Arizona Football Talk: Looking Around the Big 12
In this story:
Welcome! To another edition of the Arizona Wildcats Insiders Podcast featuring your host Troy Hutchison, who will be delivering a daily podcast discussing everything happening surrounding Arizona athletics giving you an inside look at all the programs on campus.
Hutchison has been covering Arizona for the last seven years, with his coverage spanning all across UA’s campus from football and men’s basketball to Title IX sports. Plus, with so many former Wildcats playing at the next level in their respective sports, there will be moments where he will take a deep dive into the Cats' excelling outside of Tucson.
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.
Well, after changes were made to the coaching staff and the roster, Brennan seems to have the Wildcats moving in the right direction with the team starting the year with 3-straight impressive wins over Hawaii, Weber State and Kansas State.
On the offensive side of the ball, Brennan brought in coordinator Seth Doege to fix the issues from a season ago, where the team averaged 21.8 PPG. However, if you take a deeper dive into the offense, the unit struggled to crack 20-plus points if you take out the New Mexico game, where the Wildcats dropped 61 points on the Lobos.
When you take that game out of the equation, Arizona averaged 18.2 PPG, putting the unit near the bottom of the conference.
So far in three games, Arizona is averaging 37 PPG which places the Wildcats at No. 37 nationally.
Meanwhile, on the defensive side of the ball, Brennan promoted Danny Gonzales to defensive coordinator, where he has mixed up the scheme and has brought a new aggression to his unit.
In three games, the Wildcats have held opponents to 8.7 PPG, which places them at No. 10 nationally. Arizona has only allowed two touchdowns all season, with both coming against Kansas State in the last game.
As Arizona starts to gear up for No. 14 Iowa State following the first bye week of the season, the Wildcats received the news that their next home game against Oklahoma State on Oct. 4, will be set for 12 p.m. (MST) and will be televised on TNT.
Not only did the news about the game time come out during the week but the Wildcats will be playing a Cowboys team that has seen their head coach, Mike Gundy, fired after an underwhelming 1-2 start, ending his 21-year career with Oklahoma State.
While leading the way for OSU, Gundy went an impressive 170-90 record, where the program made 18 bowl games (12-6) and recorded eight 10-plus win seasons.
In comparison to give you an idea of Gundy’s success in Stillwater, Arizona has had four 10-plus win seasons in the program’s 122-year history.
Taking over for OSU will be interim head coach Doug Meacham, who was serving as the team’s offensive coordinator since last season. Before that, Meacham was on Gundy’s staff from 2005-12 as a tight ends and receivers coach.
Please be sure to share your thoughts on the recent news on Oklahoma State and the impact it has on the Wildcats. 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.
Follow THutch1995