The University of Arizona football team (1-0) will look to build off a dominant season-opening win when Arizona hosts Weber State University (0-1) on Saturday, Sept. 6, at Arizona Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be streamed on ESPN+.
This marks the first-ever meeting between the two schools. Both teams entered week two coming off very different results — Arizona rolled past Hawaii in Tucson, while Weber State stumbled on the road at James Madison University.
Weber State this season
Weber State opened its season with a difficult cross-country trip and fell 45-10 to James Madison in Harrisonburg, Virginia The Dukes piled up 458 yards of total offense, including 313 on the ground at 7.1 yards per carry. JMU forced three interceptions and held Weber State to 158 yards of offense.
The lone bright spots came in the second and third quarters. Ishaan Daniels recovered a fumble late in the first half, setting up quarterback Jackson Gilkey’s first collegiate touchdown pass, a 14-yard strike to Noah Kjar. In the third quarter, Daniels added a sack and Sloan Calder knocked through a career-long 51-yard field goal, tied for the longest in FCS during week one.
Gilkey, a sophomore transfer from the University of Texas at San Antonio, finished 10-of-24 passing for 84 yards and a touchdown. Senior transfer running back Zach Hrbacek led the ground game with 39 yards on 12 carries, while Angel King stood out defensively with 11 tackles and an interception.
Despite the flashes, Weber State’s lack of consistency proved costly, and now head into their second straight road game against an FBS opponent.
Arizona this season
Arizona delivered an all-around dominant performance in a 40-6 victory over Hawaii at Arizona Stadium. UA’s defense overwhelmed the Rainbow Warriors, producing 10 tackles for loss, five sacks, three interceptions and two fumble recoveries.
Offensively, Arizona leaned on its run game. Transfer Quincy Craig provided a spark with 125 yards and a touchdown on just seven carries, including a 54-yard sprint up the middle in the second quarter. Quarterback Noah Fifita added balance, throwing for 162 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for a score. His 6,116 career passing yards now rank sixth in program history.
Arizona jumped ahead early, capitalizing on a 41-yard punt return from Jeremiah Patterson that set up a four-play scoring drive capped by Kedrick Reescano’s 13-yard touchdown. From there, UA steadily pulled away, sealing their first season-opening win under second-year head coach Brent Brennan.
Keys to the Game
For Weber State, avoiding turnovers will be crucial. They threw three interceptions in the first week and now face an Arizona defense that forced five takeaways against Hawaii. Protecting Gilkey and establishing Hrbacek in the run game could help Weber State avoid falling into an early hole.
For Arizona, the focus will be on sharpening the passing attack. While the run game thrived against Hawaii, UA converted just 3-of-11 third downs and at times looked out of rhythm through the air. Getting Fifita in sync with transfer receivers like Luke Wysong and Kris Hutson will be a priority before Big 12 play ramps up.
Defensively, Arizona’s defense looks to force Weber State into long-yardage situations, which could help Arizona extend its over 5 turnover margin from week one.
Prediction
Weber State struggled to contain the run at James Madison, and facing an Arizona offense that rushed for 183 yards last week presents another uphill challenge. Expect Fifita and the passing game to find rhythm while the defense creates more havoc.
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