Arizona Wildcats Have Work Cut Out for Them Stopping This New Mexico Player

Heading into the first game of the year, the Arizona Wildcats know who they have to stop when they take the field against New Mexico.

Nov 18, 2023; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones running back Eli Sanders (6) catches a touchdown pass against the Texas Longhorns at Jack Trice Stadium / Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports

This past Saturday, Arizona was able to sit back and watch the "Week 0" slate where plenty of interesting results were on display.

Not only did one of the top preseason teams, Florida State, get upset on a walk-off field goal, but ACC newcomer SMU and new-look Hawaii also struggled in their matchups against what was perceived as inferior opponents.

Unlike the Seminoles, though, SMU and Hawaii were able to get out of Week 0 with a win.

Besides the Wildcats being able to kick back and watch college football for the first time this fall, they also got a look at what their Week 1 opponent New Mexico looked like when they took on FCS school Montana State.

This was the debut of Bronco Mendenhall with New Mexico, and because this is seen as a massive rebuilding process, they entered this game as double-digit underdogs.

However, the Lobos looked much better than expected, almost pulling off the upset and joining Georgia Tech as the headliners of this past weekend.

The good news for Arizona is they now have an idea of what players they need to stop on the defensive side of the ball.

New defensive coordinator Duane Akina will have his work cut out for him as he figures out a way to slow down running back Eli Sanders. The Iowa State transfer ran for 87 yards on 17 rushes in the opener against Montana State, and if the Wildcats aren't able to shut him down, then he could run wild.

The three-star prospect from Chandler, AZ in the 2021 recruiting class is now returning back to his home state with an upset on his mind.

Last season, Arizona allowed only 118.2 rushing yards per contest while holding opposing teams to just 3.6 yards per attempt.

The groundwork is in place for the Wildcats to be a good run-stopping unit again, but there are some questions marks across the defensive line and in their linebacking corps that could spell trouble in the first game of the year.

If Arizona isn't able to shut down Sanders, then New Mexico could hang around in the game more than expected, just like they did last week.

For a full preview of this Week 1 matchup, click here.