It will be a clash of offensive philosophies when Arizona and Cincinnati meet in a Big 12 Conference game on Saturday night in Tucson, Ariz.
The Wildcats (3-1, 0-1) are second in the conference in passing, averaging 303.8 yards per game, while Cincinnati (4-0, 1-0) averages 270 rushing yards per game and has scored 16 times on the ground.
Fifth-year senior Noah Fifita is Arizona’s career leader in passing yards (10,314) and passing touchdowns (84). He has accounted for nine scores in the last two games and last season threw for 294 yards in a win at Cincinnati.
“He’s fun to watch unless you’ve got to play him,” said Bearcats coach Scott Satterfield, whose team is off to its best start since opening the 2021 season with 13 straight wins.
“He’s probably the best quarterback nobody really talks about throughout the country.”
The Bearcats are averaging more than 40 rushing attempts per game, led by senior Gi’Bran Payne and junior Cole Tabb. That duo has combined for 679 yards and eight TDs, each rushing for more than 100 yards in last week’s 31-26 comeback win over Kansas State.
“They’ve been running the ball basically at will,” Arizona coach Brent Brennan said. “It’s going to be an incredible challenge for our defense.”
Arizona also rallied to win last week, 34-24 at Washington State, after trailing 14-0 in the first quarter. It was the first time since 2011 the Wildcats won a road game in which it was behind by two scores.
For Cincinnati on offense, quarterback JC French IV has completed 74.5% of his passes for 796 yards and six TDs, with no interceptions. He was only 8 of 13 for 165 yards and one touchdown against Kansas State. He also rushed eight times for just 21 yards.