Up next for Oregon State is a trip to face rapidly improving Arizona
The most unexpected Pac-12 Conference football score this season is undoubtedly Arizona’s 44-6 victory over Washington State.
The Wildcats (4-3, 2-2) gave up an early touchdown and then shut down the Cougars the rest of the way. Arizona completely stifled Washington State’s running game, holding the Cougars to 35 net rushing yards, and held quarterback Cameron Ward under 200 yards passing on 30 attempts with two interceptions.
The Wildcats’ resurgence has been led by third-year coach Jedd Fisch, who was hired after Arizona went 0-5 in the shortened COVID season. The Wildcats went 1-11 his first year and were 5-7 last season. This year’s team is two wins away from being bowl eligible for the first time since 2017.
Oregon State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei (5) said the success of the Arizona defense starts with linebackers Jacob Manu and Justin Flowe and their ability to communicate with their teammates.
Godofredo A. Vásquez, Associated Press
Oregon State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei has been impressed by what he has seen from the Wildcats defense.
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“I know they just had a bye week but, man, they killed Washington State. They did an unbelievable job,” Uiagalelei said.
He said Arizona linebackers Jacob Manu and Justin Flowe provide good leadership, making sure everyone is in the right spot.
“I think that’s the biggest thing when I watch them on tape, that they all know what they’re doing,” Uiagalelei said. “They don’t make a lot of mistakes and schematically they know where they need to be at from the safeties to the D-line, to the nickel to the backers.”
The Wildcats are ranked fifth in the Pac-12 in yards allowed and sixth in scoring defense. But that ranking is a little bit deceptive because the Wildcats have faced three of the best offenses in the conference in USC, Washington and Washington State. In addition, Arizona held USC to 28 points in regulation before ultimately losing 43-41 in triple overtime.
“They’ve made a huge jump defensively this year,” Oregon State head coach Jonathan Smith said. “This is one of the better defenses, statistically, in the league. Sound. Make you earn it. They’ve gotten bigger, stronger at the defensive front. Coverage recognition, they do a good job with the disguise.”
Arizona’s season has not been derailed by the injury to starting quarterback Jayden de Laura, who was hurt during the Wildcats’ win over Stanford on Sept. 23. Redshirt freshman Noah Fifita has filled in well, completing 75% of his pass attempts with eight touchdowns and two interceptions. In the win over Washington State, Fifita completed 34 of 43 passes for 342 yards.
Fifita was named the Pac-12’s freshman of the week for the second week in a row after the win over the Cougars.
“I think they’ve got similar skill sets. Accurate, know that scheme inside and out. Both of them really competitive,” Smith said. “Really good offense in general. There’s no question in this league they’ve got a couple of quarterbacks they can win games with.”
The Wildcats have two outstanding wide receivers in sophomore Tetairoa McMillan and senior Jacob Cowing. McMillan is the more explosive threat, averaging almost 15 yards per reception on 40 catches this season with five touchdowns. Cowing is a valuable possession receiver with 55 catches and eight touchdowns.
Arizona’s ground game is in the middle of the pack in the Pac-12. Sophomore Jonah Coleman leads the Wildcats with 433 rushing yards on an impressive 6.7 yards per attempt.
Fisch has extensive experience at the collegiate and professional levels as an offensive coach. Prior to taking the Arizona post, he served as the quarterbacks coach for the New England Patriots in 2020 and as an offensive assistant for the Los Angeles Rams in 2018-19.
“Coach Fisch knows what he’s doing on offense, they’ve got a couple of big-time playmakers on the outside. Play more than one back, similar to us and so they’ve got weapons and it’s a balanced offense,” Smith said.
For No. 11 Oregon State (6-1, 3-1), this is the first of two consecutive Pac-12 road games with late start times. The Beavers and Wildcats kick off at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and next week Oregon State will travel to Colorado for a game which will start at 7 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN.
