Arizona’s emphatic 34-7 win over previously unbeaten Cincinnati did more than give Brent Brennan’s team its best all-around showing of the season. It also nudged the Wildcats into a favorable new bowl projection, one that could come with a little extra motivation attached.
Bryan Fischer of Sports Illustrated now has Arizona headed to the Sun Bowl on Dec. 31, with SMU waiting on the other side. That would mean a rematch of last season’s Holiday Bowl, which SMU won 24-19. For Arizona, it would be a chance to settle that score in a different setting.
The Wildcats are 1-2 all-time against SMU. The first meeting came in 1938, when Arizona lost 29-7, and the only Arizona win in the series came in 1985, a 28-6 result in Tucson.
A Sun Bowl trip would also carry some history of its own for Arizona. The Wildcats have not played in the event since 1992 and are 0-2-1 there all-time, with losses to Auburn in 1968 and Baylor in 1992, plus a tie with Georgia in 1985.
Arizona’s latest surge came despite a rough injury break in the first quarter, when wide receivers Tre Spivey, Gio Richardson, and Chris Hunter all went down. The Wildcats adjusted by leaning on a strong run game, steady play from quarterback Noah Fifita, and a defense that simply swallowed Cincinnati’s ground attack.
That defense was the story of the night. Arizona held the Bearcats to 74 rushing yards, a season low and 197 below Cincinnati’s average entering the game.
Fifita was sharp as well, throwing for 265 yards and three touchdowns while also leading the team with 82 rushing yards. Arizona erased a 24-0 halftime deficit in the Holiday Bowl last season before falling short, but Saturday’s performance against Cincinnati looked like a team capable of forcing its way into the bowl picture again.
Now the Wildcats turn to another test on the road, an early kickoff at West Virginia on Saturday. Arizona is 4-1 overall and 1-1 in Big 12 play.
West Virginia enters at 3-2 and 0-2 in the Big 12 after a 41-24 home loss to Oklahoma State and a 45-42 shootout loss at Iowa State. The Mountaineers do have one ranked win on the résumé, a 38-27 nonconference victory over then-No. 25 Virginia.
They also bring a major challenge on the ground. West Virginia averages 294 rushing yards per game, third-best in the country behind Army and Air Force.
Arizona just proved it can smother a run-heavy opponent. If the Wildcats do it again in Morgantown, the bowl talk could get even louder.
Arizona and West Virginia kick off at 9:00 AM PT on Saturday, Oct. 11, with the game set for TNT.
In Other News...
Arizona Run Defense Faces Its Biggest Reality Check Yet
Arizonas run defense has already passed one major test. In the 34-7 win over Cincinnati, the Wildcats held one of the nations better rushing attacks to 74 yards, another sign that this group is no longer just holding its own but becoming a real strength. Through the season, Arizona has trimmed opponents to an average of 79 rushing yards per game, a pace that puts this defense among the best run-stopping units in school history.
Now comes the part that will tell the fuller story. The Wildcats have leaned on a heavy rotation under their defensive coordinator to keep legs fresh and pressure steady, and that approach will be under a harsher spotlight against a much more punishing ground game. Arizona has looked the part against quality resistance already, but this matchup will show whether the depth and discipline that carried the day against Cincinnati can hold up when the workload gets heavier and the margin for error shrinks. [Read more 🡒]
Arizonas Defensive Front Faces A Much Bigger Test This Week
Arizonas defensive front earned some deserved recognition after helping set the tone in last weeks win over Cincinnati, when the Bearcats were held to 74 rushing yards. The performance drew praise for a unit that has clearly made stopping the run a priority, something head coach Brent Brennan has stressed and linebacker Chase Kennedy pointed to as a key part of securing the victory.
The challenge now gets a lot steeper. West Virginia arrives with one of the nations most productive ground games, and Arizonas front is about to find out whether last weeks breakthrough can carry over against a much bigger test. If the Wildcats can again control the line of scrimmage, it would go a long way toward proving that their recent defensive surge is more than a one-game snapshot. [Read more 🡒]