NFL Tickets
Nobody saw the Arizona Wildcats beginning the season 5-1 and beating No. 2 Oregon on the road, but that’s exactly what Rich Rodriguez‘s 2014 team has done. If it weren’t for a botched last-second field goal in week seven, the Wildcats would be 6-0 right now and we would be talking about a possible national title. However, a conference title will do.
The Washington State Cougars are quite the mystery of a team. They can put up a ton of yards, but yet their defense is one of the worst in the nation, meaning every game they play turns into a shootout, which they rarely win. Washington State is just 2-5 on the year with three losses decided by less than a touchdown.
Arizona has one of the best offenses in the entire nation and one of the best freshman quarterbacks in the country as well. Anu Solomon leads the seventh-ranked passing attack with 2,136 yards, 15 touchdowns and just four interceptions while completing a solid 63 percent of his passes. Solomon is joined in the backfield by fellow freshman standout Nick Wilson who is questionable for this week’s game due to an ankle injury. Wilson has 574 yards and six touchdowns on the ground, leading the team, while Terris Jones-Grigsby could get the start as he has 299 yards and three scores. Solomon is third on the team in rushing with 160 yards, but has yet to reach the end zone. Jones-Grigsby also has 120 yards receiving, but Cayleb Jones leads all receivers with 39 catches for 592 yards and six scores. Austin Hill is second on the team with 25 catches for 345 yards and three touchdowns.
Speaking of top-notch quarterbacks, Washington State’s Connor Halliday is one of the best in the nation, but no one talks about him because of his team’s poor record. Halliday leads the top-ranked pass offense in the nation with 3,344 yards, 28 touchdowns and eight interceptions while completing about 67 percent of his passes. With numbers like that, there are bound to be receivers with extremely elevated numbers. In fact, three receivers — Vince Mayle, River Cracraft and Isiah Myers — have over 600 yards receiving and over 50 catches each. Mayle has 781 yards and seven scores on 57 catches, Cracraft has 676 yards and seven touchdowns on 57 catches and Myers has snagged 53 passes for 627 yards with seven scores of his own. Dom Williams has also made a splash, catching 24 passes for 496 yards and six touchdowns, averaging a team-high 20.7 yards per catch. The run game hasn’t been so solid, however, ranking second-to-last in the nation in yards per game with just 45.
Defensively, the Cougars have been one of the poorest units in the country. Washington State ranks a lowly 105th in points allowed per game as well as a barely more impressive 98th in total yards allowed per game. Arizona has been known for its offense, as evidenced by its 93rd ranking in total yards allowed per game and 68th ranking in points allowed per game. Arizona will have to survive the crowd at Martin Stadium to escape with a road victory.
Arizona will travel to Washington State to take on the Cougars at 5 p.m. EST on Saturday, Oct. 25. The game will be broadcasted on local listings.
PREDICTION: Arizona 45, Washington State 37
Want to see the Sun Devils take on the Huskies in week nine? Check out ScoreBig for tickets.
Connor Muldowney is a columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Connormuldowney, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google. You can also reach him at [email protected].
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