It took an extra two hours for Arizona’s matchup with Weber State to kick off after a weather delay due to lightning, but it was well worth the wait for Brent Brennan’s squad once things got rolling in Arizona Stadium. Between Noah Fifita, who was in midseason form, and another stifling performance from Danny Gonzales’ defense, Arizona throttled Weber State 48-3, advancing to 2-0 ahead of a Friday night matchup against Kansas State next week. Ahead of the UA’s second Wildcats versus Wildcat matchup in as many weeks, check out our five reactions and takeaways from the Arizona Wildcats’ win over Weber State.
1) One, if by Land, Two, if by Air
From the moment Seth Doege was hired as Arizona’s offensive coordinator last December, he and the offense have been promising a versatile and flexible offense that can beat teams in various ways and adjust game-to-game, and even drive-to-drive. Through Arizona’s first two games of the season, that flexibility has been on full display. In the 40-6 win over Hawaii, Arizona finished with 344 yards of total offense, behind a dominant rushing attack that included 183 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, including a seven-carry, 125-yard, one-touchdown performance by Portland State transfer Quincy Craig.
On Saturday, Arizona’s offense did a 180, as Noah Fifita and the receiving core carved up Weber State, finishing with a staggering 406 yards of offense and five touchdowns through the air. Noah Fifita was an efficient 17-22 for 353 yards and all five passing touchdowns, tying his career-high for touchdown passes in a game.
As defensive competition ramps up in Big 12 play, Arizona’s ability to beat opponents in multiple ways makes it that much harder to prepare for. With two weeks of tape, Kansas State now has to prepare for a dominant rushing attack led by Craig, Ismail Mahdi, and Kedrick Reescano, a vibrant passing game featuring Javin “Nunu” Whatley and the Wildcats’ deep receiver room, or the possibility of a combination of both.
2) Boa Constrictor Defense
Arizona’s defense has quite literally been show stopping through the first two games of the season. The Wildcats are one of just two FBS teams, alongside BYU, that have yet to allow a touchdown this season. Their 4.5 points allowed per game are tied for 4th in the nation. The last time Arizona did not allow a touchdown in consecutive games came in 2010, when the Wildcats defeated Toldeo 41-2, and the Citadel 52-6, to open the season.
Linebacker Max Harris said after the game against Weber State that Arizona’s main goal is to keep opponents out of the end zone, and the Wildcats are doing just that. In fact, Arizona’s defense has been so dominant that it took over 77 minutes between Hawaii’s last score and Weber State’s first.
Arizona’s defense also leads all FBS teams with a plus-seven turnover margin. The Wildcats are tied with Tulane and UNLV, which has played three games, for the most turnovers gained.
The Big 12 has always been known for its high flying offenses, and this season is no different. Four of the nation’s top 20 scoring offenses are in the Big 12, while Baylor quarterback Sawyer Anderson and Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson are currently second and third in the nation in passing yards. While Arizona may not be able to neutralize Kansas State’s passing game next week, if it can keep Johnson and the visiting Wildcats out of the end zone, Tucson’s Wildcats may just find themselves 3-0 and halfway to bowl eligibility heading into a bye-week.
3) “Speed, I am Speed” – Javin “Nunu” Whatley, probably
Chattanooga wide receiver transfer Javin “Nunu” Whatley excelled during fall camp, showing off his speed and quick twitch, while quickly building rapport and chemistry with Noah Fifita. On Saturday, after the lightning cleared over Arizona Stadium, Whatley brought his own lightning, scoring the game’s first touchdown on a 31-yard strike from Fifita. The next drive, Whatley’s lightning struck again, when Fifita connected with him on a one-play, 85-yard touchdown drive, good for the longest completion of Fifita’s career.
Whatley finished the night with five receptions for 168 yards, tied for the second-most of his career, and two scores. The last time Noah Fifita and Arizona had a quick, twitchy, dependable receiver was Jacob Cowing in 2023, a season that ended with 10 wins and an Alamo Bowl victory over Oklahoma. Cowing holds the Arizona single-season receiving touchdowns record (13) and is tied with Tetairoa McMillan for the most touchdowns in a single-game (4). Could either of those records be in jeopardy this season?
With some lingering injuries to Washington State transfer Kris Hutson and returning wideout Chris Hunter, as well as season-ending injury to tight end Tyler Powell, a dependable target like “Nunu” gives Noah Fifita and Seth Doege a much-needed safety blanket down the stretch of the season.
4) Penalties a Plenty…
As good as the offense and defense have played through the first two weeks of the season, Arizona has way too many self-inflicted wounds with penalties this season. The Wildcats are averaging eight penalties a game, tied for the 8th-most in Division 1.
Not only are the penalties costing Arizona field position, they are costing Arizona points. Holding penalties by freshman wide receiver Isaiah Mizell and Texas Tech transfer left tackle Ty Buchanan got the Wildcats behind schedule in the red zone against Hawaii, while holding penalties by right tackle Rhino Tapa’atoutai and left guard Michael Wooten forced Arizona to settle for field goals against Weber State.
Fortunately for Arizona, the defense has been playing well enough that it hasn’t impacted the outcome of either game, but the Wildcats cannot continue to shoot themselves in the foot and expect to be okay, especially with Kansas State and Iowa State looming on the schedule.
5) Discipline on Display!
Saturday night was a microcosm of the overall improvement in discipline, focus, and attention to detail in Year 2 of the Brent Brennan era. A year ago, a two-hour weather delay may have been catastrophic for the Wildcats, derailing their game plan and creating an unsurmountable distraction. But Saturday night was different.
Between “Nunu” Whatley’s two quick scores, and Genesis Smith’s first quarter interception, Arizona’s focus and discipline were on full display, highlighting a growth and maturity the Wildcats did not have at this time last year.
Additionally, Saturday night was a prime example of the increased trust and engagement from the ZonaZoo this season. A year ago, if Arizona experienced a two-hour delay, the Zoo would have emptied and not returned. Saturday was different though – the ZonaZoo huddled in the concourse of Arizona Stadium, patiently waiting for its chance to return to the stands.
Brent Brennan deserves his flowers here. He continues to challenge the ZonaZoo to show up and be more and more active and engaged every week, and when they rise to his challenge, he lets them know.
“I thought it was a really really fun night. I was really really appreciative of how our fans hung in there after the weather delay, and the ZonaZoo, when we came out of the locker room after whatever it was, a couple hours of delay – just seeing the ZonaZoo packed like that. So I thought that was outstanding.”
Up next, Arizona hosts Kansas State in a Friday night non-conference matchup on September 12. The game kicks off at 6:00 PM MST on FOX.