Arizona put up a strong performance, dominating in all three phases in a 35-7 win over Northern Arizona at Casino del Sol Stadium Saturday night.
The Wildcats welcomed back their three-headed monster from the secondary last season as the game’s honorary captains — Treydan Stukes and Dalton Johnson, who were both drafted by the Las Vegas Raiders, along with Genesis Smith, drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers.
This was the first game with the new sound system, lighting, and away team in front of the ZonaZoo on the eastside of the stadium.
“The vibe was contagious, and you could feel it,” Arizona coach Brent Brennan said about the game-day atmosphere. “The energy was awesome.”
Tonight was also a homecoming for two Lumberjacks: redshirt sophomore cornerback Jaelen Collins, a Marana graduate, and freshman cornerback Nathaniel Bryant, a Mica Mountain alum.
Arizona drove down the field with ease on its first drive of the game, capping it off with a 20-yard touchdown pass from fifth-year senior quarterback Noah Fifita to senior wide receiver Tre Spivey III.
The drive moved Fifita into second for the school’s all-time passing yards record, closing in on Nick Foles’ record of 10,011. Fifita now stands at 9,445 yards with 75 career touchdown passes (already a school record).
“We showed up ready to play,” Brennan said regarding his team’s performance. “Redline was evident; you could see it.”
After forcing the Lumberjacks to punt on their first possession, the Wildcats looked to double their lead; however, sophomore wide receiver Giovanni Richardson fumbled and ended up being recovered by cornerback Jahaad Fort, giving the Lumberjacks the ball.
NAU couldn’t capitalize on the turnover, giving the ball back to Arizona.
Fifita continued to run the offense effortlessly, scoring another touchdown with a 21-yard pass to junior wide receiver Brandon Phelps, giving the Wildcats a 14-point lead early in the second quarter.
Fifita looked to add to Arizona’s lead rushing what looked like to be an 11-yard touchdown run but was called short at the 1-yard line. The field position set up running back Kedrick Reescano for a walk-in touchdown, putting Arizona up 21-0.
The Lumberjacks were able to get deep into Wildcat territory, getting as close as their 11-yard line. Two pass breakups in a row led to the Lumberjacks setting up for a field goal, which ended up being wide right. That kept Arizona’s shutout alive going into the half.
Both teams traded three-and-outs on their first two possessions of the second half.
On their third possession, the Wildcats drove 50 yards, ending it with a 14-yard run by fifth-year senior running back Antwan Roberts Jr., a transfer from Marshall, for Arizona’s fourth score of the night, its second rushing.
Arizona’s defense continued to have its way with the NAU offense, turning them over on downs to keep the shutout intact.
Before the end of the third quarter, junior safety Quinn Olson, a walk-on turned into a scholarship player earlier this week, picked off senior quarterback Ty Pennington, an NFL prospect, adding another football to the turnover sword and keeping the score 28-0 after three.
“Man coverage. I saw my guy break out; I thought I was in a good position, so I looked back at the quarterback. I saw the ball coming out, and I just sliced underneath,” Olson said, walking through his interception. “I just had to hold on to it, obviously made the play and stabbed the sword.
Reescano added another touchdown from 1 yard out in the early minutes of the fourth.
“I think I had an easier job out there,” Reescano said about his two-touchdown performance. “I think the O-line- you should be asking them this question; they really scored the touchdowns.”
Fifita would come out of the game after the touchdown, ending his night with 22 out of 29 passes completed for 262 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions.
“Noah Fifita is such a good player, and he’s efficient,” Brennan said about Fifita’s performance.
Arizona’s shutout would end with a little over 10 minutes left in the game off a 36-yard pick-six from NAU sophomore linebacker Noble Young-Blackgoat.
The Lumberjacks forced another turnover the next possession; senior linebacker Matthew Cooks forced and recovered a fumble, looking to cut more into Arizona’s lead before the game’s end.
The Arizona defense forced another punt, keeping the score 35-7.
Arizona’s defense ended its night with five sacks and four turnovers, holding the Lumberjack offense to minus-7 rushing yards.
“That is a hell of a day for a defensive football team,” Brennan said about the defensive dominance.
The minus-7 rushing yards is the fewest an Arizona defense has allowed since its 20-7 victory against Stanford in 2006, which was minus-6 yards.
“Our coaches had a great game plan for us going into this week,” Olson said about the defensive game plan heading in. “Our d-line they did a great job forcing quarterback hurries; our linebackers were all over the field, and our db’s (defensive backs), we just had to make plays in the secondary. But it starts up front, and they did a great job with it.”
What’s Next?
Arizona goes to Provo, Utah, for its first Big 12 game of the season against rival No. 14 BYU Cougars, looking to avenge their 33-27 double-overtime loss from last season.
“We know we got a big-time football game next week at BYU, and you make your biggest jump from week 1 to week 2,” Brennan said.
Kickoff is Saturday at 12:30 p.m. on Fox.
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