WSU Cougars vs Arizona Wildcats: Three Biggest Concerns Against ‘Cats

Nov 9, 2013; Tucson, AZ, USA; A detailed view of an Arizona Wildcats helmet on the field before the first quarter against the UCLA Bruins at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

After watching the UCLA Bruins beat the Arizona Wildcats last night, I have some early thoughts on our upcoming clash in Tuscon next weekend.

First, I’m concerned about Ka’deem Carey and B.J. Denker (is there a better awful name in college football(?)) running the ball. Carey equals 100 yards weekly and probably puts up close to 200 against our Cougs. But Denker is the guy that worries me most, as WSU has shown a propensity to lose all track of agile quarterbacks lately.

Second, the ‘Cats are better than I originally thought defensively. They aren’t inept in the passing game and of course, that’s where we have to excel to win the football game. They don’t seem particularly sound on the edges, which is good, but they are faster than I was hoping they were. Or at least that’s what they showed against UCLA.

Finally, Arizona is starting to find a passing game. That gives them a complete offensive attack and will make it really difficult on Washington State to key on any one thing, another point of issue for the Cougs’ defense so far this season. If Denker can throw it too… well that might be a wrap. UCLA won the game last night with their two forced turnovers and WSU will have to get at least that many.