How Seth Doege Has Fared Seven Games Into the Season
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The Arizona Wildcats are now 4-3 following a two-game skid, dropping heartbreaking one-possession matchups to BYU 33-27 in double overtime and Houston 31-28 on a walk-off field goal with seconds remaining.
With those losses comes the bitter pain of being so close to a win, but not doing enough to get the job done. Head coach Brent Brennan knows all too well what that feels like and will do whatever it takes to make sure his team does not feel that pain again for the remainder of the 2025 season.
- "When you lose two games that way and it's so hard and it's so challenging, the thing that we talk about with the players is what choice do you have?" Brennan said. "
- "You want to choose to believe you can or you can't. And so with this team, this team believes they can. And that's the way they showed up for work yesterday, and that's the way they'll show up for work tomorrow."
- ... Helping our players navigate that and doing those things the right way and continuing to live redline and continuing to dive into our process is what's given us a chance to play better football. And if we stay the course, we will get it. Keep We have to keep pounding the rock. Eventually, it's going to break."
With the Wildcats heading into the bye week, they will have plenty of time to correct any blemishes they have had so far.
Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Seth Doege is in his first season with the Wildcats after a stellar year at Marshall that saw the Thundering Herd make it to their first Conference USA championship ever.
Doege, a Mike Leach student, led Marshall to its first 10-win season since 2015 while averaging 31.8 points per game, 382.8 yards of offense, all with 27 passing touchdowns and 21 on the ground.
Quarterback Braylon Braxton thrived under Doege, throwing for 1624 yards, 19 touchdowns and two interceptions on the way to being named the Sun Belt conference's Newcomer of the Year.
Grade: B+
Doege receives a B+ due to his unique style of offense that has worked well at Arizona, utilizing all the weapons given to him and creating scoring situations a lot more often than last season's team.
Although Doege utilizes an air raid offense that spreads the defense out, he still knows when to take advantage of the run game, wearing down the front with physical running backs Kedrick Reescano, Ismail Mahdi and Quincy Craig.
Fifita's resurgence
Fifita has looked much improved from last year, as he is a more decisive thrower and has developed his skills as a runner when the play calls for it.
His 17-to-4 interception ratio is a far cry from the 18-to-12 ratio he logged a season ago. It is a combination of improved play and dynamic play calling that Arizona is the fourth-ranked passing offense in the Big 12.
It did take some time for Fifita to get going, as he was a bit off on his timing with the receivers to start the season. Once he was able to settle in, Fifita showcased the big arm capability that won him the starting job in 2023.
Doege also worked with Fifita on becoming a more mobile quarterback and trusting his legs more. Seven games in, Fifita has already passed his total amount of rushing yards from last year (17 yards, one touchdown), running for 78 yards and three touchdowns.
Fifita has also used his new skills on the feet to improvise on passing plays, evading defenders and finding open receivers downfield.
Running the ball
Although Doege's offense is mainly an air raid, he knows when to run the ball if it is more effective.
The Wildcats have amassed 995 yards on the ground to go with nine touchdowns. Against Hawaii, Arizona compiled 183 yards. Against Kansas State, Arizona recorded 234, with Ismail Mahdi being named the Big 12 Offensive Co-Player of the Week.
What must be worked on
As electric as the Seth Doege offense has been all season, there are always things to be worked on and Arizona will be sure to do that with the bye week.
At times, Doege's play-calling has come into question following tough losses. After losing to Iowa State, Arizona fans questioned whether the offense should have run the ball more, as Fifita struggled to get the ball downfield and threw two interceptions.
Additionally, the tight ends being targeted more than the wide receivers in Arizona's loss to BYU left some wondering why Doege schemed it that way.
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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.