Arizona
Arizona falls to TCU 49-28, Wildcats out of bowl contention in Brent Brennan’s 1st season
Here’s what you need to know about the University of Arizona
UA was established in 1885, and its main campus is in Tucson. The Wildcats once had a live bobcat named Rufus as a mascot.
The Republic
FORT WORTH, Texas — When Arizona trekked to Texas last year, the Wildcats celebrated a come-from-behind victory in the Alamo Bowl to cap a historic season.
The only celebratory moment in Arizona’s 49-28 loss to TCU at Amon G. Carter Stadium on Saturday was UA star wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan setting the program’s all-time receiving yards record.
Arizona’s setback officially puts the Wildcats out of bowl contention. Arizona (4-7) won’t participate in the postseason for the sixth time in seven seasons. Brent Brennan is the third straight Arizona head coach to miss out on a bowl game in his first season at the helm.
Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita’s pass attempt to McMillan running an out route was intercepted on the first play from scrimmage on Saturday. TCU running back Trent Battle scored a 4-yard rushing touchdown to give the Horned Frogs a 7-0 lead; he scored again on TCU’s opening drive of the second half.
TCU quarterback Josh Hoover, the Big 12’s leading passer, was pressured by UA defensive end Lance Keneley and threw an interception on the Horned Frogs’ second drive. Arizona free safety Jack Luttrell intercepted the pass for his third pick of the season, which tied sophomore Genesis Smith for a team-high this season.
Despite the first-quarter interception, the Wildcats failed to reach TCU territory on the first three drives and fell behind 14-0.
Arizona clawed its way back to a one-possession deficit after Fifita connected with tight end Sam Olson, who ran a seam route, for a 51-yard gain to the red zone. UA redshirt sophomore wide receiver Chris Hunter completed the drive with a 17-yard touchdown catch, stretching out his body and tapping his toes to stay in bounds. Since becoming a starter last month, Hunter has emerged as the Wildcats second-best pass-catcher behind McMillan.
Arizona’s dime defense used a similar tactic it used last week against Houston, showing blitz with multiple defensive backs in the box and two defensive linemen in a two-point stance. The Wildcats either pressured Hoover or dropped back in coverage against TCU’s high-powered passing attack. Arizona forced back-to-back three-and-out possessions, but failed to convert TCU’s empty possessions into touchdowns. Arizona kicker Tyler Loop made a 53-yard and 43-yard field goal and trimmed the deficit 14-13.
With a chance for more momentum just before halftime, TCU converted on three third-down plays, including a third-and-18 and third-and-25. The Horned Frogs also had an intentional grounding that knocked them out of field goal range, but Hoover’s 24-yard pass to wide receiver JP Richardson set up TCU receiver-converted-running back Savion Williams for a 20-yard touchdown run to take a 21-13 lead.
Williams’ touchdown was the first of a five-touchdown streak for TCU. Arizona’s only offensive touchdown of the second half was Hunter’s goal-line catch in the back of the end zone. Hunter had eight catches for 45 yards. Third-year defensive end Sterling Lane II returned a fumble 68 yards with a minute left.
McMillan’s 8-yard catch with just under 10 minutes left in the game officially put him as Arizona’s all-time leading receiver with 3,335 yards. McMillan passed current UA wide receivers coach Bobby Wade for the record.
Arizona will now face red-hot in-state rival Arizona State for the Territorial Cup. The Wildcats have won the last two Territorial Cups.
Extra points:
- Saturday was TCU’s first win over Arizona in Fort Worth. The Wildcats beat the Horned Frogs Fort Worth in 1999.
- Arizona had 38 net rushing yards on Saturday. TCU, ranked near the bottom of the Big 12 in rushing defense, gave up an average of 190.1 rushing yards in the three games preceding Saturday.
- Second-year defensive lineman Julian Savaiinaea, the younger brother of Arizona star offensive tackle Jonah Savaiinaea, recorded his first-career sack at the UA on Saturday. Jonah Savaiinaea limped off the field in the fourth quarter.
- Arizona cornerback Emmanuel Karnley was ejected in the fourth quarter for spitting at a TCU player. Karnley will be suspended for the first half of the Territorial Cup game.
- Arizona senior nose tackle Chubba Ma’ae, who has been out most of the season with a leg injury, participated in pregame warmups but sat out. Ma’ae can play in the Territorial Cup game on Saturday and medically redshirt to preserve another year of eligibility.
- Arizona safety Gunner Maldonado, who is out with a season-ending leg injury, was one of the captains for the pregame coin toss. Maldonado was the Alamo Bowl Defensive MVP last season.
Arizona
Arizona Cardinals Week 13 offensive snap counts, observations
A look at how the Cardinals split up their 61 offensive snaps against the Bucs.
In the Arizona Cardinals’ 20-17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, 17 players participated in at least one of the 61 offensive snaps.
Quarterback Jacoby Brissett, left tackle Paris Johnson Jr., left guard Evan Brown, center Hjalte Froholdt, right guard Isaiah Adams, right tackle Kelvin Beachum played every snap. Wide receiver Michael Wilson missed four, while tight end Trey McBride played all but seven.
How was the playing time divided up? Below are individual snap counts for every player who got in the game offensively, grouped by position.
The first number after each name is snaps and the second is the percentage. Players in bold were starters.
Arizona Cardinals Week 13 offensive snap counts: Quarterbacks
- Jacoby Brissett (61/100
- Active, did not play: Kedon Slovis
- Reserve/injured (eligible for return): Kyler Murray
It was the fourth 300-yard game (301) in Brissett’s seven starts, but the record is 0-4 in those games and 1-6 overall. He completed 29-of-40 passes with two touchdown passes and one interception for a 100.1 passer rating. The interception was a bad decision and behind wide receiver Michael Wilson to stop their first possession of the game on a play that began at the 20-yard line, but not in the red zone.
On third down, Brissett’s three completions on six attempts achieved first downs for a total of 39 yards. He was sacked once and threw incomplete twice in the fourth quarter on third-and-1 and third-and-2 and on third-and-3 from the Tampa Bay 25-yard line in the third quarter. He ran three times for 16 yards with a long of eight.
Brissett said after the game, “It’s just execution, man. In a lot of those critical plays, I got to play a lot better.”
Running backs
- Michael Carter (32/52), Bam Knight (29/48)
- Inactive: Emari Demercado (injured)
- Active/did not play (except for special teams): Jermar Jefferson
- Reserve/injured: Trey Benson (eligible to return/practicing), James Conner (eligible to return, but won’t)
It was one of the better outings of the season as Knight rushed 11 times for 62 yards (5.6 average) and contributed 36 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown, on three receptions. He ended up with 98 yards from scrimmage. However, there was a lost fumble on the first possession of the first half after he ran for 13 yards on the first play.
Carter had 17 yards on three carries and added five catches for 47 yards.
Wide receivers
- Michael Wilson (57/93), Marvin Harrison Jr. (37/61), Xavier Weaver (30/49), Greg Dortch (20/33)
- Active/did not play (except for special teams): Andre Baccellia
- Reserve/injured: Simi Fehoko (eligible to return), Zay Jones (eligible to return, but won’t)
Harrison returned after missing two games because of appendicitis and caught six of seven targets for 69 yards with a long of 21. He was on and off the field because of a heel injury. Wilson returned to earth with three receptions for 26 yards on seven targets. Dortch had two catches for 14 yards, while Weaver was targeted once, but it wasn’t caught.
Tight ends
- Trey McBride (54/89), Elijah Higgins (25/41), Pharaoh Brown (7/11), Josiah Deguara (3/5)
- Reserve/injured: Tip Reiman, Travis Vokolek (both eligible to return, but won’t)
The beat goes on for McBride, who caught eight of nine targets for 82 yards and a touchdown. He extended his streak of five-catch games to 14, the second-longest in history for a tight end. He’s one game behind Travis Kelce of the Chiefs. McBride entered the game tied with Jimmy Graham for the most receiving yards for a tight end (301) in their first four seasons. The only blemish was a missed block on a failed fourth-and-1 play from the Cardinals’ 39-yard line in the fourth quarter that led to a 57-yard Chase McLaughlin field goal.
Higgins had two receptions for 17 yards.
Offensive linemen
- LT Paris Johnson Jr. (61/100), LG Evan Brown (61/100), C Hjalte Froholdt (61/100), RG Isaiah Adams (52/62), RT Kelvin Beachum (61/100), RT Josh Fryar (11/18)
- Inactive: C/G Hayden Conner
- Active/did not play: T Demontrey Jacobs
- Active/did not play (except for special teams): C/G Jon Gaines II
- Reserve/injured: RG Will Hernandez (eligible to return), T Christian Jones (eligible to return/practicing), RT Jonah Williams (eligible to return but won’t)
- Reserve/injured: Valentin Senn
The five starters played every snap, including Adams who returned to the first group after Hernandez was placed on injured reserve Saturday. Conner was activated from IR Saturday, but was inactive for the game. The decision was made five days before the deadline in his 21-day practice window.
In the Arizona Cardinals’ 20=17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday, 17 players participated in at least one of the 61 offensive snaps.
Quarterback Jacoby Brissett, left tackle Paris Johnson Jr., left guard Evan Brown, center Hjalte Froholdt, right guard Isaiah Adams, right tackle Kelvin Beachum played every snap. Wide receiver Michael Wilson missed four, while tight end Trey McBride played all but seven.
How was the playing time divided up? Below are individual snap counts for every player who got in the game offensively, grouped by position.
The first number after each name is snaps and the second is the percentage. Players in bold were starters.
Arizona Cardinals Week 13 offensive snap counts:
Quarterbacks
Jacoby Brissett (61/100
Active, did not play: Kedon Slovis
Reserve/injured (eligible for return): Kyler Murray
It was the fourth 300-yard game (301) in Brissett’s seven starts, but the record is 0-4 in those games and 1-6 overall. He completed 29 of 40 passes with two sacks and one interception for a 100.1 passer rating. The interception was a bad decision and behind wide receiver Michael Wilson to stop their first possession of the game on a play that began at the 20-yard line, but not in the red zone.
On third down, Brissett’s three completions on six attempts achieved first downs for a total of 39 yards. He was sacked once and threw incomplete twice in the fourth quarter on third-and-1 and third-and-2 and on third-and-3 from the Tampa Bay 25-yard line in the third quarter. He ran three times for 16 yards with a long of eight.
Brissett said after the game, “It’s just execution man. In a lot of those critical plays, I got to play a lot better.”
Running backs
Michael Carter (32/52), Bam Knight (29/48)
Inactive: Emari Demercado (injured)
Active/did not play (except for special teams): Jermar Jefferson
Reserve/injured: Trey Benson (eligible to return/practicing), James Conner (eligible to return, but won’t)
It was one of the better outings of the season as Knight rushed 11 times for 62 yards (5.6 average) and contributed 36 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown, on three receptions. He ended up with 98 yards from scrimmage. However, there was a lost fumble on the first possession of the first half after he ran for 13 yards on the first play.
Carter had 17 yards on three carries and added five catches for 47 yards.
Wide receivers
Michael Wilson (57/93), Marvin Harrison Jr. (37/61), Xavier Weaver (30/49), Greg Dortch (20/33)
Active/did not play (except for special teams): Andre Baccellia
Reserve/injured: Simi Fehoko (eligible to return), Zay Jones (eligible to return, but won’t)
Harrison returned after missing two games because of appendicitis and caught six of seven targets for 69 yards with a long of 21. He was on and off the field because of a heel injury. Wilson returned to earth with three receptions for 26 yards on seven targets. Dortch had two catches for 14 yards, while Wesaver was targeted once, but it wasn’t caught.
Tight ends
Trey McBride (54/89), Elijah Higgins (25/41), Pharaoh Brown (7/11), Josiah Deguara (3/5)
Reserve/injured: Tip Reiman, Travis Vokolek (both eligible to return, but won’t)
The beat goes on for McBride, who caught eight of nine targets for 82 yards and a touchdown. He extended his streak of five-catch games to 14, the second-longest in history for a tight end. He’s one game behind Travis Kelce of the Chiefs. McBride entered the game tied with Jimmy Graham for the most receiving yards for a tight end (301) in their first four seasons. The only blemish was a missed block on a failed fourth-and-1 play from the Cardinals 39-yard line in the fourth quarter that led to a 57-yard Chase McLaughlin field goal.
Higgins had two receptions for 17 yards.
Offensive linemen
LT Paris Johnson Jr. (61/100), LG Evan Brown (61/100), C Hjalte Froholdt (61/100), RG Isaiah Adams (52/62), RT Kelvin Beachum (61/100), RT Josh Fryar (11/18)
Inactive: C/G Hayden Conner
Active/did not play: T Demontrey Jacobs
Active/did not play (except for special teams): C/G Jon Gaines II
Reserve/injured: RG Will Hernandez (eligible to return), T Christian Jones (eligible to return/practicing), RT Jonah Williams (eligible to return but won’t)
Reserve/injured: Valentin Senn
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
Arizona
Winning $1.4M lottery ticket sold at this metro Phoenix grocery store
Strategies for playing the Powerball lottery game
Some suggestions for having the most luck with the popular lottery game.
One fortunate Arizona lottery player will take home nearly $1.5 million after a winning Triple Twist Jackpot ticket was sold at a metro Phoenix grocery store, Arizona Lottery officials said.
The ticket, which was worth $1,470,218, was sold at the Safeway located near Peoria Avenue and Cotton Lane in Surprise.
Sunday’s winning numbers were 12,17,18,19,41 and 42.
The next Triple Twist drawing is on Monday night. With the jackpot hit, the estimated jackpot for the next drawing is $200,000.
Arizona
Virus affecting horses continues to spread in Arizona, other states
A multi-state outbreak of an equine herpes virus continues to spread in Arizona, as a fourth case was confirmed this weekend. FOX 10’s Megan Spector learns more about one Valley rescue working hard to prevent the virus reaching their horses.
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