Three Areas of Offense Arizona Needs to Improve Upon
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The Arizona Wildcats operated at their max efficiency in their latest loss to the Houston Cougars, with 381 yards of total offense being gathered and four touchdowns scored.
Quarterback Noah Fifita was nearly perfect under center, throwing for 269 yards with a 92% pass completion rate and hitting nine receivers with at least one pass catch.
The last-second 31-28 loss was yet another heartbreaking close defeat, but the Wildcats will use the positives from the game to improve and address their mistakes during the Bye Week.
Here is a list of three things that the Arizona offense can improve on as it heads into the break.
Protect the quarterback
Fifita is the captain of the offense, and the line must protect him if he wants the squad to operate to its maximum potential.
He was sacked four times against a Houston pass rush that has not been that good all season long, twice in one drive that killed the momentum of it and stopped the offense dead in its tracks.
Altogether, Fifita was sacked eight times in the last two games, which needs desperate attention before it can get any worse in the latter half of the season.
Establish the run
Granted, the pass game was unstoppable for Arizona this time around, establishing a balanced attack that features a potent running game is something that needs to be done for an offense to be at its best.
That was something the Wildcats were not able to do against the Cougars, as 112 yards were generated on the ground.
It is the second week in a row that Arizona was not able to gather over 200 yards of rushing yards, which is not a good sign for Seth Doege and his offense, which is not afraid of pounding the rock.
With the Bye Week approaching, that area will most likely be improved.
Third down conversions
The Wildcats' offense has struggled with turning third downs into first downs all season, and that problem resurfaced against Houston in the three-point loss.
Arizona had nine third-down chances on Saturday and was only able to convert four of them into first downs. In the last game against BYU, Arizona only converted four out of 17 third downs, making the Wildcats 8-for-26 in the previous two games.
Arizona is now the 11th-ranked team in the Big 12 when it comes to third-down conversions, so that will be an area of improvement when it approaches the Bye Week.
Tell us what areas you think Arizona needs to improve on offense by commenting on our X account. Just click the link to find us and be sure to give us a follow.
Nathaniel Martinez and a set of shoulder pads at 7 years old. He later graduated from Pima Community College in 2023, where he began writing for the Pima Post. He is working to achieve a Bachelor’s in Mass Communication and Media Studies.