Offensive Grades Are In For Arizona's Week 8 Loss
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Under Brent Brennan, the Arizona Wildcats have now dropped four consecutive road tilts dating back to last season. On Saturday in Houston, the Wildcats couldn't survive a two-score deficit, as the Cougars nailed a walk-off field goal to drop the Wildcats for the second week in a row.
UA got out of the gates quickly with a 70-yard strike to wideout Tre Spivey. However, Arizona had to trade blows with the Houston offense and eventually fell behind in the middle part of the game.
Arizona's defense had an uncharacteristically poor outing, surrendering three passing scores to Houston QB Conner Weigman. The Wildcats had only allowed one such score entering the game, but the lack of pass rush allowed Weigman to sit back and pick apart the secondary.
Despite the loss, the Wildcats had some offensive performances to be pleased with. Here are the top five offensive performers from Week 8, according to Pro Football Focus (minimum 30 snaps).
5. WR Tre Spivey
It's been a quiet first season in Tucson, but the Kansas State transfer made a big splash to kick off the day in Houston. Spivey only had two touches in the game, but both were touchdowns. First, he caught a ball as Fifita escaped trouble and dashed right down the middle of the field for a 70-yard score on the third play of the game. Later on, he took a jet sweep to the pylon for a 3-yard score.
On 11 total touches this season, Spivey has scored six touchdowns, five in the air and one on the ground. He is a huge threat in the red zone that could use more targets. Spivey also excelled as a run blocker in the game, despite one penalty.
According to PFF, Spivey earned an overall grade of 67.7, with a receiving grade of 62.7 and a run blocking grade of 89.6, by far his best grade in that department this season.
4. WR Javin Whatley
Whatley led the team with seven catches against the Cougars, picking up 42 receiving yards, while also having a 15-yard run. He continues to lead the team in receiving with 370 yards despite only leading the team in receiving in one game.
Kris Hutson's emergence in the receiving room has taken some of the shine off Whatley, but leading the room in receptions on Saturday shows why Fifita trusts him so much. It would be great if Arizona could find a way to have both guys produce at the same time to open up more areas of the offense.
According to PFF, Whatley secured a 68.1 overall grade, with a receiving grade of 67.3 and a run blocking grade of 60.8.
3. RG Alexander Doost
Doost had his best game of the season to help Fifita and the passing game go beyond 250 yards in the air once again. The 6-foot-7-inch guard has been a reliable piece of the offensive line this season. He only allowed two pressures this week, and should continue to be a staple along the line as he has been all season.
According to PFF, Doost had an overall grade of 70.4, his best mark of the season. He also had a 71.3 run blocking grade and a 68.6 pass blocking grade.
2. QB Noah Fifita
The junior quarterback had another good day, making big plays through the air and being turnover-free. Fifita threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns, while only having two incompletions on 24 pass attempts.
The numbers aren't eye-popping, but it may have been Fifita's best game this season. He certainly did enough to win, but a lack of a run game and the secondary's struggles overshadowed a strong game.
According to PFF, Fifita earned a 72.8 overall grade with a 72.5 passing grade. He was sacked four times and faced constant pressure, but still kept the Wildcats alive throughout the game.
1. LT Ty Buchanan
On a day when the offensive line struggled, Buchanan was one of the few who did not. The Houston pass rush is among the Big 12's worst this season, but the Wildcats surrendered four sacks. Buchanan can confidently say that none of them was his fault.
As a matter of fact, Buchanan has only allowed one sack on Fifita's blindside this season. Against Houston, he didn't allow a single pressure, which was a vast improvement from last week's three pressures allowed versus BYU.
According to PFF, Buchanan had an overall grade of 78.9, with a run blocking grade of 73.7 and a pass blocking grade of 84.0
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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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