Save for a couple of turnovers in the fourth quarter by backups, Arizona did not sweat this one out against Northern Arizona.
After losing to the Lumberjacks at home in 2021 and struggling against them before pulling out the win two years ago, Arizona took care of business against the team from Flagstaff on Saturday night at Casino del Sol Stadium.
Noah Fifita threw for 262 yards on 22-of-29 passing with two touchdowns to lead Arizona to a 35-7 victory in front of an announced crowd of 40,019 at Casino del Sol Stadium.
Fifita and the Seth Doege-led offense found a rhythm early, while the Wildcats’ relentless defense shut down the Lumberjacks.
Fifita spread the ball effectively to nine different receivers, keeping the NAU secondary off-balance.
Giovanni Richardson served as Fifita’s favorite target, racking up 96 yards on eight receptions. Although Richardson lost a fumble in the first quarter, his connection with Fifita did not skip a beat.
Tre Spivey and Brandon Phelps both hauled in touchdown passes from Fifita, who is now at 75 career touchdown passes.
He continued to close in on Nick Foles’ program record of 10,011 yards. He passed Willie Tuitama for No. 2 on the passing chart with 9,445 yards.
Complementing the passing game, the Wildcats found success on the ground with 206 rushing yards.
Kedrick Reescano led the backfield with 48 yards on 10 carries, including a 20-yard burst for a touchdown.
Marshall transfer Antwan Roberts Jr. also capitalized close to the goal line, logging a 14-yard scoring run on the first carry of his Arizona career. He lost a fumble in the fourth quarter but finished second in rushing with 45 yards on four carries.
Arizona’s defense, coached by coordinator Danny Gonzales, harassed NAU quarterback Ty Pennington, suffocating the Lumberjacks’ run game and forcing five sacks.
Linebacker Taye Brown spearheaded the effort with a game-high 11 total tackles, while defensive lineman Chase Kennedy recorded 2.5 sacks.
NAU’s ground game finished with minus-7 total rushing yards due to the lost yardage from sacks.
Pennington threw for 180 yards on 15-of-26 passing.
The Lumberjacks could not sustain drives or construct any scoring opportunities. NAU kicker Francisco Orduno Jr. had one chance to break the shutout but missed his lone field goal attempt in the first half.
NAU finally broke through in the fourth quarter when Noble Young-Blackgoat returned an interception thrown by backup quarterback Sawyer Anderson for a touchdown.
Anderson finished 5 of 8 for 52 yards.
Arizona punter Chase Ridley was effective averaging 48 yards on three punts, two of which landed inside the 20.
Arizona opens Big 12 play next Saturday against BYU at Provo, Utah. The Cougars defeated Utah Tech 63-7 in Provo on Saturday.
Recommended for you
