First Look At Arizona Football's Trip To Colorado
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Arizona is fresh off another bye week, looking to improve upon its 4-3 record. The Wildcats have let wins slip through their fingertips in their last two outings against BYU and Houston, but this is a perfect time to snap that skid.
While the Wildcats got to sit back and rest this week, Colorado is coming off a thumping loss against rival Utah in Salt Lake City, losing 53-7.
Any game against Utah is bound to be physical, and the Buffaloes were pushed around all night long. Arizona is as fresh as they can be after a bye week, so this is a must-win game for their bowl hopes.
Arizona doesn't have much of a chance to reach the Big 12 title at this point, but winning would not only get the Wildcats one step closer to a bowl game, but it would also be a point of pride for Brent Brennan. He is just 1-7 in true road games as the coach for Arizona. A win in this spot would be huge for him specifically.
The Wildcats and Buffaloes did battle last season in Tucson, where Colorado came out on top, 34-7. However, these are now two very different teams. Arizona is a 5.5-point favorite this week, according to FanDuel.
How Colorado and Arizona Match Up
Colorado was simply not as physical as Utah last Saturday. The Buffaloes weren't just beat, they were manhandled at the line of scrimmage by the Utes. Utah ran for 422 yards in the game, while the Colorado offense was contained to just 140 yards of total offense.
The quarterback situation has been in flux for the Buffaloes this season. Kaidon Salter and Ryan Staub have both played this year, but Salter is most likely to start against the Wildcats.
Salter brings a running ability, which Arizona struggled to defend against BYU's Bear Bachmeier and Houston's Conner Weigman. However, Salter runs more out of structure, moving or escaping the pocket on passing downs and finding his own way.
Arizona's defense under Danny Gonzales has dramatically improved from a year ago. However, they have not done a good job of stopping QBs on the ground. Weigman and Bachmeier combined for 189 rushing yards and three touchdowns in the past two games.
Salter has thrown for 1,193 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions this season. He's also run for 266 yards and five scores. Omarion Miller has emerged as the top option in the passing game with 23 catches, 430 yards and four touchdowns.
Given how quickly the Buffaloes fell behind against Utah, it will be important for Arizona to start fast and make Colorado go into a dropback offense.
Colorado's passing game has only picked up 203.5 yards per game this season. That unit colliding with Arizona's defense, which only surrenders 153.1 yards per game, is a recipe for disaster for the Buffaloes.
Arizona's pass rush has struggled recently, but this could be a get-right spot for the Wildcats. If Colorado has to go pass heavy, the Buffaloes offensive line isn't well-suited to hold up in protection for long. Colorado's five up front have given up 21 sacks, third most in the Big 12.
The key to Arizona's offense in this game will obviously be Noah Fifita working in tandem with his top wideouts. Kris Hutson and Javin Whatley have been the most common targets lately, and they could be the recipients of many quick passes to the perimeter.
Though Colorado's pass rush shouldn't be a concern for Fifita, Arizona has to feel good about it's athletes in space in this one. Getting the ball to wideouts on short, quick throws will only wear down the Buffaloes defense.
Preston Hodge might be the best coverage defender for Colorado with 11 pass deflections. He lines up exclusively from the nickel and slot, so he will see a lot of Whatley and Luke Wysong. The receiver screen game could be useful to prevent throws his way and still use the whole field.
The Wildcats have enjoyed more passes from Fifita recently, but if they pull away early, which is never a given, see if Seth Doege tries to reestablish a ground identity.
Kedrick Reescano has had the hot hand since coming back from injury, while Ismail Mahdi's power runs could give the Buffaloes nightmares.
Overall, Colorado is a team that Arizona has a roster edge over. That said, Brennan's road record is something that has to be considered in these types of environments. The rest of schedule is tricky for Arizona, so this is one they need to have.
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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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