TUCSON, Arizona — Brent Brennan’s second-year reboot with the Arizona Wildcats is off to a good start.
Noah Fifita threw for a touchdown and ran for another score, the defense forced five turnovers and the Wildcats rolled to a 40-6 win over Hawaii on Saturday night.
It was an impressive performance for a program that’s trying to bounce back from a disappointing 4-8 season in 2024, which was Brennan’s first on the Arizona sideline. The Wildcats had at least five sacks and five takeaways in a game for the first time since 2016.
“I’m sure there were mistakes, but we played hard in all three phases,” Brennan said. “At the end of the day, this is a win for our football team, a win for our fans and a great night in Arizona Stadium.
“We’re excited about the start and where we’re going.”
Arizona’s defense had 10 tackles for a loss, including five sacks, snagged three interceptions and recovered two fumbles. Quincy Craig had 125 yards rushing and a touchdown on just seven carries.
“The secondary was definitely flying around out there, hitting people,” Arizona linebacker Taye Brown said. “We practice that — launching and not stopping our feet.”
Fifita connected on a 5-yard touchdown pass to Sam Olson early in the third quarter, pushing Arizona up 24-6 and giving them a comfortable advantage for the rest of the night. Fifita — a redshirt junior — is now the sixth-leading passer in Wildcats history with 6,126 career yards.
Hawaii freshman quarterback Micah Alejado threw for 157 yards and an interception before leaving the game in the third quarter with a right ankle injury. He battled a similar injury in last week’s win over Stanford. Backup Luke Weaver completed 8 of 16 passes for 66 yards and two interceptions.
Arizona (1-0) jumped ahead 7-0 on its first offensive drive, starting with excellent field position after Jeremiah Patterson returned a punt 41 yards to Hawaii’s 47. Four plays later, Kedrick Reescano ran 13 yards for a touchdown, slicing right through the middle of the Rainbow Warriors’ line.
The Wildcats exposed the middle of Hawaii’s defense again in the second quarter when Craig took a handoff and sprinted 54 yards for a touchdown and a 14-3 lead.
“Our offensive line has been opening up holes and we’ve been practicing that exact play so many times this whole week,” Craig said. “Just being able to have a hole like that was great.”
