Arizona Football: 3 Takeaways from win over Northern Arizona

The first Arizona football game of the season is officially in the books; the team dominated the Lumberjacks. Let’s take a look at three takeaways from the home opener.

Oh boy! Was this a fun one or not? There is no way that you could have watched this game and not been excited from a fans standpoint. Many things stood out in this game. Shun Brown appears to be a legit weapon on special teams, Brandon Dawkins running ability could take him to next level, and how can we forget the coaches son, all the running backs seemed to score, Khalil Tate can pass, and Rhett Rodriguez even got in to score a touchdown at the end.

Now that the annual home opener is in the books let us take a look at three takeaways from this game.

Impressive Freshmen

One thing coming into this game was the number of the freshman who would be starting in their first collegiate game. The team had plenty of them make plays in this game because it was a blowout. Nathan Tilford was the one who stood out the most, despite not scoring a touchdown, he set the pace for the backs. On only four carries he would run for 79 yards, with a long of 65. WOW. Kylan Wilborn‘s turnover was stellar.

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On the defensive side of the ball, the team had two freshman start in the back. Lorenzo Burns and Scottie Young Jr. both made their debuts. Both showed why they deserved to start as freshmen, Burns finished the game with seven tackles, good enough for second on the team. Scottie Young would finish the game with four.

No matter what happens the rest of the season, these young freshmen have now hopefully get over the first game nerves.

Flannigan-Fowles is special

Coming into the year, Flannigan-Fowles had all eyes on him catching not one, but two interceptions, the same number of interceptions he caught all last season. After one game, he will have even more eyes on him. As a whole, the Arizona defense did not look all that great. After all, they did manage to give up 562 yards to an FCS program, albeit a good one. If the Wildcats hope to contend in the Pac-12 this season, games like this cannot happen.

One player that did not let us down was Demetrius, he finished the game as the teams best defensive player. By a longshot. Leading the team in total tackles with eight, and adding two interceptions to go along with them. No one is crowning Flannigan the Jim Thorpe Award winner this early in the season, but if he continues to impress with his vision, he could end up getting drafted in the later rounds come April.

The team can run, but not pass yet

Last season, Arizona beat Arizona State 56-35 without attempting a pass in the second half. So there is no surprise that the Wildcats would continue to run all over the competition this season, but nobody knew it would be this lopsided.

The team had 5 runners with runs of 37 yards or longer, with QB Brandon Dawkins 66-yard touchdown run being the most impressive. He also had another 50-yard touchdown run that would be called back on an untimely hold. Two of Dawkins touchdowns were called back on penalties during the game.

Game Highlights:

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Even if the Wildcats struggle at some point this season, one thing will be for certain. They will continue to try to run down the throats of opposing defenses. So buckle up, we could be in for a bumpy ride this season. For now, let’s congratulate Arizona on a well-deserved victory! BEAR DOWN.