During its bye week Arizona’s players stressed that every player doing his job was going to be the key in order to avoid another loss like they had against Hawaii to open the season.
Saturday night in the home opener at Arizona Stadium that is exactly what happened on the offensive side of the ball as the Wildcats set several records in a game that ended with a 65-41 win for UA over Northern Arizona.
The Wildcats (1-1) ended the first half by breaking a school record for most points scored in a half by scoring 51 in the first 30 minutes. Junior running back Gary Brightwell tied the record for the second-longest play in school history scoring a 94-yard rushing touchdown which would be Arizona’s third of that quarter alone.
“I just seen the hole and I took it," Brightwell said about his touchdown run that gave the Wildcats a 21-0 lead. "I just did everything we practice on."
Arizona had a comfortable lead early in Saturday's contest after receiver Tayvian Cunningham and running back J.J. Taylor scored the first two touchdowns of the game within the first four minutes. Eventually six different Wildcats scored in the first half alone led by Cunningham who scored two of the six touchdowns. Three of the team's seven first-half scores came on plays of more than 45 yards.
"We started fast as a football team after two weeks of really being off," UA head coach Kevin Sumlin said. "... We started fast. We had explosive plays."
Arizona fans were introduced to a new face on the field Saturday night as freshman quarterback Grant Gunnell took over for senior starter Khalil Tate in the middle of the second quarter. Just minutes into his first college game Gunnell completed his first career touchdown pass to Drew Dixion for nine yards. Sumlin was happy with the performance of his freshman quarterback.
“I thought he did pretty well …9 of 11 for 151 [yards] and three touchdowns in your debut, I think most people would take that," Sumlin said. "For him to go in there in the second quarter when the game is still going, the crowd's up and going with the first offensive line I thought he operated very well.
"He moved the team, he moved the ball, three touchdowns. I didn’t like when he turned back and ran into the defense coming down this way, he scrambled. He’s gotta learn to run to the pylon and not back into the teeth of the defense. He was having fun. I thought our players responded we he was out there. Guys made plays for him but he looked pretty calm for a freshman.”
UA’s offense gained 720 total yards against the Lumberjacks (1-1) and that was part of the positive aspect of the game the team went home with Saturday night.
“We did well," Tate said. "I think the O-line did well blocking their guys, had a hat for hat. Receivers did a great job and they’re definitely growing up running their correct routes, getting open and really just looking good as an offense.
“... We did better on our first and second down. I think in the past that you guys saw we had a lot of third-and-10s which you know is pretty difficult for an offense. So I think we did a great job on first and second down really getting those yards and making sure that we're ahead of the sticks.”
Although UA dominated the game offensively all was not good for the Wildcats Saturday night. Arizona's defense allowed NAU to rack up 442 yards of offense and 41 points plus his team had 11 penalties leading to 127 penalty yards in the home opener. Both are things Sumlin wants his team to clean up before facing Texas Tech next weekend.
"Too many penalties, too many selfish penalties," Sumlin said. "Things that we're not gonna tolerate. The message downstairs was that. Yeah, we won the game but gave up 41 points, a bunch in the second half. It's 51-13 at halftime and then we've got some starters out there and to give up 41 in that fashion is not OK.
"And, the penalties that we had today are not OK. The sign down there, some of you guys have seen it, it's about us. It's not about you. Some of these penalties are strictly about you. That's being addressed and that's gonna get fixed otherwise those guys aren't playing anymore."
Senior cornerback Jace Whittaker provided one of the positive plays for the UA defense as he intercepted his third pass of the season, but he understands how much the penalties impacted the game and as a leader of the team he stressed the importance of limiting those types of plays.
"Yeah, it was a lot," Whittaker said. "I mean you shoot yourself in the foot when you do that to yourself and we're gonna get better. Discipline. Discipline. He's (Sumlin) is gonna stress it over the weeks, we're gonna stress upon each other."
Next weekend the Wildcats take on Texas Tech in another home game to close out the nonconference portion of their schedule.
WATCH: Arizona-NAU postgame wrap-up
DISCUSS: Arizona's 65-41 win over NAU
