Arizona sits at 4-2 at the midpoint of the 2025 season, needing two wins over the final six games to become bowl eligible. The last time it was in this position, in 2019, it didn’t win again for two years.
The Wildcats (4-2, 1-2 Big 12) are coming off a heartbreaking double-overtime home loss to unbeaten BYU, a game the trailed by 14 early and led by 10 late. That kind of result could either crush a team or embolden it, and the latter appears to be the case.
“On Sunday, you would think, with that type of loss our kids would be down,” offensive coordinator Seth Doege said. “It was probably the most energetic Sunday I’ve been a part of, not because they don’t care, just because they got a lot of confidence. And they know they should have won the game. And so we got to do a better job offensively, putting our team in a better position to win, and finding ways to win games late.”
During the disappointing 2024 season, particularly in Big 12 play, one loss had the tendency to carry over and snowball. The Wildcats lost five in a row at one point, each seeming to be worse than before, but so far this season the UA bounced back from its lone setback with a win.
“I think the good thing is that we saw that not happen after Iowa State,” UA coach Brent Brennan said. “Like everybody else in Wildcat Nation, I’m pissed off we didn’t get it done (against BYU). But we don’t have time to feel sorry for ourselves about how that ended, because we have an incredible challenge this week, and it’s on us, and so we have to go work attacking this next thing.”
It will be an early one on Saturday, with Arizona kicking off against Houston (5-1, 2-1) at 11 a.m. local time and 9 a.m. in Tucson. Here’s what to watch for when the Wildcats make their first trip to the Space City since 2018:
Reversing the road woes?
Arizona is 1-5 on the under Brennan, and since winning at Utah to open Big 12 play last season the four losses have been by an average of 28 points including a 39-14 setback at Iowa State last month.
Very little has gone right for the UA in those last four road games. The last three have seen it trailed by two or more scores early, as it was down 22-0 at Iowa State before finding the end zone just before halftime.
“I think the biggest thing is we just have to not turn the ball over, let’s start with that,” Brennan said. “It sounds so simple. And I think that was the thing that Iowa State did that really hurts. We came into that game saying we had to win the turnover battle, and we turned the ball over four times. And so against a really good team on the road, that’s really, really hard to overcome.”
The four turnovers Brennan is mentioning includes a pair of turnovers on downs. Throw in the missed field goal on the opening drive and Arizona had five possessions that ended with it giving Iowa State the ball without a punt or kickoff.
That was mostly the case in the road losses in 2024, as well. Arizona turned it over four times at BYU, and also went 0 for 2 on fourth down, though it won the turnover battle and didn’t give it away once at TCU.
Senior safety Dalton Johnson has been a part of seven wins in 22 tries in true road games during this career. He said the key for the players is to be all systems go from touchdown in that city.
“I would just say it’s really just how you prepare that Friday, when you’re traveling, just make sure you’re detail oriented,” Johnson said. “You just have everything handled before, from school and just knowing the playbook. When you arrive to Houston, we should be game ready, ready to play that instant.”
Red zone results
Arizona scored on two of three trips inside the 20-yard line against BYU, but one of those was a field goal. It then managed just three points in two overtime periods that start at the 25. And while the Cougar defense played a big role in those results, they also speak to a season-long trend for the Wildcats.
The UA is 23 of 28 in the red zone this season, which is tied for 86th out of 136 FBS teams and tied for 11th in the Big 12. Only 13 of those scores are touchdowns, a 46.4 percent rate that’s 125th nationally and second-worst in the conference.
It’s worth noting, though, that the 28 red zone trips are already four more than Arizona had all of last season. The opportunities have been there, the execution has not.
“We make too many mistakes in the red zone,” Doege said. “Too many mistakes in the red zone, whether it be penalties, whether it be missed assignments, whether it be missed throws, you’re not gonna be able to score that way.”
Houston has scored on 18 of 19 trips to the red zone, with 11 TDs. The Cougars have only allowed seven red zone TDs in 17 possessions, which is tied with BYU for best in the conference. Arizona is right behind, at 47.1 percent.
A defensive battle
Even with 33 points allowed, Arizona is only giving up 18.5 per game. Last year that number was 26.5, and the Wildcats are yielding 1.3 fewer yards per play than in 2024.
The Wildcats are 15th nationally in total defense, allowing 275.7 yards per game. Houston isn’t that far behind, at 25th (305.6), along with 17th in scoring defense (17.5).
“It’s another good defense that we’re gonna have to have a great plan for and go execute,” Doege said.
Under coordinator Danny Gonzales, Arizona leads the nation in opponent passer rating at 84.11, with one TD allowed and nine interceptions. The Wildcats picked off only eight passes all of 2024.
Houston QB Connor Weigman has thrown for 1,216 yards and eight TDs with two interceptions but he is vulnerable when pressured. Per Pro Football Focus, Weigman has been blitzed on 42.9 percent of dropbacks and pressured nearly 42 percent of the time, completing 47.2 percent of his throws in those instances.
That’s where the loss of Tre Smith could play a big role. Smith, who underwent season-ending surgery last week, did not have a sack in 144 snaps this season but he often helped make sacks possible with his ability to draw a double team.
“Tre Smith is a vital part to what we do defensively, because he’s so physical,” Gonzales said. “On the statistics, it wasn’t showing up for him, having significant tackles for loss, sacks and all that stuff, but the disruption he has … because he can eliminate two people because of his power.
Gonzales said the hope is to get Smith a sixth year of eligibility. In the meantime, Arizona may again go with a 3-man front with three linebackers but LBs Chase Kennedy and Riley Wilson will often be fourth (and sometimes fifth) pass rushers when in the game.
An early start and and a lot of family in the stands
Arizona and California players make up more than half of the UA’s roster, but third-most are Texans. The Wildcats have 21 from the Lone Star State including Johnson, Wilson, linebacker Max Harris, offensive lineman Ty Buchanan and running backs Ismail Mahdi and Kedrick Reescano. Johnson and Reescano are both from Houston-area suburbs and will have large contingencies in the crowd at TDECU Stadium.
Those coming from further away will need to hit the road Friday for this 11 a.m. start, which will feel like 9 a.m. in Tucson. Brennan isn’t expecting much of an issue in terms of body clocks, but to prepare for the early kickoff Thursday’s practice inside Arizona Stadium was done in the morning instead of at night.
“I think for our team and for our program, that’s the time of day we practice every day, so I like it in terms of what the players are used to,” Brennan said. “I think that’s a positive.”
