The Arizona Wildcats are rolling since the bye-week in late October. After back-to-back heartbreaking losses to BYU and Houston, the Wildcats have won three straight, clinching bowl game eligibility with a win over Kansas, and giving Brent Brennan a signature win at the helm of Arizona with an upset against the Bearcats on Saturday. Check out this week’s five reactions and takeaways following the Arizona Wildcats’ 30-24 road win over No. 25 Cincinnati.
1) Fifita protecting the pigskin:
A huge part of Arizona’s success over the last three weeks has been Noah Fifita’s ability to protect the football. After interceptions in three straight games against Iowa State, Oklahoma State, and BYU, Fifita did not throw a pick against Houston, Colorado, Kansas, or Cincinnati.
Kansas and Cincinnati are arguably two of the most lethal offenses in the Big 12, so Fifita’s ability to limit their possessions has been crucial.
Arizona’s struggles capping drives off with touchdowns on Saturday made Fifita’s protection that much more important. Ismail Mahdi scored a 27-yard touchdown in the first minute of the game following an interception by Dalton Johnson and Jay’Vion Cole, but after that, the Wildcats missed two fields, including one that was blocked, and settled for two more field goals after stalling out in the red zone.
While the offense warmed back up with touchdowns by Kedrick Reescano and Gio Richardson, Fifita’s ability to keep the ball out of harms way was crucial in keeping Arizona within striking distance, particularly in the middle eight.
2) Running backs running Wild(cats):
We’ve talked all season about the potential of Arizona’s stable of running backs, but that group is starting to reach its potential over the past two weeks. Quincy Craig was instrumental in Arizona’s win over Kansas, while all three running backs made their mark in the win over Cincinnati.
Ismail Mahdi got things going with his 27-yard scamper for a score, showing off his speed down the sideline. He finished the day with 48 yards and the touchdown on seven carries. Kedrick Reescano was as powerful as he’s been all season, gashing the Bearcats for 94 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries, including a 50-yard tote for the score. And Quincy Craig added another 52 yards, including some crucial first down pickups in the second quarter, averaging 4.7 yards per carry.
The point is, as good as Noah Fifita has been, unlike last season, the offense has been much more balanced and multi-dimensional. Defenses have to decide between selling out for the run, or dropping back to limit Arizona’s plethora of wide receivers, which allows Seth Doege to shake things up and keep opponents on their toes.
3) Defense locking it down with a learning curve:
Against Kansas and Cincinnati, the Wildcats trailed heading into the locker room at halftime. But that slow start defensively is not a coincidence. Defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales’ scheme is not a gap control scheme defense, where defenders have a specific gap they defend. Instead, Gonzales’ leverages his defensive backs, particularly Genesis Smith and Dalton Johnson, as additional linebackers that can crowd the box or drop back in coverage when they need to.
Because of the lack of structure to the defense, Brent Brennan said after the game there is a learning curve.
“Yeah, I think the biggest thing there was just we kind of had to settle down. And the thing about our defense is it’s a little bit unique and so there’s always a little bit of a learning curve early in the game of how people are going to choose to attack it.”
Brennan added that coming off a bye-week, Cincinnati had extra time to prepare for Arizona, but that Coach Gonzales and his staff won the chess battle down the stretch.
They had a bye, they had two weeks to attack it. They had a good plan. Coach Gonzales and his staff made good adjustments and we were able to find our way and start getting stops.”
There’s no better example of this then Cincinnati’s ground game. After rushing for 140 yards in the first quarter, the defense hunkered down, allowing just nine yards in the second, 37 yards in the third, and four in the fourth.
While this scheme may not work for some teams, Arizona has the offensive fire power to play from behind and not panic or get one-dimensional. Even if the defense is a little porous through the first fifteen minutes, it’s ability to tighten up, coupled with Seth Doege’s explosive play-calling, gives Brent Brennan a lethal one-two punch.
4) “Money Mike” when it matters most:
Kicker Michael Salgado-Medina didn’t exactly instill confidence in Arizona fans through the first two quarters of play in the Buckeye State. Salgado-Medina’s first field goal, a 41-yard attempt, was wide left. His second, a 34-yard attempt, was blocked by the Bearcats.
But Salgado-Medina responded, converting a 24-yard try in the final seconds of the first half, as well as adding another 25-yarder on Arizona’s opening drive of the second half. His biggest came at the end of the game though. Salgado-Medina showed why Brent Brennan has been calling him “Money Mike” all season, as the sophomore drilled a 50-yard field goal that gave the Wildcats a 6-point lead with 90 seconds remaining in the game.
“I’ll tell you this, he hit the one that mattered. And that’s what people should talk about,” said Brennan after the game.
“That kid hit the one that mattered. He had to go out there in a sold out stadium against a top 25 opponent and bang a 51-yarder, and he piped it with no hesitation. And that’s what everybody should be talking about.”
As inconsistent as he has been this season, Salgado-Medina has not been the difference in a game for Arizona or missed a field goal that decided the outcome for the Wildcats, connecting on kicks when it’s mattered most.
5) Is another 10-win season brewing in the desert?
Does this Arizona team remind you of another one in recent years? If you said yes, the 2023 team, we’d agree. After losing back-to-back close games, including a heartbreaking multiple overtime loss, the Wildcats won seven straight, knocking off four ranked teams in five wins. Arizona went on to defeat ASU 59-23 in Tempe, before securing its first 10-win season in a decade with an Alamo Bowl victory over the Oklahoma Sooners.
If Arizona can handle business against Baylor, it could be on its way to another Territorial Cup victory in Tempe, marquee bowl game, and 10-win season. They say time is a circle. Let’s see how quickly it can repeat.