Willie Fritz Breaks Down What Stands Out About The Arizona Wildcats
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The Houston Cougars are now just a single victory away from being bowl-eligible after the Coogs' win over Oklahoma State, for the first time since 2022 and the first time under head coach Willie Fritz, getting the Cougars near the required six wins in just two seasons after inheriting a four-win team.
Looking to get to the six-win threshold, the Cougars will have to recenter themselves after their commanding victory in Stillwater, as they are set to continue their conference matchups, hosting the Arizona Wildcats on Oct. 18.
The Wildcats will take the trip to TDECU Stadium this weekend, after suffering their second loss of the season, after falling to the No. 18 BYU Cougars in double overtime. Throughout their first six games of the season, Arizona has a 4-2 overall record and a 2-2 conference record.
Willie Fritz Comments on Arizona
At his weekly media availability on Monday, Willie Fritz discussed pieces of the Wildcats squad that the Coogs will have to emphasize. When speaking about Arizona's offense, Fritz was complimentary of the Wildcats' starting quarterback, Noah Fifita, and his abilities as both a passer and runner.
"It all starts with the quarterback," Fritz said. "He is really good out of the pocket, very accurate when he gets outside of the pocket, and then he can run it when he needs to tuck it and run it, but it starts with that guy."
Through Arizona's six games of the season, Fifita has completed 131 of his 209 pass attempts for a 62.7 completion percentage, while passing for 1,560 yards, 15 touchdowns, which ranks fourth in the Big 12, and four interceptions, also adding three scores on the ground.
Against the Cougars a year ago, Fifita was dynamic, going 20 of 35 passing for 224 yards and a pair of touchdowns with a lone interception, leading the Wildcats to a 27-3 victory over the Coogs in Tucson.
Staying on the offensive side of the ball, Fritz zeroed in on the Wildcats' rushing attack, which has gained over 800 yards on the ground, while averaging 4.2 yards per carry and has found the end zone seven times. Leading the ground game is running back Ismail Mahdi, who's totaled 403 rushing yards, averaging over five yards a carry and a single touchdown.
"You'd think they throw the ball all over the place," Fritz said. "They have a great quarterback, they really do; we played against him last season, but they got an outstanding run game. They really have a dynamic rushing attack as well."
Flipping to the other side of the ball, Fritz broke down what the Wildcats do defensively, emphasizing the different looks the defense gives, primarily from the front seven. As Fritz put it, the defense is a "different style."
"Defensively, in their front, they do a lot of stuff," Fritz said. "Not quite as complex on the back end, but on the front end, they do a lot of stuff, even, odd, second level, dropping guys, so it's a different defense than we've seen so far this year, a different style."
Arizona's front seven is one of the best in the Big 12, currently allowing the fourth fewest rushing yards per game in the conference, giving up 124.3 rushing yards on average. And it is in the top five of fewest rushing touchdowns allowed, while also recording 14 sacks on the season.
