Can TCU football contain Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan, arguably nation’s top wide receiver?
A well rested TCU returns to action Saturday with just two games remaining on the regular-season schedule.
The Horned Frogs will face a struggling Arizona team that has lost five of its last six games after having high expectations in the preseason. The Wildcats won 10 games in their final season of the Pac-12 and returned some of their most important players, which is why Arizona was seen as one of the favorites in the preseason.
But the first year under new head coach Brent Brennan hasn’t gone as planned with the Wildcats underachieving and some Arizona media wondering if his job could be on the line.
It’s crazy how quickly things can change, but that’s life in the Big 12. Despite the records,there’s still a lot to play for for each team.
The Horned Frogs aren’t technically eliminated from the Big 12 title race yet and the program wants to continue to move up in the bowl pecking order for the postseason. Brennan and the Wildcats need to reach a bowl game or his tenure could end before it really gets started.
Here’s four things to know about the Wildcats:
Best in the country?
The best wide receiver in the country isn’t Travis Hunter, it’s Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan. McMillan has a chance to be a top-10 or maybe even a top five pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. McMillan leads all Power Four receivers with 1,136 yards while adding seven touches and 69 receptions.
McMillan has all the traits you could want in a receiver. He’s 6-foot-5, with an impressive vertical and catching radius. He has more than enough speed to outrun defenders in coverage and after the catch. McMillan has four games this season with at least 100 yards including a 300-yard game against New Mexico and a 200-yard performance against West Virginia.
He’s not completely unstoppable as Colorado and Utah held him to 50 yards or less, but McMillan will be the biggest individual talent TCU has faced this season.
Major regression
One reason the Wildcats have underachieved so much is the regression of quarterback Noah Fifita. Fifita had a breakout season off the bench and looked like one of the best up and coming quarterbacks in the country. He was voted the Pac-12 Freshman Offensive Player of the Year and the Offensive Freshman of the Year by the Football Writers Association of America after he threw for 2,869 yards, 25 touchdowns and just six interceptions.
Fifita has regressed across the board this season. He’s already thrown 11 interceptions, has just 15 touchdowns and 2,548 yards. The most alarming number may be his accuracy. Last season Fifita completed over 72% of his passes, but that number has dropped to just 60.8%. Despite his struggles, Fifita is still a capable quarterback, especially when he breaks the pocket using his mobility.
TCU can’t let him find confidence early.
Struggling O-line
One reason for Fifita’s regression is the play of Arizona’s offensive line. The Wildcats have allowed 24 sacks this season which ranks near the bottom of the league. Only Colorado and Houston have allowed more. Some of the sacks can be explained by Fifita’s tendency to hold the ball while he breaks the pocket, but overall this isn’t a good unit up front.
It’s not just in pass protection either. The Wildcats run game numbers are virtually identical to TCU with the Wildcats averaging just 114 yards per game on four yards per carry. TCU is right at 110 yards and 3.7 yards per carry. The Wildcats do have a talented running back in Quali Conley as he’s had a respectable season with 677 yards and eight touchdowns filling in for projected starter Jacory Croskey-Merritt.
If TCU’s defensive line is healthy, the Horned Frogs must aim to control the line of scrimmage.
Another big day for Hoover?
The Wildcats quietly had one of the better defenses in the country last year, but this season Arizona has taken a major step back. The Wildcats are currently allowing 28.3 points per game, a full touchdown more than last season and a number that ranks 92nd in the country.
The Wildcats ranked No. 13 in the Big 12 against the run and No. 8 against the pass. Arizona’s pass rush has underwhelmed with the Wildcats having just 15 on the season. The loss of star linebacker Jacob Manu has been tough for the Wildcats to overcome. Manu was a first team All-Pac 12 selection, but was only able to play in seven games this season.
The Wildcats struggle to stop the run, pressure the quarterback and will also be without their leader. There’s no reason TCU shouldn’t be the seventh team to score 30 or more points against Arizona this season.
This story was originally published November 18, 2024 at 1:48 PM.
