5 takeaways from the Arizona Wildcats’ 49-28 loss at TCU | Michael Lev

The Arizona Wildcats will not be going bowling this season.

Where the program is headed is anyone’s guess.

It appears it will remain under Brent Brennan’s direction for the foreseeable future, barring another 70-7 debacle in next week’s Territorial Cup — an unimaginable but not impossible outcome given the current state of affairs.

Of course, it was unthinkable back in January — when Noah Fifita and Tetairoa McMillan announced their return, along with a host of other standouts — that Arizona wouldn’t make a bowl game this season. Not after going 10-3 last year. Not with so much top-end talent coming back.

But an offense that never clicked — combined with a spate of injuries to key players at crucial positions — sent UA football tumbling backward. Arizona’s 49-28 loss at TCU on Saturday ensured a sub-.500 season. The best the Wildcats can hope for is to spoil Arizona State’s bid to reach the Big 12 Championship Game.

First things first, though. Here are my top five takeaways from a briefly promising but ultimately futile effort in Fort Worth, Texas:

Turning point, Part 1

After falling into a 14-0 hole — at which point UCF 2.0 seemed very much in play — Arizona rallied. A touchdown and two field goals, sandwiching a pair of TCU three-and-outs, made the score 14-13 with 1:55 left in the first half.

The next sequence would prove critical. The Horned Frogs had plenty of time to score — and they were set to receive to start the third quarter. As uplifting as it felt to be down just one point, a scenario existed where the Wildcats could be down two touchdowns.

Arizona seemed to have the situation under control thanks to Julian Savaiinaea’s first career sack, which led to third-and-18 from the UA 48. Defensive coordinator Duane Akina elected to rush three and drop eight. TCU's Savion Williams found a hole in the middle of the zone, and Josh Hoover found him for a first down.

More pass-rush pressure, this time via Dominic Lolesio, again put TCU in a bind. An intentional grounding penalty set up third-and-25 at the UA 44 with 26 seconds left in the half.

Akina decided to bring pressure this time. Hoover took a wicked hit — but delivered a 24-yard jump ball to JP Richardson. Arizona’s Tacario Davis and Owen Goss were in the area, but they did not play the ball well.

TCU went for it on fourth-and-1, and Williams rushed for a 20-yard touchdown.

No matter how beaten up you are — we’ll get to that in a bit — you can’t allow the opposition to convert two third downs of 18 yards or greater. That’s when the game began to turn in the wrong direction.

Turning point, Part 2

TCU did indeed score on the opening possession of the second half, expanding its lead to 28-13 — daunting but not insurmountable.

A run and a short pass set up a manageable third-and-3. What happened next all but assured a path to defeat.

Arizona called a pass play on third down. It appeared to be a wheel route to tight end Sam Olson, who had a season-long 51-yard reception in the first half.

This one didn’t come close to connecting as Noah Fifita’s pass fell to the turf well out of Olson’s reach. He wasn’t open. The play had little chance of working. And it didn’t appear that Fifita had a secondary outlet.

The Wildcats then punted the ball back to the Horned Frogs. Freshman Michael Salgado-Medina did not strike the ball well Saturday, and his low, 35-yard punt was returned 33 yards. TCU scored two plays later to basically put the game out of reach.

My issue with that whole sequence is that Brennan and his staff didn’t have the right mentality. Facing third-and-3, they should have had a four-down-territory mindset. Run the ball or call a higher-percentage pass play. If you gain anything, go for it on fourth down.

That might seem reckless from inside your own 35, but TCU already had a two-score lead. Desperate times call for desperate measures, right?

Additionally, the Horned Frogs had scored on their previous two possessions. It wasn't unreasonable to assume they’d do so again.

Disintegrating defense

The UA defense had an early interception. It forced back-to-back three-and-outs. It even produced a touchdown via Sterling Lane II’s 70-yard scoop-and-score.

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But for the most part, the unit struggled.

It might have looked like the Wildcats surrendered as the Horned Frogs scored and scored and scored some more. I don’t think that’s what transpired. I still saw players giving great effort deep into the fourth quarter.

So what was it then? TCU isn’t Houston. The Horned Frogs have tons of speed, multiple playmakers and several modes of attack.

Arizona’s defense is missing so much. While some promising replacements have emerged, the Wildcats’ depth has taken a massive hit. They looked gassed at times during the Horned Frogs’ run.

TCU also exposed Arizona’s lack of sideline-to-sideline speed. The Horned Frogs killed the Cats with crossing routes and cutbacks.

Whenever the TCU offense and UA defense squared off, Williams — the Horned Frogs’ 6-foot-5 multipurpose weapon — was clearly the best athlete on the field. If he got to the perimeter, Arizona wasn’t stopping him.

Hunter the hunted?

Assuming the staff remains mostly intact — that’s our operating assumption as of now — the first offseason priority is to secure the return of the team’s most important players.

Receiver Chris Hunter wouldn’t have been considered part of that nucleus a month ago. He’s entrenched now.

Hunter continued his second-half ascent with another superb performance. He set career highs with eight receptions and two touchdowns. The first of those TD was Tetairoa McMillan-esque.

Facing third-and-9 at the TCU 17 late in the first quarter, Fifita rolled to his right and lofted a pass toward the back pylon. Hunter leaped over Jevon McIver Jr. to snag the ball — and got his left foot down inches (centimeters?) inside the sideline as McIver shoved him out of bounds. It was an extraordinary play.

Hunter’s second touchdown, early in the fourth quarter, wasn’t too shabby either. He worked the backline, got a foot down, absorbed a hit and secured the ball.

Hunter has 21 receptions for 214 yards and two touchdowns in Arizona’s last three games. The redshirt sophomore has emerged as the go-to-guy heir apparent to McMillan, who became the Wildcats’ all-time leader in receiving yards Saturday and is on his way to the NFL, where he’ll be a first-round draft pick next spring.

The up-and-coming players — such as Hunter and sophomore safety Genesis Smith — are most apt to be poached when the transfer portal opens Dec. 9. We have no reason to believe Hunter isn’t happy here, but he’s from New Orleans and you never know what kind of offer might come his way from programs in that region (yes, we’re talking about the SEC).

So it’s imperative that Arizona and its financial supporters take care of him in the way that players are taken care of these days.

Last chance

As the saying goes, you only get one chance to make a first impression. Brennan squandered it by guiding the Wildcats to a 4-7 record. UA fans are frustrated and furious about the way the 2024 season has played out. They have every right to be.

Brennan and his staff have one path to redemption. They have one opportunity to rebuild goodwill. They have one chance to make a lasting impression.

Beat ASU. Somehow, someway, find a way to get it done.

Would an upset next Saturday afternoon at Arizona Stadium erase the pain of a deeply disappointing season? No. Would it convince UA fans that Brennan is indeed the right man for the job? Probably not.

But it would launch the offseason with positive vibes. And man, could Brennan use some of those.

Arizona needs something it can sell to the fanbase. You can sell a win over the reviled Sun Devils.

It won’t be easy at all — especially if star tackle Jonah Savaiinaea can’t play. Savaiinaea — who’s never missed a game in his three-year UA career — limped off in the fourth quarter. I can’t think of a player the Wildcats would miss more.

ASU should be a double-digit favorite. The Sun Devils have so much to play for — so much at stake.

It’s not quite the same as 2016 — when Arizona ended an eight-game losing streak and knocked ASU out of bowl contention in the process — but it has similar vibes.

Do these Wildcats have an upset in them?