Arizona Wildcats Star Defensive Captain Ejected in First Quarter for Targeting
Coming off a disappointing result last weekend, Arizona is facing a familiar situation where they are the underdogs in a road contest where they have an opportunity to upset a ranked opponent.
In terms of the wide open Big 12 race, this is one they need to win.
BYU has been good through five games, but compared to preseason expectations, one could argue they have overperformed while Arizona has underperformed, meaning this one was ripe for the picking if the Wildcats played their best.
That's been the issue, though.
Arizona has been inconsistent on both sides of the ball throughout this campaign, although their defense has started to become a much more stout unit following their bye week.
Unfortunately, it's going to be an uphill battle for that unit the rest of the way after their defensive captain and star linebacker Jacob Manu was ejected in the first quarter on the first drive of the game for a targeting call.
Manu is ejected for targeting after this hit ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/I0o5i2HCz2
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 12, 2024
The Wildcats defense was already down contributing players after Treydan Stukes tore his ACL and Gunner Maldonado is also out with an injury.
Manu made First Team All-Pac-12 last season after he led the conference with 116 tackles.
He picked up right where he left off this year, leading the team with 41 total tackles, 18 of them being solo.
Not having him for the rest of the contest is going to be a huge challenge that Arizona has to overcome, but at least on the drive where Manu was ejected, the Wildcats were able to force a turnover on downs in the red zone that allowed their own offense to strike first with a touchdown.
