Three Areas Arizona MUST Improve Against BYU
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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.
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.
After a quick bump in the road against Iowa State, Arizona (4-1, 1-1 Big 12) was able to bounce back with an impressive 41-13 win over Oklahoma State putting the Wildcats two wins away from a bowl berth.
On the offensive side of the ball, Arizona was led by quarterback Noah Fifita, who racked up 376 passing yards while going 28 of 38, which led to five touchdowns on the day for the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week award winner.
Leading the charge in the receiving room was Tre Spivey, who set the tone early in the game with two catches that resulted in touchdowns to put the WIldcats ahead by double-digits early.
On the defensive side of the ball, Arizona held Oklahoma State to 158 total yards, which marked the second time this season the Wildcats have held an opponent to under 200 yards of total offense.
So far this season, the Wildcats have racked up 13 sacks, which places them 31st nationally. Meanwhile, Arizona has allowed opponents to average 15.6 PPG, which puts UA 19th nationally along with Iowa.
Now, the Wildcats will be getting ready to face off against No. 18 BYU (5-0, 2-0) at home with a 5 p.m. (MST) kickoff on ESPN2.
To get you ready for the game, we at Arizona Wildcats On SI have come up with our three areas Arizona needs to improve in order to walk away with a win against BYU.
Three Areas Needing Improvement
Special Teams
- It seems like this is a weekly conversation for Arizona and how the special teams unit seems to find a way to under-perform week-in and week-out. However, here we go again and the topic is kicker Michael Salgado-Medina, who has struggled with kicks from the 40-49 range with four missed field goals in that range.
- Overall, Salgado-Medina has missed five kicks this season and is hitting at a 64% clip, which just isn’t good enough when you’re a team that needs to win the margins like Arizona.
- Against BYU, Salgado-Medina is going to need to step up to ensure that the Wildcats walk away with points in scoring opportunities that might be far and few in between.
Third Down Offense
- So far this season, Arizona’s offense has converted 25 third downs with a 39% conversion rate, which places the team at No. 81 nationally. That includes a game against OSU where the Wildcats had a 41% success rate on third down.
- Arizona showed improvement last week but still left plays on the field where the offense could’ve extended drives. The Wildcats will need to find a way to raise that mark a few percentage points if they want to take down BYU.
Protecting The Football
- Arizona was able to collect an impressive 28-point win over Oklahoma State but turned the football over three times including a pick six by the Cowboys.
- Over the last two weeks, the Wildcats have turned the ball over five times with four interceptions and a fumble.
- Yes, the team is 1-1 in those games but when you go up against a team like BYU, you are going to need to play clean football.
Please be sure to share your thoughts on the three areas the Wildcats need to improve heading into the game against BYU. 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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