Last week’s comeback win over the Washington State Cougars was a trip down Pac-12 memory lane for Arizona football fans everywhere. The Wildcats left Pullman, Wash., with a dramatic win after falling behind 14-0 to the Cougars in the first quarter.
Arizona scored the next two touchdowns to tie it back up before the endo of the first half and took the lead from there, leaving with the 34-24 victory to move on to a 3-1 record.
Now, Arizona will look to continue its positive swing of momentum when it takes on the Cincinnati Bearcats (4-0) at 8 p.m. at Casino Del Sol Stadium. The Bearcats are coming off of their latest win against visiting Kansas State, winning 31-26 at Nippert Stadium.
Both teams have been competing with a chip on their shoulders and are out to prove that they are the more dominant team in the Big 12. Let’s take a look at what both teams bring to the table as well as what to watch for and keys for Arizona that may lead to victory.
A (very) brief history
Meetings on the gridiron have come few and far between for Cincinnati and Arizona. In fact, last season’s game was the first time both teams were on the field together.
The Wildcats upset the Bearcats, who were ranked No. 22 at the time, defeating them in their home field 30-24 behind Noah Fifita’s 294-yard, one-touchdown performance. It was Fifita’s lone touchdown pass to Gio Richardson that crowned him as Arizona’s all-time touchdown leader, surpassing Nick Foles and Willie Tuitama.
The stout Wildcats defense also never wavered against the throwing power of Brendan Sorsby, forcing two interceptions and relinquishing just 154 yards through the air.
What to watch for
Arizona will see the return of its No. 1 receiver in Richardson, who has been sidelined for the past two games after a lower-leg injury in the second quarter against BYU. In a Week 1 matchup against NAU, the sophomore slot receiver caught nine receptions for 113 yards. Before the injury, he also caught five passes for 48 yards against BYU.
Fifita had no issue finding his open receivers without Richardson on the field, but his presence will only bolster the Wildcats’ extremely fast, overwhelming offense.
Senior tight end Tyler Powell will be seeing an uptick in game time, as starter Cole Rusk has been listed as out in the most recent availability report. The 6-foot-7, 245-pound Powell has played in all four games after missing most of the 2025 season, except for the very first play of the year against Hawaii.
Shane King was also questionable to play against Cincinnati, but he was recently taken off as well. He and Powell should both see increased playing time.
While both the Wildcats and Cincinnati have running games that can wear down opponents, the quarterbacks will be closely watched in this highly anticipated matchup.
Fifita leads a passing offense that averages 303.8 yards per game, the third-most in the Big 12 behind Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker and TCU’s Jaden Craig.
While JC French IV is ranked 13th, that can be attributed to an offense that values running the ball more than going through the air. Despite that, he is still incredibly efficient, completing an impressive 74.5% of his passes, second only to Fifita (75.6%) and hasn’t thrown an interception yet.
Wildcats’ keys to victory
On defense, Arizona will face a rushing attack currently ranked second in the Big 12. Cincinnati is also ranked second in attempts (166), yards per game (270), yards per carry (6.5) and is first in touchdowns (16).
The Wildcats, however, have a defense that is tenacious on the field, just what Danny Gonzales wants from his crew. The Wildcats held Washington State to just 94 yards on the ground and will look to keep the Bearcats’ attack at bay for the entire game.
On offense, Arizona can wear down a passing defense ranked 14th in the Big 12. The highly efficient passing attack spearheaded by Fifita should be enough to overwhelm the Bearcats and eventually open up opportunities on the ground.
Creating those rushing opportunities is something Arizona should be striving towards, especially considering it gained 94 yards in the fourth quarter against the Cougars last Saturday.
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