Line of scrimmage battle could determine result of Arizona vs. Texas Tech

The No. 22-ranked Wildcats have to face a 13th-ranked Texas Tech team, one of the several College Football Playoff hopefuls in the Big 12, fresh off a loss to Cincinnati, a team the Wildcats thumped in Tucson.

And the Wildcats have to face the Red Raiders at Galaxy Stadium in Lubbock Saturday morning. As expected, the Wildcats — riding a five-game winning streak — are one-possession underdogs for Saturday.

The outcome of the Arizona-Texas Tech game will likely be determined at the line of scrimmage — and both sides make a case for arguably the best defensive lines in the Big 12.

Arizona is second in the conference in sacks (23) behind Baylor (27), while Texas Tech has the third-most sacks (20); the Wildcats’ sack total ranks seventh in college football. Arizona is third-to-last in the Big 12 in sacks allowed (17), while Texas Tech is ninth (12). The Red Raiders are sixth in rushing defense; the Wildcats are seventh, allowing just over 107 yards per game.

“This is going to be a huge line-of-scrimmage game for us on both sides of the ball,” said Arizona head coach Brent Brennan. “Their defense is really impressive. They play incredibly hard; they have playmakers at every position. It’s one of those things you know you have to play consistent football.

“You have to find ways to stay ahead of the chains, because both of those guys inside are so effective. You have to do a good job of not putting yourself in those big down-and-distance (plays). Their front seven is really impressive. They’re physical, they play incredibly hard, they do a great job.”

Texas Tech is led by defensive tackle A.J. Holmes, who leads the Big 12 in sacks (5.5) as an interior defensive lineman. Holmes is arguably the best interior defensive lineman the Wildcats have faced all season. Holmes spent the first three seasons of his collegiate career at Houston and transferred to Texas Tech last season and became an All-American for the Red Raiders.

Texas Tech also added one of the top defensive linemen transfers in the transfer portal in Mateen Ibirogba, a fifth-year senior from Wake Forest. Ibirogba has two sacks as a defensive tackle.

Containing Holmes, Ibirogba and Texas Tech’s linebacking corps will be a tall task for Arizona’s offensive line, especially the interior trio of left guard Rhino Tapa’atoutai, center Zachary Henning and right guard Alexander Doost.

Tapa’atoutai leads the Big 12 in sacks allowed (four) this season, but Henning is tied for the second-best pass-blocking grade (87.3) in the Big 12. Center is often a thankless job in football. Sometimes the noticeable moments are bad ones — low snaps, high snaps, allowing pressure through the middle. Henning, a senior transfer from Washington, has been unnoticeable regarding mistakes. And that’s OK for Arizona.

“We notice Zach,” Brennan said. “Our offensive staff notices him and appreciates him and respects him on a super high level. He’s been a great addition to this team. He’s a leader, he’s confident, he’s tough, he’s got a high care factor, he’s playing great football, he has a great relationship with (quarterback Noah Fifita).”

Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire, who has a 41-18 record at Texas Tech since 2022, said this summer that Fifita is one of the most talented quarterbacks the Red Raiders have faced in the McGuire era.

“He's a freak, man,” McGuire said of Fifita at Big 12 Media Days. “We actually talked about him last night at dinner. We were talking about our schedule and the teams we're playing, and of course, Arizona is a team that's coming to Lubbock. There's a reason he's the top quarterback returning in the conference.

“I think (offensive coordinator) Seth Doege deserves a lot of credit because (Fifita) was really good two years ago, but you could see how Seth used (Fifita) and how it made him a tougher player to defend. He's a little bit like Kyler Murray; he's tough to tackle, has great vision and does a great job moving the pocket.

“The depth of the pocket, he's hard to sack. He's like a great point guard, he can improvise. He can make a no-look pass or a no-look throw that you didn't see coming.” 

Brennan is confident Fifita’s experience as the winningest quarterback in UA history will keep Arizona’s offense on schedule against Texas Tech, a defense that has five pick-sixes on 13 interceptions this season; both lead the Big 12. Texas Tech linebacker John Curry is second in the Big 12 with three interceptions.

“You hope the experience of Noah Fifita and the battles he’s been through over time, those reps help him make great decisions with the football,” Brennan said. “We’ve played against some really good defenses. Besides BYU, this is the best defense we’ve played all year. Can we find a way to effectively run the football? Does that open up opportunities for Noah to distribute the football to more people across the field?

“When he’s doing that, I think we’re doing a nice job of being effective and moving the football, staying ahead of the chains. This defense presents a lot of problems.”

Brennan held his weekly news conference on Monday and discussed Texas Tech and Fifita, among other topics.

What do you think of Texas Tech and the job they’ve done establishing themselves as a power football program in the Big 12?

A: “I think they’ve done a great job. I think they’re incredibly well-coached. I think Coach McGuire does a great job there. A lot of his career was in Texas as a high school coach and college coach, so obviously he knows the state extremely well. When you combine that with their collective investment in their football program, whether that’s facilities, NIL, (revenue) sharing, they’ve done a great job and the results speak to it.”

Does it matter that Texas Tech is coming off a loss?

A: “We’re going to get their best shot, it’s going to be an incredible environment, it’s going to be a hell of a football game. … In any situation, you’d rather not lose the week before. In terms of how we’re looking at it, we know we’re going to be playing an excellent football team that’s very well-coached, very physical on both sides of the ball, in a very tough environment. This is a big-time challenge for our football team.”

What’s your take on the national perception of Fifita?

A: “I think the national narrative around Noah is slow and late to the game. Just his consistent level of play has been outstanding. It speaks to who he is, it speaks to how he prepares, it speaks to the trust we have in him and his relationship with Coach Doege and what we’re doing schematically. He’s incredibly special.

“For him not being talked about as one of the absolute best quarterbacks, one of the best players in the country, I don’t understand that. He played really well a year ago, so there’s definitely momentum coming into this season for him. Then he makes the unselfish choice and chooses to stay and chooses the U of A and chooses his teammates and coaches and the city of Tucson.

“I keep saying he’s the best story in college football. Then he goes out and throws for 300 (yards) and completes 79% of his passes (against Iowa State). He’s special. It should be broadcasted on every station in the world about how awesome he is.”

Brennan pays $2K tab at Dirtbag’s

Brennan is a man of the people. 

Arizona's head coach purchased and donated 1,000 tickets to local nonprofit groups and youth football organizations for the Wildcats' Homecoming matchup with Iowa State. 

After the Wildcats routed Iowa State, 39-3, at Casino Del Sol Stadium, Brennan took a detour on his way home and made a quick pit stop at “Dirtbag's,” a popular bar near the UA campus on Speedway and Campbell Avenue.

Brennan walked into Dirtbag's, bought around 300 shots of tequila worth $2,000 for UA fans — and walked out.  

“For me, I’ve said it since I got here, and it’s been a thing for me the whole time I’ve been a head coach. I think it’s important that if you want people to show up for you, you gotta show up for them,” Brennan said on Monday. “It was an easy way for me to pop in there, with all of our alumni in town for homecoming, the excitement from the game, to go in there and say hello and get out.

“I was in there for five minutes. It was an expensive five minutes, but it was a good five minutes. Just wanted to invest in our fans and let them know how much we appreciate them as a football team.”