The University of Arizona football team (1-0) dominated in the opening game of the season 40-6 over the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa on Aug. 30, at 7:30 p.m. at Arizona Stadium.
On Pacific Islander Heritage night, former Arizona wide receiver and No. 8 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft Tetairoa McMillan and former defensive back Randy Robbins were inducted into the Arizona Football Ring of Honor. The Wildcats put on a show with many Arizona alumni in attendance.
Offense
Arizona’s offense was explosive. On the first play of the season, Noah Fifita launched a rocket to redshirt sophomore wide receiver Tre Spivey into triple coverage for a 27-yard completion. Three plays later, junior running back Kedrick Reescano ran into the endzone for the first score of this year’s campaign.
Junior transfer running back Quincy Craig had multiple big plays throughout the game. In the second quarter, Craig took off for a 54-yard touchdown and in the fourth he flew for 34 yards to put the Wildcats inside Hawaiʻi’s 10-yard line, which finished with a touchdown by senior running back Ismail Mahdi.
Coming into the game, Craig was listed as the third-string running back behind senior transfer Mahdi and Reescano. At the end of the night, Craig, the transfer from Portland State University, finished with seven carries, 125 yards and 1 touchdown, averaging almost 18 yards per carry.
“I don’t think Quincy’s success surprised any of us […]. Preparation meets opportunity, and he made the most of it,” head coach Brent Brennan said.
Fifita shared the love to his receiver core tonight, completing eight different receivers. Redshirt senior Javin Whatley hauled in three receptions, topping the most for Arizona’s wide receiver room.
Fifita, a redshirt junior quarterback, finished the season opener going 13-for-23, 161 yards, 1 passing and 1 rushing touchdown.
“The more confidence Noah [Fifita] has distributing the football makes it harder to defend us […]. There was some good distribution with that receiving core and I think there is room to grow,” Brennan said.
Defense
Since kickoff, the Wildcats’ defense put the Hawaiʻi offense in a blender. Arizona forced five turnovers, sent constant pressure, mixed up coverages and broke up passes with hard hits.
During the second quarter, redshirt junior linebacker Chase Kennedy sacked Hawaiʻi quarterback Micah Alejado which forced the ball to come loose, allowing Kennedy to recover his own fumble.
Midway through the third, junior linebacker Taye Brown picked off Alejado on the first play of the Rainbow Warrior drive. With the ensuing drive, Hawaiʻi turned the ball over on downs after failing to complete a 4th and 1.
Redshirt senior defensive back Treydan Stukes was out due to a knee injury. This allowed redshirt sophomore defensive back Gavin Hunter to make his first-career start against his hometown team. Hunter grew up in Ewa Beach, Hawaiʻi, ending the night with an interception from Hawaiʻi’s backup junior quarterback Luke Weaver at the goal line and returning for 28 yards.
The turnovers did not stop there for Hawaiʻi as 6-foot-2 senior defensive lineman Malachi Bailey added to the turnover sword with an interception of his own.
Despite the Rainbow Warriors crushing Arizona in time of possession (35:44-24:16) and running 20 more plays, the Wildcats finished with five sacks on the night. This marked more sacks than any game in the 2024 campaign and the five turnovers marked the most in program history since the 2023 Alamo Bowl.
“Anytime you go 5-0 in the turnover battle, you’re gonna be in great shape in that football game […]. I love the way our defensive backs were triggering and showing up physically […] that moment of recognition and exploding towards the football and getting there with bad intentions,” Brennan said.
Looking ahead
The Wildcats will host Weber State University on Sept. 6 at Arizona Stadium. Arizona will look to stay undefeated on the young campaign.
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