Arizona Head Coach Shares Update on Potential Changes in Play Calling
There were plenty of things the Arizona Wildcats needed to improve during their bye week after getting completely dominated in all phases of the game during their first test of the year against Kansas State.
That Week 3 matchup was eye-opening to many inside and outside of the Arizona program, clearly signaling there is a lot of work to do if they are truly going to be contenders in the Big 12 and give themselves a shot at making the College Football Playoff.
While many doubt the Wildcats can reach that high-end potential now, they have a great opportunity to pull off a major upset on the road against Utah on Saturday by beating a team who is considered to be the conference favorites.
One thing that head coach Brent Brennan and his staff wanted to improve is getting others involved in the passing game, taking pressure off their superstar wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan and giving quarterback Noah Fifita more options.
Arizona's offensive struggles have been the most concerning development surrounding this team, as they were supposed to offer one of the most explosive attacks in the country based on who was returning and who they added through the transfer portal.
With that not being the case the last two weeks against Northern Arizona and Kansas State, there was some thought that changes to play calling could come with Brennan inserting himself more to take things away from offensive coordinator Dino Babers.
He addressed that notion at his press conference.
"I'm a little bit more big picture that way, just kind of talking through what they're seeing, listening to what they're talking about. If I have a suggestion, I'll say it. But I normally let those guys do their job," Brennan said.
That would suggest things are going to remain the same as how they were before.
Babers discussed in the preseason how he wanted to bring a different wrinkle to the offense when he took over as offensive coordinator, but decided to keep the same verbiage the previous regime used to make this transition easier.
So far there have been some flashes of explosive plays, but those largely came in Week 1 against a poor New Mexico defense.
Following the bye week where Arizona was able to continue working on things, the hope is that their offensive line getting healthier will give Fifita more time in the pocket to find late-developing routes down field that he can hit.
It certainly won't be easy against a Utah defense who ranks 34th in the country with 167.0 passing yards allowed per game and are 20th when it comes to Expected Points Added per drop back.
The Wildcats will have their hands full, but Babers will still be the one calling the plays on Saturday as they try and pull off a huge road upset.
BRAD WAKAI