The No. 21 Arizona Wildcats (1-0, 0-0 in Big-12) opened their 2024 season with a high-scoring 61-39 victory over the University of New Mexico Lobos (0-2, 0-0 in Mountain West) on Aug. 31 at Arizona Stadium. Tetairoa McMillan smashed the Arizona single-game receiving record with 304 yards in the season opener.
Head coach Brent Brennan captured his first Arizona victory while scoring the most points in a coaching debut for the Wildcats. The Wildcats continue their win streak from last season which is now up to eight.
The electric duo of McMillan and Noah Fifita headlined the Wildcats season opener. The offense showcased their deep prowess and connection, but the defensive side of the ball appeared much later in the game. The Wildcat defense let the Lobos put up several touchdowns, resulting in the Wildcats only having a three point lead at the end of the first half.
The game also saw two ejections, one being Arizona’s cornerback Tacario Davis, who was ejected in the fourth quarter for accumulating two unsportsmanlike conduct fouls and one from New Mexico for targeting. In total the game also saw 17 penalties that changed the final score drastically.
Offense:
The Wildcats’ offense was on point on all facets of the ball; from the air to the ground, the Wildcats made their mark in the end zone.
The air side of the football began almost as soon as the game started with Fifita and McMillan connecting for a massive 69-yard touchdown just over three minutes into the game. Fifita would find McMillan not just once, twice or three times, but McMillan found the end zone for a program-tying four times. McMillan wasn’t just finding the end zone more than ever, but he was able to capture the all-time single-game receiving record in just the third quarter. McMillan would break Arizona receiver Jeremy McDaniel’s record of 283 in 1996, recording 304 yards at the end of play.
“TMac is obviously special,” said Coach Brennan. “He’s an awesome competitor and he’s also not satisfied.”
Despite Fifita’s early interception, his connection with McMillan and his arsenal of receivers saw him record 422 yards and 4 touchdowns.
“He’s the best player in the country and his statistics show that,” said Fifita on McMillan’s performance.
Fifita continues to showcase his leadership on the team, acknowledging his shortcomings of not spreading the ball around as much as he would like to, while continuing to praise those around him.
“I’m going to have to do a much better job building chemistry and making sure the receivers know I trust them,” said Fifita.
Arizona’s ground game blew by the Lobos’ defenders, with new running backs Jacory Crosky-Merritt and Quali Conley dominating the field. Crosky-Merritt faced his former team, New Mexico, and stunned them with a 106-yard and 1-touchdown performance. Conley also showcased his running game putting in 90 rushing yards, 3 touchdowns and 29 receiving yards for his first game in an Arizona uniform. These two stellar performances will continue to push the envelope for the future ahead.
Defense:
While New Mexico was still able to put a marginal amount of points on the board, Arizona’s defense ensured they would be left just short once the game was over.
Arizona was able to snag the ball away from the Lobos with two interceptions by Genesis Smith and Treydan Stukes, in the second and third quarters respectively. Each interception would lead Arizona to continue their rout over New Mexico. The Wildcats also held the Lobos decently well on third-down conversions, with only five of twelve.
Coach Brennan thought the slow start on defense was because of their limited contact during practice.
“I think the hardest thing to do during training camp is to play live football and to tackle live because you’re just concerned about losing a good player,” Brennan said.
The defensive shift in the second half surely allowed Arizona to ride away with the blowout victory.
Coach Brennan told the team after being down in the first half to, “stop worrying about the outcome […] Stop looking at the scoreboard […] Just play football.”
Brennan’s incoming mentality and connection to players continue to shine as well; after this half-time pep-talk, the Wildcat’s defense showed out.
Looking Ahead:
The Wildcats have their next game in Tucson against the Northern Arizona University Lumberjacks on Sept. 7 at 7 p.m. After their two-game stretch at home, the Wildcats go on to face No. 18 Kansas State University on Sept. 13 in Manhattan, Kansas in what will be an exciting start in the Wildcat’s future in the Big 12.
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