Arizona attempts to halt a five-game losing streak when it hosts improving Houston on Friday night in Tucson, Ariz.
The Wildcats (3-6, 1-5 Big 12) are trying to keep alive bowl hopes after starting the season No. 21 in the AP Top 25 poll. Injuries and an uneven transition to new head coach Brent Brennan dashed high expectations, as Arizona has lost three in a row at home.
Arizona hasn’t provided enough help on offense for wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (63 catches, 1,066 yards, six TDs). The Wildcats are averaging 17.3 points in their past eight games; opponents are putting up 30.1 per game.
“This last stretch of brotherhood, how do you want this to end?” Brennan said of the message to his team since a 56-12 loss at UCF on Nov. 2. “I think that’s something they all lean into heavily. Attacking the work and finishing the right way is what everyone in the program should be all about right now.”
The Cougars (4-5, 3-3) have had season-long issues on offense — they average 15.2 points per game, third-worst in the country — but have been better since turning to sophomore quarterback Zeon Chriss four games ago. He helped lead a 30-19 victory at TCU, and Houston has won three of its past four, including narrow home wins over Utah and then-No. 17 Kansas State.
Now, the Cougars are dreaming of the postseason, finishing against Baylor at home and then at BYU.
“I just try and focus on each game,” coach Willie Fritz said. “We’re 100 percent focused on Arizona. I think that’s the way to do it. Everybody can say these what-ifs and all these other kinds of stuff. We’re not at that point in our program to do stuff like that, and I probably never will anyway.”
Chriss was 11-for-11 passing in the 24-19 victory over Kansas State, throwing for 103 yards and a touchdown. He also was the team’s leading rusher with 75 yards on 22 attempts, including a 41-yard touchdown for the winning points with 2:31 to go.
He will be the focus of an Arizona defense that has lost three of its best players to injuries — linebacker Jacob Manu, defensive back Treydan Stukes and safety Gunner Maldonado.
