Helmet Stickers: Arizona vs. Hawaii

Arizona was able to have its way with the offensive line and got into the backfield and recorded five sacks and 10 tackles for loss. In comparison the Wildcats totaled 28 sacks during the 12-game season averaging 2.3 per game.

As a team, the defensive had five players get in on the sack party.

Offensively, the Wildcats were led by quarterback Noah Fifita, who was coming off an underwhelming 2024 season. Against Hawaii, Fifita was able to get on track, tossing for 161 yards on 13 of 23 and recorded a touchdown pass.

Although there was some passing success for the Wildcats with Fifita finding eight different targets on the night, it was the running game that took control for Arizona.

The Wildcats saw their top three running backs go off for 199 yards on 23 rushing attempts and logged a touchdown each. Overall, Arizona finished with 183 yards on the ground and it was RB Quincy Craig, who led the way with his 125 yards and a touchdown run of 55 yards on just seven touches.

The offensive line was highly successful in the running game and allowed just two sacks against the Hawaii defensive unit.

In comparison, Fifita was sacked 28 times last season. So, if the Wildcats line holds the two per game number, that would be four less than the 2024 season.

Not only did the Wildcats cause issues in the backfield for Hawaii, they were able to create chaos on the field and came up with five turnovers and five different players in Jack Luttrell, Chase Kennedy, Taye Brown, Julian Savaiinaea and Gavin Hunter getting their hands on the ball.

Still, the offense had its issues in the passing game with miss chances at completions and some defensive lapses that led to a couple of chunk plays for Hawaii.

However, when you are able to walk away with a 34-point season opening win, it was a good day for the program.

We at Arizona Wildcats On SI went ahead and handed out three helmet stickers for the top three players of the game:

Three Helmet Stickers

Quincy Craig

• The top offensive performer from the Wildcats’ 34-point win was clearly with running back Quincy Craig recording a team-high 125 rushing yards on seven carries, which included a 54-yard touchdown run to extend Arizona’s lead to double-digits.

• Craig had a solid training camp and seemed to get better each practice. The week leading up to the game, Brennan said that he was the best player in practice and it showed on the field.

• Arizona had an even attack at the running back position with three different backs getting in the action and recording a touchdown.

Genesis Smith

• Arizona had a solid defensive night giving up just six points to Hawaii and were able to force the Rainbow Warriors into five turnovers and five sacks. The Wildcats’ secondary got stronger as the game went along and slowed down the Warriors’ passing game.

• Although he didn’t come up with one of the five turnovers, safety Genesis Smith set the tone early for the defense with his hard hit on a Hawaii receiver to break up a touchdown pass.  After that, the passing game was downhill for the Rainbow Warriors.

Michael Wooten

• Last season when offensive lineman Michael Wooten had to come in and play the tackle position due to injuries, he struggled mightily and looked like he wasn’t ready for Power 4 football at times.

• However, after getting ready during the offseason and working with the staff, Wooten was moved to guard and slotted in the starting role due to his development and injuries on the roster.

• Saturday against Hawaii was his best game as a college lineman, he was able to succeed in the running game and moved the line 3-to-4 yards down field to open up holes.

• The real test for Wooten will come against Kansas State when the level of competition increases. However, he is clearly moving in the right direction.