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

Let that sink in for a minute.

What transpired at Casino Del Sol Stadium on Saturday night was a testament to the Wildcats’ grit, determination and depth. It was a masterful performance under circumstances that went from hard to harder to ... what the heck is going on here?

“We got resilience, man,” one of the substitute receivers, Brandon Phelps, said after the UA’s 34-7 triumph. “That’s Arizona football right there.”

The Wildcats nearly had their first conference shutout in more than 30 years.

They rushed for more than 200 yards for the first time in 11 months.

They dominated a Cincinnati team that came in with tons of momentum.

Here are my top five takeaways from what might have been the best collective coaching job of the Brent Brennan era:

1. Next men up

The gang was back together. The starting trio was intact. The Three Amigos were ready to ride.

Then they fell, one by one.

Giovanni Richardson (hamstring) returned to the lineup, lasted one series and watched the rest of the game in shorts with a towel over his head.

Later in the first half, Chris Hunter (knee) got hurt. Then Try Spivey (foot). Tight end Cole Rusk (ankle) didn’t dress.

That’s the entire starting pass-catching unit.

And yet ... the offense still functioned. The Wildcats still moved the ball. The backups — who might be starters for the foreseeable future — made plays.

Fifth-year tight end Tyler Powell had a team-high five catches, just three fewer than his career total entering Saturday, and his second touchdown of the season. Sophomore Isaiah Mizell had four catches for a career-high 67 yards. Junior Brandon Phelps had two catches for 36 yards and a touchdown that saw him niftily make a Bearcats defender miss along the sideline.

Powell and Phelps know what it’s like to overcome injuries. They’ve been there and endured that. Now they’re picking up their fallen comrades.

Powell and Phelps are grizzled veterans compared to the other pass catchers who stepped up Saturday night. At one point in the second half, Arizona had two sophomores (Mizell and Shane King) and two freshmen (Caleb Smith and R.J. Mosley) serving as Noah Fifita’s pass-catching corps.

They had no choice but to be ready to go.

The next game, at West Virginia, will present a wholly different challenge. Not that the Mountaineers’ defense is any good; frankly, it isn’t. But it’s a road game. The crowd will be a factor. How will those relatively inexperienced players handle it?

Based on what we saw Saturday night, I think they’ll be just fine.

2. Run-game reversal

The biggest storyline entering Saturday involved the run game.

Cincinnati was averaging 270 yards on the ground. Arizona was yielding a shade over 80. Which side would win that battle?

The Wildcats took it by unanimous decision.

The Bearcats finished with just 74 net rushing yards. Even adjusting for sacks, Arizona held them under 100 (89).

Cincinnati’s longest run was a 21-yard scramble by quarterback JC French IV. Tailbacks Gi’Bran Payne and Cole Tabb didn’t have a single run over 8 yards. They had just 43 combined yards on 17 carries.

“We knew they wanted to run the ball,” Brennan said. “We said no ... we’re not gonna let you do that tonight.”

The Wildcats’ defensive linemen were physical and stout between the tackles. The linebackers were active. The defensive backs provided support.

It was the latest gem orchestrated by defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales, who relishes a challenge and always seems to have his guys ready for whatever the opposition is throwing at them.

Meanwhile, Arizona topped 200 yards rushing on offense for the first time since Nov. 1, 2025, at Colorado. It was exactly what I was hoping to see from the Wildcats.

Was it always pretty? No. Were there still times — especially late in the game — where Seth Doege skewed toward the pass more than he should have? Probably.

But it was still about a 50/50 split, which is never a bad place to land. And if all your starting receivers are out, it only makes sense to lean more on your running backs.

Kedrick Reescano continued to run with force and fortitude inside. Quincy Craig is quicker and shiftier than he’s ever been. And Antwan Roberts has the speed to get to the edge (although his ball security needs work; see item No. 3).

Fifita adds to the ground game by being tough and slippery on scrambles and designed runs. He has incredible awareness of his surroundings, knowing exactly how to maneuver past bigger defenders.

3. Picking nits

No one has ever played a perfect football game. Despite the one-sided nature of Saturday’s contest, Arizona made plenty of mistakes.

Some were new. Some were recurring. None ended up mattering. But if the Wildcats are truly all about the process, as Brennan stated after the game, they’ll spend considerable time this week trying to work out the kinks.

For the third straight game, Arizona’s first offensive play resulted in a sack. It’s one of the strangest occurrences I’ve witnessed in 30 years of covering pro and college football. How does that keep happening?

Penalties were prominent and problematic. Arizona got flagged eight times for 70 yards.

Two were illegal-formation infractions that turned manageable situations into difficult ones.

In the first quarter, the Wildcats appeared to have a first down on a third-and-5 pass from Fifita to Spivey. Instead, they faced third-and-10. Fifita forced a pass toward the left sideline that was intercepted.

Late in the first half, Arizona went from first-and-goal at the 5 to first-and-goal at the 10. The Wildcats ended up settling for a field goal.

Two false starts had the same effect, although Arizona managed to overcome them. That shouldn’t happen once at home, let alone twice.

Roberts’ fumble was his second of the season in just 16 carries. The Wildcats need his explosiveness. But ball security supersedes everything. The coaching staff only has so much patience.

Defensively, there isn’t much to gripe about. The pass rush got a little undisciplined at times, giving French lanes that he could exploit. That will undoubtedly be a point of emphasis against West Virginia dual-threat QB Michael Hawkins Jr.

4. Raw deal

Arizona faced Cincinnati without linebacker Max Harris and running back Ismail Mahdi.

More likely than not, they won’t be available for the rest of the season.

That stinks on multiple levels.

The news became public 90 minutes before kickoff that the two were ineligible — the latest and probably last twist in their courtroom fight with the NCAA.

I’m not going to get into all the legal details because, frankly, I don’t understand them. I don’t understand any of this.

Some student-athletes can play under the five-for-five umbrella. Some can’t. It just depends on which judge you get and how they interpret whatever case is in front of them.

There’s no consistency to it, no logic, no clarity, no fairness.

I feel terrible for Harris, Mahdi, UA baseball pitcher Garrett Hicks, golfer Connor Hamm and whoever else has been impacted by this nonsense. For the football players, it’s almost worse that they were able to play under a temporary restraining order. That ruling gave them hope. Friday’s decision ripped it away.

The impact on the football team is significant. Arizona is banged up, as mentioned. Harris was a regular part of the rotation at linebacker. Mahdi had his best game of the season the previous Saturday at Washington State.

Can the Wildcats get by without them? Sure. Would they rather have them? Of course.

Harris and Mahdi are expected to remain with the team. They’ll participate in practice and provide leadership in the locker room.

It’s a damn shame they can’t play on Saturdays.

5. Survive and advance?

Arizona’s next challenge will be absolutely fascinating.

It’s the Wildcats’ first game against former head coach Rich Rodriguez, who, in some ways, hasn’t changed a bit since his time in Tucson.

He can still direct a spread-option run game as well as, or better than, anyone.

West Virginia averages a league-high 294 rushing yards per game. Tailback Cam Cook and QB Hawkins rank first and third, respectively, among individual Big 12 rushers. They’ve combined for 16 touchdowns.

Can Arizona’s run defense rise to the occasion again against a ground game that no one has come close to stopping?

Meanwhile, the UA will bring a depleted offensive unit to Morgantown — not ideal in a game that could be a shootout. (The average total points in West Virginia’s five games: 66.)

If the Wildcats can get through it without stumbling, they can pause to catch their breath. Their bye is the following week.

A home game vs. Iowa State follows. Although the Cyclones have played better than expected, that’s a game the Wildcats should win.

If all of the above comes to fruition, Arizona will be 6-1 heading to Lubbock to face Texas Tech on Halloween. The Red Raiders remain unbeaten, but they aren’t the juggernauts they were a year ago.

After watching Arizona stomp Cincinnati amid suboptimal circumstances, I’m not ruling out anything.