Three Wildcats to Watch Offensively Against Iowa State
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Arizona is fresh off its bye week after a 3-0 start to the season. The Wildcats opened the year with wins over Hawaii, Weber State, and Kansas State.
It has been a strong start to the year for the offense under new OC Seth Doege, despite several skill position players being banged up for the Wildcats to start the season.
On the first-ever availability report in an Arizona game, the Wildcats listed Kedrick Reescano as questionable for Saturday's game against Iowa State. After a solid performance to open the season against Hawaii, Reescano has since missed the past two games. In his absence two weeks ago against Kansas State, Ismail Mahdi exploded for 189 yards on the ground in a workhorse role.
Notably, Arizona doesn't have any of its starting wide receivers listed on the injury report. Chris Hunter and Kris Hutson have both been banged up to start the year. It appears they will both be fully healthy heading into this weekend's conference opener against the Cyclones.
Here are three players to monitor on the offensive side of the ball for Arizona on Saturday.
QB Noah Fifita
If Arizona is to win on Saturday, it will need Noah Fifita to protect the ball and play smart, something he has been able to do in the first three games to begin the season.
Arizona DC Danny Gonzales said earlier this week one of the factors to which team wins on Saturday is the one who doesn't turn he ball over. For the Wildcats, that begins with Fifita not turning the ball over. He has yet to throw an interception this season and Arizona will likely need that to continue.
Based on the current odds, Saturday's game doesn't project to be a high-scoring game so Arizona may not need Fifita and the offense to necessarily light up the scoreboard but any turnover can completely turn the momentum upside down at any point in Saturday's game.
RB Ismail Mahdi
It remains unclear if Reescano will return on Saturday, as he is currently listed as questionable. If he misses a third straight game, Arizona will need Ismail Mahdi to step up in a workhorse role once again on Saturday.
In the Wildcats' last game, Mahdi totaled 189 yards on the ground on 22 carries with a long run of 60 yards. He also added another two receptions for 32 yards.
Arizona will need to keep the Iowa State crowd out of the game and they do that by winning the time of possession battle with longer drives. The Wildcats will likely need another big game from Mahdi on the ground to do that.
WR Chris Hunter
Arizona didn't get much out of its wide receiver room behind Tetairoa McMillan last season. That was until Chris Hunter stepped up for Fifita in a bigger role over the final month of the year.
Hunter was expected to enter this year in a big role as the leading returning receiver. However, he had been dealing with injuries heading into the season which has severely limited the time he has seen on the field through three games.
Heading into Saturday's conference opener against Iowa State, Hunter is not listed on the availability report so he should be fully healthy.
He'll look to finally emerge for Fifita and the Arizona this weekend as the Wildcats head on the road for the first time this season.
What players will you be monitoring on the offensive side of the ball for Arizona this weekend? To let us know, follow us on our X account by clicking on the link.
Ari Koslow is a sports writer covering the University of Arizona athletics at On SI. Koslow has been covering Arizona sports for several years. Born and raised in Seattle, he is a diehard Seahawks fan and a longtime sufferer of the Mariners. He is a huge fantasy football fanatic. Koslow is a graduate of Arizona’s School of Journalism.