Arizona Football: 5 reasons Wildcats will beat Hawaii in Week 0

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TUCSON, AZ – NOVEMBER 02: Offensive lineman Layth Friekh #58 of the Arizona Wildcats runs onto the field before the college football game against the Colorado Buffaloes at Arizona Stadium on November 2, 2018 in Tucson, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

5. The Wildcats will dominate the line of scrimmage

The Wildcats have the athletic edge, and they should because they are the Power Five team, and they have more resources and a larger recruiting base than the Rainbow Warriors.

The Wildcats have had better recruiting cycles the last four seasons with classes averaging a ranking of 52nd in the country while Hawaii’s class average has been 101.5. This should be showing itself in the trenches.

The Wildcats will have a glaring size advantage along their offensive line. Arizona’s offensive line average weight is 301 pounds while Hawaii’s average defensive line weight is 258 pounds. Conversely, the average weight for Hawaii’s offensive line is 287 pounds and the average weight for Arizona’s defensive line is 278 pounds. These should give the Wildcats a noticeable advantage over the Warriors upfront.

This advantage should give 1,400-yard rusher J.J. Taylor and a now healthy Khalil Tate some serious holes to run through. Not only that, but Tate, who threw for over 2,500 yards and 26 touchdowns, will have plenty of time to scan the field and throw the ball down field.

On the other hand, junior quarterback Cole McDonald might not have that time for Hawaii. Although Arizona didn’t have that great of a pass rush, Hawaii doesn’t keep seven guys in to protect the quarterback most downs since they are in four-wide formations so often.

At the very least, the Wildcats should be able to disrupt Hawaii’s timing by generating a pass rush against an inferior offensive line.

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