Three Arizona Players That Need to Show Out Against Colorado
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Arizona wanted to get back on the right track after an underwhelming first season under Brent Brennan where the team finished 4-8 and missed a bowl game despite preseason high expectations.
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.
Arizona (4-3, 1-3) was 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.
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 after the bye-week, Arizona will be hitting the road again to face off against Colorado (3-5, 1-4), which is coming off an embarrassing 43-0 loss against Utah from this past weekend.
Arizona lost 34-7 against the Buffs last season where Colorado sacked Fifita seven times and forced the team into three turnovers with two fumbles and an interception.
This season, the game will take place at 4 p.m. (MST) on FS1 for Colorado’s homecoming game and is already sold out. However, there have been reports that the game may be moved to FOX if the World Series wraps up before the game.
As we get closer to kickoff, we at Arizona Wildcats On SI have put together our three players that need to step up against Colorado for the Wildcats.
Three Players
3. Isaac Lovison
- Since becoming the every day punter, Issac Lovison has been rock solid averaging 44.5 yards per punt on 15 total attempts. That has helped stabilize the Wildcats’ punting game and given the team a needed boost.
- Now, the Wildcats will be playing in the high elevation and thin air of Boulder, which is 5,430 feet above sea level. This means, Lovison will have deal punting elements for him to flip the field for Arizona.
2. Chase Kennedy
- One of the better pass rushers on the team is outside linebacker Chase Kennedy, who has totaled two sacks on the season. Over the last two games, Arizona has recorded one sack and has seen the opposing offensive units have success against the defense.
- With how up and down the Colorado offensive line has been this season, it seems like the perfect match up for Kennedy to get things going and cause issues in the backfield.
1. Genesis Smith
- One of the best players on the roster is safety Genesis Smith, who is looked at as a potential NFL prospect. However, against Houston, Smith missed several tackles, which led to massive gain for the Cougars.
- When looking back at the film, the main reason for Smith’s missed tackles is that he is doing too much. Every time, he is trying to punch out the football instead of wrapping up and hitting the ball carrier at the line of scrimmage.
- Sometimes a player can overthink and try to do too much in hopes of making an amazing play. To me, that has been the case for Smith over the last couple of games. He needs to get back to the basics and do what he does best.
Please be sure to share your thoughts on the three players we have picked that need to step up for Arizona against Colorado. To do so, follow us on our X account by clicking on the link.
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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