Arizona passed the first of its 12 guaranteed tests, but the level of difficulty will go up next week.
The Wildcats cruised to a 35-7 win over in-state foe NAU on Saturday night before an announced crowd of 40,129 at Casino Del Sol Stadium. It was the UA’s fourth consecutive season-opening win, its longest streak since winning eight in a row from 2008-15.
Noah Fifita threw two touchdown passes, adding to his school record, and moved past Willie Tuitama for second on the career yardage mark, while Kedrick
Reescano had a part of short TD runs as part of a balanced rushing attack that produced 206 yards.
Fifita was 22 of 29 for 262 yards, giving him 9,445 for his career. He needs 567 to break Nick Foles’ UA record.
Arizona’s defense, despite giving up a handful of big plays through the air, were stifling against the run. NAU finished with minus-7 rushing yards, the first time the UA held an opponent to negative yards on the ground since 2006 against Stanford. The Wildcats also recorded five sacks, 2.5 by Chase Kennedy, who had four all of last season.
The UA looked primed to post the program’s first shutout since a 35-0 win over NAU in 2013 before backup QB Sawyer Anderson threw a pick-six on his first collegiate pass.
It was far from a perfect performance for Arizona, though. It had three turnovers, most in two years, after finishing second nationally in turnover margin (plus-18) last season,
Arizona held NAU to 125 yards in the first half, gaining more than 300 en route to a 21-0 lead. The Wildcats went 3-and-out on their first two drives after halftime but also forced the Lumberjacks into three straight 3-and-outs, keeping the field flipped and setting up a 14-yard TD run by Marshall transfer Antwan Roberts Jr. with 5:01 left in the 3rd quarter.
An interception by safety Quinn Olson, who was put on scholarship on Friday night, late in the 3rd set up another 1-yard TD run by Reescano with 13:52 left.
Arizona’s first drive was a lot of Tre Spivey andReescano, with the former hauling in a 20-yard TD catch that put Fifita into second on the UA career passing list. A sack by Chase Kennedy halted NAU’s first possession in Wildcat territory, and they quickly got across midfield before Giovanni Richardson had the ball poked away at the end of a long reception in the red zone.
NAU’s Ty Pennington completed his first eight passes, including a 24-yarder to Myseth Currie on 3rd and long, but then overthrew his target on 4th down in Arizona territory early in the 2nd quarter. The Wildcats took advantage, going 57 yards in six plays with Fifita firing a strike on the run to Brandon Phelps for a 21-yard TD and a 14-0 lead with 10:41 left in the 1st half.
A 1-yard run by Reescano made it 21-0 with 3:20 to go before halftime.
NAU used a hook-and-lateral play on 3rd down to set up its best drive with under a minute to go only to have to settle for a 35-yard field goal, which was wide right.
Things get much tougher for the UA in Week 2, as it opens Big 12 play at No. 14 BYU on Sept. 12. The Cougars crushed Utah Tech 63-7 in their opener.
