“Lev it on the Field” is back for Game 8. It’s the Star’s unique look at Arizona’s upcoming football matchup and other happenings around the Big 12 through the eyes of UA beat reporter-turned-columnist Michael Lev. Away we go ...
The way Brent Brennan sees it, every game is a must-win game.
It just so happens that in Arizona’s particular situation, this game is more must-win than most.
Michael Lev is a senior writer/columnist for the Arizona Daily Star, Tucson.com and The Wildcaster.
If the Wildcats are to have any chance of salvaging this disappointing season, they must defeat West Virginia on Saturday at Arizona Stadium. They must hold serve at home to set up the possibility of beating ASU in the Territorial Cup to clinch a bowl berth.
Some supposed UA fans believe there’s nothing Brennan can do to get back in their good graces after taking a 10-3 team to a 3-4 start. Never mind that this isn’t the same team and that injuries have wiped out a quarter of the lineup. The offense has regressed. The strength-and-conditioning regimen does demand scrutiny.
Arizona coach Brent Brennan, shown vs. Texas Tech on Oct. 5, faces a must-win scenario Saturday vs. West Virginia. With a victory, the Wildcats will have a chance to salvage an otherwise disappointing season.
Brennan, of course, is aware of these issues. Aside from shaking up the coaching staff — a move he already made — he can’t do much about them during the season. What he can do is beat Arizona’s archrival to secure a bowl bid. Wouldn’t that make you feel at least a little better about things?
The Wildcats have to win this week — and on Nov. 15 vs. Houston — to give themselves a crack at it. The other two games between now and the Territorial Cup are road contests against UCF and TCU. Neither is invincible by any means. But winning the games here is the most navigable path.
Some of those same supposed UA fans believe the season is already over; that there’s “nothing to play for.” That’s rubbish. Short-term goals can have long-term implications. Brennan still has an opportunity to prove — to fans and, critically, potential future Wildcats — that this job isn’t too big for him.
It has to start Saturday vs. a West Virginia club that’s struggling just as much as Arizona is.
Take that for data!
This stat, courtesy of UA media relations, absolutely floored me:
Arizona has four games this season with multiple takeaways. That matches the Wildcats’ total in each of the past two seasons. The last time Arizona had more than four such games in a season was 2017 (eight).
It’s easy to overlook how scrappy and resilient Duane Akina’s defense has been while the UA offense sputters. It’s even more impressive when you consider how many key pieces that defense is missing because of injuries.
Akina’s influence on all this can’t be overstated. He didn’t have the same title a year ago, but he clearly made a difference in his first year on staff. Three of the 2023 Wildcats’ four multi-takeaway games were the final three games of the season. That means Arizona has forced two or more turnovers in seven of its last 10 contests.
Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht, right, sends a pass downfield in the first half of against Central Florida on Oct. 19, in Ames, Iowa. Iowa State won 38-35.
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Going up: Comebacks
Whew! That’s the best way to describe the way undefeated BYU and Iowa State survived upset bids last week. Both authored touchdown drives of 75-plus yards that began with less than two minutes to play. Both rallied from 35-31 deficits to win 38-35. How long can they keep this going? BYU still has three road games ahead, starting with UCF this week. Iowa State has a more manageable schedule — but finishes against the Big 12’s other ranked team, Kansas State, in what could be the most impactful “Farmageddon” game ever.
Going down: Other top-10 teams
Top-10 teams are losing games every Saturday. Sometimes it’s happening against unranked opponents (see Alabama-Vanderbilt). Sometimes it’s a top-10 matchup, which is what the powers-that-be wanted when they engineered the latest round of conference realignment. It’s led to a new reality in which not a single SEC program remained unbeaten through mid-October. Of the nine remaining undefeated squads, six play in leagues other than the SEC or Big Ten: Army, Navy, Miami, Pitt, BYU and Iowa State. And because the schedules are so wonky in these bloated conferences, only Army and Navy face each other in the regular season.
A question from my X
“Should Brennan get ahead of the curve, and the portal, and announce an OC search much like Oklahoma did? Or does he go status quo in the hopes of possibly keeping the recruiting class?” — @MoPaiaina via X/Twitter
Firing your offensive coordinator in midseason is the new firing your head coach in midseason.
Oklahoma has made that change. So has Utah. In Brennan’s mind, he has too — elevating Matt Adkins to the play-calling role over Dino Babers.
More changes likely are coming. It’ll be a mandate from above. Arizona has to get the offense right. The current version is not only ineffective but unfun.
Baylor will don the ‘Sailor Bear’ logo on its helmets for Saturday’s game against Oklahoma State.
The question is when, not if. And that’s where it gets tricky. It could hinge on whether the Wildcats make a bowl game. It could happen immediately after the regular season regardless.
The possibility of an exciting offense probably trumps whatever relationships have been formed between recruits and assistant coaches. I can’t imagine any recruit watching the UA offense the past few weeks going, “Yeah, I want to be a part of that.”
Hiring the right OC could help keep recruits on board — or attract new and better ones.
As far as the portal goes, Arizona should be able to offer immediate playing time at wide receiver, offensive line, defensive tackle and cornerback — and, depending on how things transpire, maybe quarterback too.
Threads
We’re still getting to know our new friends in the Big 12. This week, I learned that Baylor has an alternate logo — “Sailor Bear.” The smirking gold bear with the while sailor hat will appear on Baylor’s green helmets for Saturday’s game vs. Oklahoma State. Baylor’s Sailor Bear originated in the 1950s, per the school’s website, when “a former Disney employee named Arthur Evans visited colleges across the country, offering to draw logos for them.” Sailor Bear first appeared on a 1952 pennant. It made its debut on Baylor’s helmets for homecoming in 2018.
What he said ...
“I do not want to give away the game plan at all. But what I will tell you is that it is of mass importance to our staff, and our communication is surrounding that in a major way. We need to make sure that it is either getting out of his hands or he is protected.” — Adkins on QB Noah Fifita
What he meant ...
“Noah is holding onto the ball too long. Our offensive line is in disarray. That’s a dangerous combination. We are fully aware of all of this. None of it is by design. We have to change things up. We’ve been talking about it and working on it every day. It’s up to me, more than anyone, to fix it.”
The other side
Derek Redd, via The Dominion Post:
As the minutes ticked away in the fourth quarter Saturday, the line of cars stretched from the parking lot at Milan Puskar Stadium out to the road. The 54,327 announced in the stands had almost completely cleared out.
West Virginia running back Jahiem White (1) is tackled by Kansas State defensive tackle Damian Ilalio (56) and cornerback Jacob Parrish (10) during the first half of their Oct. 19 matchup in Morgantown, West Virginia.
The West Virginia University football team’s golden opportunity — a pair of nationally televised night games versus nationally ranked foes — ended up being fool’s gold. At the final whistle Saturday, the Mountaineers trudged back to the locker room victims of a 45-18 thrashing at the hands of No. 17 Kansas State.
If that seems familiar, one need only to look back seven days ago, when WVU’s “Coal Rush” was stuffed by now No. 9 Iowa State in a 28-16 loss that, in reality, didn’t feel that close
In both games, early hopes of going toe-to-toe with some of the best the Big 12 has to offer were dashed under the same tsunami. The Mountaineer offense couldn’t get out of its own way, thwarted by self-inflicted wounds. The Mountaineer defense couldn’t get off the field, watching both opponents convert third and fourth downs at a fatal pace.
In those two games, it was obvious. WVU wasn’t ready for prime time.
Pick to click (aka #fadelev)
Colorado was my runner-up choice last week — and would’ve been a better option in retrospect — but another week brings another opportunity to back the Buffaloes. They host Cincinnati, which has an identical 5-2, 3-1 record. But the Bearcats might not be as solid as their record suggests. They’re fourth in the Big 12 in points allowed but 14th in total defense. Travis Hunter is expected to be healthier this week than last. If they can beat UCF and Arizona on the road by 27 points, the Buffs can beat the Bearcats by more than 6.5 at home. (season record: 4-3)
One last thing
We’ve discussed Arizona’s offensive issues ad nauseum. It’s felt at times like a temporal loop.
But last week something new cropped up: The Wildcats couldn’t get Tetairoa McMillan the ball.
McMillan had just five targets, his second-lowest total of the season (NAU, four), despite lining up in the slot a season-high 13 snaps, per Pro Football Focus. That should, in theory, make it easier to get him the ball.
McMillan is averaging 10 targets per game. That number has to be hit or exceeded every game.
Yes, spreading the ball around is helpful and you don’t want Fifita forcing it to a double-covered T-Mac. But to paraphrase Babers from earlier this season, Michael Jordan needs to get his shots up.
