Arizona Wildcats football logo OLD

Here are three things to watch in the Arizona Wildcats’ game vs. Arizona State at Sun Devil Stadium (Saturday, 2:30 p.m., Pac-12 Networks), plus a score prediction and some pertinent preview links:

1. HANDLING THE HEAT

We’re talking about two types of heat here. One is the literal kind. It’s expected to be in the low-to-mid 80s at kickoff, unseasonably warm for late November. Also, Arizona might have trouble recognizing that bright orange orb in the sky. Strange as it sounds, the Sun Devils might be the team that tries to go up-tempo to wear down the Wildcats, whose defensive front is depleted (more on that in item No. 2). Arizona does train in triple-digit heat, and practices are in the morning, so the glare of the sun won’t be entirely unfamiliar. Of greater concern is whether the Wildcats get hot under the collar. They did not control their emotions well at Oregon. No game is as intense as this one. Arizona needs to be smart, disciplined and poised. β€œIf things get chippy, you can’t play outside the rules (and get involved in) things that aren’t football-related,” UA coach Rich Rodriguez said. β€œI think our guys learned their lesson last week.” As Rodriguez has noted, the Wildcats aren’t good enough to overcome unnecessary penalties that kill drives or negate touchdowns.

2. BATTLEFRONT

It’s all hands on deck for Arizona along the defensive line. I’d be shocked if Justin Belknap (knee) or Luca Bruno (concussion) were to play after being listed as doubtful. I’d be surprised if Dereck Boles (ankle) were to play after being listed as questionable. Even if he does, will he be effective? Boles relies on quickness and hustle to make plays. The Wildcats should have enough bodies at defensive tackle, albeit not many in the 300-pound range. I expect Finton Connolly and Parker Zellers to start, with Marcus Griffin, Kurtis Brown and maybe Larry Tharpe Jr. backing them up. Brown’s apparent availability gives the Wildcats the option to keep Tharpe at end, where he has played all season. What are some of the other DE possibilities? The idea of moving tight end Trevor Wood there was discussed and remains possible, but that seems like a truly desperate measure. A better idea: Moving Kylan Wilborn from β€œStud” to end. Stud is a DE/LB hybrid position. There’s sufficient overlap to make that a reasonable transition. Jack Banda – the DE-turned-TE-turned-DE – could back him up. DeAndre’ Miller, who’s been invisible lately, and Anthony Pandy could handle Stud duties. Maybe Miller shows up in his final regular-season game?

3. KHALIL VS. MANNY

Popular question this week: Can ASU replicate what Oregon did to Khalil Tate? The Sun Devils certainly are going to try. But they lack two advantages the Ducks had: top-shelf defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt and an extra week to prepare. Oregon not only devised a plan to keep Tate from getting to the perimeter but executed it superbly. Look for Rodriguez to try to get Tate going early with some designed runs. Also look for a better effort from Arizona’s receivers, who didn’t come through for their quarterback last week. Tate’s counterpart, Manny Wilkins, is among the steadier quarterbacks in the Pac-12. It’s easy to forget that he passed for 372 yards, rushed for 79 and threw three touchdown passes in last year’s matchup. The Sun Devils have leaned on their running game recently. Given the Wildcats’ injuries and struggles to defend the run, that’ll undoubtedly be the strategy today. It makes sense, then, for the Cats to sell out against the run and dare Wilkins to beat them with his arm. As senior safety Dane Cruikshank said: β€œWe’ve gotta stop something first.”

FINAL SCORE: Arizona 42, ASU 38

PREVIEW LINKS:

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