Five Arizona Football Players Who Shined in the UTSA Game

Now that Arizona football fans know the timetable and probable return of Scooby Wright, things are a little better in the Old Pueblo.

Without Scooby on the field there were still plenty of Wildcats that stepped up in the season opener against UTSA. Let’s take a look at five Wildcats who shined at Arizona Stadium last Thursday night.

Cayman Bundage

Oct 19, 2013; Tucson, AZ, USA; Arizona Wildcats offensive lineman Cayman Bundage (61) in between plays during the second quarter against the Utah Utes at Arizona Stadium. Arizona beat Utah 35-44. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

Senior Cayman Bundage had 26 starts in his Arizona career on the offensive line going into last weeks game against the Roadrunners. Start number 27 was a whole new ballgame.

It was his first start at center for the Wildcats and he passed with flying colors.

The Arizona coaching staff thought he did such a good job they named him Offensive Player of the Week.

Johnny Jackson

When Samajie Grant was suspended for the UTSA game that left the door open for a player Arizona fans had not heard from in a while.

Johnny Jackson made his mark his red shirt freshman year when he was a frequent target of quarterback Matt Scott. After a quiet sophomore season, Jackson moved to defense.

Just a few weeks ago he was moved back to offense and it appears to be perfect timing. Jackson got the start against the Roadrunners and was Anu Solomon’s favorite target of the night.

Jackson had his best career game to date when he finished with eight catches for 101 yards, both team highs. He also added a 21-yard touchdown to the mix.

Arizona Wildcats

Davonte Neal

Arizona fans expected big things at receiver from Notre Dame transfer Davonte’ Neal last year. Neal had a quiet season in 2014 on offense but his move to cornerback is already paying big dividends for the defense.

He tied Will Parks with a team high 11 tackles against UTSA but his blocked field goal in the third quarter is what had Arizona fans talking the next day.

It was the first blocked field goal Arizona has had since the Mackovic era.

Jamar Allah

Free Safety Jamar Allah started his senior campaign with a bang.

In the third quarter Parks forced a fumble that Allah took to the house for a 22-yard score.  In the fourth quarter Allah was a magnet to the ball again.

After Neal blocked the field goal, Allah was the one that picked it up and ran it downfield for a nice gain.

Allah finished second on the team with nine tackles.

Dec 31, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Wildcats quarterback Anu Solomon (12) against the Boise State Broncos in the 2014 Fiesta Bowl at Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Anu Solomon

One guy that I am super pumped about this year and what he can carry out is Anu Solomon. Rich Rod is happy to have a starting quarterback back for the second year in a row for the first time while he has been in the desert.

Against UTSA Solomon looked a bit rusty, but he still finished with a great performance, throwing for 229 yards. He finished with four touchdowns to four different receivers and had zero interceptions.

My favorite offensive play of the night came when Solomon “bobbed and weaved” his way to safety before finding Johnny Jackson open for a 21-yard touchdown. This one play earned Anu No. 12 best moment for the game.