What to look for when Arizona Wildcats football visits UCF

Arizona is more than halfway through its first season in the Big 12 Conference, but so far the schedule has not resulted in any of the long road trips possible in a league that spans four time zones. That changes this week as the Wildcats make the long flight to Orlando to face UCF on Saturday afternoon in a battle of teams that are closer to a losing season than one that will include a bowl game.

Both UA and UCF are 3-5 overall, 1-4 in Big 12 play and are on lengthy losing streaks. Arizona has lost four straight, most recently to West Virginia, while the Knights have lost five straight after starting 3-0. With four games left in the regular season, any losses will make bowling even more difficult from here on out.

“We don’t want our last game to be in November,” Receiver said Tetairoa McMillan said earlier this week. “There are probably some players or a lot of people in the building and fans who are pretty disappointed in us at the moment. We are here because we are supposed to be here. Therefore, I think it is our job to fight these adversities. The best thing we can do right now is make a bowl, and so we have to do everything we can to win the next four games.”

Here's what to look for as Arizona tries to rebound and keep its postseason hopes alive against an opponent in the same sinking ship:

Musical coordinators

During his departure in September, Arizona shifted playmaking duties from the offensive coordinator Dinosaur Babers to tight ends coach Matt Adkinsa move Brent Brennan said it was something he had intended to do all along, but no doubt it was influenced by the uneven performances up to that point. However, in five games with Adkins calling the shots, the Wildcats have averaged just 19.4 points and 360 yards, which would rank 120th^Th and 93^approxor in FBS.

UCF upped the ante on midseason personnel moves, the coach said Monday Gus Malzahn demoted himself to an offensive player – on his birthday! – and fired the defensive coordinator Ted Roof. That means the film Arizona has on the Knights may not be as valuable as it should be, depending on what changes are made.

“I think parts of what they did schematically will still be a part of them,” Brennan said Monday as defensive coordinator Duane Akina On Wednesday, he added that any other changes wouldn't be that big as long as the staffing is the same.

However, UCF may trade its quarterback for a rookie Dylan Rizk possibly the third different starter.

“A lot of times the backup quarterback just needs his chance … so don't let that fool you,” Akina said, noting that he saw how much better an arm was during pregame warmups in front of West Virginia Nicco Marchiol had as an injured starter Garrett Greene.

Do not be thrown onto the ground

UCF has the Big 12's leading rusher as a senior RJ Harveywhose 1,017 yards are just 13 fewer than the entire Arizona running game. He also scored 13 times, three more than the Wildcats, and averaged 6.8 yards per carry.

The Knights are the most run-heavy team Arizona will face this season. They rank fourth in the FBS in yards per game (267.9) and fifth in carries per game (44.6) and yards per rush (6.0). The UA allows 152.1 rushing yards per game, ninth in the Big 12, and allows West Virginia just 203 on the ground.

That could be a tall order for Arizona's weakened defense, which has played with six defensive backs and one linebacker in the last two games and may have to stay that way given the available personnel. Security Dalton Johnson has become the de facto second linebacker due to his run-stopping abilities, and most DBs have solid run-defense stats, according to Pro Football Focus.

However, it is the defensive line that is struggling in this area. edge Tre Smith is the only member of Arizona's lineman rotation with a run defense grade above 70.

Play easy

Asked if the pressure to meet high preseason expectations has affected Arizona's offense, McMillan said the bigger issue may be player confidence. The exact opposite was true on the final three drives against West Virginia, as the Wildcats scored three touchdowns in just 8½ minutes of possession and cut their 17-point halftime deficit to five.

“Everyone had confidence in our game because at that moment we had nothing to lose,” he said. “I feel like if we have more confidence as a team and as individuals, everything will work out. I think if we could play the whole game like we did in the fourth quarter against West Virginia, (our) record would be a lot different.”

However, if Arizona were to do this all game, it could mean that they would have to abandon any desire to stay balanced and just attack UCF's biggest weakness.

Like West Virginia a week ago, UCF is significantly better at stopping the run than the pass. Arizona gained just 95 yards on 23 runs without a sack against the Mountaineers, while its 9.1 yards per attempt was its best since the opener at New Mexico.

UCF has allowed more than 250 rushing yards in the last two weeks, albeit undefeated against Iowa State and BYU, but also has the highest opponent completion percentage (64.3) in the conference.

Tired of traveling?

Arizona is playing its first game at Florida State since 1992, when it faced top-ranked Miami and lost 8-7. Steve McLaughlinwho would win the Lou Groza Award two years later, missed a 51-yard field goal as time expired.

“We should have gone out with a W that day,” said Akina, who was Arizona’s offensive coordinator this season.

The Wildcats haven't played in the Eastern Time Zone since 2003, when they went to Purdue and fell 59-7. Her last EST win was at Georgia Tech in 1994 to open the competition.

Arizona left Thursday afternoon to let her body adjust to the time change, and Brennan said the length of the trip was the only thing about this trip that was different from others.

“Every time you travel, travel, it’s something completely different,” he said. “I think the most important thing for our football team is to control what we can control. At my last stop we played a lot of games around the country and it all comes down to how you handle the travel and not use that as an excuse.”

During his time at San Jose State, Brennan led his teams eastward across multiple time zones to games at Arkansas, Army, Auburn, Texas, Toledo and Western Michigan. There were also six trips to Hawaii.