Arizona left Lubbock with a 34-26 loss to Texas Tech, but the Pro Football Focus numbers show a mixed night rather than a total collapse. The Wildcats finished with an overall grade of 66.3, with the offense at 63.0 and the defense at 67.5.
The cleanest bright spot came in coverage. Arizona’s defensive coverage grade checked in at 73.6, the best unit mark on the night. The roughest area was run blocking, which came in at 39.7.
Quarterback Noah Fifita played every offensive snap and posted a 68.5 grade. He was one of six Arizona players to crack the top overall grades among those who played at least 20 snaps, joining wide receiver Isaiah Mizell, Chris Hunter III, safety Cam Chapa, linebacker Taye Brown and defensive end Mays Pese.
Mizell was Arizona’s highest-graded player overall, finishing at 76.6 while playing 68 snaps. Hunter III turned in a 73.5 overall grade on 31 snaps, and Fifita followed at 68.5 on 78 snaps. Giovanni Richardson added a 67.1 across 39 snaps.
Up front, Arizona’s pass protection held up better than its run game. Matthew Lado led the way in pass blocking with an 82.4 grade, followed by Tristan Bounds at 78.0 and Alexander Doost at 76.7. But the run-blocking numbers tell the tougher story: Hunter III led the team there at 61.0, Zach Henning was next at 60.2, and Fifita came in at 60.0.
The offensive line snap counts were heavy across the board, with Bounds, Lado, Henning, Doost and Rhino Tapa’atoutai all logging 78 snaps. Tapa’atoutai’s overall grade was 44.3, while Tyler Powell posted a 42.5 over 73 snaps.
On defense, Chapa was Arizona’s highest-graded player at 71.1 over 74 snaps. Taye Brown followed at 68.1 on 70 snaps, while Mays Pese earned a 67.8 on 56 snaps. Dwight Bootle II and Malcolm Hartzog Jr. each played 74 snaps and graded at 66.2 and 65.7, respectively.
Arizona also got solid work from Lee Molette III at safety, who posted a 65.4 over 56 snaps. In the front seven, Tre Smith graded at 65.7 on 39 snaps, Dominic Lolesio at 65.1 on 25 snaps, and Cooper Blomstrom at 62.8 on 38 snaps.
The top pass-rushing grades belonged to Chase Kennedy at 68.1, Tre Smith at 63.9 and Bootle II at 59.9. Kennedy played 53 snaps and finished with a 56.9 overall grade.
Here are the full snap counts and grades from Arizona’s game against Texas Tech:
Offense
Isaiah Mizell - 68 snaps, 76.6
Chris Hunter III - 31 snaps, 73.5
Noah Fifita - 78 snaps, 68.5
Giovanni Richardson - 39 snaps, 67.1
Tristan Bounds - 78 snaps, 63.9
Matthew Lado - 78 snaps, 62.4
Kedrick Reescano - 33 snaps, 62.1
Quincy Craig - 34 snaps, 61.7
Zach Henning - 78 snaps, 61.2
Alexander Doost - 78 snaps, 60.2
Javian Goo - 1 snap, 60.0
Arthur Ban - 1 snap, 60.0
Jake Griffin - 1 snap, 60.0
Tyler Mustain - 1 snap, 60.0
Antwan Roberts Jr. - 12 snaps, 57.1
R.J.
Mosley - 7 snaps, 57.0
Brandon Phelps - 44 snaps, 56.8
Caleb Smith - 29 snaps, 53.9
DJ Jordan - 9 snaps, 52.8
Henry Gabalis - 7 snaps, 48.3
Rhino Tapa’atoutai - 78 snaps, 44.3
Tyler Powell - 73 snaps, 42.5
Defense
Cam Chapa - 74 snaps, 71.1
Taye Brown - 70 snaps, 68.1
Gavin Hunter - 18 snaps, 68.0
Mays Pese - 56 snaps, 67.8
Leroy Palu - 49 snaps, 66.9
Dwight Bootle II - 74 snaps, 66.2
Malcolm Hartzog Jr. - 74 snaps, 65.7
Tre Smith - 39 snaps, 65.7
Lee Molette III - 56 snaps, 65.4
Dominic Lolesio - 25 snaps, 65.1
Jabari Mann - 5 snaps, 64.8
Cooper Blomstrom - 38 snaps, 62.8
Julian Savaiinaea - 19 snaps, 62.0
Xaier Hiler - 1 snap, 60.0
Prince Williams - 10 snaps, 59.9
Victory Johnson - 2 snaps, 59.2
Tyrese Boss - 73 snaps, 59.1
Kaisi Lafitaga - 4 snaps, 58.5
Chase Kennedy - 53 snaps, 56.9
Keytrin Harris - 4 snaps, 54.2
Myron Robinson - 21 snaps, 50.0
Dash Fifita - 6 snaps, 49.6
Everett Roussaw Jr. - 29 snaps, 47.6
Zac Siulepa - 14 snaps, 42.3
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