Cold take: Tetairoa McMillan is one of the top wide receivers in college football β and the Arizona junior made his case with a school-record 304 yards and four touchdowns on 10 catches in the Wildcatsβ win over New Mexico last week.
McMillan garnered several weekly honors following his record-setting performance, including Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week, Associated Press National Player of the Week and Walter Camp Offensive Player of the Week.
The Lobos often had McMillan in single-coverage, which the Wildcats β and McMillan β arenβt expecting to repeat this season, which could open up more opportunities for other receivers. No. 20-ranked Arizona will look to get other receivers involved on Saturday, when the Wildcats host their FCS in-state counterpart Northern Arizona at Arizona Stadium.
Following McMillanβs historic night, his longtime best friend and quarterback Noah Fifita shouldered accountability for not distributing passes to other receivers. McMillan was targeted 15 times against New Mexico. The other seven Wildcats who recorded a catch last week were targeted a combined 13 times, with running back Quali Conley catching three passes for 29 yards.
βWe have many options at the receiver position as well as the tight end position,β Fifita said last week. βI take full responsibility for that, not spreading the ball around enough. Obviously T-Mac was hot so being able to feed him was enough to get the victory. But moving on, I gotta do a much better job building chemistry and making sure the receivers know I trust them and making sure they trust me. I take full responsibility for that one.β
Arizona head coach Brent Brennan said, βFor us to be effective as we want to, we have to have more distribution with the football.β
βNoah knows that, our offensive staff knows that,β Brennan said. βItβs just a matter of him going through his progressions and finding the right place to go with the ball, but those opportunities presented itself with T-Mac on Saturday night, so he took advantage of it.β
But sometimes, as defensive back Treydan Stukes put it, βT-Mac just happened to be himself and go for a lot of yards, but we have a lot of guys that can have games like that.β
Arizona junior tight end Keyan Burnett, in an elevated role this season, made a nifty 27-yard grab near the sideline and kept his feet in bounds in the first half for his only reception on Saturday.
Junior college transfer Jeremiah Patterson, who Stukes called a βhigh-level threat in the slot,β was among Arizonaβs top receivers in training camp and emerged as a starter alongside McMillan and βsavvy veteranβ Montana Lemonious-Craig, who had one reception for 6 yards. Patterson added four kick returns for 104 yards (26 yards per return). Patterson also trained at punt returner this season, albeit Tennessee transfer defensive back Jack Luttrell and wide receiver Rex Haynes were the only punt returners against New Mexico.
βToughnessβ is what led the shifty Patterson to starter status, said Arizona receivers coach Bobby Wade.
βHe showed that on Saturday as well,β said Wade. βHeβs very dynamic. He made the first two guys miss when he touched the football. Iβm really pleased with how he performed. We would like to get him more opportunities, and that will come throughout the season.β
Other emerging receivers this season include sophomore Malachi Riley, redshirt sophomore and New Orleans native Chris Hunter and Devin Hyatt, the younger brother of New York Giants wideout Jalin Hyatt, a past winner of the Biletnikoff Award at Tennessee. The younger Hyatt dropped his first target, which was intercepted by the Lobos on Saturday β Fifitaβs only pick of the night.
Wade chalked it up to βgrowing painsβ for Hyatt, the redshirt freshman from Florida, who played his first snaps at the UA last week.
βWeβve got a lot of kids that havenβt played a lot of football. I donβt put a lot on that,β Wade said. βItβs a dropped ball. Itβs unfortunate the ball got picked at the end of that β and I think Dev took that personally. ... Thereβs no need for me to stress that and push that on him.
βItβs more about me putting my arm around him and letting him know that it happens. I dropped my very first bomb in the same stadium for a touchdown, so I know what that feels like to get through it. It sucks. Heβs going to take it personally. ... I expect him to be a better player this week.β
The Wildcats, five-touchdown favorites on Saturday, could find their complementary pass-catching playmakers in a tune-up game before Arizona treks to Manhattan, Kansas, next Friday to face No. 17 Kansas State.
βWhen a guy has a record-breaking performance like that, other guys really need to step up, because you know whatβs coming next,β said Wade.
βThe challenge is there and I think the boys are ready for that.β