Arizona Vs Utah: Scouting Report On The Wildcats Defense

Sep 27, 2024, 12:27 PM | Updated: 1:17 pm

TUCSON, ARIZONA - NOVEMBER 18: Tight end Landen King #82 of the Utah Utes makes a catch over safety Isaiah Taylor #4 of the Arizona Wildcats during the second half at Arizona Stadium on November 18, 2023 in Tucson, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)

(Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)

BY STEVE BARTLE

KSL Sports

SALT LAKE CITY – No. 10, 4-0 Utah Football is set to take on their second Big 12 Conference opponent and it’s a familiar foe. They will welcome the 2-1 Arizona Wildcats to Rice-Eccles for a late-night contest.

The Utes come into this one off an impressive 22-19 win over Oklahoma State last Saturday. Meanwhile, the Wildcats are coming off of a bye and will look to steal one on the road.

The Arizona-Utah game will be televised on ESPN, with kickoff scheduled for 8:15 pm MT.

It’s 𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊‼️⚫️

Dark Mode, Homecoming, and Hall of Fame Game! Can’t wait to see you all Saturday!

🏟️: Rice-Eccles Stadium
⏰: SAT 09.28 | 8:15PM MT
📺: ESPN
📻: ESPN 700 AM / 92.1 FM#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/yEmHvdwEFO

— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) September 23, 2024

Scouting The Arizona Wildcats Defense

The Wildcats’ defense has not gotten off to a very strong start this season. For all of the talk around Noah Fifita and Tetairoa McMillan, it was really the defense that elevated the Wildcats to a 10-3 record last season.

The Wildcats ranked 17th in average point margin (+11.8) thanks to a defense that held five FBS opponents to just 21.1 points per game. For context, Utah gave up just 19.3 points per game last season.

Through three games this season, Arizona is giving up 26.7 points per game, which ranks 87th in the country. The difference can be attributed, at least in part, to the departure of Jed Fisch and the loss of key defensive personnel.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 is our ally 🌘#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/tBb2zpBKh8

— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) September 27, 2024

Arizona Run Defense

Compared to the team last season, Arizona has not seen a bigger dropoff than in their ability to stop the run. It is only three games but the Wildcats are conceding 172.6 yards per game, 98th in the country, and 4.71 yards per carry, which ranks 103rd.

Last season, Arizona limited teams to 98.2 yards a game and 2.9 per carry in their first five games, which serves as a stark contrast to this season.

The Wildcats gave up 2.9 defensive line yards, this season, they’re conceding 3.3 line yards. For comparison, Utah gave up 2.9 line yards last season but are limiting teams to 2.6 yards this season. Though it may not seem like much, the difference between 2.9 and 3.3 line yards is significant. The Wildcats check in at 111th in the country in line yards allowed.

There’s going to be a lot of 🏈 recruits at Arizona vs Utah!#GoUtes https://t.co/DiWhKK3sWZ

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) September 27, 2024

The Wildcats are noticeably smaller along the line. The interior of the line last season averaged 316 pounds between the top four defensive tackles. This season, they average 285.7 pounds among the top four tackles. Size isn’t everything but it seems to be making a difference here.

Jacob Manu headlines the linebacker room, he’s the top tackler on the team. Taye Brown is another name to know. The 6-foot-2, 225 sophomore is a good athlete and complement to Manu in the middle. He is second on the team in tackles with 20, he’s notched 13 stops for no gain, 2 tackles for loss and 1 sack.

Arizona Pass Defense

The strength of Arizona’s defense this season lies in the secondary. The Wildcats returned four starters, including preseason All-Big 12 selection Tacario Davis. He’s off to a good start again this season, allowing just 7 receptions on 14 targets for 69 yards. The guy on the other side of the field this season is Groves-Killebrew, who has performed on par with Davis. He’s allowed just 6 receptions on 14 targets for 78 yards but has 3 pass breakups.

The Wildcats play three safeties, which are fairly interchangeable but do have distinct roles. At star (versatile) isTreydan Stukes, free safety is Gunder Maldonado, and strong safety is Dalton Johnson. Those three were all very productive on the backend and provided the Wildcats with versatility and playmaking.

Overall, the Wildcats have limited opponents to just 175.0 yards per game through three games. Though not to the same stinginess as last as season, they’re only allowing a 58.9% completion rate and 5.8 yards per attempt.