In Jedd Fisch’s second year at the helm, Arizona has developed an offensive attack that’s far more functional than those of recent years, headlined by a number of high- impact recruits and transfers. The Arizona defense remains a work in progress, but the improvement from last year is still notable.
Like USC, the Wildcats will be rested coming off a bye week, having lost their last contest in a 49-39 shootout against Washington.
The Trojans should be well-equipped to take care of this squad on paper, but this is a feisty young Arizona team that has the potential to punch above its weight.
Let's take a closer look at the matchup ...
Arizona Wildcats (3-4, 1-3 Pac-12)
Coach: Jedd Fisch (2nd season, 5-16 overall, including 1-1 mark as UCLA interim coach)
Stats/national rank
Scoring Offense: 31.6 PPG (55th)
Scoring Defense: 31.6 PPG (124th)
Total Offense: 465.1 YPG (25th)
Total Defense: 454.1 YPG (118th)
What the Wildcats do well:
The strength of this Arizona team is indisputably in the depth it possesses at the offensive skill positions. The Wildcats' receiving corps has been highly impressive all year, led by the trio of Jacob Cowing, Dorian Singer, and Tetairoa McMillan. The three have combined for 1,812 yards and 15 touchdowns so far, while tight end Tanner McLachlan has contributed 23 receptions for 309 yards of his own. The distribution of skill sets among the group gives quarterback Jayden De Laura a diverse selection of targets to work with, which he’s frequently been able to take advantage of. At running back, Arizona has featured a rotation of three highly-capable backs in Michael Wiley, DJ Williams and Jonah Coleman. They’ve run for 297, 270, and 267 yards each, with a strong collective average of 5.21 yards per carry and a total of 8 touchdowns. The bevy of weapons at the Wildcats' disposal allows them to pose a real scoring threat even against better defenses and is easily the team’s greatest advantage.
What the Wildcats don't do well:
Turnovers have been a problem for the Wildcats all year, as they’ve averaged nearly two a game through 6 weeks. Quarterback Jayden de Laura has been largely responsible, having thrown 7 interceptions and fumbled the football twice to account for 9 of Arizona’s 11 turnovers. de Laura has been exciting as the team’s signal-caller and the success of the offense has relied heavily upon his playmaking, but his tendency to be loose with the football has severely hamstrung the Wildcats at times.
On the other side of the ball, Arizona’s defense leaves much to be desired. Its run defense in particular has been poor to say the least, giving up an average of 207.4 yards and nearly 3 touchdowns per game on the ground. Opponents have managed 5.8 yards per carry against them through the year; 10th most in the entire FBS. The lack of difference-makers on the interior of the defensive line and in the linebacking corps has caused the Wildcats plenty of pain against opposing rushing offenses, though they seemed to have improved somewhat in recent weeks.
Things are slightly better on the back end of the Arizona defense, but that still isn’t saying much. Opponents haven’t had to throw too much given the ease of running the ball on the Wildcats, but they’ve completed 71.2% of their pass attempts when they have. The secondary has only managed 2 interceptions so far, and its members have consistently given up far more room in coverage than is ideal. In their last outing, the Arizona secondary was utterly eviscerated by Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who threw for a school-record 516 yards and 4 touchdowns while completing nearly 82% of his passes.
