GAME BREAKDOWN
KEY MATCHUP: You won’t have to look very far to find out where the game can be won or lost Saturday night. The one matchup that will have plenty of eyes on it will be Washington State quarterback Gardner Minshew III versus Arizona’s secondary.
Minshew has been slashing up defenses the entire season and is the top passer in the FBS with nearly 1,000 more yards than the next best player in the Pac-12. Overall, he has 3,852 passing yards for an average of 385.2 yards to go with 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
The Wildcats rank ninth in the conference is passing yards allowed and are coming off a game in which Colorado’s Steven Montez had more than 340 yards through the air. Still, Arizona has seven interceptions this season and has been playing more consistently of late with the rotation settled on the back end.
“I think he has gotten more and more confident throughout the year as he’s played,” Sumlin said of Minshew. “… He’s a leader. He’s a competitor. You see that in games.”
DRAFT SLANT
–DL PJ Johnson has become an important piece to Arizona’s defense this season as a versatile defensive lineman who can play at a number of positions. Although he is the heaviest defensive lineman in the rotation, Johnson has played a lot at the defensive end position and it has helped the rest of group up front. The junior college transfer from Sacramento, Calif., has 25 tackles, including 6.5 tackles for loss, three sacks and is tied for the team lead in fumble recoveries with two.
ROSTER REPORT
–LB Colin Schooler has 32.5 career tackles for loss and needs just eight more of being in Arizona’s top 10 for a career.