It may have taken a quarter to get things kickstarted, but Arizona was able to overcome a slow start on both ends of the ball to cruise to a 42-17 victory over the Northern Illinois Huskies. Noah Fifita etched his name into the record books, surpassing Nick Foles as the Wildcats’ all-time passing yards leader, while three different skill players scored their first-career touchdowns. As Brent Brennan’s crew begins turning its attention to Washington State next week, here are five takeaways from the Arizona Wildcats’ win over Northern Illinois.
1) Receivers stepped up in the absence of Giovanni Richardson
One of the biggest question marks all week is what the Wildcats’ offense would look like without leading receiver Giovanni Richardson. The sophomore standout suffered a “lower extremity” injury at BYU and will be out “for a little bit,” said Brent Brennan at the beginning of the week. Prior to the injury, Richardson had already hauled in 14 receptions for 161 yards in just five quarters of play.
But Arizona’s receivers rose to the challenge. 11 different receivers recorded a catch on Saturday night, including breakout games from veteran wideouts Tre Spivey and Chris Hunter. Spivey finished with six catches for 90 yards and a touchdown, while Hunter added another five grabs for 73 yards and a score. Isaiah Mizell and Tyler Powell also burst onto the scene for the Wildcats – Mizell hauled in five receptions for 49 yards and his first-career touchdown, while Powell also found the end zone for the first time in his collegiate career.
There’s no denying that Arizona’s offense doesn’t have the same juice without Richardson. He’s a quick, elusive route runner who has a knack for finding soft spots in zones to provide Noah with a safety valve. But it’s encouraging to see Fifita distribute the ball all over the field and the Wildcats’ receivers step up the way they did. Spivey and Hunter will need to continue delivering like they did against the Huskies, but if Arizona can also get production like it did from Mizell, Brandon Phelps (three receptions, 45 yards), and Rodney Gallagher III (three receptions, 23 yards), it should be able to get through the next few weeks and allow Richardson to get healthy before a tough October that includes road trips to West Virginia and Texas Tech.
2) A masterclass in efficiency from QB1
Yes, the highlight of the game for Noah Fifita was the record-setting passing yardage, but overall, Arizona’s signal-caller played lights out. Fifita completed 31-of-34 passes for 325 yards and four touchdowns – to four different receivers – while also using his legs for another 30-yard score.
Fifita completed 20-straight passes and nearly broke his single-game completion percentage record of 92.3 percent that he set completing 24-of-26 passes at Houston last season, finishing with a 91.2 completion percentage against the Huskies.
He made smart decisions with the football, never put it in harms way, and had some beautifully placed balls on Saturday night. While the catch by Tre Spivey was incredible, the throw Fifita made to Chris Hunter for Arizona’s first touchdown was textbook.
Fifita has been in mid-season form since Week 1. If he continues to play at that level, he’ll not only mask some of the concerns of Arizona’s offensive line and Giovanni Richardson’s absence, but could lead the Wildcats to a 6-1 record heading into Lubbock with a chance to knock off the defending Big 12 champion Texas Tech Red Raiders.
3) Sacks have to stop!
As good as Noah Fifita was against Northern Illinois, the Huskies also got into the backfield for four sacks. Two of those sacks were coverage sacks and Fifita held the ball too long in those instances, but when the best quarterback in school history is under center, he can’t be on the ground that often.
After the game, Brent Brennan said the Huskies dialed up some unique pressures that made things difficult for the Wildcats’ offensive line.
“Yeah, just a ton of pressure and a ton of unique pressure, and that’s obviously something we got to work on.”
Digging into the numbers, PFF.com actually gave the Wildcats an 81.3 pass blocking grade following its performance on Saturday, in part because of Noah’s crisp day passing, but also gave the UA a 58.0 run blocking grade, it’s lowest mark of the week.
While the marks don’t quite reflect it, Josh Oglesby and the offensive line should be concerned about allowing four sacks on QB1 and be working to make sure that number is reduced significantly before Big 12 play resumes in two weeks.
4) The turnover well has run dry for the defense
A year ago, Danny Gonzales’ defense finished with the second-best turnover margin in college football. This year, the well has dried up. Through three games this season, Arizona has just one forced turnover – an interception made by Quinn Olson in the season-opener against NAU.
The Wildcats have one of the better offenses in the conference, but you know what they say, defense wins championships. When it’s cold in Manhattan, Kansas in mid-November, defense can get you out of jam. So far, the defense’s inability to turn the ball over, coupled with another year of slow starts and struggles against the run, is cause for concern a quarter of the way through the regular season.
Trying to compare the current secondary of Quinn Olson, Lee Molette, and Malcolm Hartzog Jr. to guys like Treydan Stukes, Dalton Johnson, and Genesis Smith – three guys who were drafted into the NFL – is unfair, but the Wildcats also need guys like Jay’Vion Cole, who had four interceptions a year ago, to step up. They also need Daylen Austin, a former four-star high school prospect, to get healthy and start contributing meaningfully, which could be a tall order after Austin exited the game with shoulder and lower leg injuries on Saturday.
I’m not ready to press the panic button on the defense this season, but giving up 341 yards of total offense and not forcing a turnover against Northern Illinois is certainly starting to raise some concerns after what was a dominant season defensively a year ago.
5) Enjoy Noah Fifita while you have him, Wildcat Nation!
Noah Fifita, who now holds the all-time passing yards and touchdown passes records, has statistically cemented himself as the greatest quarterback in Arizona program history. But he’s so much more than that. He’s also one of the most remarkable stories in college football. He’s chosen the University of Arizona and City of Tucson time and time again and is the definition of loyalty in a world defined by selfishness, impatience, and greed.
Brent Brennan has referred to Noah Fifita as the “best story in college football,” and he’s right. Noah is a Wildcat for Life and someone Arizona will talk about for generations to come. Fans at Saturday’s game will be telling their children and grandchildren for years to come about watching Noah break the record in Casino Del Sol Stadium, but it’s because he’s remained loyal and committed to the Old Pueblo.
People often say the grass is greener on the other side. But as Brent Brennan said on Saturday night, “that guy stayed here and watered the grass here and made it into something truly special.” Now, the only question that remains isn’t if Arizona will build Noah Fifita a statue, but when they will build it.