Arizona annihilates Weber State 48-3 after two-hour weather delay

TUCSON – Before Arizona unleashed an offensive storm against Weber State, Mother Nature unleashed a storm of her own on the City of Tucson. With around 50 minutes until kickoff, Arizona entered a weather delay due to lightning strikes in the area surrounding Arizona Stadium. Both teams cleared the field as fans sheltered in the concourse of the stadium. The storm persisted for another hour, during which time fans returned to their vehicles as time rain began to fall on the empty stadium. At approximately 8:25 PM, the gates re-opened and both teams returned to the field. At 9:10 PM, over two hours after Arizona’s originally scheduled kickoff time, the game began, and from there, it was all Arizona.

The Noah Fifita to Javin “Nunu” Whatley was on full display in the first quarter. After a 31-yard touchdown from Fifita to Whatley got Arizona on the board first, the duo needed just one play to go 85-yards to put Arizona up 14-0 over Weber State with 8:56 remaining in the first quarter. Fifita’s 85-yard touchdown pass is the longest completion of his career.

Whatley, who established himself as one of Fifita’s favorite targets during fall camp, finished the night with five receptions for 168 yards, tied for the second-most in a single-game in his career, and two touchdowns.

A Michael Salgado-Medina 32-yard field goal gave Arizona a 17-0 lead with a little over four minutes to play in the first quarter, before Genesis Smith’s first interception of the season set the UA up in scoring position once again. Noah Fifita then found former Kansas State wide receiver Tre Spivey for a 10-yard touchdown reception, his first as an Arizona Wildcat. It was the most points scored by Arizona in the first quarter since 2014, when the Wildcats scored 24 against Washington State.

The second quarter got off to a slower start for Brent Brennan’s squad. Sam Olson dropped a pass in the end zone that would have resulted in a touchdown, then two plays later, left guard Michael Wooten got called for holding on a 10-yard touchdown scramble by Noah Fifita. The UA settled for a 31-yard Salgado-Medina field goal, taking a 27-0 lead with 8:51 remaining in the first half.

Then, with 2:16 left in the second quarter, Noah Fifita found redshirt freshman Brandon Phelps for a 13-yard touchdown, the first of his career. That score also tied Fifita with Anu Solomon for 4th in program history with 49 career touchdown passes, giving Arizona a 34-0 lead, which it carried into the locker room at halftime.

Weber State started the second half with possession, but was unable to capitalize on its 10-play, 61-yard drive, after kicker Sloan Carter missed a 36-yard field goal try wide left, keeping Arizona’s shutout alive up to that point. Midway through the third quarter, Noah Fifita connected with running back Ismail Mahdi on a screen play that went 27-yards for a touchdown, giving Arizona a 41-0 lead. On the following drive, Texas cornerback transfer Jay’Vion Cole intercepted Weber State quarterback Jackson Gilkey, returning it 27 yards for Arizona’s first pick-six since Anthony Pandy’s in 2021 against USC, giving the UA a 48-0 lead.

Noah Fifita ended his night completing 17-of-22 passing attempts for 353 yards and five touchdowns, tying his career-high. His 50th-career touchdown pass, and final of the evening, moved him past Anu Solomon solely into fourth place on Arizona’s all-time passing touchdowns list. He is now seven touchdown passes away from tying Khalil Tate.

Things slowed on both sides of the ball through the end of the third quarter and into the fourth, as Arizona began substituting its starters for second- and third-string players. Wisconsin transfer quarterback Braedyn Locke took the helm, with true freshman running back Wesley Yarbrough getting some snaps out of the backfield. The shutout finally came to an end with 12:48 remaining in the fourth quarter, when Weber State connected on a 33-yard field goal, cutting Arizona’s lead to 45.

Arizona’s offense put together an eye-popping 556 yards of total offense, averaging 8.3 yards per play. Through the air, quarterbacks Fifita, Locke, and Mason Bray accounted for 406 passing yards, averaging 20.3 yards per completion.

Defensively, Arizona held Weber State to just 184 yards, which was more than a 100-yard improvement from Week 1 against Hawaii. Defensive back Genesis Smith led the team with seven tackles, while Chase Kennedy recorded a sack, and Deshawn McKnight and Dominic Lolesio combined for another.

Arizona now turns its attention to Kansas State, a Big 12 foe that will visit Tucson as a non-conference opponent on a short week. The Wildcats face off against one another on Friday, September 12, at 6:00 PM MST on FOX.