For the third time since 2014, Arizona football has reached the eight-win mark in a season.
The Wildcats dominated the Baylor Bears in a 41-17win to set up for a big Territorial Cup in Tempe next week.
Senior Stukes
On senior day, Treydan Stukes came up big with a red zone interception at a key inflection point in the game.
Stukes has been an incredible representative for this Arizona program on the field and in the community. He was a walk-on that came to Tucson during COVID and worked his way up to a captain on this defense. After Jedd Fisch left for Washington, Stukes opted to stay with the Wildcats. He had to deal with a season-ending injury in 2024, where he became “Coach Stukes.” He returned to the secondary this year and has been key to the defenses turnaround.
Gonzales For Broyles?
Speaking of defensive turnarounds, Arizona defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales should be considered heavily for the Broyles Award, given to the top assistant coach in the nation. When Gonzales took over as defensive coordinator last offseason, he spoke about getting this defense to playing to the standard of the Desert Swarm defense from the early 90s.
A tall task, but this is a defense that has allowed less than 200 passing yards in a game nine times this year. Arizona has allowed just 36 points in the fourth quarter over 11 games this year and are top-10 in turnovers forced.
Kris Hutson Stepping Up
Another senior stepping up was wide receiver Kris Hutson, who had a banner day with nine receptions for 133 yards and a touchdown. He’s now strung together two 100-yard performances in as many weeks, totaling 256 yards over wins against Baylor and Cincinnati. The senior is leading the team in receiving yards.
Rushing Attack
Ismail Mahdi totaled 93 yards and a score on 14 carries while Kedrick Reescano had 46 yards and three rushing scores on 13 carries. It was a very balanced attack that has continued to help be the pace car for the Arizona offense.
Arizona is 6-1 at home for the first time since 2014. They’ll look to add win No. 9 on the road against Arizona State next week on Friday at 7 PM.
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