Inside The Wildcats

Three BOLD Observations From Arizona-Houston Game

Arizona was looking to get back on track against Houston but a 14-point hole proved too much to handle for the Wildcats.
Troy Hutchison, Ari Koslow, Nathaniel Martinez|
Oct 18, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Tre Spivey (12) runs the ball in for a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Houston Cougars at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images
Oct 18, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Tre Spivey (12) runs the ball in for a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Houston Cougars at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

So far in the Brent Brennan era of Arizona football, the Wildcats have had their struggles on the road with four-straight losses dating back to last year. UA has lost those games by an average of 28 points and have fallen behind by double-digits in all four games.

On Saturday, Arizona (4-3, 1-3) were able to get things going early by striking quickly as quarterback Noah Fifita hit receiver Tre Spivey for a 70-yard touchdown pass, which seemed to set the tone early for the offense.

Despite the fast start, Arizona found itself trailing 21-14 to Houston (6-1-,3-1) at the half thanks to defensive struggles in the second quarter. And once again, the Wildcats lost the middle eight of the game, which resulted in a Cougars 31-28 win over the Wildcats.

Similarly to the BYU game, Arizona’s defense struggled against the run as Houston quarterback Conner Weigman sliced and diced the middle of the defense by racking 98 yards on 14 carries. Meanwhile as a team, the Cougars rushed for 232 yards for the game.

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Oct 18, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars quarterback Conner Weigman (1) runs the ball into the end zone for a touchdown during the second quarter against the Arizona Wildcats at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

The rushing attack for Houston really opened things up in the secondary against Arizona as the Cougars totaled 164 yards through the air and racked up three passing touchdowns.

Just two weeks ago, the Wildcats’ defense hadn’t given up a passing touchdown all season. Now, Arizona has allowed four in two games.

Near the start of the fourth quarter, Arizona was able to cut into the lead with a rushing score from Spivey, which sparked the offense.

After getting a key stop with a missed 48-yard field goal by Houston, Arizona’s offense methodically moved the ball down field and tied the game up on a rushing touchdown from running back Kedrick Reescano.

Although the Wildcats battled back in the fourth quarter to tie the game, Houston got the ball back with under five minutes left and relied on its running game to set up the game-winning 41-yard field goal against Arizona.

It wasn’t just Weigman that gashed the Wildcats’ defense on the ground, Houston running back Dean Connors racked up 100 yards on 20 carries and really seemed to wear down Danny Gonzales’ defense.

Arizona gave itself a chance to come up with a late-game stop to get the ball back to the offense, but failed to roundup Weigman, who converted a 3rd and 2 situation.

At the end of the day, it was another heartbreaking loss for an Arizona team that seemed to be haunted by road games with the losing streak growing to five games for Brennan and his staff.

Now that the game is in the books, we at Arizona Wildcats On SI have put together our three observations from the Arizona-Houston game.

Three Observations

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Oct 18, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Brent Brennan looks on during the second quarter against the Houston Cougars at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Third Down Defense

  • For most of the season, Arizona’s defense has been a strength of the team and has had success in almost every facet of the game. However, in the last two games, the Wildcats’ defense has been carved up like swiss cheese on the ground and has allowed 490 yards rushing.
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Oct 18, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars running back Dean Connors (44) runs the ball during the first quarter against the Arizona Wildcats at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images
  • That is a massive problem but as you look closer into the defensive issues, Gonzales’ unit has had a hard time getting off the field as opponents have gone 16 of 30 on third down situations to extend drives.
  • This has really become a major problem for Arizona and if it doesn’t get fixed, the Wildcats will be at home during bowl season, once again.

The Middle-Eight

Arizona Wildcats.
Arizona Wildcats. | Arizona Wildcats Athletics.
  • One area of improvement Arizona coach Brent Brennan emphasized all offseason and into the season is in the "middle-eight" area of the game in the final four minutes of the first half and first four minutes of the second half. 
  • Arizona has had its times this season where it has succeeded in that area, but that wasn't the case in Saturday's loss. 
  • It was a huge turning point of the game as the Wildcats went from driving late in the first half to turning the ball over on downs before Houston found the end zone to take the lead right before halftime. 
  • The Cougars got the ball to open the second half and turned a nine minute drive into another score to win the middle-eight 14-0. 
  • It is in those areas where Arizona has to be more consistent if it wants to take the next step as a team.

Rushing Defense

Danny Gonzales
Arizona defensive coordinator getting ready for the Wildcats' season-opening game against Hawaii. | Arizona Athletics
  • The Wildcats run defense has looked less than stellar through the last two weeks of football played.
  • Against Houston, Arizona gave up 232 yards on the ground, 98 of those coming from quarterback Conner Weigman and 100 from Dean Connors.
  • The Wildcats had problems dealing with the dual threat capability of Bear Bacmeier in the last game as he ran for 89 yards. Implementing quarterback runs was something Brent Brennan predicted Houston would do given the game footage that BYU put out.
  • Altogether, the Arizona defense has yielded 490 yards and four touchdowns on the ground in the last two games played.
  • Struggling against the run is unbecoming of the Arizona defense that ranks fourth in the Big 12 in that category. It will need to drastically improve in that area through the Bye Week if it wants to get back on the winning side of things for the remainder of the season.

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Published
Troy Hutchison
TROY HUTCHISON

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
ARI KOSLOW

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.

Nathaniel Martinez
NATHANIEL MARTINEZ

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.