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A NEW SPORTS OPINION COLUMN FROM KAMP SPORTS DIRECTOR DAVID MOORADIAN
TUCSON, AZ– The McKale center was uncharacteristically quiet. The Arizona Men’s Basketball Team was off to a poor start. They trailed by six a few minutes into an intense rivalry game, and the home crowd was frustrated.
Two athletes (neither of which are on the basketball team) revived the home crowd, sending them into total jubilation. Noah Fifita and Tetairoa McMillan. The Arizona Football Team had just announced Fifita and McMilan were returning for another season following. This announcement silenced much anticipation the two would enter the transfer portal, following the departure of their former head coach Jedd Fisch. Fifita and McMillan joined the rest of their teammates on the court, deflecting all attention from a consequential rivalry game. In an instant, the entirety of the crowd rose to their feet and serenaded the Quarterback-Wide Receiver tandem, along with the rest of the team, with a rupturing applause that lasted roughly one minute and concluded with a “U OF A!” chant. The crowd’s reaction was warranted, their university’s football team had just secured one of the nations best Quarterback-Wide Receiver connections, a connection that dates back to high school.
Saturday, Arizona Stadium welcomed competition for the first time since mid-November. In the two games Arizona has played between their final home game last season and their home opener Saturday, Fifita and McMillan were unstoppable. The first was the territorial cup against Arizona State. During that rivalry matchup in Tempe, McMillan reeled in 11 receptions for 266 yards and a touchdown. At the time, 266 yards was the second most receiving yards in a single game by an Arizona Wildcat, behind only Jeremy McDaniel, who had 283 receiving yards against Cal in 1996. Fifita also threw for a career high 527 yards to help the Wildcats rout Arizona State 59-23. A few weeks later, the Wildcats had a much tougher game in store–The Alamo Bowl against Oklahoma. Fifita and McMillan excelled on the national stage guiding the Wildcats to a 38-24 victory in spite of a running game that only netted 29 rushing yards on 26 attempts.
Suffice to say, expectations were incredibly high for Noah Fifita and Tetairoa McMillan heading into the season opener against The University of New Mexico. McMillan shattered those expectations Saturday.
Arizona’s first drive was short– due in large part to the separation created by McMillan on the drive's third play. A New Mexico defender was nowhere to be found and McMillan waltzed into the end-zone for a 69 yard touchdown. McMillan never slowed, in fact as the game went on, his dominance became increasingly obvious. New Mexico and Head Coach Bronco Mendenhall never found the answers, perhaps there were none, and McMillan chased after that record set by Jeremy McDaniel in 1996. By the third quarter it became apparent that McMillan was indeed having a night to be remembered. With the Wildcats ahead by ten, McMillan reeled in a 32 yard reception, nearly taking it to the house, before being tripped up at the one yard line. That catch and run gave McMillan the necessary yardage to pass McDaniel and set a new record for most receiving yards in a single game. McMillan closed with 304 receiving yards and ten receptions, four of which went for touchdowns.
New Head Coach Brent Brennan has a national superstar on his hands. McMillan could very well be a top pick in this year's draft. Defenses across the BIG-12 are fearing their eventual matchup against McMillan. If Arizona cannot maximize the gold mine sitting in their wide receiver room, and give him the necessary help defensively, this season could be a tremendous waste of a generational talent. Players like Tetairoa McMillan do not come around often. Couple that with the fact that McMillan is working with a top-tier Quarterback that he has familiarity with dating back to high school and it becomes clear that Arizona has a real opportunity to make noise not just in the BIG-12, but in all of college football. However, Arizona has some real questions that are yet to be answered surrounding their defensive unit. The Wildcats allowed 471 yards against New Mexico, which is concerning considering that New Mexico is among the weakest opponents that Arizona will face all season long. New Mexico Quarterback Devon Dampier presented a real challenge for Arizona both with his legs and his arm. Dampier led the team rushing with 130 yards and two touchdowns, as well as throwing for an additional 260 yards. Improving against dual threat Quarterbacks has to be a top priority for Brent Brennan and the WIldcats.
Arizona has another casual week upcoming before facing off against Kansas State on September 13th. Questions about this defense will remain unanswered until that matchup. With Tetairoa McMillan lining up for the Wildcats, it will be hard to justify a loss this season, but without some defensive improvements, Arizona will be forced to do just that.
Excitement and expectations have been building since that euphoric afternoon in McKale Center last January. The offense headlined by national stars have held up their end of the bargain–can the defense do the same?
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