When Arizona defeated Utah earlier this season on the road, it had seemed like that was the game to get them back on track to achieve their College Football Playoff aspiration.
Three weeks later and the Wildcats sit at 3-4 with five games to go. In a season that Arizona entered with high hopes now sits in a place where it is looking to salvage its season with a stretch of wins to close the year.
Last season, the Wildcats started 3-3 before ripping off seven straight wins including an Alamo Bowl win over Oklahoma. The dream of that happening again ended last week when Arizona lost its third game in a row on the season against Colorado.
Looking ahead to the rest of the season, Arizona hosts West Virginia on Saturday to begin a stretch of five games to close the year. If Arizona can't beat West Virginia at home this weekend, it will have to win three of the final four games to even win enough games to make a bowl game.
The Mountaineers are coming off back-to-back losses against Iowa State and Kansas State following a 3-2 start to the season, so this game on Saturday is huge for both teams chances of making a bowl game.
The quarterback situation is up in the air for West Virginia. Starter Garrett Greene did not return after halftime last week against Kansas State and his status for this week is up in the air as coach Neal Brown said earlier in the week. If it is not Greene under center, it will be Nicco Marchiol who was high school teammates with Genesis Smith at Hamilton High School in Chandler.
"I know a lot about him," Smith said. "He is a good quarterback and Garrett Greene is a good quarterback too, so we're getting ready for both of them."
They have completely different play styles so that will add to the challenge of having to prepare for them both.
Arizona coach Brent Brennan was in similar territory in his final season last year at San Jose State where the Spartans started 1-5 before collecting six straight wins to close the regular season.
Brennan figures to use that experience to help rally the team for the last five games of this season.
"Whenever you're in the struggle, the only way to it is going through it," Brennan said. "That's why the practice environment is so important, just focusing on right now and this day and this moment and not getting caught up on five days from now so that we can get the most out of this time we have to improve. That's what this time is all about for us. We have to improve this week, and it starts with me and every guy deciding that they're willing to do that. That they're willing to put in the work that gives them a chance to improve."
Arizona will look to make a run to end the season starting with West Virginia on Saturday. The current combined record of the Wildcats remaining opponents is 17-18 so the schedule is favorable for them to have a chance of finishing strong.
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