Arizona remains alive for a bowl game, but it has to win out for that to happen. The next chance to keep that goal within reach comes Saturday when the Wildcats visit the TCU Horned Frogs in Fort Worth.
How will the UA do in its final road game? Our staff makes its predictions.
Kim Doss — TCU wins 35-17
The Horned Frogs have lost two games in Fort Worth this year—one to Houston and another to UCF. So, it’s certainly possible for a less-than-great team to go into their house and steal a game. Just not sure Arizona is that team.
The Wildcats have a terrible record on the road. Their only road win came over a Utah team that turned out to be preseason smoke and mirrors just like UA. Like the win over Houston last week, it came after a bye. That extra week isn’t in the cards this time.
The Horned Frogs average almost 35 points a game. They give up almost 28. Arizona has scored over 22 points just four times this year, so it looks primed to lower TCU’s average. The offense is not consistent enough to expect better.
Devin Homer — TCU wins 34-24
Arizona took care of business last week at home but with bowl-eligibility on the line they face a TCU squad who has won three of its last four games and the third most offensive yards in the conference.
For Arizona to have a shot in keeping bowl eligibility alive the Wildcats need to be able to run the ball effectively. TCU’s passing game has them ranked at the top of the conference in passing yards on the season. UA needs to keep the Horned Frogs off the field as much as possible and eat up the clock in order to keep their potent passing attack off the field as much as possible.
Ezra Amacher — TCU wins 31-20
I was impressed by how Arizona played last Friday against Houston with its backs against the wall. It’s nice to see the team’s heart is still in it even if poor coaching and injuries have derailed their overall goals. Unfortunately I don’t see this matchup going the Wildcats’ way. TCU has the Big 12’s leading passer in quarterback Josh Hoover. The sophomore has been consistent and efficient leading the Horned Frogs offense, and he should easily throw for over 300 yards Saturday. I don’t like Arizona’s chances of playing from behind on the road.
Adam Green — TCU wins 34-17
It would be nice to think Arizona’s win over Houston was proof that the team has not quit on the season and that the coaching staff had finally figured out how to get quality play out of the group. More likely, though, it was a case of a motivated team that had an extra week to prepare for a bad opponent at home. None of that applies to this week, save perhaps for the motivated part, as the Cats take on TCU. The Horned Frogs are a decent-but-not-great team and a healthy Arizona team might have a chance. But the defense is still undermanned and the offense has not proven capable of playing four good quarters in a game.
Brandon Combs — TCU wins 42-31
Arizona dominated Houston, there’s no doubt there. The defense played great, opportunistic football. The offense had some wrinkles we haven’t seen yet this season…and it worked for the most part. However, I do not believe that they’ll be able to repeat.
Besides wondering what took so long to implement the changes we saw on offense last week, Arizona’s offensive line continues to be a sieve, letting opposing defenses right on through to sack Noah on critical third down situations. It is nice to see Chris Hunter emerge as a legitimate #2 option at receiver and it’s also great to see Quali Conley settle back in and have a stellar game. It will be interesting to see if Arizona can find that same success on offense this week.
I’m also interested to see if the defense and special teams can step up as well. If they play smart on ST, and the defense is opportunistic like last time, Arizona may have a chance. Genesis Smith played lights out last week and the secondary as a whole did well to mostly shut down Houston’s passing attack. Couple that with the pressure on the QB and you have a recipe for complimentary football.
I, however, don’t think Arizona will replicate on the road in Dallas. Because of that, the Horned Frogs will be able to win comfortably.
Juan Serrano — TCU wins 28-17
Arizona is coming off a near-perfect defensive performance in its win against Houston. Genesis Smith is starting to come to life on the defensive side of the ball. Just like last week, if Arizona is going to win, it needs to win the turnover battle. Being able to pressure the quarterback is also going to lead to success for the Wildcats.
However, TCU is a high-scoring team. Arizona is not (outside of the New Mexico game). Scoring 30 or more in every game, except one, bodes well for the Horned Frogs. Arizona will show a lot of fight again, but the high-flying offense for TCU will be the difference. TCU ends Senior Day with a win against the Wildcats.
Brian J. Pedersen — TCU wins 38-20
The game before the Territorial Cup has traditionally been one of Arizona’s worst, with last year being an exception to the rule. There’s plenty to play for, with bowl eligibility on the line, but the overall deficiencies of this team far outweigh that.
In order to win this game, Arizona has to run the ball effectively and not lean so heavily on the pass. It’s yet to show it can do that. And TCU has the best pass attack in the league, with too many good receivers for the depleted defense to cover.