The No. 22 Arizona Wildcats are now bowl eligible for the second consecutive year after jumping on the Iowa State Cyclones early and never relinquishing an ounce of momentum on the way to a 39-3 rout Saturday at Casino Del Sol Stadium on Homecoming night.
It is now the second time that the Wildcats have become bowl eligible in Brent Brennan’s three years as the head coach. With a talented roster and an excellent coaching staff who shares a passion for winning, there are no signs of slowing down for the locomotive that is Arizona.
“For this football team, that’s not enough,” Brennan said of being bowl eligible. “We’re going to celebrate the hell out of this one because the goal this week, the mission this week was to win this game. And we did. We’re going to have fun and enjoy it for 24 hours and then we’re going to get on to the next one.”
The Wildcats will need every ounce of momentum they can muster before facing No. 13 Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas, on Saturday. The Red Raiders are coming off a 37-24 loss to Cincinnati, which should ignite a fire under them.
Until then, the Wildcats have plenty to celebrate after blowing the Cyclones off their course, and plenty to build on. Let’s take a look at some key takeaways from Arizona’s win over Iowa State.
Fifita continues to grow his legend at Arizona
Nick Foles, Willie Tuitama and many more; these are the quarterbacks who have etched themselves into the record books of Arizona history. Of all the greats to don the Block A, arguably none have been more committed to the success of the program than Noah Fifita.
This latest win over Iowa State has made him the winningest quarterback in Wildcats history (29 victories). With five games remaining in the season, he has the opportunity to keep adding to his win column. What might be more impressive than that is his stat line against the Cyclones. He went 27-for-34 for 308 yards and two touchdowns.
Almost no one would have guessed that a humble backup quarterback, who got his chance to shine in a midday game against Stanford, would become so valued by Arizona and those passionate about the university.
It is clear to see that Fifita choosing to stay at Arizona has greatly benefitted both him and the program and with five games left to play, he has the opportunity to keep building his portfolio as the greatest Wildcat to line up under center.
Arizona brings a pair of kings to the table
Noah isn’t the only Fifita in Tucson who has impacted the football team. His brother, Dash, has also made waves at Arizona, though it hasn’t been long, since he is just a freshman.
Despite it being his first year on a Division I college football team, he has already proven that he can play with and against the best athletes the Big 12 has to offer.
Against Iowa State, he led the defense in tackles (six), sacks (two), and tackles for loss (2.5), even though he didn’t start. He might not be the biggest linebacker at 5-foot-7, 190 pounds, but he brings a level of tenacity and high football IQ, which is why Arizona recruited him.
“I’m just excited for him,” Brennan said. “I think he’s a guy that just has an incredible future here. He plays so hard. It’s so important to him. He’s very, very tough. I think that’s just in the genes. You can’t be a Fifita if you’re not tough as hell. And Dash and obviously Noah demonstrate that every day.”
Mizell keeps progressing
For most teams, being down three starting receivers spells a death sentence for the offense, but not for Arizona. That left room for its backups to show the talent they harbor and gave the group, praised as the deepest in the Big 12 by the Wildcats’ coaching staff, an opportunity.
One of those wide receivers who has waited to show what he can do on the field is Isaiah Mizell, a four-star recruit from Orlando, Fla. Since stepping foot on the Arizona practice facility, he has made strides to become an impactful wide receiver at the Division I level.
Every challenge, bad drop, or crucial mistake led to his moment: a team-high eight catches, 134 yards, and one touchdown. The standout sophomore’s 70-yard touchdown reception on the second play of the game sparked Arizona’s domination of the Cyclones.
So far, Mizell has amassed 27 receptions for 493 yards and five touchdowns. Saturday’s game was also the second consecutive time he reached 100 yards. With much of the season left, he could very much secure himself as one of Noah Fifita’s top targets.
Arizona’s defense turns Cyclones to a breeze on crucial downs
Before the bye week, Arizona let West Virginia go 9-for-19 on third down conversions and 2-for-7 on fourth down conversions. That would have been a cause for concern prior to the Wildcats’ matchup with Iowa State.
This time, Arizona suffocated the Cyclones and showed the Wildcats can bring their own storm on defense. The always-shifty Arizona defense held Iowa State to just 3-of-14 third-down conversions, forcing the Cyclones’ offense off the field quickly.
Much of Iowa State’s struggles can be traced to a Wildcats defense that never relented until the final whistle. Defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales can be proud of the effort his squad put in, rushing the quarterbacks with ease and stuffing the run to get the offense back on the field.
“I think Danny Gonzales does an incredible job with our defense and along with the other coaches, all the parts make it what it is,” Brennan said. “I think whether they’re we’re home or away I’ve always got a ton of faith in them and Danny has called plays for a very long time… Also, when you combine that with the other parts of that, I just mentioned Chip Viney and and Brett Arce, Josh Bringuel and Joe Salave’a and Ronnie Palmer, it’s just a it’s a really great group of people and they’re all in on what we do. I think that’s one of the things that gives us a chance as a team is when everybody is all in on what we do moving forward together.”
It can all come down to one key piece and that is that nobody on that group is afraid to make contact. When it is not a crashing lineman or linebacker, a safety of cornerback is coming off the edge and wreaking havoc in the backfield.
Arizona will take this win and learn from the few mistakes that were made in preparation of Texas Tech. The Wildcats and the Red Raiders will be kicking off this Saturday at 9 a.m., Tucson time.
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