Arizona's season opened with a dominating 38-3 win over NAU with players making game changing plays on both side of the football. Things started off slow with only 14 points scored in the first half by the Wildcats but took a notch up in the second half outside the Lumberjacks 24-0 to end the game.

The win earned coach Jedd Fisch his first victory over NAU, after losing to the Lumberjacks during his first season 21-19 in a historic loss.

The Wildcats have started off the season 1-0 for two consecutive seasons, that is the first time that has happened since the 2014 and 2015 season in which Arizona went to a bowl game both seasons.

It was a game of firsts for Arizona (1-0). It was the first time the Wildcats had beat an opponent by 30-plus points since a game against Southern Utah in 2019 that ended 62-31 and resulted in a losing season. Plus, it was the first time holding an opponent to under 20 points since the 2019 season.

With a dominating win comes high-level performances, and there are a number of players that made the difference in the game for Arizona.

Here we'll be highlighting the top three performers in the game by giving away the first helmet stickers of the season. Helmet stickers, of course, have long been a sign of significant performances on the field awarded to players by coaches after each game.

This is who staff writer Troy Hutchison feels the standout players were Saturday and the ones who made the biggest impact for the Wildcats in the win.

Arizona named former walk-on nickel back Martell Irby a team captain heading into the 2023 season and ahead of the game against NAU, Fisch gave the Irby a scholarship after his hard work during the off-season with the program.

Even though Irby didn't start the game, he played the vast majority of it due to an injury to starter Treydan Stukes during the first half.

When looking at the box score, Irby was tied for the second most tackles in the game with seven and had two pass deflection in coverage. He was able to make plays in the backfield on screen passes and stopped NAU players from picking up big chunk plays on the ground.

Above all, the leadership on the field is what earned Irby this helmet sticker. He was able to command the cornerbacks group and made sure guys were lined up in the right spot and understood their assignment.