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It's the Space Game on Saturday as UCF welcomes Big 12 newcomer Arizona to the Bounce House for a 3:30 kick on FS1.
It's been a busy week in Orlando with much of the attention revolving around Gus Malzahn's decision to fire defensive coordinator Ted Roof and hand over play-calling duties to Tim Harris Jr.
Like UCF, it's been a disappointing season for Arizona as well. Both programs are 3-5 and 1-4 in the Big 12, performing way below expections.
To get ready for the matchup, I caught up with
Troy Hutchison of
GOAZCATS.com, part of the Rivals network.
The Big 12 is a 16-team league this season after welcoming the "Four Corners" schools from the former PAC-12 - Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah.
Hutchison said there's a level of sadness amongst the fanbase regarding the breakup of the PAC-12, especially looking at the banner final season that was 2023 with Washington advancing to the National Championship Game and Arizona and Oregon both having 10 or more wins.
"But I think there's also a sense of optimism as well because the reality of it is that Arizona, when they are at their best in the PAC-12, they were finishing second place at most, third most times," he said. "They only have one shared title in the PAC's history with UCLA back in 1998. So there isn't a lot of winning the conference for Arizona.
"So you go to the Big 12 and now that Texas is gone, Oklahoma's gone, you don't have USC, you don't have Oregon, you don't have Washington. There's optimism of, hey, you know, with the football team we have coming back next year, we could actually win a football conference for once."
Arizona has been a national power in men's basketball, so Hutchison acknowledged there is more excitement for the Big 12 on the hoops side though they are disappointed to lose their longtime rivalry with UCLA.
"That's been one of the top rivalries in the country and the top rivalry on the West Coast," Hutchison said. "So not to have that game two to three times a year, it's kind of a knife in the side to Arizona and UCLA fans, because that's a historical game."
UCF hosts Arizona this week and travels to Arizona State next week. We all know Arizona has a huge basketball fanbase, but what about football? Who is bigger - UofA or ASU?
"I think it's pretty much even," Hutchison said. "I think Arizona State fans would lead you to believe that they have the bigger fanbase, they are the more rowdier fanbase. But Arizona fans, when the team is good, they do show up, they do sell out the stadium when the team is good.
"And when the team is not, the fans aren't there, especially in Phoenix, when you're competing with the Cardinals, you're competing with the Diamondbacks and the Suns. You're always second fiddle in that market. For Arizona, if the football program isn't good, well, when's basketball season coming? I think it's just a mindset of the fanbase."
Hutchison said one big difference between the PAC-12 and Big 12 is traveling fans. PAC fans, even at schools like Washington, Oregon, Cal and UCLA, did not travel to away in large numbers. That's not the case with Big 12 schools.
Arizona floundered in the
Kevin Sumlin era (9-20 overall record from 2018-20).
Jedd Fisch took over in 2021, struggling with a 1-11 debut but improved every season (5-7 in 2022, then 10-3 in 2023). This past January, Fisch was hired away to Washington where he replaced
Kalen DeBoer who left for Alabama.
Hutchison said Arizona fans were left bitter over Fisch's departure.
"He obviously did a terrific job in terms of development and changing over the culture of the program," Hutchison said. "But he had a contract on the table long before the final game against ASU, the rivalry game. And, you know, it was, oh, I'll sign it, maybe I won't. You know, kind of dancing around it."
"I think there's a lot of bitterness from the fan base, a lot of bitterness from the team. I remember the day that he did leave and he had a players meeting at Arizona Stadium to let the team know about his decision. He had a lot of players walking out pissed, not crying, but just straight up pissed with the coaching staff.
"Given that what they built here, they felt like they had a really good shot if they kept everything together to win a national championship, which is crazy talk thinking about Arizona football, but they legitimately, I think, did have a shot if you had everything kept together, the coaching staff and the players on the roster. So there's hurt feelings there."
Arizona made the quick hire of
Brent Brennan, who had just finished his seventh year at San Jose State.
"Brent Brennan was a guy that they looked at before they hired Jedd Fisch," Hutchison said. "He was one of the finalists. So Arizona was very familiar with Brent Brennan. He has (former Arizona coach)
Dick Tomey ties, obviously, back in the 90s, Dick Tomey was the man around Tucson. He was a grad assistant under Dick Tomey. So there's a lot of familiarity there.
"So once Jedd Fisch left for Washington, the transition to Brent Brennan made a lot of sense."
The immediate concern when there's a coaching change is the state of the roster since players are free to leave via the transfer portal. A mass exodus to Washington was mostly averted.
"Washington, they did try to gut Arizona's program," Hutchison said. "I think it's very clear and very out there in the open that they tried to get as many players from Arizona to Washington to come join them.
"But at the end of the day, (quarterback)
Noah Fifita and (wide receiver)
Tetairoa McMillan are really the leaders of this football program. If anybody is familiar with Polynesian communities, they're very close-knit, family-oriented communities and that roster and that team very much was a family. And so once those guys stayed, they were easily able to convince their teammates to stay as well."
Fifita was the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, stepping into action following an injury to
Jayden de Laura. Fifita led Arizona to a seven-game winning streak to finish the year. He had the highest single-season completion percentage (72.4%) in Arizona history, completing 241-of-333 pass attempts for 2,869 yards and 25 touchdowns with just six interceptions.
"He was a high three-star recruit," Hutchison said. "Boise State was the other program that was highly interested in him. And to be quite frank with Noah Fifita, if he was 6-1 or 6-2, he would have been a four or five-star kid, probably at Alabama and Oregon. That's how talented he was in high school. But the height played a factor."
"When he stepped foot on campus, the one thing that surprised everybody in the media, I think he'd even surprised the coaching staff, when he got there for spring practice his freshman year, he was able to read a pocket, not really hesitate under duress, make smart, high IQ football plays, and even throw the ball out of bounds when there wasn't an option out there on the football field. The IQ and the high football IQ really jumps out at you."
Fifita has had a bit of a sophomore slump as he currently has more interceptions (10) than touchdown passes (9).
"He's the guy that puts all the pressure on him. He is a very team oriented leader type of quarterback and the perfect type that you want for that position in terms of mindset. But he puts the weight of the world on his shoulders. And you can tell that with the way he plays."
Hutchison thinks the issue are a combination of pressing and not clicking within the new offensive system.
"
Dino Babers is no longer the offensive play caller," Hutchison said. "He's still the coordinator.
Matt Adkins, the tight ends coach is calling the plays. This scheme and the rhythm of the playbook really doesn't fit the strengths of Noah Fifita. There's too many balls 15 yards deep. There's not a lot of short, quick, get it out of his hands type of throws. And it's just too much time in the pocket."
Hutchison said Arizona has dealt with defensive injuries, which hasn't helped. Linebacker
Jacob Manu is now out for the season. Safety
Gunner Maldonado has missed several games.
"You're trying to overcome four or five guys that are All-Conference performers last season on this defense that just aren't there," Hutchison said.
Arizona has also suffered a pair of close home losses.
"They're 3-5, but they probably should have had the West Virginia game, Hutchison said. "They struggled in the first half, scored a bunch in the fourth quarter. And they should have had the Texas Tech game. They kind of choked that one away.
"If you have those two games, you're 5-3. Still not meeting expectations, but then you're going into the final four games of the season with the lighter portion of your schedule and saying, okay, you can get to eight or nine wins. If you did that, not quite meeting expectations, but still a very good season."
Now just getting to bowl eligibility is a question mark.
Tetairoa McMillan is one of the best wide receivers in the country.
"He probably will be a top five pick in the NFL Draft," Hutchison said. "He is a lethal weapon out there. He is
Larry Fitzgerald out there on the football field. I believe he has over 900-something yards receiving and five touchdowns... This guy is a weapon."
Quali Conley is Arizona's leading rusher, averaging 71.5 yards per game.
Kedrick Reescano is the No. 2 back with 30.6 yards.
"If they're able to get the running game going and relieve some pressure off of Fifita, that could be successful for Arizona."
Top defensive players include safety
Genesis Smith, who is tied for the team lead with two interceptions.
"He's a very versatile defensive back that plays all over the backfield and has a knack at getting to the football," Hutchison said.
Cornerback
Tacario Davis is another projected NFL Draft first rounder.
"Last week against West Virginia, he had zero targets on his side of the field. So that just shows the respect that the Mountaineers had for him on that side of the football field."
Defensive end
Chase Kennedy, a transfer from Utah, has been their best pass rusher.
Hutchison says Arizona's key to the game is being successful on third down. A season ago, Noah Fifita completed 72 percent of his third-down passes. This year it's under 40 percent. Defensively, come up with the play. They've had some near turnovers the past couple years, dropping a pick or not pouncing on a fumble.
Like UCF, this is viewed by Arizona as a must-win game.
"The team this week has talked about getting to a bowl game, finishing strong," Hutchison said. "So you win this game. I think you're in decent position."
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