Following the win over UTEP, Arizona Football (2-1) will have a tougher challenge against Stanford (1-2), but here’s how they can beat the Cardinal.
Week four of the 2023 Arizona Football season is upon us, and just one week after the Wildcats manhandled UTEP, the Wildcats return to action against Pac-12 foe, Stanford to begin conference play.
Coming in, Arizona enters this one as the considerable favorite; however, the Wildcats should still have a bit of a challenge on their hands, especially as travel to Northern California for their first conference road game of the season.
Despite the Wildcats’ looking dominant against the Miners last week, they will have an even greater challenge that will provide a great litmus test to this team. And if Arizona is going to win, they will have to play a clean, mistake-free game.
With that said, here are the keys for an Arizona Football win over the Stanford Cardinal.
Find an Offensive Rhythm Early
What has been a constant theme with this group this season, Arizona’s offense has gotten off to some awfully slow starts. And while they have played well in the second half this year, the opponents are only going to get better from here on out.
If the Wildcats are going to win on the road today, they are going to have to start faster, and that means finding an offensive rhythm more quickly. If they do that, I like their chances of winning!
Protecting the Football
I know this goes without saying, but if Arizona hopes to beat Stanford on Saturday, then they need to take better care of the football.
Jayden de Laura is a bit careless with the football at times, and this is a game that Arizona cannot afford to let Stanford hang around in. Too many costly mistakes mean that they can probably kiss their chances of winning this one, goodbye.
If Arizona can play smart and take care of the football, I think they win this one comfortably.
Keeping Jayden de Laura Upright
So far, the offensive line has done well to begin the year but as the competition slowly starts to get better, keeping de Laura upright is going to be paramount for the Wildcats being successful on offense.
If they can do that, that likely means the offense is going to move more efficiently and de Laura is going to play a cleaner game.
Stopping the Run
Going hand-in-hand with the Wildcats needing to get stops on defense, more specifically, they need to be able to stop the run.
So far, this group has improved significantly; however, they still are largely untested. While I don’t see Stanford being one of the more physically dominant and skilled football teams Arizona will play this year, this is going to be an important area for the Wildcats’ defense if they hope to find and sustain success.
If Arizona hopes to beat Stanford this weekend, they are going to have to continue to stop/limit the rushing attack, and if they can do that, I like their chances of beating Stanford.
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