Arizona Wildcats Offensive Stars To Watch in Key Road Game with UCF
The Arizona Wildcats can do all the preparation they want for the UCF Knights, but the game is definitely going to get a new twist when they meet each other on Saturday.
Nothing is really changing for the Wildcats (3-5, 1-4 in Big 12), although they could certainly use a break from their four-game losing streak when they kick off at 12:30 p.m. mountain on FS1.
Arizona will fly out to Florida and play the Knights for the first time in program history and do so with their full complement of offensive stars.
The Knights cannot say the same thing. UCF (3-5, 1-4) is in a five-game tailspin and coach Gus Malzahn hasn't determined who his starting quarterback will be for Saturday's game.
If that isn’t enough, well Malzahn made coaching changes early in the week. He fired defensive coordinator Ted Roof and handed offensive play-calling duties — his domain since he arrived at UCF — to offensive coordinator Tim Harris Jr.
So, considering both teams have the same record and are two games under .500, there's quite a bit of drama to deal with.
Here are three offensive players to watch for each team.
Arizona
WR Tetairoa McMillan
As much as Arizona would love to have multiple options in the passing game, one must acknowledge the incredible season McMillan has put together. He has 57 receptions for 982 yards and five touchdowns. To put that in perspective, he has more than twice as many receptions and four times as many receiving yardage as any other teammate. That's mind-boggling stuff for a player that most NFL mock drafts have going in the Top 10 next April, assuming McMillan opts to forego his remaining eligibility.
QB Noah Fifita
Fun fact — Fifita is the reason McMillan doesn’t play quarterback anymore. The pair were teammates in eighth grade and, up until then, McMillan had been a QB. Fifita forced a position change. The year has been a struggle for the third-year collegiate, as he has just 11 touchdown passes with 10 interceptions. But the home stretch gives him a chance to flip the script and try to coax the Wildcats into bowl eligibility.
RB Quali Conley
Like McMillan, he's outpacing everybody else on the team in rushing. He has twice as many carries and twice as much rushing yardage than teammate Kedrick Reescano, who is a solid change-of-pace back. Conley has seven rushing touchdowns. It's November and the Wildcats want to get to a bowl game. It's time for them to lean into what they do well and who's doing it well for them.
UCF Knights
RB RJ Harvey
Before we get to the quarterback situation, one must acknowledge that last year's All-Big 12 running back is still a huge problem no matter who's under center. Harvey has the ability to take over a game on his own and has done so a couple of times this season. He enters this game with 1,017 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. He’s a tough runner and a gamebreaker and it can be a back-breaking combination for defenses.
QBs Jacurri Brown and Dylan Rizk
Malzahn is likely choosing between Brown and Rizk for Saturday. Brown took over for veteran KJ Jefferson, who didn’t work out. Brown is a gifted runner but has struggled with the passing game in the past two contests. So, against BYU, Malzahn went to Rizk late in the game and he led the Knights to two straight touchdown drives. This question may not get answered until game time and it’s certainly possible, given the skill sets, Malzahn could use both of them.
WR Kobe Hudson
The Knights have really leaned into the run the past few weeks, but they want to get Hudson involved because he's a game-breaker. He leads the team with just 27 receptions, but he has 509 yards and three touchdowns. He averages nearly 19 yards a catch, and that's the kind of downfield ability you want to take advantage of. Being able to properly utilize Hudson may help Malzahn make the decision about who to start at quarterback.
