides of the ball. Arizona has already secured a bowl bid, but now Brent Brennan has a chance to send his seniors out of Tucson on a high note with a quick turnaround for the program, eyeing a 9-3 finish with victories in the final two games.
Saturday's matchup with Baylor could be a barn burner. The Bears score 33.2 points per game behind a potent passing attack led by quarterback Sawyer Robertson, who leads the nation with 3,210 passing yards and is second nationally with 29 touchdowns.
The Bears have multiple athletic weapons that can win one-on-one matchups against the Arizona secondary, and the Bears can run the ball as well behind running back Bryson Washington.
The Wildcats have a bunch of experience in the secondary that will play key roles. Senior defensive backs Dalton Johnson and Treydan Stukes have anchored the back end all season with outstanding coverage and a willingness to tackle.
Tight end Michael Trigg presents a different kind of challenge for the Wildcats this week, as a big body who can line up on the line or out as a receiver. He is a huge receiving threat that Arizona can't compare to anyone it has seen so far.
Baylor will have some wins against this Arizona defense, undoubtedly. But, Arizona's tendency to play with matchups means they will need some huge performances, both offensively and defensively, from the Wildcats playing their final home game. Here are a few senior Wildcats to keep an eye on this weekend.
DB Ayden Garnes
Garnes has been a staple on the perimeter this season. The West Virginia transfer has really stepped up this season. He has made 28 tackles this year with one interception and seven pass deflections.
The senior corner will likely draw Baylor's top receiver, Josh Cameron, often in this matchup. He leads the Bears with 60 catches, 746 yards and seven touchdowns. Cameron has some speed that can be a difference maker along the boundary if Arizona sits in man coverage.
Garnes had two deflections a week ago against Cincinnati and was sticky in man coverage. Cameron doesn't always separate well, which means it could be a good matchup for the Arizona corner. However, Cameron has about 50 pounds on the defensive back, meaning he could be a threat to win the physical jump balls in solo coverage.
Cameron's physical nature can make him tough to bring down, and the Arizona secondary's one big weakness might be tackling. Garnes missed four tackles against Kansas and has missed 10 all season.
It will be interesting to see how Danny Gonzales deploys Garnes and uses him in man coverage against Cameron. It might not be wise to rely on it as much as he usually does, but he does have to count on Garnes winning on the perimeter.
LB Riley Wilson
Wilson leads the Wildcats with three sacks this season. That's not many, but Arizona only has 18 sacks this season. Pass rush and edge play against the run will be key this week, and Wilson is as reliable a source as the Wildcats have right now.
Robertson throws the ball a ton, so he's had success facing blitzes and different coverages. However, Robertson's completion percentage when he's not blitzed, 62.4%, drops to 57.3% when he is blitzed, and then drops to 51.1% when he feels the pressure.
Arizona doesn't blitz a ton, but they do provide different looks to try to confuse offensive lines and at least put some heat in the backfield rather than going for sacks.
Wilson has 37 tackles this season and 5.5 tackles for loss, which makes him a key piece of the run defense against Washington, who can run defenders over but does try to bounce outside.
If Arizona wants to slow down the Bears, Wilson will play a big role against all forms of attack, but specifically affecting Robertson.
WR Kris Hutson
How about someone who could combat the explosive Baylor offense by trying to match them. Hutson has developed into an undersized perimeter receiver with elite separation and a security blanket for Arizona's Noah Fifita.
Last week, Hutson caught eight passes for 123 yards against Cincinnati, the most he has had for the Wildcats this season. He leads the team with 41 catches for 512 yards and three touchdowns.
Arizona's offense has a lot of mouths to feed, specifically out wide. However, Hutson is a sixth-year senior with plenty of big-game experience from his time at Oregon and Washington State, and Fifita has leaned on him down the stretch.
He'll draw a matchup with LeVar Thornton Jr., who leads the Bears with six deflections and one interception this season. Thornton's 6-foot-3 frame gives him a massive size advantage over the 5-foot-11 Hutson, but the Arizona receiver has had no issue separating on in-breaking routes.
There's a chance Arizona will need to score a ton of points to keep up with Baylor if the Wildcats' secondary shows some holes against the downfield attack. Hutson isn't exactly a field stretcher, but he moves the chains for the Wildcats.
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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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