Noah Fifita threw two touchdown passes and Arizona’s defense did not allow an offensive score in a 35-7 win over visiting Northern Arizona on Saturday night in Tucson, Ariz.
Fifita, the active FBS leader in touchdowns with 75, was 22 of 29 for 262 yards and moved into second place in school history for career passing yards. Fifita, who exited the game in the fourth quarter, connected with nine different receivers. He needs 567 yards to surpass Nick Foles for the all-time mark.
Kedrick Reescano had a pair of 1-yard TD runs as the Wildcats (1-0) ran for 206 yards and totaled 520 yards on offense to win their fifth consecutive season opener.
NAU (1-1) got 180 passing yards from quarterback Ty Pennington (15 of 26), who was sacked five times and threw an interception. The Lumberjacks finished with minus-7 rushing yards, the first time Arizona held an opponent to negative yards on the ground since 2006.
Arizona led 21-0 at the half, outgaining NAU 304-125. A 14-yard run by Marshall transfer Antwan Roberts Jr. upped the margin to 28-0 with 5:01 left in the third quarter.
Reescano’s second TD run came with 13:52 to go.
The Lumberjacks avoided the shutout when Noble Young-Blackgoat intercepted Arizona backup Sawyer Anderson and returned it 36 yards for a TD with 10:55 remaining.
Arizona scored on three of its first four possessions, losing a fumble deep in NAU territory on the other drive. Fifita hit Tre Spivey for a 20-yard TD on the opening drive, found Brandon Phelps for a 21-yard score early in the second quarter and was just shy of the goal line on a keeper later in the period. Instead, Reescano scored on a 1-yard run.
Northern Arizona’s best drive before halftime resulted in a missed 34-yard field-goal attempt.
NAU returns home to host Incarnate Word on Sept. 12, while Arizona hits the road and will open Big 12 play the same day at BYU.
–Field Level Media
