First Look at the Much-Improved Arizona Wildcats - Cal's Next Opponent

UA is 2-1 after a 31-28 victory over FCS powerhouse North Dakota State.

Here are a few things you should know right up front about the Arizona football team that visits Cal next Saturday for both teams' Pac-12 Conference opener:

— There will not be a duel of Plummer brothers at quarterback. While Purdue transfer Jack Plummer has entrenched himself as Cal’s starter, younger brother Will — who started against the Bears a year ago — is fifth on the UA depth chart.

— This is not the same Wildcats squad that earned an asterisk in the minds of some Old Blues by snapping a conference-record 20-game losing streak with a 10-3 win last November over a Cal team without 24 players, including quarterback Chase Garbers and six other starters, due to COVID-19 protocols.

— Regardless of the bizarre circumstances surrounding last year’s game, it’s a jarring reality that Cal has lost six straight matchups against the Wildcats, dating back to the Bears’ most recent victory in 2009.

Coach Jedd Fisch, in his second season, clearly has a different team. A better team. Perhaps far better.

After going 1-11 in 2021, the Wildcats are 2-1 after their 31-28 victory Saturday night over North Dakota State, which has won nine of the past 11 FCS championships. The Bison had beaten six straight FBS opponents and were 3.5-point favorites, but Arizona prevailed in what Fisch called “a man’s game.”

“We knew we were gonna have a tough battle,” Fisch said. “That wasn't going to be a surprise. It wasn't a surprise to anyone.”

Arizona became the first FBS team to beat NDSU since 2009.

The college home of NFL quarterbacks Trey Lance and Carson Wentz, North Dakota State led the game in Tucson before Jayden de Laura threw a 22-yard TD pass to Jacob Cowing with 4:53 left.

''Our players did a fantastic job tonight,'' Fisch said. ''It was a very clean football game. We were 4-for-4 in the red zone, no turnovers, one penalty.''

''When stuff hits the fan, if we have each other's back, we can beat anybody,'' wide receiver Dorian Singer said.

There is some carryover from last year’s Arizona team. Four of five offensive line starters return, as do seven defensive starters, including the entire secondary.

But Fisch has significantly augmented his lineup at key spots.

De Laura, who passed for nearly 2,800 yards with 23 touchdowns at Washington State last season, is the Wildcats’ starting quarterback. He is averaging 249 passing yards per game for UA and on Saturday played turnover-free football a week after throwing three interceptions in a 45-23 loss to Mississippi State.

De Laura’s primary target also is a newcomer. Native Arizonan Cowing, who leads the Wildcats with 21 catches for 253 yards and five touchdowns, retuned home from UTEP, where he had 141 receptions for 2,595 yards and 13 TDs over three seasons.

There’s an intriguing young player in 6-foot-5, 205-pound freshman wideout Tetairoa McMillan, a native of Hawaii, who is averaging 17.6 yards on eight receptions.

Michael Wiley returns at running back and is the leading ground gainer in a balanced attack with 131 yards and a 6.2-yard per-carry average. But he has support from Florida State transfer DJ Williams and Jonah Coleman, a 5-9, 225-pound freshman from Stockton, who have combined for 200 more rushing yards.

The Arizona defense still is a work in progress, allowing 29 points per game. The Cats struggled to contain the powerful NDSU ground game, which generated 283 rushing yards at a 6.3 clip.

But when it mattered most on Saturday night, the Arizona defense stiffened. The Wildcats held on a fourth-and-2 play inside their own 25-yard line to get the ball back and begin their game-winning drive.

Arizona stopped NDSU on a three-and-out after taking the lead, and never gave the ball back to the Bisons.

“Those guys were big and strong,” Fisch said. “Our guys had to get down and dirty at the end.”

Cover photo of Arizona quarterback Jayden de Laura by Mark J. Rebilias, USA Today

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo