The Arizona Wildcats begin the second half of the season against the Primetime-led Colorado Buffaloes.Β Here's a look atΒ starting lineups, key matchups and a prediction from Star reporter Justin Spears.Β
Colorado (4-2) at Arizona (3-3)
When:Β Saturday, 1 p.m.
Where:Β Arizona Stadium
Watch:Β Fox/11
Radio:Β 1290-AM, 107.5-FM
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, right, confers with quarterback Shedeur Sanders in the first half of last Saturday's game against Kansas State in Boulder, Colo.
Colorado Buffaloes
Record:Β 4-2 (2-1 Big 12)
WHEN COLORADO IS ON OFFENSE (PROJECTED):Β
[Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr.]
WR | 14 | Will Sheppard | 6-3 | 205 | Sr.
TE | 31 | Sav'ell Smalls | 6-3 | 260 | Jr.
LT | 77 | Jordan Seaton | 6-5 | 285 | Fr.
LG | 56 | Tyler Brown | 6-3 | 310 | Sr.
C | 51 | Hank Silinskas | 6-3 | 285 | So.
RG | 55 | Kareem Harden | 6-5 | 315 | Jr.
RT | 54 | Phillip Houston | 6-5 | 250 | Jr.
WR | 5 | Jimmy Horn Jr. | 5-10 | 170 | Sr.
WR | 12 | Travis Hunter | 6-1 | 185 | Jr.
QB | 2 | Shedeur Sanders | 6-2 | 215 | Sr.
RB | 7 | Dallan Hayden | 5-10 | 205 | So.
WHEN COLORADO IS ON DEFENSE (PROJECTED):
[Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr.]
DE | 93 | Samuel Okunlola | 6-4 | 245 | So.
DT | 97 | Chidozie Nwankwo | 5-11 | 290 | Sr.
DT | 99 | Shane Cokes | 6-3 | 275 | Sr.
DE | 59 | B.J. Green II | 6-1 | 270 | Sr.
ILB | 41 | Nikhai Hill-Green | 6-2 | 230 | Sr.
ILB | 20 | LaVonta Bentley | 6-0 | 230 | Sr.
NB | 24 | Preston Hodge | 6-0 | 195 | Sr.
CB | 9 | Marquee Collins | 6-2 | 190 | So.
SS | 7 | D.J. McKinney | 6-0 | 200 | R-Jr.
FS | 21 | Shilo Sanders | 6-0 | 195 | Sr.
CB |Β 0 | Cam'Ron Silmon-Craig | 5-10 | 185 | Sr.
CU 2024 SCHEDULE
August
29 |Β NORTH DAKOTA STATEΒ | W, 31-26
September
7 |Β at Nebraska |Β L, 28-10
14 |Β at Colorado State |Β W, 28-9
21 | BAYLORΒ | W, 38-31 (OT)
28 |Β at UCFΒ | W, 48-21
October
12 | No. 18 KANSAS STATE | L, 31-28
19 | at Arizona
26 | CINCINNATI
November
9 |Β at Texas Tech
16 |Β UTAH
23 |Β at Kansas
29 |Β OKLAHOMA STATE*
Home games inΒ BOLD;Β *=Friday game
COLORADO 2024 STATS
PASSING
[Name | Comp-Att-INT | Yards | TDs | Long]
Sanders | 172-237-4 | 2,018 | 17 | 69
Staub | 0-2-0 | 0 | 0 | 0
RUSHING
[Name | Carries | Yards | TDs | Per carry | Per game]
Augustave | 27 | 127 | 1 | 4.7 | 25.4
Welch | 23 | 113 | 3 | 4.9 | 22.6
Hayden | 32 | 96 | 1 | 3 | 24
Offerdahl | 14 | 46 | 0 | 3.3 | 7.7
Miller | 3 | 11 | 0 | 3.7 | 1.8
RECEIVING
[Name | Receptions | Yards | TDs | Per catch | Per game]
Hunter | 49 |587 | 6 | 12 | 97.8
Horn | 26 | 347 | 1 | 13.4 | 57.8
Sheppard | 22 | 330 | 2 | 15 | 55
Wester | 26 | 318 | 7 | 12.2 | 53
Miller | 10 | 216 | 1 | 21.6 | 36
DEFENSE
[Name | Tackles | Sacks | INTs | FR | FF]
Hill-Green | 45 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0
Silmon-Craig | 45 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0
McKinney | 41 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0
Bentley | 21 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1
Sanders | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0
Stoutmire | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0
Hodge | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0
Arizona football coach Brent Brennan exchanges high fives with fans on his first Wildcat Walk as the team heads into Arizona Stadium for the season opener against New Mexico on Aug. 31 in Tucson.
Arizona Wildcats
Record:Β 3-3 (1-2 Big 12)
WHEN ARIZONA IS ON OFFENSE (PROJECTED):
[Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr.]
XWR | 4 | Tetairoa McMillan | 6-5 | 212 | Jr.
FWR | 2 | Jeremiah Patterson | 5-10 | 175 | Jr.
LT | 59 | Rhino Tapa'atoutai | 6-5 | 311 | R-Fr.
LG | 72 | Wendell Moe | 6-2 | 339 | R-So.
C | 75 | Josh Baker | 6-3 | 300 | Sr.
RG | 60 | Alexander Doost | 6-7 | 332 | R-Fr.
RT |Β 71 | Jonah Savaiinaea | 6-5 | 336 | Jr.
TE | 88 | Keyan Burnett | 6-6 | 248 | Jr.
ZWR | 5 | Montana Lemonious-Craig | 6-2 | 194 | Sr.
QB | 11 | Noah Fifita | 5-10 | 188 | R-So.Β
RB | 7 | Quali Conley | 5-10 | 209 | Sr.
WHEN ARIZONA IS ON DEFENSE (PROJECTED):
[Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr.]
DE | 11 | Chase Kennedy | 6-3 | 220 | R-So.
DT |Β 46 | Ta'ita'i Uiagalelei | 6-4 | 280 | Jr.
NT | 47 | Stanley Ta'ufo'ou | 6-2 | 274 | R-Sr.
DE | 3 | Tre Smith | 6-5 | 270 | R-Jr.
MLB | 5 | Jacob Manu | 5-11 | 228 | Jr.
WLB | 6 | Taye Brown | 6-2 | 225 | So.
STAR | 27 | Owen Goss | 6-2 | 202 | Sr.
CB | 23 | Emmanuel Karnley | 6-3 | 184 | R-Fr.
CB | 1 | Tacario Davis | 6-4 | 190 | Jr.
BS | 43 | Dalton Johnson | 5-11 | 202 | R-Jr.
FS | 12 | Genesis Smith | 6-2 | 203 | So.
UA 2024 SCHEDULE
August
31 |Β NEW MEXICOΒ | W, 61-39
September
7 |Β NORTHERN ARIZONAΒ | W, 22-10
13 | at No. 14 Kansas State | L, 31-7
28 | at No. 10 Utah | W, 23-10
October
5 |Β TEXAS TECHΒ | L, 28-22
12 | at No. 14 BYU | L, 41-10
19 |Β COLORADOΒ (Homecoming)
26 |Β W. VIRGINIAΒ (Family Weekend)
November
2 | at UCFΒ
15 |Β HOUSTON*
23 | at TCU
30 |Β ASUΒ (Senior Day)
Home games inΒ BOLD;Β *=Friday game
UA 2024 STATS
PASSING
[Name | Comp-Att-INT | Yards | TDs | Long]
Fifita | 136-231-9 | 1,636 | 8 | 78
RUSHING
[Name | Carries | Yards | TDs | Per carry | Per game]
Conley | 82 | 483 | 6 | 5.6 | 76.3
Reescano | 35 | 215 | 1 | 6.1 | 35.8
Croskey-Merritt | 13 | 106 | 1 | 8.2 | 106.0
Fifita | 22 | 41 | 0 | 1.9 | 6.8
Riley | 1 | 15 | 0 | 15.0 | 5.0
RECEIVING
[Name | Receptions | Yards | TDs | Per catch | Per game]
McMillan | 42 | 742 | 4 | 17.7 | 123.7
Burnett | 16 | 205 | 1 | 12.8 | 34.2
Lemonious-Craig | 17 | 172 | 1 | 10.1 | 28.7
Conley | 22 | 151 | 0 | 6.9 | 25.2
Patterson | 11 | 86 | 2 | 7.8 | 14.3
DEFENSE
[Name | Tackles | Sacks | INTs | FR | FF]
Manu | 43 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0
Brown | 38 | 2.0 | 0 | 1 | 0
Johnson | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1
Smith, T. | 28 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 1
Smith, G. | 24 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1
Davis | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0
Stukes | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0
Head to Head
Arizona tight end Keyan Burnett (88) has a pat on the hat for teammate Tetairoa McMillan (4) after McMillan's fourth touchdown of the night against New Mexico on Aug. 31 at Arizona Stadium.
No. 12 Travis Hunter vs. No. 4 Tetairoa McMillan
Along with Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, Hunter is a heavy favorite to win the Heisman Trophy this season as a two-way star for the Buffaloes. Hunter, who suffered a shoulder injury last week, is a projected Top 5 five pick in the NFL Draft and has a chance to solidify β or improve β his draft stock as a defensive back with a matchup against arguably the top wide receiver in college football. Hunter and McMillan were both named Associated press midseason All-Americans this week (Hunter was selected both on offense and defense).
McMillan hasn't scored a touchdown since his record-setting performance in the season opener. Last season, McMillan had nine catches for 107 yards and a touchdown against Colorado. He currently leads college football wide receivers in forced missed tackles (19), according to Pro Football Focus. Colorado is second in the Big 12 in fumble recoveries, so ball security could be crucial for McMillan, who had a critical fumble late in the fourth quarter of Arizona's loss to Texas Tech. A standout game against Hunter, McMillan could also improve his draft stock.Β
Arizona defensive back Tacario Davis celebrates with Arizona fans in the stand after the win.
No. 2 Shedeur Sanders vs. No. 1 Tacario Davis
Sanders, the son of Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, leads the Big 12 in passing yards and touchdowns, and has emerged as a potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. He completedΒ 34 of 40 passes for 388 yards, three touchdowns and an interception in the Buffaloes' loss last week to Kansas State, and the accurate Sanders has completed just under 73% of his passes this season.Β
Davis is questionable for Saturday after suffering a first-half injury against BYU last week. Davis had five pass breakups in Arizona's upset win over Utah on the road, but was matched up with the Utes' big-bodied tight ends. The Buffaloes run a spread offense with a variety of skilled wide receivers. If Davis has an impressive performance against a batch of NFL talent, his draft stock could see a bump.Β
The matchup
When Arizona has the ballΒ β¦Β
Considering the current state of Arizona's defensive secondary, the path to victory for the Wildcats could be dominating time of possession and keeping Sanders and the high-powered Colorado offense on the sideline. The Wildcats bested Texas Tech in time of possession, but failed to score touchdowns. If Arizona can figure out its issues whenever the offense gets inside the plus-30-yard line and play ahead throughout the entire game, Arizona could win.Β
When Colorado has the ballΒ β¦Β
Due to so many injuries in Arizona's secondary, coupled with the Wildcats surrendering 42 points off six turnovers in the last two weeks, this could be a high-scoring game for the Buffaloes. The key for CU will be ball security and not giving the Wildcats extra possessions, along with protecting Sanders; the Buffaloes have given up the most sacks (24) in the Big 12 this season.Β
Prediction: Colorado 34, Arizona 28
In the last five games, Arizona has 30 offensive possessions end in plus-territory, but only eight touchdowns β a 27% clip. Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita is coming off back-to-back career-worst performances, and the UA offense is trying to replicate the offensive firepower it had to start the season. Even though the offense could figure out its issues, the injuries in Arizona's secondary will be tough to overcome. Cats keep it close, but Buffaloes escape Saturday with a win in "Coach Prime's" first visit to Tucson.Β
