SAN DIEGO — Meet the new and improved Arizona Wildcats.
They score touchdowns in the red zone. They force turnovers. They overcome adversity. They win games.
It took all of one week for Arizona to match its victory total from last season. The UA upset San Diego State 38-20 on a hot and sunny Saturday afternoon at Snapdragon Stadium.
It wasn’t the way the Aztecs, who went 12-2 last year, wanted to open their new building. It was exactly what the Wildcats were looking for to start Year 2 of the Jedd Fisch era.
“Hats off to our players and our coaches for preparing the way they did and really trusting the process of getting better every day,” Fisch said. “They played hard. They played physical. They executed.
“There’s certainly some plays we need to clean up. We’re gonna go back and watch the film. There’s gonna be a lot to coach off of. It’s certainly more fun to coach off of a win than a loss.”
Arizona won for only the second time since Fisch became coach in December 2020. It was the Wildcats’ first season-opening win on the road since 2010.
“It’s the beginning,” said veteran safety Jaxen Turner, who had a key interception in the second quarter. “We’re just gonna build from this. It’s a great feeling, don’t get me wrong. We’re gonna definitely celebrate the win. But come tomorrow, it’s new week, new opponent, try to go win again.”
Arizona hosts Mississippi State, coached by old nemesis Mike Leach, in the home opener next Saturday.
New UA quarterback Jayden de Laura threw four touchdown passes, matching his career high (set last season against Arizona). Three went to new go-to receiver Jacob Cowing, who caught eight passes for 152 yards.
Arizona, which had the worst red-zone touchdown rate (30.8%) in the nation last season, scored touchdowns on four of five trips inside the 20-yard line. As a result, the UA surpassed its highest point total (34) from last year.
The Wildcats took the ball away at a critical juncture, something they managed to do only six times last season (tied for fewest in the country). They did it again in the fourth quarter, when the Aztecs were threatening.
“It’s important in every game,” Fisch said. “You’ve got to take the ball away. You’ve got to score in the red zone. We just happened to do it this game. We have to try to do it every game we play. It’s how you win football games.”
The win didn’t come without moments of trepidation.
Arizona expanded its lead to 31-10 early in the third quarter on de Laura’s third touchdown pass to Cowing. The Wildcats then forced a punt near midfield.
SDSU’s Jack Browning dropped it at the 3, putting Arizona in a precarious position. Three plays later, the Wildcats had to punt from their 1. Kyle Ostendorp’s kick hit the left arm of blocker Josh Donovan. Jaylon Armstead recovered the ball in the end zone to make it 31-17.
After another three-and-out, the Aztecs took over at the UA 43. They quickly advanced to the 9, where Arizona’s defense stiffened, including a stop for no gain on third down by Jalen Harris. Browning’s 23-yard field goal made it 31-20.
The Wildcats desperately needed some first downs at that point to flip the field and shift the momentum. They got more than that.
Arizona’s Jayden de Laura, right, runs the ball as San Diego State’s Jonah Tavai, left, defends in the second quarter of Saturday’s game at Snapdragon Stadium.
Arizona put together an 11-play, 75-yard drive. Eight of the plays were runs, including a 10-yard touchdown by transfer DJ Williams, who rumbled into the end zone after taking an option pitch from de Laura.
“That drive just shows that when we really want to run the ball, we can run the ball,” de Laura said. “This offseason I feel like our O-line put on a lot of weight. They killed it in the weight room, killed it running whenever we ran. That’s a credit to the O-line, the boys up front.”
Arizona rushed for 162 yards. San Diego State allowed fewer than 100 yards in 10 of 14 games last season and ranked third nationally in run defense (80.3 yards per game).
“We made a big point of emphasis in our weight room with Coach (Tyler) Owens and our whole strength staff of getting bigger and stronger and more physical up front,” Fisch said. “We want to be a very good running team. We know that that’s going to help us in every facet of the game, converting on third downs, scoring in the red zone.”
Arizona’s Jayden de Laura, right, runs the ball as San Diego State’s Jonah Tavai, left, defends in the second quarter of Saturday’s game at Snapdragon Stadium.
Arizona led 24-10 at halftime. That point total was not insignificant.
The Wildcats reached the 20-point mark only twice last season, when they averaged 17.2 points and went 1-11.
De Laura threw three first-half touchdown passes, including two to Cowing. Arizona outgained SDSU 242-107 over the first 30 minutes and 461-232 for the game. In last year’s matchup, which the Aztecs won 38-14, those numbers were basically flipped (454-230).
Arizona’s second touchdown went to freshman receiver Tetairoa McMillan, who held onto the ball despite absorbing a huge hit from SDSU’s Patrick McMorris. It was the first catch, and first touchdown, of McMillan’s career.
The Wildcats had a 17-3 lead and the ball when adversity struck for the first time. Dorian Singer fumbled after catching a pass, giving the Aztecs possession at the UA 32 midway through the second quarter.
On fourth-and-3 from the 11, SDSU cashed in. Braxton Burmeister connected with Tyrell Shavers in the right corner of the end zone. Shaver won a jump ball vs. UA cornerback Isaiah Rutherford.
Another turnover, this one an interception thrown by de Laura, put the lead in jeopardy. But the Wildcats responded with a takeaway of their own – Turner’s first career pick.
Arizona then went 54 yards on six plays. De Laura and Cowing connected again, this time for 4 yards, to make it 24-10 with 28 seconds left in the half.
“If we continue our process of playing the next play, then we don’t talk about the last play,” Fisch said. “We have such a focus on ‘Hey, go in and play the next play. Just play your best play this play, and then again the next play.’ And if they continue to build off of that and trust that, then we feel like we can go back out there and have the drive that we had.”
San Diego State’s Jack Browning has a punt blocked by Arizona’s Dalton Johnson in the second quarter of Saturday’s game.
Music blared from the UA locker room after the game. The players – especially the ones who have been Wildcats for a long time – were thrilled to experience the joy of victory.
But the players who spoke to the media – de Laura, Cowing, Turner and linebacker Jerry Roberts – were relatively subdued. They were already thinking about Mississippi State.
“New week, new opponent,” Roberts said. “Let’s see if we can do it again. Two times in a row.”
Arizona hasn’t had a two-game winning streak since early October of 2019.
