5 takeaways from Arizona football’s 34-7 victory over Cincinnati | Michael Lev

Arizona football gave Tucson fans a performance built on depth and toughness Saturday night, overcoming a rapidly growing injury list to defeat undefeated Cincinnati 34-7 at Casino Del Sol Stadium. The victory was the Wildcats’ first Big 12 win of the season and one of their most complete performances under coach Brent Brennan. Arizona played most of the game without its top four pass catchers, entered without two important veteran contributors, and still controlled the game on both sides of the ball.

The receiving corps was reshaped almost immediately. Giovanni Richardson returned from a hamstring injury but lasted only one series. Chris Hunter III left with a knee injury during the first half, Try Spivey suffered a foot injury, and tight end Cole Rusk did not play because of an ankle issue. By the second half, quarterback Noah Fifita was working with a group that included two sophomores, Isaiah Mizell and Shane King, along with freshmen Caleb Smith and R.J. Mosley. Instead of allowing the offense to unravel, the inexperienced group helped Arizona maintain its momentum.

Veterans Tyler Powell and Brandon Phelps were especially important. Powell, a fifth-year tight end, caught five passes, a remarkable total considering he had entered the game with only three receptions across his career, and he scored his second touchdown of the season. Mizell recorded four catches for a career-best 67 yards. Phelps added two catches for 36 yards and a touchdown, including a play in which he made a Cincinnati defender miss near the sideline. Both Powell and Phelps have dealt with injuries themselves, and they helped provide the steadiness Arizona needed as teammates went down.

The Wildcats also answered the biggest statistical question before kickoff by dominating the rushing battle. Cincinnati arrived averaging 270 rushing yards per game, while Arizona had been allowing slightly more than 80. The Bearcats finished with only 74 net rushing yards, or 89 when sacks are removed from the calculation. Quarterback JC French IV accounted for Cincinnati’s longest run, a 21-yard scramble, while running backs Gi’Bran Payne and Cole Tabb had no carry longer than eight yards and combined for only 43 yards on 17 attempts. Arizona’s defensive line held its ground, the linebackers played aggressively, and the secondary consistently supported the run defense.

Defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales again produced a strong game plan against a team that wanted to run the football. Arizona’s defensive performance was nearly good enough to deliver the program’s first conference shutout in more than 30 years. The main concern was that the pass rush occasionally lost discipline and allowed French openings to scramble. That issue will matter next week, when the Wildcats travel to face West Virginia and dual-threat quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. The road setting and a potentially hostile crowd will create a different test for a defense that has looked increasingly reliable.

Arizona’s own rushing attack finally broke through for more than 200 yards, the first time the Wildcats had reached that mark since Nov. 1, 2025, at Colorado. Kedrick Reescano continued to run with power between the tackles, while Quincy Craig provided more quickness and elusiveness than he has shown previously. Antwan Roberts Jr. supplied speed on the edge, and Fifita added value as a runner through scrambles and designed plays. With the starting receivers unavailable, a balanced offensive approach was particularly important. Arizona came close to a 50-50 run-pass split, although there were still stretches late in the game when the Wildcats appeared to throw more than necessary.

The victory did not erase Arizona’s recurring problems. The Wildcats opened the game with a sack on their first offensive play, the third consecutive game in which that has happened. They also committed eight penalties for 70 yards, including two illegal-formation calls that extended difficult situations. One penalty changed a potential third-and-5 conversion into third-and-10 and preceded Fifita’s interception. Another moved Arizona from first-and-goal at the Cincinnati 5-yard line to the 10, forcing the Wildcats to settle for a field goal. Two false starts created similar problems.

Ball security remains another concern. Roberts lost a fumble, his second in only 16 carries this season. His speed gives Arizona a valuable offensive weapon, but the coaching staff will need to address the turnovers before they cost the Wildcats a close game. Arizona also cannot afford to give mobile quarterbacks easy escape routes. Those imperfections were largely harmless against Cincinnati, but they could become decisive on the road at West Virginia.

The Wildcats were also forced to play without linebacker Max Harris and running back Ismail Mahdi, who were ruled ineligible about 90 minutes before kickoff after the latest development in their legal dispute with the NCAA. Both had previously been allowed to play under a temporary restraining order, which made the ruling especially difficult for the players and the team. Harris had been a regular part of Arizona’s linebacker rotation, while Mahdi was coming off his best game of the season against Washington State. They are expected to remain with the team, practice and contribute as leaders, but they are unlikely to play again this season. Arizona showed against Cincinnati that it can withstand major losses, but Tucson fans saw how much depth and resilience will be required to keep the season moving forward.