Highest Graded Players From Arizona Wildcats Rocky Win Over Northern Arizona

These were a couple of Arizona Wildcats players who walked out of the win over NAU with a solid performance.

Sep 7, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Lumberjacks quarterback Ty Pennington (6) throws the ball against Arizona Wildcats defensive lineman Tre Smith (3) during first quarter at Arizona Stadium / Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

The Arizona Wildcats remained undefeated against the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks on Saturday, but it wasn't the game the team was hoping to have.

Pro Football Focus released their weekly grades of the matchups that took place over the weekend, and some Wildcats players still had some nice individual grades.

Slot receiver Devin Hyatt deserves a shoutout as the highest-graded player on the team, but it was a small sample size since he picked one catch for 30 yards on just two receiving snaps.

The actual best performances of the day were all on the defensive side of the ball, an encouraging sign given their weak showing against the New Mexico Lobos.

Tre Smith led all starters with the highest grade at 81.7, fueled by a solid all-around performance off the edge.

He had two quarterback hurries with one sack logged. He had seven total tackles on the day with three being deemed stops along with being credited with a forced fumble.

The junior followed Brent Brennan over from the San Jose State Spartans after he had a breakout year last season with 66 tackles, 6.5 sacks and 9.5 total tackles for a loss.

It's still early, but he's looking like an important transfer portal addition.

Fellow starting edge rusher Chase Kennedy had the second highest-grade at 80.3. He picked up four total pressures on the quarterback with a sack of his own, also recording another hit.

Kennedy also had a nice day against the run with two stops and no missed tackles.

The redshirt sophomore was also added from transfer portal and was mainly someone targeted for his potential. He had just one tackle across seven career games logged with the Utah Utes before coming to Arizona.

Kennedy was all over the place in this one which should lead to some confidence following a disappointing showing against the Lobos last week.

Looking at the secondary, Treydan Stukes had the third-best day with a 78.3 grade. He was the starting slot corner, a job he held last year with the Wildcats.

Stukes picked up three stops and gave up negative nine yards across two catches allowed on three targets. He stepped up as a tackler when he needed to, and also played great in coverage.

Each side of the ball has now had their games to shine.

Arizona will need a find to way to get them both going at the same time as they face Kansas State Wildcats in a huge matchup on Friday.