Arizona Wildcats beat San Diego State Aztecs 38-20

The Arizona Wildcats defeated the San Diego State Aztecs 38-20 on Saturday afternoon at San Diego State University's new Snapdragon Stadium.

According to Brian J. Pedersen of Arizona Desert Swarm, the Wildcats have made the right choice in picking their new players. Pedersen said that Jayden de Laura and Jacob Cowing were "particularly incredible" in this game.

De Laura completed 22 of 35 passes for 299 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception. On the other hand, Cowing tied the school single-game record with eight receptions for 153 yards and three TDs. Together, the two rookies contributed 30 points and 358 of Arizona's 461 yards.

The Wildcats' head coach Jedd Fisch expressed his gratitude to those who rooted for this team

"We're just getting started," Fisch said. "We're building this. We really believe we can build something special."

The Wildcats' victory against the Aztecs is their first season opener triumph since 2017. Tyler Loop scored the first points in the stadium with a 25-yard goal. Then, De Laura connected with Cowing for a 10-0 score on a 17-yard pass. While in the second quarter, De Laura connected with freshman Tetairoa McMillan for a 17-3 score.

Tyrell Shavers' 11-yard catch from Braxton Burmeister helped the Aztecs to close their gap to 17-10. However, Jaxen Turner intercepted Burmeister and returned it 20 yards.

De Laura then performed a 4-yard touchdown pass to Cowing with 28 seconds left in the first half, ending the second quarter with the Wildcats scoring 24-10. The Wildcats increased the gap further in the third quarter when Cowing hauled in a 25-yard touchdown throw, giving the Wildcats a 31-10 lead.

De Laura was happy with his team's victory over the Aztecs, saying that the Wildcats had worked hard in the offseason.

"You know, all the hard work we put in in the offseason, with the guys who've been on the team," De Laura said.

"What they've been through these past couple years, to come out the first game and just show what we can do. We've got a lot of stuff we left out on the field. I'm happy."

The Wildcats blocking its own punt

In the third quarter, Kyle Ostendorp of the Wildcats made a mistake when he punted the ball from his end zone into a lineman's backside. Jaylon Armistead took the chance and caught the ball for a touchdown.

Then, Jack Browning made a field goal from 23 yards out, ending the third quarter with 31-20.

DJ Williams scored the last point in this game with a 10-yard score in the fourth quarter, marking the Wildcats as the winner.

"That drive just showed that, if we want to run the ball we can run the ball," de Laura said.

Fisch said that the team tries to focus on the present and will not look back on the past, particularly on the failures of the past season.

"Just play the next play every play and don't focus in on what could have happened," Fisch added.

The Aztecs' coach Brady Hoke, on the other hand, was not happy with the Aztecs' performance in this game. He especially singled out the tackling, calling it "terrible, as bad as I've seen a team do in a long time."