Arizona defensive lineman Bill Norton, left, and cornerback Ephesians Prysock, right, put the squeeze on NAU running back TJ McDaniel in the third quarter of the Wildcats’ season-opening win on Sept. 2.

 Kelly Presnell, Arizona Daily Star

Was it the prettiest game ever?

No.

Was it a vast improvement over the last time Arizona faced NAU?

Heck yeah.

The Wildcats defeated the Lumberjacks 38-3 on Saturday night at Arizona Stadium, winning their season opener for the second straight year under Jedd Fisch.

Here are my top five takeaways from the UA’s Week 1 performance:

Arizona defensive linemen Isaiah Ward, far left, and Jacob Kongaika (93) flush Northern Arizona quarterback Kai Millner out of the pocket in the first quarter of the Wildcats 38-3 season-opening win on Sept. 2.

1. Defense on point

Whether the opponent is NAU, ASU, USC or whatever combination of letters you want to throw together, allowing only three points is a big deal β€” especially around here.

The last time Arizona yielded only three points was Nov. 6, 2021, when the UA defeated Cal to end its 20-game losing streak. Since the start of the 2019 season, the Wildcats had surrendered fewer than 20 points only one other time β€” Sept. 28, 2019, vs. UCLA. They’ve allowed way more than 20 many, many times β€” including a six-game stretch last year when they yielded 45 or more five times.

The program’s primary personnel focus in the offseason was improving that side of the ball. Almost all of Arizona’s transfer-portal acquisitions were front-six defenders. They played an instrumental role in the Wildcats stopping the Lumberjacks three times on fourth down β€” including a goal-line stand early in the fourth quarter.

Fisch was pleased with the defense’s β€œpassion” and β€œenergy,” even though it sometimes spilled over into overaggressive play and penalties (five personal fouls). The Wildcats’ lone takeaway was a primary example.

NAU ball-carrier TJ McDaniel was well downfield, right near the first-down marker. Several Arizona defenders hustled to bring him down. Safety Dalton Johnson knocked the ball out with a classic β€œPeanut Punch” (the maneuver popularized by former Chicago Bears cornerback Charles Tillman). Linebacker Daniel Heimuli recovered the ball.

We don’t use the word β€œswarm” lightly when referring to Arizona’s defense, but it was applicable on several occasions Saturday night.

Arizona defensive lineman Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei (46) swats away a field goal attempt by Northern Arizona place kicker Marcus Lye that the Wildcats recovered and returned for a touchdown in the third quarter of their win over the Lumberjacks at Arizona Stadium on Sept. 2.

2. On second thought

Want more encouraging news on the defensive side? Just look at how many second-year players made significant contributions.

Arizona’s leading tackler, per usual, was linebacker Jacob Manu. Two sophomores combined to make the biggest play of the game.

Defensive tackle Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei blocked NAU’s short field goal attempt on the opening drive of the second half. (Cornerback Ephesians Prysock, another sophomore, was in the backfield as well.) Had the Lumberjacks converted that 26-yarder, it would have been a one-score game.

Instead, Tacario Davis scooped up the ball and raced 85 yards for a game-changing, momentum-altering touchdown.

In the first half, defensive end Isaiah Ward, a redshirt freshman, showed why he has risen to the top of the depth chart. He penetrated the backfield several times and got multiple hits on the quarterback.

Prysock was credited with six tackles β€” including a perfect body slam in the second quarter β€” and one pass breakup. He showed why, in just his 11th game, he has emerged as Arizona’s best corner.

Defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen didn’t necessarily want to play all those players as freshmen last year. But as the Wildcats struggled on that side of the ball, he felt he had no choice.

That experience is paying dividends now.

Arizona quarterback Jayden de Laura, left, loses his grip on the ball after slamming into Northern Arizona defensive back David Spruiells while trying to run him over on a scramble in the second quarter.

3. Quarterback, not fullback

Statistically, it’s hard to quibble with Jayden de Laura’s performance: He completed 75% of his passes, had a career-long 53-yard touchdown run and accounted for four total TDs.

But it wouldn’t be the Jayden de Laura Experience without a handful of head-scratching plays.

De Laura is a fierce competitor who plays the game with abandon. As we’ve learned over the past two seasons, that sometimes can get him in trouble.

De Laura nearly threw an interception at the end of the first quarter on a play where he probably should have just thrown the ball out of bounds.

In the second quarter, after Heimuli’s fumble recovery, de Laura fled the pocket to the left side. He then tried to run over an NAU defender. De Laura took a hit to the head area and fumbled the ball right back to the Lumberjacks.

β€œIt’s one of those tricky deals,” Fisch said. β€œWhen you slide feet first, you really expose your upper body and your head in a rough way. We try to slide head-first and protect yourself. That’s something that we’ve talked a lot about.

β€œThat was not that. That was trying to play fullback. We do not like that.”

De Laura wouldn’t second-guess himself, saying, β€œI’m just playing football.” But part of his job is protecting himself and making sure he’s available for his team.

De Laura unnecessarily put himself in harm’s way. Hopefully, he’ll learn from that and make a better decision the next time a similar situation arises.

Michael Lev

4. Award-winning screen play

I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a touchdown quite like the one de Laura threw to Tetairoa McMillan in the third quarter.

It was the latest example of Fisch’s ability to set up a defense.

Arizona’s first touchdown of the season came on a pick play. Montana Lemonious-Craig posted up at the goal line, getting in the way just enough for Jacob Cowing to slip around him into the corner of the end zone for an easy score.

The Wildcats ran a similar concept in the third quarter. This time, McMillan set the screen β€” and stood there as if there was no chance the ball was coming his way. Then de Laura rifled it to him while the defense followed Cowing to the corner. McMillan snared the ball and dove across the goal line.

It looked like a play that should be run at McKale Center β€” a screen-and-roll.

Unlike their miscommunication in the fourth quarter, resulting in an interception, the execution and timing between de Laura and McMillan were spot-on.

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, shown during the first half of the Buffaloes’ game against TCU on Saturday, passed for 510 yards and four touchdowns in CU’s upset win.

5. All that being said ...

Although Arizona played well for the most part, winning by 30-plus points for the first time in five years, it was a rough weekend for us 7-5 truthers.

That’s because, entering Sunday, everyone else in the Pac-12 won β€” including two future opponents we thought were susceptible but might be anything but.

Stanford looked more Stanford-like than it has in years in dispatching Hawaii on Friday night. It was as if the Cardinal rediscovered the weight room. The played bully ball with the Rainbow Warriors.

Colorado, meanwhile, was the story in college football Saturday. Deion Sanders’ rapidly rebuilt Buffaloes went on the road and defeated TCU, which played in the national championship game earlier this year. QB Shedeur Sanders looked like a superstar. Two-way stud Travis Hunter lived up to the hype and then some.

I had wins penciled in for the Wildcats at Stanford (Sept. 23) and Colorado (Nov. 11) β€” the difference between a 7-5 finish and a repeat of last season’s 5-7. Now I’m not so sure.

It’s important (but difficult) not to overreact to Week 1. We’ll learn a lot more about Arizona when the Wildcats visit Mississippi State next Saturday.

Regardless, the road ahead just got tougher.

VIDEO: The Arizona Wildcats routed Northern Arizona 38-3 on Saturday at Arizona Stadium to kick off the 2023 college football season. Video by Justin Spears / Arizona Daily Star

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Contact sports reporter/columnist reporter Michael Lev at mlev@tucson.com. On X(Twitter): @michaeljlev