A team like Arizona should have beaten Hawaii in its first game of the season.
A team like Arizona, if it is a good team, should have not only beaten Hawaii in its first game of the season, but done so convincingly.
Arizona did beat Hawaii, 40-6, and I think it’s safe to say the victory was of the convincing type.
That win alone does not mean the Wildcats are a good team, though it does provide evidence that they a better team than what we saw last season.
True, Arizona won its opener last season and
even scored more points in the process. But lost in T-Mac’s heroics was the fact that no other receivers did anything of note and the team’s defense struggled to slow New Mexico’s offense in the 61-39 win. Hell, the game was tied at the end of the first quarter and the Cats were down 24-17 with just under five minutes left to go in the second quarter.
There were no such issues against the Rainbow Warriors, as Arizona did not receive any kind of otherworldly offensive performance from anyone nor did the defense find it difficult to stop its opponent.
In fact, the Wildcats actually struggled a bit on third downs and in the passing game.
And yet it was, as previously stated, a convincing victory.
Early season games can be a bit of a Rorschach test for folks, as results have a funny way of confirming what you already believed. In this case, the Wildcats did enough in Week 1 to feel confident that they’ll win again in Week 2 and notch a handful more victories over the weeks to come.
Even the naysayers and doubters had to come away at least a little impressed, even while they point to Noah Fifita’s inconsistency and the level of opponent as reason to doubt.
It’s all we could have asked for, and the same will hold true for this week against Weber State, sort of.
Arizona absolutely should — and will — win this game and start off the season 2-0. That would of course be the same record Arizona had after two games last season, although the Week 2 victory over NAU left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth and did plenty to foreshadow the season that was to come.
There’s no need to rehash the specifics, but suffice to say the Wildcats trailed at halftime and were clunky offensively. Even T-Mac was held to just 11 yards on two catches, a mark that represented the lowest yardage total of his Arizona career.
Against NAU. N. A. U.
By all accounts this year’s Weber State is not on the same level as last year’s NAU, but more importantly this year’s Arizona cannot be on the same level as last year’s. This game represents another chance to show it.
What does showing it look like?
The scoreboard being lopsided is of course part of the deal, but the how is almost nearly as important as the what. Arizona continuing to play physical on defense would be most welcome, as would more success on the ground with any of the team’s running backs. Further, while it is hoped Arizona doesn’t need to throw the ball in order to win it would be nice to see the team’s starting QB and his receivers get on the same page, ideally connecting on some big plays down the field.
It’s certainly the expectation of us here at AZDS, and likely one shared by you as well.
Should it not happen like that, with Arizona instead winning close or ugly or by some tragedy actually losing the game, the questions that surrounded the team heading into the season would understandably resurface. Making the Hawaii game look like an outlier rather than the standard would not be ideal, especially as the Wildcats look to not only stack wins but build confidence heading into the tougher part of the schedule.
But if Arizona comes out and plays well, looking every bit the superior team that they are supposed to be, it would be another piece of evidence that the 2025 season is not going to resemble the one that preceded it. Blowing out Weber State would confirm that yes, Arizona is more talented than the lesser-than teams in the country and perhaps even more than that, mature enough to know it and still play like that is not the case.
The best teams elevate their play against quality opponents and don’t fall into the trap of playing down to the level of the bottom feeders. Last season, Arizona began the season as one of the country’s best and finished as one of its worst.
What happens Saturday night won’t decide what direction the program is heading this season, but it could give us an idea of whether the Wildcats have indeed turned things around.
