Arizona Wildcats dominate UTEP 31-10 to finish nonconference schedule 2-1

Jedd Fisch clamored for Arizona to have a complete performance in the Wildcats' final nonconference game of the season against UTEP — and they did, in a 31-10 win over the Miners Saturday night at Arizona Stadium. 

Arizona (2-1) concludes its nonconference slate with a winning record for the second straight season. It's the first time the Wildcats ended nonconference play with winning records in back-to-back seasons since the 2016 and 2017 seasons. 

After combining for 16 penalties and seven turnovers in the first two games of the season, the Wildcats had four penalties and one turnover, in addition to recording 544 yards of total offense — that amount the most since the Colorado game last season. Arizona's defense held UTEP to 332 yards of total offense, including just 49 rushing. The Wildcats held Conference-USA leading rusher and running back Deion Hankins to 34 yards on nine carries. The Miners averaged 1.9 yards per rush on Saturday.

Seven of UTEP's first eight offensive possessions on Saturday resulted in punts.  

"The last two home games, (opponents) are averaging 6 1/2 against us," Fisch said. "I'm really, really proud of the way our defense is playing.

"I think our defense is really stepping up. Held these guys to minimal yards," he said. "We stuffed the run and played really, really good defense as a team."

Arizona's head coach added the Wildcats "were very, very efficient" on offense.

UA quarterback Jayden de Laura completed 23 of 29 passes for 285 yards and three touchdowns, and had his first turnover-free performance in his last five games. Arizona had 300 yards passing as a team Saturday, which included mop-up duty by backup quarterback Noah Fifita. De Laura's 79.3% completion rate is his best mark at Arizona — the highest since he completed 84.4% of his passes in Washington State's victory over Washington in the 2021 Apple Cup. 

Fisch said de Laura "played really clean football, and that's what we asked of him and challenged him this week to do." 

On the heels of a four-interception performance at Mississippi State, Fisch encouraged de Laura to "just be Batman" instead of Superman and "use your tools."

De Laura said he understood the assignment. 

"I don't need to do too much. That's what we went over while we were watching film versus Mississippi State," de Laura said. "Batman doesn't have anything special to him, he just knows how to use what he's got. That was our big emphasis with everybody on the team, just trusting everyone next to us." 

Arizona shifted its defensive lineup by starting Justin Flowe over Daniel Heimuli at "Mike" linebacker, giving Flowe his first start at the UA since transferring from Oregon. Flowe's last collegiate start was Oregon's win over Colorado last Nov. 5. Flowe and linebacker Jacob Manu led the Wildcats with 17 combined tackles, one sack and one quarterback pressure. 

Defensive back Treydan Stukes, who missed the Mississippi State game with a head-related injury, started at cornerback, while Martell Irby, who was benched in the second half at MSU, started at nickelback. The Wildcats also started redshirt sophomore Isaiah Taylor at free safety, with Gunner Maldonado, who had a forced fumble and fumble recovery in the second half, at strong safety.

Arizona rotated 10 defensive linemen, along with cornerbacks Dylan Wyatt, who also missed the Mississippi State game with an undisclosed injury, and sophomore Tacario Davis, along with safety Dalton Johnson and freshman Genesis Smith in the second quarter. Freshman right guard Raymond Pulido remained sidelined for his on-campus bike accident before the season opener; Joseph Borjon started at right tackle and Jonah Savaiinaea started his second consecutive game at right guard, before moving outside with Canada native Leif Magnuson at guard. 

The Wildcats' first-quarter struggles on offense continued in their third game of the year. After picking up one first down on the opening drive, the Wildcats were forced to punt. On the following possession, wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, coming off a career performance at Mississippi State, fumbled a screen pass, bringing the Wildcats' season turnover total to eight; UTEP safety Kobe Hylton was credited with the forced fumble. It's the first turnover of McMillan's career as a Wildcat. Arizona's offensive line had two holding penalties in the first quarter; it didn't have any before Saturday. 

"He's disappointed, clearly, that he put the ball on the ground. He did make up for it with a touchdown (to begin the second quarter)," said Fisch. "We know what type of football player he is." 

In drives that start in the first quarter this season, the Wildcats are 3-for-10 in scoring points, with five of the drives ending in turnovers.

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

"We talk about starting fast and we want to make sure we continue to play good football right off the bat," Fisch said. "We'll work through it and see if we can score faster earlier."

McMillan redeemed his turnover with an acrobatic, one-handed, "big-time catch" over two defenders for a 55-yard gain in the second quarter, albeit Arizona's drive resulted in kicker Tyler Loop's 45-yard field goal attempt blocked by the Miners.

"I've seen it a lot at this point," Fisch said of McMillan's catch. "That one's not going to do it for me. I'm going to see a lot of those over the next few years. I've seen a lot of them. He's super gifted."

De Laura said McMillan's highlight grab was "an everyday thing for T-Mac." 

"I'm going to put it out there: he's probably the most athletic person I've ever been around," de Laura said. "He can pick up any sport and dominate in it. Bowling? You guys are not beating him in bowling. Basketball, volleyball, it's ridiculous. That's just a credit to his hard work."

Following a pass breakup in the back of the end zone by Davis, forcing the Miners to settle for a 25-yard field, Arizona crafted a 10-play, 74-yard touchdown drive in 3:44, which was capped by a 3-yard touchdown run by Michael Wiley; the Wildcats ended the first half with a 14-3 lead.  

Loop's 38-yard field goal in the third quarter extended Arizona's lead to two touchdowns. Loop is 27-for-27 in his career kicking field goals under 39 yards.

Arizona running back Jonah Coleman was the catalyst for Arizona's six-play, 82-yard drive in third quarter, with a 59-yard run, the longest of his career. On the subsequent play, de Laura flipped a pass to Wiley on third down down to the 2-yard line. Wiley led the team with 83 yards on 17 carries, while Coleman tallied 71 yards on three attempts.

"The whole running back corps, felt like we ran the ball extremely well today," Fisch said.

"When you can do that," Fisch added, "that's a really, really good day at the office." 

Arizona wide receiver Jacob Cowing ended the drive with a 2-yard touchdown catch. Cowing, the former Miner, had 10 catches for 84 yards against his old team. Cowing and McMillan have each scored a touchdown in Arizona's three games this season. Arizona "Z" receiver Montana Lemonious-Craig scored his first touchdown at the UA in the fourth quarter, boosting the lead to 31-3. 

Arizona's receivers had 224 yards after catch against the Miners. The Wildcats also had 27 first downs on 64 plays. Arizona averaged 8.5 yards per play  

Arizona will now prepare to embark on its final season of Pac-12 conference matchups, which begins Saturday at 4 p.m. at Stanford

Said Fisch: "I thought today was the best team win that I can remember we've had and now we gotta get into Pac-12 play and up our game. We gotta play better and see what we can do moving forward." 

Arizona football star Jacob Cowing's No. 2 jersey meaningful throwback to his UTEP career

Notes from Arizona's win over UTEP Saturday night and elsewhere in college football: including the deep-rooted meaning behind UA star Jacob Cowing's jersey number and NBA forward Rui Hachimura signed at field level before the game.

Photos: Arizona takes down UTEP 31-10, NCAA football