The Arizona Wildcats defeated UTEP 63-16 Friday night at the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas. Here are some pertinent notes, quotes and statistics:
NOTES
* QB Brandon Dawkins set career highs in completion percentage (85.7), passing touchdowns (three) and total TDs (six).
* Shun Brown is the first Wildcat to have multiple punt returns for touchdowns in the same season since Mike Thomas in 2008. Brown also caught a 36-yard TD pass. All four of his career TD receptions have covered at least 30 yards.
* Arizona scored 35 points in the second quarter, the most the Wildcats have scored in a quarter since they scored 35 in the second quarter vs. Northern Arizona in 2015.
* Junior safety Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles has three interceptions and one fumble recovery. His four takeaways are more than any Wildcat had all of last season.
* Freshmen Bryce Wolma and Nathan Tilford each scored their first career touchdowns. (Tilford finished with two scores). After catching five passes last week, Wolma caught six vs. UTEP. Redshirt freshman J.J. Taylor caught his first career TD pass.
* Friday night marked Arizona’s first victory outside of Tucson since the 2015 New Mexico Bowl.
* Freshman quarterbacks Rhett Rodriguez and Donavan Tate each completed their first career passes. Rodriguez’s went to tight end Jamie Nunley, who recorded the first two receptions of his career. Tate’s went to senior Jack Banda, a senior defensive end who played tight end Friday. It was his first career catch.
* Tate and linebackers JB Brown and Anthony Pandy made their college debuts.
* Freshman Kylan Wilborn recorded a tackle for loss for the third straight game. Arizona had a season-high seven TFLs.
QUOTES
Dawkins on whether he felt a sense of redemption: “None. I’ve never been one to hang my head, feel bad, feel sorry for myself. I just pick myself right back up and get back to work. Football’s not a one-week game. We’ve got multiple weeks to get better. I’m far from my peak, so I’m just trying to get there.”
Brown on Dawkins: “The whole week you could tell it was a different Brandon. He was dialed in, his timing was on. Everything you want out of a QB he did this week.”
UA coach Rich Rodriguez on Arizona’s plethora of freshmen: “There’s a whole bunch of them on defense. Sometimes we hold our breath because they are true freshmen. Everything’s going to be a new experience for them. Being on the road is a different environment. We had to bring our own juice, so to speak.”
Rodriguez on playing tailbacks Nick Wilson and Taylor at the same time: “We’re trying to mix up our formations a little bit. Obviously today, with the lead in the second half, we didn’t do as much. You want to get your best players on the field as much as you can. Those two are pretty good players.”
Cornerback Jace Whittaker on the state of the team entering Pac-12 play: “We’re in a good situation right now. We did take that loss to Houston. I think that still dwells (with) us. Everybody still talks about how we could have won that game or should have won that game.”
Linebacker Colin Schooler on his 53-yard interception return to the 5-yard line: “I was just doing my job, and luckily the quarterback just floated the ball and I capitalized on that mistake. But it would have been a lot better if I took that all the way.”
STATS
* Arizona had 29 first downs; UTEP had 12.
* Arizona has 326 rushing yards; UTEP had 17.
* Arizona had 501 total yards and averaged 5.7 yards per play; UTEP had 218 yards and averaged 4.1.
* Arizona completed 20 of 23 passes; UTEP completed 18 of 39.
* Arizona held the ball for 36 minutes, 2 seconds; UTEP had it for 23:58.
* Arizona converted 8 of 15 third downs and 4 of 4 fourth downs; UTEP went 2 for 12 and 0 for 2.
* Arizona scored touchdowns on all seven trips inside the red zone.
* Arizona’s average starting field position was its 39; UTEP’s was its 28.
* Taylor, Wilson, Tilford, Zach Green and Branden Leon combined for 196 rushing yards.
* Whittaker had a team-high five tackles and a season-high three pass breakups.
