After Arizona’s 31-21 victory over Grambling State, the Wildcats have one more non-conference matchup this season before they get into Pac-12 Conference play. Saturday, they take on the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at 7:45 p.m. at Arizona Stadium as the Wildcats prepare for conference play next week.
Hawaii is 1-2 coming into this game and will look to keep the momentum rolling after they beat the University of Tennessee-Martin last week 41-36. Ikaika Woolsey is the Rainbow Warrior signal caller and he has thrown for 527 yards this season with five touchdowns and five interceptions. His completion percentage is slightly over 50 and he is flanked by Diocemy Saint Juste in the backfield. The Rainbow Warriors should look to lean on Saint Juste as he has 42 carries for 225 yards and two touchdowns so far.
Brandon Dawkins got the start last week with starter Anu Solomon out, and he put up a solid, but unspectacular performance against Grambling State. Dawkins threw for 223 yards and one touchdown while also carrying the ball 16 times for 97 yards and two scores against the Tigers. While he struggled at times with accuracy, he created multiple plays on the fly and dodged multiple sacks. Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez said Hawaii will challenge Arizona’s offense this week with their aggressive style.
“They bring a lot of pressure and are not afraid to challenge you and play man coverage,” Rodriguez said. “They will blitz quite a bit, particularly when you are going into the red zone and they are very active up-front.
Last week, Nick Wilson had another 100-yard all-purpose performance, improving Arizona’s record to 12-2 when he reaches that mark. The junior running back had 24 carries for 116 yards last week, and he and Dawkins create a dynamic backfield when they are together. If Wilson can gash the defense a few times, Arizona can use the play action for deep shots down the field. If Wilson cannot get into a rhythm, Dawkins may be forced into down and distance scenarios and Hawaii can ramp up the pressure.
Another thing to watch for on Arizona’s side is how the carries will be divvied up. Backup running back Orlando Bradford was dismissed from the team so J.J. Taylor may receive more carries this week.
The Wildcats struggled on defense early on as Devante Kincade picked the defense apart with his arm and legs. Arizona would come storming back in the second half, though. The defense forced six turnovers in the end pitched a shutout in the game’s final 30 minutes.
Follow Ivan Leonard on Twitter.
