Last year around this time, Arizona had a 3-3 record, the Wildcats’ current record right now.
Except the vibes in those .500 starts are slightly different.
Last season, Arizona was three wins away from its first bowl berth in six years, and the Wildcats’ three losses were by a combined 16 points in an overtime setback on the road in SEC territory (Mississippi State) followed by one-possession games against eventual national runner-up Washington and then-unbeaten USC, led by Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall draft pick Caleb Williams. UA went 7-0 after that 3-3 start en route to winning the Alamo Bowl.
This year, Arizona has lost three games to opponents with a combined 16-2 record, but the total margin of loss is 52 points. UA head coach Brent Brennan said on Monday, Arizona’s high expectations going into the season, along with the margin of loss, adds to the gloom after losing two straight games.
Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita avoids stepping out of the end zone during Saturday’s loss at BYU. The Wildcats are 3-3 through six games — just like last year — but there’s much more gloom surrounding this year’s start.
“Now all of a sudden, it feels worse. The good news is that we have six opportunities left to play,” Brennan said. “We have so much football left to play, and if we’ll just focus on right now and the work that’s required to give yourselves a chance to get the outcome you want. That’s where we need to be.”
Arizona’s starting quarterback Noah Fifita was one of — if not, the — reason UA faithful was more optimistic about the Wildcats’ 3-3 start in 2023, after he Wally Pipp’d former starter Jayden de Laura, who suffered an ankle injury and never became the starter again, because Fifita played so well and gave the Wildcats a fighter’s chance in the two losses to USC and Washington. He played clean and wasn’t a turnover-prone quarterback like de Laura, who threw four interceptions at Mississippi State and struggled at Stanford before he suffered the injury and Fifita stepped in to lead the offense in the fourth quarter for a win.
Even though Fifita’s yards per game (272.7) have improved from last season, his completion percentage (58.9) has dropped nearly 14% in comparison to last season, and he’s had back-to-back games with career-low completion percentages.
Fifita currently has more interceptions (9) than touchdowns this season (8); he only had six picks last year. Additionally, Fifita has back-to-back multi-interception games after not having any last season.
“I gotta fix a lot of things,” Fifita said after the Wildcats’ 41-19 loss to BYU in Provo. “I gotta get better individually. Not even close to where I want to be individually, and we’re not even close to where we want to be offensively and that’s because of me.”
Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita, left, looks to pass the ball during the Wildcats’ loss at BYU on Saturday in Provo, Utah.
Five of Fifita’s interceptions this season are passes over 20 yards. According to Pro Football Focus, in deep passes to the right, Fifita is 3 for 15 with two interceptions and one touchdown, while going 3 for 10 for one interception in deep passes to the left.
Including the deep interception in the end zone at Kansas State, some of Fifita’s interceptions have been momentum-killers on offense for the Wildcats.
There’s no doubt Fifita is one of the faces of the Arizona football program and is one of the main reasons why the UA generated so much offseason buzz amid a coaching transition. Fifita even garnered offseason Heisman Trophy odds.
Last season, Fifita attempted 26% of his passes in the short center part of the field (0-10 yards); this season, that mark has dropped to 16.9%. His deep pass attempts have risen from 13.4% to 16.5% in the last two seasons, according to Pro Football Focus.
Is it possible Fifita is doing too much to be a hero for Arizona’s offense instead of living to see another down or connect with receivers on underneath routes for singles and doubles (first downs) instead of home runs (touchdowns)?
“That’s a tough question, because all he wants to do is play for the guys he’s out there with,” Brennan said. “For us, we have to do a better job in putting him in the right spot all the time. I think we can help him with that. He cares so much, he works so hard (and) his preparation is more thorough than any player that I’ve been around. We’ve got to put him in the right spot and give him a chance to make the plays he’s capable of making.”
Fifita’s time to throw (TTT) is now at 3.23 seconds on the season, after he averaged 2.55 seconds last season, per PFF. Ideally, Arizona would prefer the ball to get out of Fifita’s hands in under three seconds, but “there’s lots of parts to that,” Brennan said Monday.
Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita looks to pass against Utah during UA’s September victory over the Utes.
“Some of that could be the concepts that we’re running require more time to develop,” Brennan said. “But we’re focused on trying to get the ball out of his hand, because he has taken too many hits and we need to protect him. He’s a great player, he’s the leader of our team and we need to take better care of him.”
Bottom line: Fifita has regressed since the Wildcats’ season opener — and last season, which doesn’t completely fall on his shoulders, but the star quarterback isn’t trending in the right direction. But Arizona’s accountable hero isn’t dwelling on Arizona’s offensive struggles under his leadership.
“We don’t got time to feel sorry for ourselves,” Fifita said on Saturday. “At the end of the day, we’ve got another big-time opponent coming to our home in a week. It’s an opportunity to bounce back.”
Extra points
- Brennan, on Arizona’s identity: “In some ways, we’re still finding that. I think when you turn on the tape, we play hard, which I love. If you don’t have that, then you’re dead. I like where we’re at in terms of effort, and I think right now that’s what we have to hang our hat on.”
- Brennan, on his message to frustrated Arizona fans: “I hear you. I’m frustrated, too. The reality is, no one wants to win games more than I do. I understand. That’s the nature of college football. The truth is, we didn’t play well enough to win the last two weeks and we have to fix that, and it’s my job to fix it.”
- Brennan said around 300 former players and UA football alumni are expected to be in attendance for Saturday’s homecoming game against Colorado. Added Brennan: “The Zona Zoo sold out faster than it has ever sold out. I think we have a chance to make Saturday’s game a rocking, fun, exciting atmosphere for a hell of a football game.”
- The Fox broadcasting crew for Arizona-Colorado on Saturday will beJason Benetti (play-by-play), Brock Huard (analyst) and Allison Williams (sideline).
- Television coverage and kickoff time for Arizona's game next week against West Virginia has been moved to the six-day window and will be revealed either Saturday night or Sunday morning.
