After last week’s heartbreaking 18-16 loss at the hands of BYU, the Arizona football has their home opener this Saturday against the Grambling State Tigers. After playing BYU in Phoenix at a neutral field, the Wildcats get to enjoy a home-field advantage that could potentially disrupt the Tigers’ flow.
“The student section always gives us energy because of how loud they are,” said UA safety Chacho Ulloa. “They can mess up the other team’s offense. We hear them on the sidelines; it is good support and they bring good energy to the stadium.”
Arizona may have a new quarterback this Saturday after Anu Solomon suffered a knee injury in practice. Fans may see Brandon Dawkins his first start this Saturday, who would bring a different element to Arizona’s offense. While he may not be as polished of a passer as Solomon is, he is much more prolific in the run game and with extending plays.
Dawkins went 20-38 for 338 yards for two touchdowns and two interceptions last season. He also carried the ball 32 times for 179 yards and two touchdowns despite being the third-string quarterback.
Arizona running back Nick Wilson is coming off a strong performance against BYU with 17 carries for 138 yards and two touchdowns. In a conference with Christian McCaffrey, Royce Freeman and Myles Gaskin, it is Wilson that currently leads the Pac-12 Conference in rushing yards. Wilson had 120 rushing yards in the second half against BYU last Saturday and will look to pick up where he left off.
The Tigers are coming off of a 72-12 rout of Virginia at Lynchburg and look to be a Football Championship Subdivision force this season. Their offense produced a staggering 665 yards of total offense, including over 400 on the ground.
Quarterback DeVante Kincade led the rushing attack with four carries for 139 yards and two touchdowns while also throwing for two touchdowns. He split time at the quarterback position with Trevon Cherry, who went 11 for 15 for 140 yards and two touchdowns in the win.
Grambling receiver Martez Carter had an electrifying performance last week, as he needed just eight touches to accumulate a staggering 226 yards of total offense. Carter was also one of 11 different receivers to register a catch against Lynchburg, so Arizona cannot just key on one guy.
“We are focused on everybody, we cannot just go in the game thinking these guys cannot play or these guys are Grambling State,” said safety Jarvis McCall. “We have to come in with the mindset that these guys are good, they are hungry and they want to upset us,” he added.
Kickoff is at 7:45 p.m. at Arizona Stadium and the game will be televised on Pac-12 Network.
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