Field Pass: Starters, key matchups and a prediction for No. 21 Arizona vs. New Mexico in season opener

No. 21 Arizona kicks off the Brent Brennan era against the New Mexico Lobos. Here's a look at starting lineups, key matchups and a prediction from Star reporter Justin Spears. 

New Mexico (0-1) at No. 21 Arizona (0-0)

When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Arizona Stadium

TV: ESPN

Radio: 1290-AM, 107.5-FM

New Mexico Lobos

2023 record: 4-8 (2-6 Mountain West)

WHEN NEW MEXICO IS ON OFFENSE (PROJECTED): 

[Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr.]

WR | 7 | Nic Trujillo | 6-1 | 176 | R-Fr.

TE | 5 | Trace Bruckler | 6-3 | 244 | R-Sr.

LT | 76 | Wallace Unamba | 6-4 | 330 | Jr.

LG | 56 | Baraka Beckett | 6-4 | 340 | Sr.

C | 55 | Jawuan Singletary | 6-1 | 310 | Sr.

RG | 78 | Richard Pearce | 6-2 | 320 | Jr.

RT | 66 | McKenzie Agnello | 6-4 | 314 | Jr.

WR | 15 | Luke Wysong | 5-10 | 184 | R-Jr.

WR | 14 | Shawn Miller | 6-2 | 194 | So.

QB | 4 | Devon Dampier | 5-10 | 198 | So.

RB | 6 | Eli Sanders | 5-11 | 194 | Jr.

WHEN NEW MEXICO IS ON DEFENSE (PROJECTED):

[Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr.]

DE | 17 | Okiki Olorunfunmi | 6-6 | 252 | Sr.

DT | 45 | Kyler Drake | 6-3 | 285 | R-Sr.

DT | 7 | Tyler Kiehne | 6-3 | 276 | R-Sr.

OLB | 22 | Dimitri Johnson | 6-1 | 233 | Sr.

MLB | 24 | Jayden Wilson | 6-1 | 218 | So.

WLB | 9 | Gabe Lopez | 6-2 | 236 | Sr.

CB | 13 | Bryson Taylor | 6-0 | 175 | Jr.

NB | 0 | Bobby Arnold III | 5-9 | 179 | So.

SS | 1 | Noah Avinger | 6-0 | 186 | Jr.

FS | 8 | Christian Ellis | 6-0 | 202 | Jr.

CB | 34 | Noa Pola-Gates | 6-0 | 183 | Sr.

UNM 2024 SCHEDULE

August

24 | MONTANA STATE | L, 35-31

31 | at No. 21 Arizona

September

14 | at Auburn

21 | FRESNO STATE

28 | at New Mexico State

October

12 | AIR FORCE

19 | at Utah State

26 | at Colorado State

November

2 | WYOMING

8 | at San Diego State*

16 | WASHINGTON STATE

30 | at Hawaii

Home games in Bold; *=Friday game

UNM 2024 STATS^

PASSING

[Name | Comp-Att-INT | Yards | TDs | Long]

Dampier | 18-26-0 | 172 | 1 | 53

RUSHING

[Name | Carries | Yards | TDs | Per carry | Per game]

Sanders | 17 | 87 | 0 | 5.1 | 87.0

Dampier | 3 | 34 | 1 | 11.3 | 34.0

Rogers | 6 | 26 | 0 | 4.3 | 26.0

Jacobs | 2 | 5 | 0 | 2.5 | 5.0

RECEIVING

[Name | Receptions | Yards | TDs | Per catch | Per game]

Wysong | 6 | 95 | 0 | 15.8 | 95.0

Bruckler | 4 | 34 | 1 | 8.5 | 34.0

Davis | 3 | 21 | 0 | 7.0 | 21.0

Miller | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8.0 | 8.0

Medford | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7.0 | 7.0

DEFENSE

[Name | Tackles | Sacks | INTs | FR | FF]

Avinger | 14 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0

Ellis | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0

Wilson | 7 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0

Taylor | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0

Kpai | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0

Arnold | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 

Lopez | 4 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 1

[^ = Through 1 game in 2024 so far]

Arizona Wildcats

2023 Record: 10-3 (7-2 Pac-12)

WHEN ARIZONA IS ON OFFENSE (PROJECTED):

[Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr.]

XWR | 4 | Tetairoa McMillan | 6-5 | 212 | Jr.

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FWR | 2 | Jeremiah Patterson | 5-10 | 175 | Jr.

LT | 59 | Rhino Tapa'atoutai | 6-5 | 311 | R-Fr.

LG | 72 | Wendell Moe | 6-2 | 339 | R-So.

C | 75 | Josh Baker | 6-3 | 300 | Sr.

RG | 58 | Ryan Stewart | 6-4 | 297 | R-Jr.

RT | 71 | Jonah Savaiinaea | 6-5 | 336 | Jr.

TE | 88 | Keyan Burnett | 6-6 | 248 | Jr.

ZWR | 5 | Montana Lemonious-Craig | 6-2 | 194 | Sr.

QB | 11 | Noah Fifita | 5-10 | 188 | R-So. 

RB | 1 | Jacory Croskey-Merritt | 5-11 | 208 | Sr.

WHEN ARIZONA IS ON DEFENSE (PROJECTED):

[Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr.]

DE | 46 | Ta'ita'i Uiagalelei | 6-4 | 280 | Jr.

DT | 91 | Isaiah Johnson | 6-1 | 311 | R-So.

NT | 92 | Chubba Ma'ae | 6-2 | 349 | Sr.

DE | 3 | Tre Smith | 6-5 | 270 | R-Jr.

MLB | 5 | Jacob Manu | 5-11 | 228 | Jr.

WLB | 6 | Taye Brown | 6-2 | 225 | So.

STAR | 2 | Treydan Stukes | 6-2 | 198 | Sr.

CB | 20 | Marquis Groves-Killebrew | 6-0 | 185 | R-So.

CB | 1 | Tacario Davis | 6-4 | 190 | Jr.

BS | 43 | Dalton Johnson | 5-11 | 202 | R-Jr.

FS | 9 | Gunner Maldonado | 6-0 | 195 | Sr.

UA 2024 SCHEDULE

August

31 | New Mexico 

September

7 | Northern Arizona

13 | at No. 18 Kansas State*

28 | at No. 12 Utah

October

5 | Texas Tech

12 | at BYU

19 | Colorado (Homecoming)

26 | West Virginia (Family Weekend)

November

2 | at UCF 

15 | Houston*

23 | at TCU

30 | Arizona State (Senior Day)

Home games in Bold; *=Friday game

UA 2023 STATS

PASSING

[Name | Comp-Att-INT | Yards | TDs | Long]

Fifita* | 241-333-6 | 2,869 | 25 | 69

de Laura | 89-128-5 | 1,120 | 10 | 55

RUSHING

[Name | Carries | Yards | TDs | Per carry | Per game]

Coleman | 128 | 871 | 5 | 6.8 | 67.0

Williams | 85 | 372 | 5 | 4.4 | 31.0

Wiley | 70 | 311 | 3 | 4.4 | 31.1

Luke* | 37 | 153 | 1 | 4.1 | 11.8

de Laura | 21 | 121 | 3 | 5.8 | 17.3

RECEIVING

[Name | Receptions | Yards | TDs | Per catch | Per game]

McMillan* | 90 | 1402 | 10 | 15.6 | 107.9

Cowing | 90 | 848 | 13 | 9.4 | 65.2

McLachlan | 23 | 528 | 4 | 11.7 | 40.6

Wiley | 28 | 306 | 5 | 10.9 | 30.6

Lemonious-Craig* | 28 | 296 | 3 | 10.6 | 22.8

DEFENSE

[Name | Tackles | Sacks | INTs | FR | FF]

Manu* | 116 | 6.5 | 1 | 0 | 0

Johnson* | 86 | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 4

Maldonado* | 81 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2

Prysock | 61 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0

Stukes* | 55 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0

[* = on 2024 roster]

Head to Head

1 Jacory Croskey-Merritt vs. 1 Noah Avinger

Croskey-Merritt rushed for 17 touchdowns in his lone season at New Mexico, which ranked fifth in college football last season. Throughout fall training camp, Croskey-Merritt showed why he was a highly-touted player in the transfer portal this spring and emerged as the likely starter at running back, displaying a blend of speed, power and the ability to shed tacklers. 

Avinger is one of several former Servite High School (Anaheim, California) products currently playing at the FBS level — and the Wildcats have five of them: Fifita, McMillan, Manu, Burnett and former New Mexico offensive lineman Shancco Matautia. Avinger, who transferred from San Diego State, had a scoop-and-score touchdown last week against Montana State to go along with 14 tackles and two pass deflections. 

9 Gunner Maldonado vs. 6 Eli Sanders

Maldonado improved as a tackler and pass defender as last season progressed. The last time Maldonado and the Wildcats played a game, he was named Alamo Bowl Defensive MVP after recording nine tackles, two fumble recoveries — including an 87-yard return for a touchdown that shifted the momentum in favor of the UA — and an interception. Maldonado or Manu will be the UA defensive player with a helmet marked with a green dot, signifying the coach-to-player communication.

Sanders and Maldonado, teammates at Chandler High School, will share the field for the first time as opponents. At CHS, they won the Open Division Arizona state championship in 2019. Both ended up transferring away from schools they originally signed with out of CHS; Maldonado arrived at the UA from Northwestern three years ago. Sanders played three seasons at Iowa State as a reserve RB before transferring to New Mexico this year. He led the Lobos with 17 carries for 87 yards last week. 

The matchup

When Arizona has the ball … 

New Mexico surrendered 362 rushing yards last week to Montana State. Arizona's running backs, headlined by the former Lobo Croskey-Merritt, could have multiple 100-yard rushers on Saturday. Coupled with one of the nation's top quarterback-receiver tandems in Fifita and McMillan, potential two-tight end sets and the receiving rotation opening up from the three starters to six or seven players, Saturday should be a tune-up for the Wildcats' balanced offense. 

When New Mexico has the ball … 

With a well-rounded QB in Dampier, the Lobos executed several RPO plays against Montana State, but the Lobos got in trouble on third down, converting one of their eight attempts. Arizona will have four new starters on its defensive line, and the Lobos have an entirely new offensive line. Winning the battle in the trenches, especially on third-and-short situations, will be critical for both teams. If the Lobos can control time of possession — and muck it up — and keep Arizona's offense on the sidelines, they have a chance. 

Prediction: No. 21 Arizona 42, New Mexico 14

Teams naturally make a jump from the first game to the second game. The Lobos could do just that. However, coughing up nearly 600 yards of total offense to an FCS school, regardless of who it is, doesn't bode well for New Mexico. Expect the Wildcats to impose their will on New Mexico and showcase their new-look running back room. While Arizona's offensive line isn't as stacked as it was last year, the Wildcats still have a promising core in right tackle Jonah Savaiinaea, left guard Wendell Moe and center Josh Baker. After seven-plus months of excitement and hype, the Wildcats will likely keep their offense vanilla over the next two weeks before a highly anticipated road game against No. 18 Kansas State. Arizona's offense is talented enough to be cookie-cutter while also handling business. Cats win, but Lobos cover with a fourth-quarter touchdown to cover that 30-point spread.