NCAAF

New Mexico Lobos at Arizona Wildcats

· NCAA - Football
0-2, 0-1 Away
Final
39 - 61
1-0, 1-0 Home

Tetairoa McMillan's record performance lifts No. 21 Arizona to 61-39 win over New Mexico

Tetairoa McMillan takes off for 78-yard Arizona TD

The Lobos lost track of McMillan on Arizona's opening drive, leading to a big play, and couldn't corral him no matter what they tried.

McMillan had a school-record 304 yards receiving and matched another with four touchdown catches — all from Noah Fifita — and No. 21 Arizona opened coach Brent Brennan's first season with a 61-39 win over New Mexico on Saturday night.

“We tried man, man with help, zone pressures,” New Mexico coach Bronco Mendenhall said. “They did a very good job of moving him around and we didn't do a very good job stopping him.”

The Wildcats (1-0) put on an offensive show in their first game as a Big 12 member, with McMillan and Fifita headlining.

Arizona's stars connected on a 69-yard touchdown on the Wildcats' opening drive and kept gouging New Mexico's defense for big chunks.

McMillan averaged 30.4 yards on 10 catches and broke the Arizona single-game record of 283 yards receiving set by Jeremy McDaniel in 1996. McMillan matched Jacob Cowing's touchdown catches record set against Southern California last season and fell 10 yards short of the Big 12 record set by Baylor's Terrance Williams in 2012.

Fifita finished with 422 yards and four touchdowns on 19-of-31 passing with an interception. Quali Conley ran for 90 yards and three touchdowns to round out an Arizona offense that racked up 627 total yards.

“I like the way we rallied in the second half and thought we played good team football,” Brennan said. “That's the rhythm that we need, complementing each other as we play.”

The Lobos (0-2) opened Mendenhall's first season by blowing a 17-point lead in a 35-31 loss to Montana last week.

New Mexico held its own against Arizona, at least offensively.

Devon Dampier picked apart the Wildcats' defense, throwing for 260 yards and three touchdowns, adding 130 yards and two more scores rushing. He also threw two interceptions.

“When they're scoring, it's easy for an offense to not go out there and play 100%,” Dampier said. “To see our guys out there still trying to score a touchdown, that's all you can ask for.”

New Mexico's issue for the second straight week came on defense, particularly McMillan.

Arizona's first preseason AP All-American also had touchdown catches of 17 and 78 yards in the first half, then added a 40-yarder in the third quarter to help Arizona pull away after leading 27-24 at halftime.

The chemistry between Fifita and McMillan played a huge role in the high expectations for Arizona in Brennan's first season.

They opted to remain in Tucson instead of joining former coach Jedd Fisch, who left for Washington. Their decisions trickled into the rest of the roster, giving Brennan a stacked roster for his first season at Arizona after spending the previous nine at San Jose State. The Wildcats also were ranked in the AP preseason poll for the first time since 2015 and, at least through one game, lived up to the hype.

The takeaway Arizona has plenty to clean up on defense, but there certainly no problems offensively with Fifita and McMillan putting on a show. The Wildcats have won nine straight games over two seasons, one short of the school record. New Mexico had some good flashes offensively, but struggled defensively after giving up 362 yards and three TDs against Montana State last week.

Davis ejected Arizona cornerback Tacario Davis was expected to be one of the Big 12's best defensive backs, in part because of his aggressiveness.

But Davis' got two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, the second one leading to an ejection in the fourth quarter.

Up next New Mexico: plays at Auburn on Sept. 14.

Arizona: hosts Northern Arizona next Saturday.

How To Watch

How can I watch New Mexico Lobos vs. Arizona Wildcats?
  • TV Channel: Lobos at Wildcats 2021 College Football, week 1, is broadcasted on ESPN.
  • Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.

Matchup Prediction

Wildcats: 93.4%
Lobos: 6.6%
*According to ESPN's Basketball Power Index

Scoring Summary

ARIZ TD 1st Period 11:45 Tetairoa McMillan 69 Yd pass from Noah Fifita (Tyler Loop Kick)
UNM TD 1st Period 7:23 Luke Wysong 16 Yd pass from Devon Dampier (Luke Drzewiecki Kick)
ARIZ TD 1st Period 5:06 Tetairoa McMillan 17 Yd pass from Noah Fifita (Tyler Loop Kick)
UNM TD 1st Period 0:58 Naquari Rogers 6 Yd pass from Devon Dampier (Luke Drzewiecki Kick)
ARIZ FG 2nd Period 12:16 Tyler Loop 54 Yd Field Goal
UNM FG 2nd Period 9:17 Luke Drzewiecki 20 Yd Field Goal
UNM TD 2nd Period 4:51 Devon Dampier 13 Yd Run (Luke Drzewiecki Kick)
ARIZ TD 2nd Period 4:21 Tetairoa McMillan 78 Yd pass from Noah Fifita (Tyler Loop Kick)
ARIZ FG 2nd Period 0:30 Tyler Loop 46 Yd Field Goal
ARIZ TD 3rd Period 13:40 Quali Conley 51 Yd Run (Tyler Loop Kick)
ARIZ TD 3rd Period 12:26 Tetairoa McMillan 40 Yd pass from Noah Fifita (Tyler Loop Kick)
UNM TD 3rd Period 8:02 Devon Dampier 7 Yd Run (Luke Drzewiecki Kick)
ARIZ TD 3rd Period 3:13 Quali Conley 1 Yd Run (Tyler Loop Kick)
ARIZ TD 4th Period 10:18 Quali Conley 23 Yd Run (Tyler Loop Kick)
UNM TD 4th Period 4:44 Caleb Medford 9 Yd pass from Devon Dampier (Devon Dampier Pass to Eli Sanders for Two-Point Conversion)
ARIZ TD 4th Period 2:24 Jacory Croskey-Merritt 36 Yd Run (Two-Point Pass Conversion Failed)

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/167.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originUNM https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/12.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originARIZ
29 1st Downs 22
5-13 3rd down efficiency 8-12
2-2 4th down efficiency 1-1
470 Total Yards 627
260 Passing 422
24/42 Comp/Att 19/31
6.2 Yards per pass 13.6
210 Rushing 205
38 Rushing Attempts 26
5.5 Yards per rush 7.9
8-65 Penalties 9-100
2 Turnovers 2
0 Fumbles lost 1
2 Interceptions thrown 1
34:58 Possession 25:02

Game Information

Arizona Stadium

Location: Tucson, AZ
Attendance: 44,748 · Capacity:
Full Standings

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