Final Update on Arizona, Cincinnati Availability Report Ahead of the Game
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Arizona faced off against Kansas (5-5, 3-4 Big 12) with both teams being one win away from clinching a bowl berth.
After falling behind 17-7, the Wildcats (6-3, 3-3) managed to outscore KU 17-3 the rest of the way to clinch a bowl berth for the first time under head coach Brent Brennan and winning 24-20 over the Jayhawks.
Now that Arizona has clinched a trip to a bowl game, this marks the 23rd time in program history that the Wildcats will be playing postseason football. It is the first bowl game since the 2023 season when Jedd Fisch led UA to the Alamo Bowl and finished 10-3 on the season.
Quarterback Noah Fifita had an up and down game going 16 of 31 on his passing attempts while collecting 158 yards and two touchdowns. Plus, Fifita was able to put together 25 yards on the ground despite being sacked five times in the game.
Although it wasn’t his best game, Fifita’s two touchdown passes puts him in a three-way tie for the most touchdown passes in a career in program history with 67 placing him alongside Willie Tuitama and Nick Foles.
On the defensive side of the ball, Arizona saw linebacker Taye Brown and freshman Myron Robinson combine for 16 tackles, two tackles for loss and a forced fumble to lead the linebackers room.
However, the player of the game for Arizona was running back Quincy Craig, who had three rushes for 47 yards, 13 yards receiving and scored two touchdowns. Craig’s last touchdown was the game-winning score to put the Wildcats up 24-20 with under 40 seconds left in the game.
Not only was Craig the best player on the field for Arizona on Saturday, he received the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week award for his performance. His two biggest runs came on the final drive with an 18-yard run on 3rd and three and then a 24-yard rushing touchdown the next play to seal the win.
With Craig winning the award, he becomes the third WIldcats to do so and it marks the fourth time this season an Arizona player has won the award. Both Ismail Mahdi and Fifita have won the award this season.
So far this season, Craig has racked up 281yards rushing on 40 carries where he has found the end zone a total of four times. His best game came against Hawaii in the season-opening game where he rushed for 125 yards on seven touches.
Now, the Wildcats will get set to face off against Cincinnati on Saturday with an early 10 a.m. (MST) kickoff with the game being televised on FS1.
Before the game, the Big 12 has released the availability report for all the games including Arizona-Cincinnati.
Last week against Kansas, Arizona saw left tackle Ty Buchanan and defensive tackle Tia Savea exit the game with injuries and not return. Now, the Wildcats have listed Savea and cornerback Marquis Groves-Killebrew as out for the game.
As for Buchanan, he wasn’t listed on the report, which means he will be at left tackle for Arizona come Saturday.
On the other side of the field, the Bearcats have three players listed as questionable in wide receivers Isaiah Johnson, Caleb Goodle and running back Evan Pryor.
Pryor has been a solid weapon for Cincinnati with 66 rushing attempts where he has totaled 478 yards and has found the end zone three times.
Please be sure to share your thoughts on the availability report ahead of the Arizona-Cincinnati game. 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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