Three ways to win
Arizona’s running game
Nick Wilson has gone beast mode this season. In his sophomore campaign, Wilson has rushed for 570 yards and five touchdowns through four games, with his longest run at 43 yards. Wilson will need to step up if quarterback Anu Solomon is out for the matchup with Stanford. In addition, backup quarterback Jerrard Randall will need to gain some big running space in any absence of Solomon. The backup has rushed for 337 yards and four touchdowns on 22 attempts this season.
Stanford too confident
The Cardinal have come up with some big victories against tough Pac-12 Conference opponents this season, including USC and Oregon State. But Stanford also suffered an opening season loss against Northwestern to start the season. The Wildcats are used to fighting through adversity and with Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez at the helm, they stands a good chance.
Revenge factor
Arizona football is coming off an embarrassing defeat against UCLA last weekend in front of the entire nation. The Wildcats will be coming out fast and angry against Stanford to try to regain their groove. If they can run over the rugged Stanford defense, Arizona will come out on top.
Three ways to lose
Injuries
Injuries have been detrimental to Arizona this season. One thing is for certain, Scooby Wright III will be out for several weeks, so he for sure won’t play against Stanford. Anu Solomon remains questionable with a concussion and is officially as day-to-day. Without the captains and leaders of the offense and defense, it could be difficult for Arizona to pull out the victory.
Distraction
Arizona football may be distracted after the Ka Mate haka incident. After a petition was made conveying the pregame haka dance as being disrespectful, the Wildcats need to leave this one behind them. The team has enough on its plate after the poor performance on the national stage on ESPN’s College GameDay against UCLA.
Kevin Hogan
The Stanford quarterback has been on fire this season, throwing for 938 yards and seven touchdowns with just two interceptions. The common factor for Arizona on the defensive side of the ball has been their putrid secondary. With Hogan probable against the Wildcats after suffering an ankle injury last week, he could be the difference in this game.
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