Tetairoa McMillan Receives National Award After Breaking Arizona Record
Coming out of Week 1, the Arizona Wildcats did what they set out to do by putting away the feisty New Mexico Lobos who came into Tucson ready to pull off a major upset.
Despite it being close at halftime, Arizona's overwhelming offensive talent eventually turned things into a route as they cruised to a 61-39 victory.
While there is plenty they need to work on, especially on the defensive end, before they get ready to play Kansas State and Utah in games that could determine the ceiling of what the Wildcats can accomplish this season, the positives are also a great foundation to build upon.
What has been generating national headlines is the performance of Tetairoa McMillan.
The superstar wide receiver made waves when he broke Arizona's single-game record for receiving yards with 304 and tied the program record for receiving touchdowns in a game at four.
And even though there were tons of elite performances around the country, the Associated Press named McMillan as their National Football Player of the Week.
The Associated Press national football player of the week for Week 1 is Tetairoa McMillan of the Arizona Wildcats.
— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) September 3, 2024
McMillan set the school record with 304 yards receiving and tied another with four touchdown catches in 61-39 win over New Mexico. https://t.co/ym3JK6Fbwd pic.twitter.com/699MRdhWdC
The future first round pick not only cemented himself in the record books for Arizona, he also made Big 12 history in just his first game as a member of the conference.
Throughout the offseason, there were projections that implied McMillan could be in for a massive year with Noah Fifita being the starting quarterback from the beginning of this campaign, and after one contest, he certainly is on pace to become the best wide receiver this program has ever seen.
Going forward, though, the Wildcats will have to find a way to get others involved.
Fifita took the blame for the lack of action others in the passing game saw, so that could be a major point of emphasis in their second game against FCS program Northern Arizona.
BRAD WAKAI