Arizona Suffers Brutal Loss in Competitive Showing Against BYU
BY DAVID MOORADIAN | 365 Sports
TUCSON, AZ — Sometimes losses are moral victories. Other times, they are simply gut-wrenching defeats. For Arizona, Saturday night’s 33-27 2OT loss against BYU was perhaps a mixture of both.
After a 36-yard touchdown run by Kedrick Reescano on a fourth and one early in the fourth quarter, Arizona was set to win the game. The Wildcats, fresh off their longest play from scrimmage, now led by 10 points with 11:14 left in the fourth quarter.
If the result had gone final at that moment, the team would have displayed to the football world the version of themselves they’ve long envisioned. With 11:14 on the fourth quarter clock, Arizona’s defense had held BYU scoreless since its offensive explosion in the first quarter. The Wildcats’ offense was balanced and featured all three of their talented and skill-diverse backs.
BYU had other plans.
For those final eleven minutes and change of regulation, Arizona only possessed the ball for 1:32 and never got another first down in regulation. Meanwhile, BYU and Freshman QB Bear Bachmeier were busy mounting a valiant comeback effort. The Wildcats’ defense, which had played well for much of the night, was unable to get the necessary stops. Arizona’s defense was not opportunistic. They were penalized at critical times, unable to recover a fumble inside the 5 with under a minute to play, and incapable of stopping Bachmeier on the ground.
All together, BYU rushed for a whopping 258 yards, with Bachmeier rushing for 89 himself. The Freshman QB struggled in the air, but the Cougars virtually abandoned their passing game in the final quarter and OT, successfully doing so.
Offensively, Arizona struggled mightily in the red zone. A fact that was destined to be overlooked had they pulled off the upset. However, the game easily would have avoided overtime if the Wildcats were even slightly better inside the 20. Arizona’s three touchdowns were scored the following ways: Noah Fifita 17-yard touchdown pass (first play inside the 20), Noah Fifita 35-yard touchdown pass, and Kedrick Reescano 36-yard touchdown run.
Other trips to the red zone resulted in 2 FGs and an interception. Altogether, the Wildcats were 1-5 in red zone efficiency, with the one touchdown still being an explosive play. Arizona seemed incapable of methodically scoring on anything that wasn’t an explosive play. That would eventually cost the Wildcats the game, as their inefficiency inside the red zone was highlighted in overtime.
Entering the week, this game was a measuring stick for the Arizona Wildcats. Not only to see how the team measures up with the rest of their BIG 12, but also to learn if this team is different from last year’s. The answer to the latter appears to be that the Wildcats are better than they were last year. Arizona was outclassed when it played BYU last season, but the Wildcats were highly competitive Saturday.
How the team stacks up in the conference is more complicated. Against BIG 12 teams this year, Arizona is 2-2. The Wildcats will look for their first conference victory on the road this week at the University of Houston. The game will be at 9 am MST on FS1.