PULLMAN, WA – It’s a good thing football is a 60-minute game, because if things had ended after the first 15, heck, even the first 30 minutes, the Wildcats would have ended up on the wrong side of a final score. But despite another week of starting slow, Arizona leaned on a duo of dynamic wide receivers and crucial second-half defensive adjustments to respond from a 14-0 deficit and survive the trip to Pullman with a win. Check out this week’s takeaways and reactions from the Arizona Wildcats’ 34-24 win over the Washington State Cougars.
1) “Jet” can soar!
The transition from high school to college isn’t easy. The speed of the game, the size of the players, and the intracacies of the scheme all make the game more complex for budding players. But once the mental side of the game catches up with the talent, watch out!
True freshman wide receiver Caleb “Jet” Smith showed flashes a week ago against Northern Illinois with his 69-yard punt return for a touchdown. But against Washington State in Pullman, his confidence on offense emerged. While trailing 17-14 in the third quarter, Smith and quarterback Noah Fifita said enough is enough. Fifita threw three straight completions to Jet, including a 41-yard strike and a 38-yard touchdown, the first receiving touchdown of his career.
“It’s been fun to see Jet start to emerge as a playmaker for us. He’s just a young player, and the transition from high school to college is a big jump,” said head coach Brent Brennan after the game. “I think Coach Wade’s done a great job with Jet getting him going, and being patient, and helping him learn, and then you got to see some of his talent show because now he’s playing with confidence.”
Arizona’s wide receiver play has been confusing so far this season. Giovanni Richardson has been injured since the BYU game, Tre Spivey has needed half the season to get going, and Chris Hunter is borderline invisible. But the production from “Jet” this early in his career is a welcomed surprise. As his confidence continues to grow, so does his play time, which in turn increases his experience. If Arizona can put that on repeat each week, he’ll give the Wildcats an explosive weapon down the stretch of Big 12 play.
2) Is Noah Fifita’s efficiency taken for granted?
Noah Fifita is one of the most efficient quarterbacks in school history and his 75.6 completion percentage this season is the fifth-best in the country. So when he makes a mistake, especially one as severe as a pick-six that digs Arizona into a 14-0 first-quarter hole, it catches everyone by surprise.
But here’s the catch. Noah isn’t just an efficient player actually throwing the football. He’s also remarkably efficient in his mental preparation and execution. What does that mean? It means that unlike a young, inexperience quarterback, Fifita was able to immediately respond from the interception and get Arizona’s offense rolling again with the help of Tre Spivey.
The Wildcats’ offense doesn’t look as crisp as it did a year ago. It’s been one-dimensional at times with a non-existent rushing attack, while Noah and the offensive line don’t quite seem to have the same chemistry they did last season – Arizona has given up a league-worst 12 sacks.
Some of those miscues won’t be acceptable in Big 12 play. Plain and simple. But Arizona fans can rest assured, with Noah Fifita under center, if he digs the Wildcats into a hole, he’ll be the first one to drop the shovel and lead the charge back out.
3) Slow starts have to stop
Have you ever heard the old saying, “fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.” After back-to-back weeks with sluggish starts on offense and defense, something needs to change. Over the past two weeks, opponents have outscored Arizona 24-14 in the first quarter, with the Wildcats falling behind by two-scores in both games.
Against Northern Illinois, Arizona’s talent was enough to overcome the quick start by the Huskies. Against a better Wazzu team, the Wildcats struggled through the first half. As the coaching, talent, and overall competition ramp up in Big 12 play, Arizona can’t afford to start the game with three and outs or give up touchdowns on opening possessions.
Brennan and the coaching staff know it’s an issue. They also understand they’re racing against the clock to get it figured out.
“We want to start fast. Trust me. We’ll get to work on that tomorrow.”
Here’s the winning formula for the Wildcats: start like they did against BYU and finish like they did against Washington State. It’s obviously easier said than done, but if Brent Brennan and Co. can figure that out, that should quell a lot of the concerns fans are feeling 1/3 of the way through the season.
4) Danny G works his magic again
Danny Gonzales has done it again. For the second week in a row, it looked like opponents had a game plan that could stymie Arizona’s defense. But the master of in-game adjustments proved once again why his defenses are consistently ranked in the top 20 nationally year after year.
It truly was a tale of two halves and an instrumental part of why Arizona is leaving Pullman victorious. Look no further than what Danny G calls the “championship down.” In the first half, Washington State converted 4-of-7 (57.1%) third down attempts. In the second half, WSU was just 1-of-9 (11.1%) on third and fourth down combined.
The Wildcats got the Cougars off the field and put the ball back in Noah Fifita’s hands, which we all know is a recipe for success.
Arizona also tripled its turnover season total with a first half interception by Cam Chapa and a fumble recovery by Everett Roussaw Jr. and Tre Smith. While the offense couldn’t capitalize on either gift from the defense, it’s a start in the right direction.
Right now, the defensive adjustments and takeaways feel more like an outlier than the norm, but at least now Danny G and his staff have a blueprint they can replicate heading back into Big 12 play.
5) Were there signs about Arizona’s shaky field goal operation?
Michael Salgado-Medina attempted just one field goal coming into the Washington State game. Folks chalked it up to Arizona’s red zone efficiency and Brent Brennan’s desire to be aggressive on the road at BYU. But now, maybe we’re starting to see why.
Arizona’s first field goal attempt was wide right and never had a chance after a poor snap and hold. The second came off of Salgado-Medina’s foot low and was blocked. MSM responded well with a pair of second-half field goals, including a 51-yarder that extended Arizona lead back to two-possessions with under two minutes to play.
“Being a place kicker is a tough job, because you just get one shot. There’s no second or third down,” said Brennan postgame.
“If I didn’t have confidence in him, I wouldn’t put him out there. But he went out there and ripped it, and it was beautiful.”
While the shaky execution didn’t cost Arizona the game, it did cost it six points, something it cannot afford in conference play.
Like we said above, as outstanding as Noah Fifita is, he and the offense aren’t going to find the end zone every time they take the field. We’re not saying the field goal operation is going to be perfect every time either, but after four games, the concerns about executing from any distance are back to where they were a year ago.