Well guys, I know Texas is the talk of the board right now, but since it is pretty much set in stone that Arizona is our opponent, I think we may as well start looking towards them.
Offense
Pretty average team, good for 43rd in the nation scoring 29.7 ppg. They put up 409 y/pg and are pretty balanced, throwing the ball for about 2800 yards and rushing for around 2000. They have a fairly solid QB with a 132.4 passer rating, who has thrown 19 TD passes and 8 interceptions, so he has about a 2:1 ratio for touchdowns and interceptions. They have no standout rushing threat, splitting the carries pretty evenly amongst two guys: Keola Antolin and Nic Grigsby. Both have combined to rush for about 1100 yards this season.
Defensively
Again, fairly average, good for 46th in the nation allowing 23.2 ppg. They give up 315.8 y/pg against opposing team. On the ground, they have given up an average of 111 y/pg and in the air they have given up 203 y/pg. They have 34 sacks on the year, 69 TFL's, 12 interceptions, and 7 fumble recoveries. They have also blocked one kick.
Outlook
As of right now from my preliminary research, it seems like they could be a challenge, but none more so than any other team we faced in the Big 12 North this year. They are pretty average across the board, neither excelling on defense or on offense. Their key-note win this season was beating USC, but beating them hasn't been a huge challenge for some teams this year given USC's youth and lack of leadership.
I think we should be able to run the ball on them very effectively with a healthy o-line and all the running backs getting rest over the next month. After the way our defense played this season, I see no reason to believe that Arizona will be able to score more than 10-14 points on us, which means I think we can easily win this game with two touchdowns and a couple of field goals. It is VERY do-able.
Offense
Pretty average team, good for 43rd in the nation scoring 29.7 ppg. They put up 409 y/pg and are pretty balanced, throwing the ball for about 2800 yards and rushing for around 2000. They have a fairly solid QB with a 132.4 passer rating, who has thrown 19 TD passes and 8 interceptions, so he has about a 2:1 ratio for touchdowns and interceptions. They have no standout rushing threat, splitting the carries pretty evenly amongst two guys: Keola Antolin and Nic Grigsby. Both have combined to rush for about 1100 yards this season.
Defensively
Again, fairly average, good for 46th in the nation allowing 23.2 ppg. They give up 315.8 y/pg against opposing team. On the ground, they have given up an average of 111 y/pg and in the air they have given up 203 y/pg. They have 34 sacks on the year, 69 TFL's, 12 interceptions, and 7 fumble recoveries. They have also blocked one kick.
Outlook
As of right now from my preliminary research, it seems like they could be a challenge, but none more so than any other team we faced in the Big 12 North this year. They are pretty average across the board, neither excelling on defense or on offense. Their key-note win this season was beating USC, but beating them hasn't been a huge challenge for some teams this year given USC's youth and lack of leadership.
I think we should be able to run the ball on them very effectively with a healthy o-line and all the running backs getting rest over the next month. After the way our defense played this season, I see no reason to believe that Arizona will be able to score more than 10-14 points on us, which means I think we can easily win this game with two touchdowns and a couple of field goals. It is VERY do-able.
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