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Arizona has dominant season-opening win over Hawaii

Arizona scored on four of its first five drives to take control of the game in a season-opening 40-6 win over Hawaii.
ByAlan Rubenstein|
Aug 30, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Tre Spivey (12) catches the ball while Hawaii Rainbow Warriors defensive back Elijah Palmer (4) fails to intercept during the first quarter of the game at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images
Aug 30, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Tre Spivey (12) catches the ball while Hawaii Rainbow Warriors defensive back Elijah Palmer (4) fails to intercept during the first quarter of the game at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Arizona scored on three of its four first-half possessions and the first time it had the ball in the second half to take a commanding 24-6 lead on its way to a 40-6 win in the season opener over Hawaii on Saturday night.

Arizona used a balanced offense and opportunistic defense to earn the convincing win. Arizona forced five Hawaii turnovers and had four sacks in the win. The Wildcats ran for 183 yards and Noah Fifita completed 13 passes in 23 attempts for 161 yards and one touchdown and no interceptions.

Kedrick Reescano set the tone for Arizona early with three carries for 20 yards on the game-opening drive for the Wildcats that he punctuated with a 13-yard TD run to give Arizona a 7-0 lead. Reescano finished with 10 carries for 51 yards and a TD.

Quincy Craig might have earned starting running back with seven carries for 125 yards and a 55-yard TD run. Projected starter Ismail Mahdi finished with six carries for 23 yards with a TD and one reception for a loss of three yards. Mahdi had four carries for 23 yards and his TD in the fourth quarter.

Hawaii native Gavin Hunter, who started in the secondary with Marquis Groves-Killebrew and Treydan Stukes out with injuries, finished with two tackles, one pass breakup and an interception in the end zone. Safety Dalton Johnson, who led Arizona in tackles in 2024 had a team-leading 10 on Saturday.

The total offense was relatively even, with Arizona finishing with 344 total yards and Hawaii 290. Hawaii struggled on the ground for the second consecutive game, finishing with 67 yards on 29 carries. Saturday was a huge improvement for Arizona after allowing 174.00 rushing yards per game in 2024.

Arizona next hosts Football Championship Subdivision Weber State on Saturday with a 7:00 PM kickoff on ESPN+. Weber State lost 45-10 at James Madison on Saturday. Like Arizona, Weber State finished 4-8 in 2024. Arizona will play two other Wildcats in their next two games, with Kansas State at Arizona on September 12.

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