Coming off a major upset win on the road, Arizona was looking to send its 28 seniors out in style on senior day against Baylor. It took a fourth quarter avalanche of touchdowns and turnovers for the Wildcats to blow out the Bears in a 41-17 win.
Brent Brennan’s team moves to 8-3 on the season, doubling its win total from last season, and now head to Tempe next week for a huge showdown for the Territorial Cup with the Sun Devils.
Here are the grades for the offense, defense, special teams, and coaching
in the blowout of the Bears:
Offense: A-
Ismail Mahdi got the day started with a 14 yard run, which was followed up with a 14 yard pass from Noah Fifita to Kris Hutson. With the help of a pass interference penalty, Kedrick Reescano ran it in for Arizona’s first touchdown of the game from two yards out.
With passes of 16 and 12, the offense marched down the field on the next drive. On fourth and goal, Fifita connected with Hutson to tie the game back up at 14.
The first turnover of the game went to the Bears after Fifita’s pass was tipped up and taken away by Baylor.
Coming out of the half, Fifita connected once again with Hutson, and after putting the Baylor defenders in the spin cycle the offense was set up in the red zone. Reescano scored his second touchdown of the game from one yard out to give Arizona its first lead of the game.
Arizona punted on back to back drives after scoring on the first drive of the second half.
The Wildcats finally caught lightning in a bottle when the dynamic duo of Fifita and Hutson connected for 36 yards. However, the drive would stall out and the offense settled for a field goal that would be no good.
It was a déjà vu moment from the Cincinnati game. Exactly one play after a turnover by the defense, Mahdi took it to the house from 28 yards to extend the Arizona lead.
After yet another defensive turnover, Arizona was able to extend its lead. Fifita converted a third and 14 on a 17 scamper. Then Reescano scored his third touchdown of the game from 19 yards out.
The offense did not need to score again as the game was well in hand. Fifita finished the game going 14-25 for 183 and one touchdown pass.
Mahdi finished with 93 yards on 14 carries and ran for one touchdown. Reescano finished with 46 yards on 13 carries for three rushing touchdowns.
Hutson finished with nine catches for 133 yards and one touchdown. The offense finished with 355 total yards with 183 through the air and 172 on the ground.
While it may not have capitalized on all of its opportunities, the offense made the most of what Baylor gave them and stomped on the defense.
Defense: A
It was not a good start by the defense. Marching all the way down the field, Baylor scored from nine yards out. The drive was helped out by a pass interference penalty, but the Bears moved the ball with ease.
Treydan Stukes nearly had the first turnover of the game with a strip fumble, but forward progress was called. Baylor continued its march down the field for its second touchdown of the day.
The defense got the first stop of the game with around five minutes left in the first half. The ensuing Baylor field goal was no good from 48 yards.
In a bend don’t break moment, the defense held Baylor to a field goal attempt after the offense turned the ball over. That field goal would be good from 48 yards.
Taye Brown and Mays Pese teamed up to get the first sack of the day to end the first Baylor drive of the second half.
Forcing back to back punts, the defensive stop was highlighted by Riley Wilson who had a three yard tackle for loss.
When Arizona needed it most, Stukes got the turnover that the Wildcats were desperately looking for to stop Baylor on fourth down at the 12 yard line.
The defense got its second turnover after Brown punched the ball out from Baylor and Michael Dansby recovered it. The back to back turnovers started the avalanche that turned the game towards Arizona’s direction.
The next drive resulted in a four and out as the defense stood its ground against Baylor’s passing attack. One play into the next drive and Jabari Mann was racing to the end zone for a pick six.
The cherry on top of a great second half performance was Brown getting the quarterback one last time to end the drive.
Baylor’s passing attack was limited to just 162 yards but the rushing attack had a nice day with 181 yards. Dalton Johnson led the defense with 18 tackles, which was followed by Genesis Smith with 16 tackles.
With three turnovers, safe to say the Wildcats defense won the day.
Special Teams: C-
Isaac Lovison had the best performance on special teams. Punting three times, two of them would be caught inside the 20 yard line. He did not allow Baylor’s return game to be a factor.
Late in the third quarter, Mann had a punt catch interference penalty that gave yardage back to Baylor after an otherwise good punt by Lovison.
Michael Salgado-Medina missed his only field goal attempt on the day from 38 yards. He would also miss an extra point attempt.
It should not go unmentioned that the kickoff team had a good performance. Ian Wagner had three kicks that weren’t touchbacks but those were due to unsportsmanlike conduct penalties that were enforced on the kickoffs.
The coverage team did not allow the Baylor returns to create big plays because of those penalties. Otherwise, Wagner’s kicks were all touchbacks.
Coaching: A
It’s going to sound like a broken record, but once again this team showed that they play, fight, and win for each other. It does not matter how it gets done or who gets it done. As long as the job gets done.
Brennan has accomplished one of the biggest turnarounds in all of the country this season. It all goes back to making the right hire in Seth Doege and promoting Danny Gonzales to defensive coordinator.
Doege has gelled with Fifita and the result has been a balanced offensive attack. Being able to run it down the opponent’s throats, picking apart the secondary, and most importantly not turning the ball over so much. It has become a dangerous offense.
The story for the defense is being able to bend and not break, which showed out yet again in this win. Holding Baylor to field goal attempts, getting to the quarterback, and creating turnovers.
One of the more underlying factors into both sides of the ball is being able to make in-game adjustments. Some teams struggle with this but not Arizona.
For the most part, they shut down the running game in the second half and forced Baylor to beat them through the air. Then for the offense, it tore down the Bears defense with the run game.
All in all, every single person within the program fights for one another and now it has gotten Arizona to a four game winning streak.
