Wildcats Beat NAU 65-41
The Wildcats offense dominated NAU right from the very beginning of this game and set a school record by scoring 51 points in the first half.
The defense on the other hand struggled for most of the game.
A major factor is the lack of discipline on defense. Penalties on 3rd down are a huge problem and when the Wildcats get into conference play it will be a major issue.
In fact, if this isn’t corrected soon it will be very hard for the Wildcats to win anymore games.
Arizona had 11 penalties for 127 yards compared to NAU’s 4 penalties for 15 yards. If this continues against more difficult opponents they simply will not win games.
Another major issue is the amount of points Arizona is giving up. They gave up 45 against Hawaii and 41 against NAU. This needs to be fixed.
Even though the defense struggled, there were some real bright spots on offense. The rushing was amazing during this game with Gary Brightwell and J.J. Taylor having over 100 yards. Brightwell had an incredible 94 yard rushing touchdown.
Since this game was a blowout after the first half a lot of 2nd and 3rd team players got a lot of playing time.
Backup QB Grant Gunnell looked amazing and he had an incredible perfectly thrown touchdown pass. The future looks bright with Gunnell.
Overall the offense was impressive in this game, but defense is going to be a major problem this year.
The Texas Tech game is going to be real test to see if the Wildcats can move forward this year. If the defense can be fixed they will be very competitive, otherwise this will be a long losing season.
Here are the AZ vs NAU highlights: