The first half of Arizona’s 2026 season is in the books and there were some ups and downs presented to Brent Brennan’s squad. The BYU loss is surely disappointing but the Wildcats (5-1, 2-1 Big 12) have taken care of every other game.
It was not always pretty, but Arizona has kept itself in a position to contend for a spot in the Big 12 Championship. Led by fifth year quarterback Noah Fifita, the UA goes into its bye week trying to carry over the confidence from the first half of the season into what
is considered to be the “heart” of the season.
Trips to Lubbock and Manhattan, along with home games against Utah and ASU make for what should be an exciting finish to the season. Before the second half of the season arrives, here are the grades for the offense, defense, special teams, and coaching from the win first half of the 2026 season:
Offense: B+
The Wildcats offense ranks third overall in the Big 12 in total yards per game with an average of 456.5 yards per game. It is first in passing yards with an average of 306.7 yards per game and is eleventh in rushing yards with an average of 149.8 yards per game.
Against NIU, Fifita broke the all-time Arizona passing yards record and now has 10,939 passing yards in his career. Fifita on the season is 140-191 (73.3%) for 1,756 passing yards and 16 touchdowns, which put him at fifth overall in the country and first in the conference.
While he is a very capable passer, Fifita has showcased more of his running ability this season as he has 104 rushing yards on 44 carries for three touchdowns. Kedrick Reescano leads the Wildcats in rushing with 262 yards on 72 carries and has four touchdowns on the season.
Reescano ranks 19 in the Big 12 in rushing with Antwan Roberts Jr. ranking 24 in the conference. He has 225 rushing yards on 23 carries for the season and two touchdowns.
Coming off a breakout performance, Isaiah Mizell leads in receiving yards with 359 yards on 19 catches for four touchdowns. He ranks 12 in the Big 12 with the next active Wildcat ranking at 23 in Brandon Phelps.
Phelps has 226 receiving yards on 12 catches and three touchdowns. Tre Spivey is the second leading receiver but his stats are at the end point with Spivey suffering a season ending injury. He had 314 yards on 22 catches for four touchdowns and ranked 15 in the Big 12.
Arizona’s best rushing performance came against Cincinnati where it ran for 238 yards while the best passing performance came against NIU where it passed for 357 yards.
It’s been an up and down season for the offense, with the start of the season being the down portion. The offense seemed very “vanilla” and most thought that was due to not wanting to put too much on film for BYU.
However, after the loss to the Cougars, a slow start against NIU presented concern for how dynamic the offense could be. In addition, Giovanni Richardson’s injury threw a wrench into the gameplan, as there was no clear second option.
That’s when the offense said enough is enough and started to show its true form. After scoring just 17 points in Provo, the Wildcats offense has scored 30+ points in every game since.
Fifita has shown that he can distribute the ball to all of his options, the running game is coming along game by game, and turnovers are not an issue. The only concern right now is the left side of the offensive line, which is going through this season with a “trial by fire” mindset.
As long as turnovers don’t become an issue and the redzone issues of last season don’t pop back up, then the Arizona offense is very dangerous. It also seems to be getting better game by game, which is ideal going into the second half of the season.
Defense: A-
Danny Gonzales’ defense is in a very interesting position this season. The focus was to improve in the run defense while also trying to replace the “three-headed monster” of Treydan Stukes, Dalton Johnson, and Genesis Smith.
Task one complete as the rush defense has improved. Outside of the West Virginia game, the Wildcats have held every opponent to under 150 rushing yards, and in four out of those five games have their opponent to under 100 rushing yards.
Now replacing the three-headed monster has been the struggle. In five of the six games, Arizona has allowed 200+ passing yards, a clear drop off from last season’s secondary.
The good news is, the secondary has also been key to help stopping the run as Gonzales’ defense requires group tackling to be an effective run-stopping defense. Overall, the Arizona defense is ranked in total yards given up in the Big 12.
Arizona has the seventh best rush defense in the Big 12, and while a lot of yards may be given up, the Wildcats do most of their work in the redzone. Arizona has many “bend but don’t break” moments, as it is the second best redzone defense in the Big 12 only allowing opponents to score on 64.7 of redzone trips.
On the season, Arizona has just two interceptions, four forced fumbles, and three fumbles recoveries. However, the Wildcats are the best sack team in the conference with 19 on the season.
Taye Brown leads the Wildcats in tackles with 39 on the season and Cooper Blomstrom is behind him with 30. Chase Kennedy leads the team in both sacks and tackles for loss with 5.5 and four respectively.
The linebackers are statistical leaders but the defensive line has shown to be a force to reckon with. After holding the second best rushing attack in the Big 12 in Cincinnati to a season low, the defensive front earned Big 12 defensive line of the week.
If the secondary can limit explosive plays through the air, then Arizona should be able to keep up with the offenses it will face down the stretch of the season. Along with that, if turnovers can continue to be produced, then the defense will be playing with more and more confidence.
Special teams: B
Last season, a big liability was the special teams unit, as mistakes were made in the kicking operations and kick/punt returns were almost non-existent. Some of that transferred into this season but some of it has improved.
Michael Salgado-Medina is still working on consistency but when Arizona has needed him to deliver he has. He has not cost the Wildcats a game but he still shows signs of struggle. On the season Salgado-Medina is 6-9 on field goals, which puts him at 14 overall in the Big 12.
Ian French has taken over kickoff duties this season, and has done a good job especially considering he is a true freshman. He has 39 kickoffs for the season with 30 of them being touchbacks. Two have gone out of bounds but that is something that is easy to clean up.
Punting duties this season belong to Chase Ridley and he ranks 11 in the Big 12 punt yard average with 41.5 yards per punt. His longest punt this season is 57 yards and has had six of his 15 punts land inside the 20 yard line.
The most dangerous part of the Arizona special teams unit is the dynamic freshman punt returner in Caleb “Jet” Smith. He has five punt returns averaging 25 yards per return and even took one back against NIU from 69 yards out.
Overall, the special teams unit has not been the cause for an Arizona loss this season and needs to continue to remain consistent down the stretch of the season.
Coaching: A-
Arizona is off to its best start to a season since 2014, and a lot of that is due to the continuity between the coaching staff as well as the players. The return of both Gonzales and Seth Doege as coordinators has been a difference maker in the both units knowing exactly what the plan of attack is.
The defense plays with its hair on fire every down of every game, there is only 100% effort allowed on the field. A heavy rotation across the defense has also helped to keep bodies fresh and give everyone an opportunity to make plays.
A strength across the board for Arizona is the depth it has built at almost every position. The running back room also has a strong rotation but also knows when to feed the hot hand.
With all three starting receivers as well as starting tight end, those who have come in have seized their moment. It’s made Fifita’s job as easy as it could possibly be. All of these different factors come from the method of preparation and attention to detail that the coaching staff demands.
If Arizona continues winning, then the second half of the season becomes more meaningful with every game. Coaching will be put under a microscope in bigger moments but up to this point there have not been any major coaching blunders this season.
