Grading Arizona’s Defensive Line Heading Into the Bye Week

We take a look at the Wildcats' defensive line heading into their bye week.

Nov 25, 2023; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats defensive lineman Tiaoalii Savea (98) against the Arizona State Sun Devils during the Territorial Cup at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports | Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Despite its struggles the past two weeks against BYU and Houston, it has been an overall strong start to the season for Arizona defensively.

The Wildcats are taking their bye week to get back to the fundamentals, as head coach Brent Brennan noted following last week's game, as well as during his weekly press conference on Monday.

Oct 11, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Brent Brennan celebrates a blocked field goal during the second quarter of the game against the Brigham Young Cougars at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

It has been an up-and-down season so far for the Wildcats defensive line.

They recently suffered a big loss for the season in Tre Smith, who was a huge leader on Arizona's defensive line. With him sidelined, the Wildcats have struggled against the run the past couple of weeks, with BYU running for 258 yards and Houston running for 232 yards on the ground.

Overall on the season, the Wildcats still rank No. 6 in the Big 12 in rush defense as they're allowing 139.7 yards per game on the ground.

Oct 11, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats defensive back Treydan Stokes (2) celebrates an interception he made during the second quarter against the Brigham Young Cougars at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

The past two weeks, we have seen teams attack the Wildcats' defense with the quarterback run. Houston quarterback Conner Weigman ran for 98 yards and a touchdown, while BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier ran for 89 yards and two touchdowns.

That will continue out of the Wildcats' bye week when they face Colorado and quarterback Kaidon Salter, who has run for 270 yards and five touchdowns on the season. His 65 carries lead the Buffaloes on the season, who are taking on Utah this weekend.

Oct 11, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Kaidon Salter (3) carries in the first quarter against the Iowa State Cyclones at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Grading Arizona's defensive line: B-

The Wildcats' defensive line has had its flashes, but consistency has been an issue at times. The coaching staff talked all offseason about rotating more players on the defensive line compared to last season, which has been the case so far this year.

The top contributors have been Tiaoalii Savea and Deshawn McKnight.

Oct 4, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats defensive lineman Deshawn McKnight (0) reacts after making a tackle against the Oklahoma State Cowboys during the second quarter at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Making his return to the Arizona program, Savea leads the defensive lineman room with 22 tackles on the season. His size in the middle of the defensive line helped the Wildcats against the run in a big way early in the year.

McKnight has totaled 18 tackles with one sack. The transfer from UT Martin has also made a huge impact that isn't shown in the box score or overall stats.

Leroy Palu has added 16 tackles, 0.5 sacks, and one pass deflection. Dominic Lolesio has added 13 tackles, one sack and one pass deflection.

Sep 12, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats defensive lineman Leroy Palu (95) celebrates a tackle against the Kansas State Wildcats during the third quarter of the game at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Malachi Bailey and Julian Savaiinaea have each totaled 12 tackles, while Savaiinaea has also recovered a fumble.

As a total defense, Arizona ranks No. 9 in the Big 12 conference with 14 sacks. They have struggled at times to get to the quarterback and when they do, they have had had issues getting the player down at times. The big focus for the rest of the season will be stopping the run as they've struggled to do the past couple of weeks.

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