Arizona Rolls Northern Arizona, Loses the Shutout on a Pick-six
Noah Fifita was 22 of 29 for 262 yards and two touchdowns, and Arizona beat Northern Arizona 35-7 without ever being asked a hard question (the final margin was 28 points). The Wildcats led from the first score to the last.
Fifita hit Tre Spivey from 20 yards with 11:32 left in the first quarter, and Brandon Phelps from 21 early in the second. Kedrick Reescano scored from a yard out with 3:20 left in the half to make it 21-0, and Antwan Roberts Jr. added a 14-yard run in the third. Reescano's second 1-yard score early in the fourth made it 35-0, and the Lumberjacks got on the board only because of a turnover: Noble Young-Blackgoat took an interception back 36 yards at 10:55. Take that away and Arizona wins 35-0.
The yardage was big, 520 total, with 314 through the air and 206 on 35 carries, and Arizona's defense sacked the quarterback five times. The offense was sloppy with the ball for a team that scored 35: two lost fumbles (Roberts and Gio Richardson) and the interception, which came from Sawyer Anderson (5 of 8, 52 yards). Fifita was the efficient one, while Tre Spivey (four catches, 45 yards, a touchdown) and Brandon Phelps (one catch, 21 yards, a touchdown) split the scoring throws.
Arizona opens 1-0 and Northern Arizona starts 0-1. Fifita led the fantasy scorers with 24.9 points. Reescano had 20.6 with two short touchdowns, and Richardson got to 19.3 with eight catches for 96 yards even after losing a fumble.