Arizona dominates Hawaii in season opener with 40-6 win

TUCSON – Year 2 of the Brent Brennan era got off to a hot start on Saturday, with the Arizona Wildcats handling the Hawaii from start to finish, defeating the Rainbow Warriors 40-6 at Arizona Stadium. On offense, the Wildcats were a perfect 5-for-5 in red zone, while defensively the Cats tallied five sacks and five takeaways, something that hasn’t been done since 2016 versus Grambling State.

Quarter 1:

Arizona’s defense took the field first after winning the toss and electing to defer. The defensive unit, which featured starting defensive backs Michael Dansby, Ayden Garnes, and Gavin Hunter, forced a three-and-out on Hawaii’s opening possession. On the Wildcats’ first offensive play of the game, quarterback Noah Fifita found threaded a pass to Kansas State transfer wide receiver Tre Spivey for a career-high 27-yard reception through triple coverage. Three straight carries from Kedrick Reescano, including a 13-yard touchdown run gave Arizona a 7-0 lead with 12:11 remaining in the first quarter.

The ensuing drive from Hawaii took nearly seven and a half minutes, but resulted in just three points after junior defensive back and captain Genesis Smith delivered a massive touchdown-saving hit in the south end zone with 4:52 remaining in the first quarter.

Quarter 2:

It wasn’t until the second quarter that things started to roll for the Wildcats. With 12:59 remaining in Q2, linebacker Chase Kennedy forced and recovered a fumble, Arizona’s lone takeaway of the first half. Two plays later, Portland State transfer running back Qunicy Craig exploded for a 54-yard touchdown – the first of his career as an Arizona Wildcat and longest carry since September of 2023 to give Arizona a 14-3 lead with over 12:00 to play in the first half.

On the following possession, Arizona would convert a 4th-and-1 from its own 44 yard line on the after a 7-yard pickup from Quincy Craig. Michael Salgado-Medina capped off the drive with a 35-yard field goal, the first of his career after backing up Arizona legend Tyler Loop last season, giving the Wildcats a 17-3 lead with 4:31 remaining in the second quarter.

The final drive of the first half gave Arizona’s defense plenty of things to review on Sunday’s tape. Hawaii wide receiver Landon Sims escaped a tackle near midfield for a 28-yard gain to the Arizona 26-yard line. A few plays later, with no timeouts and a running clock, Hawaii’s perfectly executed 41-yard field goal by Kansei Matsuzawa and the field goal unit closed the lead to 11, with Arizona leading 17-6 at the half.

Quarter 3:

Noah Fifita and the Arizona offense came out firing on all cylinders to begin the third quarter. Redshirt freshman wide receiver Brandon Phelps hauled in a 42-yard reception, the first of his career, to set Arizona up in the red zone. Four plays later, Fifita found tight end Sam Olson in the back of the end zone for a wide open touchdown, his first of the 2025 season. Fifita’s touchdown was also the 45th of his career, moving him into sixth on the school’s all-time touchdown passing list.

The following possession saw Leroy Palu and Dominic Lolesio combine for the defense’s fourth sack of the game, marking the first time an Arizona team tallied four sacks in a game since the 3OT loss to USC in 2023. After trading empty possessions, linebacker Taye Brown came up with Arizona’s first interception of the game, setting the Wildcats up at the Hawaii 10-yard line with instant red zone field position. Two plays later, quarterback Noah Fifita’s wheels were on full display, with the signal caller scampering into the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown, giving Arizona a 31-6 lead with 6:46 remaining in the third quarter.

Hawaii quarterback Micah Alejado, who suffered an ankle injury in the Week 0 win versus Stanford, re-aggravated his ankle on the following Rainbow Warriors’ possession and did not return to the game, getting replaced by quarterback Luke Weaver, who turned the ball over on downs after a two-yard tackle for loss by Malachi Bailey and Deshawn McKnight.

Arizona’s next offensive drive stalled went three-and-out, but did pave the way for Australian punter Isaac Lovison’s first career punt as a Wildcat, which went for 37 yards and was downed at the Hawaii 12-yard line.

Hawaii’s final drive of the third quarter resulted in the Wildcats’ third takeaway of the night, with Julian Savaiinaea recovering a Luke Weaver fumble at the Hawaii 24-yard line.

Quarter 4:

Michael Salgado-Medina capped off the drive set up by Julian Savaiinaea’s fumble recovery with a career-long 52-yard field goal, giving Arizona a 34-6 lead with 13:14 remaining in the fourth. Hawaii first drive of the fourth quarter tested Arizona’s defense. After marching 69 yards down the field in 12 plays, Gavin Hunter picked up a defensive pass interference call in the end zone, giving the Rainbow Warriors a first-and-goal at the Arizona two-yard line. Two plays later, Gavin Hunter redeemed himself, hauling in his first-career interception, and the fourth turnover of the game. The Wildcats rounded out the game with a 34-yard run by a rumbling Quincy Craig, who set up a 5-yard rushing touchdown by Ismail Mahdi with 4:29 remaining. A miscue in the PAT operation led to a failed two-point conversion from Ian Wagner, leaving the score 40-6 in favor of Arizona.

Jack Luttrell’s interception inside of two minutes all but sealed the deal for the Wildcats, capping off a dominant performance against Hawaii from start to finish.

Arizona (1-0) hosts FCS Weber State on Saturday, September 6, at 7:00 PM. The game will be available on ESPN +.