Tag: Arizona Wildcats

Sep 28, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Arizona Wildcats quarterback Noah Fifita (11) warms up before a game against the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Arizona plays Big 12 home opener vs. Texas Tech

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Arizona, coming off a big win at No. 10 Utah, will try to slow down old regional rival Texas Tech when the Wildcats host their first Big 12 home game on Saturday night in Tucson, Ariz.

Arizona (3-1, 1-0 Big 12) played its best game of the season in stopping the Utes 23-10. The defense figures to be stressed more by the Red Raiders, who are 16th nationally in scoring (41.6 points per game) and 15th in total offense (486.4 yards per game).

Texas Tech (4-1, 2-0) is fueled by running back Tahj Brooks, who is averaging 137.8 rushing yards per game and has topped 100 yards in each of his four games played this season. He ran for 172 yards and two touchdowns in a 44-41 home win over Cincinnati on Saturday.

While the Red Raiders are 14-3 at home under coach Joey McGuire, they are 3-9 on the road.

“The guys are in good state of mind,” he said Monday. “We have a lot of confidence right now.”

The Red Raiders will be trying to reach 3-0 in Big 12 play for the first time since 2013, while Arizona is still kicking the tires in its new conference. These programs were rivals in the old Border Conference — Texas Tech leads the series 26-5-2 — but have met just once since 1989.

Arizona coach Brent Brennan revealed Monday that he made a change in offensive play-callers during the previous bye week. Passing game coordinator/tight ends coach Matt Adkins took over those duties for offensive coordinator Dino Babers.

“We felt like going into bye week was the right time for Coach Adkins, with the help of Dino, to kind of step into that role,” Brennan said. “Coach Babers has been on board with this. He has been great about it.”

An immediate beneficiary was tight end Keyan Burnett, who caught five passes for 76 yards and a touchdown. He could be a needed complement to star wideout Tetairoa McMillan. Both were high school teammates of Wildcats quarterback Noah Fifita.

–Field Level Media

Aug 31, 2024; Manhattan, Kansas, USA; Kansas State Wildcats linebacker Kam Sallis (7) tries to strip the ball from Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks quarterback Kaiya Sheron (12) during the fourth quarter at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images

Ranked Wildcats fight in meeting of No. 14 Kansas State, No. 20 Arizona

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No. 14 Kansas State and No. 20 Arizona battle in a key Big 12 matchup Friday night in Manhattan, Kan.

The matchup was set up before Arizona and three others from the Pac-12 joined the Big 12 this season. The programs decided to keep the game scheduled as an intriguing cat fight as a welcome to the 16-team Big 12 for Arizona.

Kansas State (2-0) rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit at Tulane on Saturday to record a 34-27 win. The Wildcats scored the winning points on a 60-yard fumble return midway through the fourth quarter.

“That would be terrible for me to say — or anybody to say — ‘Wait, you guys don’t look pretty good,’” Kansas State coach Chris Klieman said. “We beat a good football team. One thing I learned that I wasn’t sure of is that we have really good leadership. Our culture won that game with those older kids and leaders, in particular stepping up at halftime.”

Arizona also is 2-0 but not without concerns. The Wildcats gave up 39 points to New Mexico in the opener and then struggled offensively in a 22-10 victory over FBS opponent Northern Arizona last weekend.

Arizona was without two starting offensive linemen against the Lumberjacks, including veteran center Josh Baker. Coach Brent Brennan said Monday he was unsure if the senior would return against Kansas State.

The patchwork offensive line led to more defensive pressure on quarterback Noah Fifita, who passed for 173 yards after connecting for 422 yards in the opener. Much of that first-game yardage went to Tetairoa McMillan, who had 10 catches for 304 yards and four touchdowns against New Mexico, but he followed up with only two receptions for 11 yards against NAU.

Arizona also might be without starting running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt, who was held out last week due to potential eligibility issues. His status was unknown as of Monday, Brennan said.

Arizona was 0-for-10 on third downs last Saturday.

“A couple of missed throws, missed opportunities. That part was really, really frustrating,” Brennan said. “In some situations, you kind of press. We just have to relax and let the game come to us.”

Kansas State presents problems offensively with running back DJ Giddens (32 carries, 238 yards) and talented backup Dylan Edwards, a transfer from Colorado who is averaging 10.8 yards on his nine carries. Giddens is the team’s leading pass-catcher with seven receptions for 69 yards and a touchdown.

Quarterback Avery Johnson has yet to be fully unleashed as a runner this season, with 77 yards on 11 attempts. He has completed 29 of 44 passes for 334 yards with four touchdowns and one interception.

Klieman said he has been impressed with Johnson’s ability to extend plays while keeping his eyes downfield and not just taking off running.

“He’s evolving,” Klieman said. “I think he got better and better, and I think he’s getting more and more comfortable as a quarterback by playing every down. … I’m excited because the kid’s a competitor, he’s a winner.”

Brennan’s team struggled to contain dual-threat New Mexico quarterback Devon Dampier in the opener. Regarding Johnson, Brennan said, “He’s ridiculously explosive.”

–Field Level Media

Oct 1, 2022; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Colorado Buffaloes in the first half at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre-Imagn Images

No. 20 Arizona ‘cleaning up’ D with Northern Arizona up next

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No. 20 Arizona will be looking for a better defensive effort when it takes on FCS opponent Northern Arizona on Saturday night in Tucson, Ariz.

The Wildcats (1-0) beat visiting New Mexico 61-39 in the Arizona debut of head coach Brent Brennan, as wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan went off for a school-record 304 receiving yards and four touchdowns, earning Associated Press national player of the week honors.

The defense, though, struggled with one-on-one tackling and setting the edge against the run, especially against athletic quarterback Devon Dampier.

“I give New Mexico and (Dampier) a lot of credit,” said Brennan, whose team allowed 30 first downs.

“I also think there’s some things that we can be a little more clean on, in terms of our contain and some of those rush lines. That’s something the defensive staff is working hard cleaning up. We’ll be ready to go this weekend.”

NAU (1-0) got an easy win last Saturday for new coach Brian Wright, clobbering Lincoln (Calif.) 66-6. The Lumberjacks rushed for 235 yards while quarterback Ty Pennington, who won a tight camp battle with Angel Flores, completed 7 of 9 passes for 114 yards and one touchdown. Pennington also ran twice for 34 yards and a score.

He followed Wright from Pittsburg State, where the coach went 33-8 in four seasons.

“We’ve put a lot of work in, so it’s fun to be out there with this group and competing,” Wright said after NAU’s opening victory. “I think we did good things at times; we were a little bit sloppy as to be expected in Game 1. We have a lot to work on there, but we’re 1-0.”

Arizona’s McMillan and quarterback Noah Fifita — longtime pals and high school teammates — were in midseason form against New Mexico. Fifita completed 19 of 31 passes for 422 yards, while running backs Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Quali Conley combined for 196 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.

The Wildcats have loads of options on offense, although Brennan knows that they still have something to prove when it comes to developing other weapons in the passing game. No other receiver caught more than one pass in the opener, although there was no need against New Mexico, which mostly tried to defend McMillan with single coverage.

“I think for us to be as effective as we want to be, we have to have more distribution with the football,” Brennan said.

“Noah knows that, our offensive staff knows that. It’s just a matter of him going through his progressions and finding the right place to go with the ball. Those opportunities kind of presented themselves with T-Mac on Saturday night, so he took advantage of them.”

Arizona and NAU met in last season’s opener, with the Wildcats winning 38-3 in Tucson. Arizona leads 16-2 in the series, which dates to 1931, although the bulk of the games have taken place since 2002, with the teams generally meeting every other year.

The Lumberjacks pulled off a major upset in 2021, winning 21-19, which was part of a 20-game losing streak for the Wildcats.

–Field Level Media

Nov 18, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Syracuse Orange head coach Dino Babers talks to a referee against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the first half at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Reports: Former Syracuse coach Dino Babers is new Arizona OC

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The Arizona Wildcats are bringing aboard former Syracuse head coach Dino Babers as offensive coordinator, according to multiple reports Thursday.

Babers, fired after 11 games last season, was Arizona’s offensive coordinator in 2000.

The Wildcats made an impressive late-season run in 2023 but lost head coach Jedd Fisch to Washington. Arizona then hired San Jose State coach Brent Brennan, who was a graduate assistant in Tucson when Babers served as OC.

Babers was head coach at Syracuse for eight seasons beginning in 2015, compiling a 41-55 mark. He also was head coach at Eastern Illinois (2012-13) and Bowling Green (2014-15).

Babers has a career 59-64 record at FBS schools and went 19-7 at FCS program Eastern Illinois.

At Syracuse, Babers led the Orange to a 9-3 mark in 2018, finishing with a win over West Virginia in the Camping World Bowl and a final AP ranking of 15.

Syracuse was 5-6 in 2023 when Babers was let go.

Babers was an Arizona assistant coach for three seasons (1998-2000) before moving on to Texas A&M as offensive coordinator. He then focused on running backs at Pittsburgh in 2003, receivers and running backs at UCLA from 2004-07, and receivers, special teams and recruiting at Baylor (2008-11).

– Field Level Media

Sep 3, 2022; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego State Aztecs quarterback Braxton Burmeister (5) is tackled by Arizona Wildcats defensive lineman Tiaoalii Savea (98) during the second half at Snapdragon Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Former Arizona DT Tiaoalii Savea transfers to Texas

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Former Arizona defensive tackle Tiaoalii Savea transferred to Texas on Tuesday.

The 6-foot-4, 305-pound junior played in 12 games for the Wildcats last season, totaling 22 tackles, including six tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. In 2022, he played in seven games and made 14 tackles, 1.5 TFL, one pass breakup, one fumble recovery and one blocked kick.

He had transferred to Arizona from UCLA, where in 2021 he appeared in 10 games and made seven tackles.

Savea is reunited with former Arizona defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen, who became the Longhorns’ linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator earlier this month.

Texas has lost standout defensive tackles Byron Murphy II and T’Vondre Sweat, who both declared for the NFL Draft.

The Longhorns have added Savea, wide receivers Matthew Golden (from Houston), Isaiah Bond (Alabama) and Silas Bolden (Oregon State), defensive end Trey Moore (UTSA), safety Andrew Mukuba (Clemson), tight end Amari Niblack (Alabama) and linebacker Kendrick Blackshire (Alabama) from the transfer portal.

–Field Level Media

Aug 26, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; San Jose State Spartans head coach Brent Brennan watches game action against the Southern California Trojans during the second half at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Report: Arizona tabs San Jose State’s Brent Brennan as coach

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San Jose State’s Brent Brennan agreed to a five-year contract to become the next head football coach at Arizona, ESPN reported on Tuesday.

Financial terms were not disclosed for Brennan, who will fill the vacancy left after Jedd Fisch departed to replace Kalen DeBoer at Washington on Sunday. DeBoer accepted a position at Alabama after Nick Saban retired last week.

Brennan, 50, previously was a finalist for the Arizona job in 2020 when Fisch was hired to replace the fired Kevin Sumlin.

Brennan has a 34-48 record as head coach of the Spartans, although he was 26-19 in the last four seasons. He guided San Jose State to its first Mountain West championship in 2020 as well as three bowl appearances (2020, 2022, 2023).

Fisch, 47, coached the Wildcats to a 10-3 record and a No. 11 final ranking in the AP poll this season.

Arizona finished the season with seven consecutive victories, including a 38-24 win over Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl.

Overall, Fisch went 16-21 in three seasons with the Wildcats. His first team went 1-11 in 2021 before winning five games the following year and made another jump this season.

–Field Level Media

Sep 23, 2023; Stanford, California, USA; Arizona Wildcats quarterback Jayden de Laura (7) passes against the Stanford Cardinal during the first quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports

Arizona QB Jayde de Laura entering transfer portal

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Arizona quarterback Jayden de Laura, who lost his starting job to Noah Fifita following an injury, will enter the transfer portal, he announced Monday on social media.

A fourth-year junior, de Laura wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that he will remain with the No. 14 Wildcats (9-3) for their game against No. 12 Oklahoma (10-2) in the Alamo Bowl on Thursday in San Antonio, Texas.

“On Friday, college football made a decision to allow a second undergraduate transfer,” de Laura posted on X, formerly Twitter. “I appreciate my time at the University of Arizona, but the opportunity to return as a starter my final year of college, while also getting my degree, is something I must explore.

“I want to thank Coach (Jedd) Fisch and Mrs. Fisch for (all) they had done for me these past two years,” he added. “Thank you guys for helping me not grow as just a football player, but also as a student and a man.”

De Laura was the starter through the fourth game Sept. 23 at Stanford, when he sustained an ankle injury. Redshirt freshman Noah Fifita came in and Arizona won to improve to 3-1.

Though listed as the starter, de Laura played behind Fifita and appeared in seven games, completing 89 of 128 passes (69.5 percent) for 1,120 yards and 10 touchdowns along with five interceptions.

Fifita has played in 11 games and completed 217 of 295 (73.6 percent) for 2,515 yards, 23 TDs and five picks. He was named the Pac-12 Freshman Offensive Player of the Year.

An All-Pac-12 honorable mention as a sophomore in 2022, de Laura started all 12 games in his first season with the Wildcats and threw for 3,685 yards (14th in NCAA FBS) and 25 touchdowns.

He had played two seasons at Washington State, where he was the 2021 Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year.

–Field Level Media

Oklahoma s Jackson Arnold (10) warms up before an NCAA football game between University of Oklahoma (OU) and Iowa State at the Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023.

Alamo Bowl: No. 12 Oklahoma, with freshman QB, takes on hot No. 14 Arizona

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No. 12 Oklahoma will begin a new era at quarterback while No. 14 Arizona will be trying to match its longest winning streak in 25 years when the teams meet Thursday in the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio.

The Sooners (10-2) narrowly missed playing in a New Year’s Six bowl matchup, while the Wildcats (9-3) come in as one of the nation’s biggest surprises, having won six consecutive games.

“They play with incredible passion and energy,” Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said of Arizona. “They play with great confidence. They know what they’re doing. You’re going to have to earn everything that you get.”

Nationally, the storyline is Oklahoma true freshman quarterback Jackson Arnold, a consensus 2023 five-star recruit who will step in for Dillon Gabriel, who is transferring to Oregon for his final season.

Arnold, a dual threat who will be leading the Sooners from the Big 12 into the Southeastern Conference next season, has appeared in six games as a backup, completing 18 of 24 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns.

Arnold will have ample weapons, including wide receivers Drake Stoops (78 catches, 880 yards, 10 TDs), Nic Anderson (31, 725, nine) and Jalil Farooq (41, 637, two), among others, as well as running back Gawin Sawchuk (610 yards, 5.8 per carry).

One question will be the offensive line. Left guard Cayden Green ransferred to Missouri, while center Andrew Raym and right tackle Tyler Guyton declared for the NFL draft.

“We’re going to practice what we saw on the film,” Arizona defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen said. “I don’t think they’re going to install a brand-new offense in three weeks. They still have great players.”

On defense, the Sooners lost safety Key Lawrence (transferring to Ole Miss) but return star junior linebacker Danny Stutsman (99 tackles, 16 for loss).

Arizona, playing its final game as a member of the Pac-12, is mostly intact, losing only senior left tackle Jordan Morgan (preparing for NFL draft) and has a young team that could very well be the preseason Big 12 favorite in 2024.

That starts with quarterback Noah Fifita. Taking over in the fourth quarter of the fourth game of the season, the redshirt freshman is eighth nationally in passing efficiency, completing 217 of 295 passes for 2,515 yards with 23 touchdowns and five interceptions.

His former Servite High School teammate in Anaheim, Calif., sophomore receiver Tetairoa McMillan, has caught 80 passes for 1,242 yards and 10 touchdowns. At 6-foot-5, he’s a matchup problem with the look of a future first-rounder.

Each team has big-time offense — Oklahoma averages 502.4 yards per game (fifth in FBS); Arizona is at 453.4 (17th) — but the Wildcats’ defense has made big strides this season. Arizona has improved to 37th nationally in total defense (340.9 yards per game) after ranking 124th last season (467.7).

Undersized but active linebacker Jacob Manu (108 tackles, 9.5 for loss) is one to watch.

After coach Jedd Fisch took over in 2021, Arizona’s losing streak reached 20 games during that season. Now, just over two years later, the Wildcats are trying to win seven games in a row for the first time since 1998 and post double-digit victories in a season for just the fourth time.

Oklahoma is making its 25th consecutive bowl appearance. This is Arizona’s first bowl game since 2017, a 38-35 loss to Purdue in the Foster Farms Bowl in Santa Clara, Calif.

“We want to make sure that our players understand it is a privilege to play in a bowl game,” Fisch said. “It is a celebration of a job well done.”

–Field Level Media

Nov 25, 2023; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats quarterback Noah Fifita (11) against the Arizona State Sun Devils in the first half of the Territorial Cup at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Noah Fifita sets passing record as No. 15 Arizona crushes Arizona State

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Noah Fifita passed for a school-record 527 yards and five touchdowns, and Tetairoa McMillan had 266 yards receiving, as No. 15 Arizona poured it on against rival Arizona State to retain the Territorial Cup trophy with a 59-23 victory on Saturday in Tempe, Ariz.

The Wildcats (9-3, 7-2 Pac-12) won their sixth consecutive game as Fifita completed 30 of 41 passes with one interception, also setting a record for most passing yards in the history of the 97-game series. McMillan caught 11 passes, including a 50-yard touchdown, and set a Territorial Cup record for receiving yards.

The previous Arizona record for passing yards was 520 by Anu Solomon against Cal in 2014.

ASU (3-9, 2-7) ended the first season of coach Kenny Dillingham by giving most of the quarterback snaps to true freshman Jaden Rashada, who had been out since the second game of the season due to injury. He was 10 of 22 for 82 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.

Arizona, which still has 13 players left from the team that lost 70-7 to Arizona State in 2020, couldn’t quite reverse that score. But the Wildcats were headed in the direction after an interception led to an 8-yard touchdown pass to Tanner McLachlan and a 45-7 lead just 91 seconds after halftime.

The 50-yard TD pass to McMillan made it 52-7 six minutes into the half to cap a 49-0 run before Arizona State responded with two touchdowns, plus a pair of two-point conversions.

Michael Wiley scored three first-half touchdowns for Arizona. Jacob Cowing caught nine passes for 157 yards and a touchdown.

The Sun Devils’ Trenton Bourguet, who has started the majority of games at quarterback, was out with a stomach virus, although Rashada was slated to take over in the finale. To start the game, Arizona State used 270-pound Jalin Conyers as a wildcat quarterback, who led a ground-based touchdown drive, but its 7-3 lead was short-lived.

The Wildcats scored touchdowns on their next five possessions, with Wiley getting into the end zone on a 22-yard run, a 1-yard run and a 21-yard reception. Arizona had 410 yards at halftime and led 38-7 at the break.

Fifita had 357 first-half passing yards. McMillan outgained ASU by himself in the first half, with 162 receiving yards to the Sun Devils’ 150 total yards.

–Field Level Media