Arizona Wildcats Star Wide Receiver Stays in Heisman Conversation
The Arizona Wildcats have already had a roller coaster in the first two weeks of the 2024 college football season.
In Week 1, they won a shootout against the New Mexico Lobos, 61-39. Both offenses were clicking on all cylinders, tearing up the defenses through the air and on the ground.
Against Northern Arizona in Week 2, the script was flipped for the Wildcats. It was a defensive struggle, as they came away with an unexpectedly hard-fought 22-10 win.
One of the reasons why Arizona was not as explosive offensively is because the Lumberjacks did a much better job than the Lobos did of slowing down star wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan.
In the season opener, McMillan had a record-setting night.
He caught 10 passes for 304 yards and four touchdowns, becoming the Wildcats single-game leader for receiving yards and tying the single-game record for touchdowns.
New Mexico came into the game willing to play single coverage against him and they did not adjust. Noah Fifita locked onto his star time and time again with incredible success, as there wasn’t another wide receiver on the roster who caught multiple passes.
Northern Arizona was not going to allow McMillan to be the one who beat them.
They did an excellent job of eliminating him from the game, as he caught only two passes for 11 yards.
Despite the underwhelming Week 2 performance, the Arizona star is still someone to keep an eye on in the award races this season.
David Kenyon of Bleacher Report shared his Heisman Trophy rankings and McMillan is still hanging around.
He landed in tier five, joined by Clemson Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik, Ohio State Buckeyes running back Quinshon Judkins, Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Jackson Arnold and Oklahoma State Cowboys running back Ollie Gordon II.
It is still very early in the 2024 campaign, but Week 3 will be a chance for McMillan to really stake his claim as the top wide receiver in the nation and Heisman candidate.
The Wildcats will be heading on the road to face the Kansas State Wildcats on Friday night.
It is a matchup that will not count as a Big 12 game since it was scheduled before realignment, but that doesn’t change the importance level for Arizona, who can measure themselves against one of the top teams in the conference and make a statement with a win.
KENNETH TEAPE