Aug 30, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats defensive back Genesis Smith (12) blocks Hawaii Rainbow Warriors running back Cam Barfield (0) from a touchdown catch during the first quarter at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Grading Arizona's Safety Room Through The BYE Week

Originally posted on Arizona Wildcats on SI
By Ari Koslow | Last updated Sep 17, 2025 12:00 PM ET

Arizona football is 3-0 heading into its bye week with wins over Hawaii, Weber State and Kansas State.

The big story of the season so far for the Wildcats has been their defense under new defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales. Across the first three games of the season, the Wildcats' defense ranks No. 4 in points allowed (8.7) and No. 2 in total yards allowed (222.3).

The safety room for Arizona has been led by the dynamic duo of Dalton Johnson and Genesis Smith.

Smith leads the team through three games with 19 tackles, four pass deflections and one interception. He also dropped a couple of other potential interceptions in the latest win over Kansas State. He broke out in a big way for a banged-up Arizona secondary last season and has picked up where he left off to begin this year.

Johnson has also continued his strong command in the Wildcats' secondary. He has totaled 16 tackles with one pass deflection and one fumble recovery. That included exploding for 10 tackles in the season opener against Hawaii.

Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Behind Smith and Johnson, Jack Lutrell has stepped into a depth role after he ended last season in a bigger role with all the injuries. He has totaled three tackles with one interception.

Treydan Stukes made his season debut against Kansas State in a limited role. With the first bye this week for the Wildcats, he'll have another week off and should be healthier moving forward, heading into conference play.

Arizona has been flying all over the field on the defensive side of the ball, coming off a win over Kansas State, where they allowed just 193 yards from scrimmage and forced them to convert just 3-of-17 third and fourth-down plays.

Grade: A-

This has been one of the better position groups top to bottom for Arizona this season, as had been expected heading into the year. The duo of Smith and Johnson creates a very safe floor for the Arizona safety room. When Stukes is fully healthy, they have the potential to be one of the better position groups in the entire conference.

Arizona is on bye this week before heading on the road to Ames next week to take on a tough opponent in Iowa State to open Big 12 conference play.

Last week, Kansas State was the toughest test up to that point for Arizona. It will now be Cyclones who remain one of the favorites to win the Big 12. If the Wildcats can come out on top in that game in a tough road environment, it will be even bigger for the confidence of Arizona moving further into conference play.

This article first appeared on Arizona Wildcats on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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