Keys to Success for Arizona Wildcats as they Face New Mexico Lobos
New coach Brent Brennan is seeking his first win as Arizona Wildcats head coach when they host the New Mexico Lobos on Saturday.
The Wildcats are facing a Lobos team they used to be rivals with in the Western Athletic Conference nearly half a century ago.
The Lobos are coming off a deflating loss to FCS No. 4 Montana State, 35-31, this past Saturday. What made it worse was New Mexico should have won the game, as they blew a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter.
That loss should make New Mexico a little hungrier than the typical opening opponent, and it also means the Wildcats have to be on alert in a game where they should be heavily favored.
Here are three keys to success for Arizona as they face the Lobos on Saturday.
Ride the Running Backs
Arizona’s depth chart at running back was, well, interesting.
Four players were listed at the top with the dreaded “or” on the chart. That list included Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Quail Conley, Kedrick Reescano and Rayshon Luke.
The question is which of these backs — and it’s unlikely to be just one — can replace the production of Jonah Coleman, who transferred to Washington with former coach Jedd Fisch. Coleman rushed for 871 yards and five touchdowns a season ago.
In fact, none of the Wildcats’ top three backs from a season ago are back.
This is opportunity for these four runners to prove their credentials against a defense that allowed 362 net rushing yards last week. With that opportunity is a chance to establish the run against an opponent the Wildcats should beat and start to sort out the running back rotation.
Protect the Ball
New Mexico didn’t have a great offensive game against Montana State last week, and the run defense left a lot to be desired. But one thing the Lobos did do well was create turnovers.
Against the Bobcats, New Mexico forced two fumbles and returned them for touchdowns. It helped the Lobos build a 17-point lead going into the fourth quarter, though New Mexico wasn’t able to hold onto the lead.
But, if Arizona gives up a turnover or two early in this one, all that does is give New Mexico hope they can win the game.
Protecting the ball allows the Wildcats to avoid that issue.
Stop the Run
The Lobos rushed for 152 yards on 28 carries last week, averaging 5.4 yards per carry. But New Mexico only scored once on the ground.
Arizona’s easiest path to win this game is to stop the run the way it did a season ago.
The Wildcats gave up an average of 118.2 yards per game, which was No. 25 in the country. This early in the season, relying on a hard-nosed game plan that limits the run is an easy way to lengthen the game for their offense.
