No. 14 Arizona football’s McMillan, Fifita win Pac-12 weekly awards

No. 14 Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan was crowned Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week, while quarterback Noah Fifita captured the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week title after a 59-23 win over Arizona State on Saturday.

The Servite High School teammates connected 11 times in the 97th Territorial Cup for 266 yards.

“They’ve played together since eighth grade, they’re best friends, they’ve had a great connection in terms of where they are going to be on every single play when the ball is in there air,” head coach Jedd Fisch told reporters on Monday. “In the end, they find each other, they work together, but they both independently are outstanding football players.”

McMillan blew past the previous rivalry game record of 199 receiving yards by ASU’s Gerell Robinson in 2011.

The sophomore’s 1,242 receiving yards this season rank No. 8 in FBS, while he is 16th in receptions with 80. He has caught eight or more passes in four of the last five games and gave the Sun Devils fits down the field, over the middle and with the ball in his hands making defenders miss.

#Pac12FB Offensive Player of the Week, presented by @Nextiva: Tetairoa McMillan 😼

Full release ➡️ https://t.co/qXFaSkSVNv pic.twitter.com/FyC08JowGd

— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) November 27, 2023

Fifita went a step further by not only reaching a new Territorial Cup milestone for passing yards but breaking Arizona’s single-game record with 527. ASU’s Ryan Kealy in 1998 had 511 against Arizona, while Anu Solomon had the Wildcats’ previous passing yards record of 520 in 2014.

The redshirt freshman finished 30-of-41 passing with five touchdowns and an interception. He has completed 74% of his throws this season with 23 touchdowns and five interceptions, taking over as starter for Jayden de Laura. Fifita started his first game against Washington on Sept. 30, a 31-24 loss, due to de Laura suffering an ankle injury. The Wildcats stuck with Fifita down the stretch even after the incumbent starter became available, and Arizona ended its season with a six-game winning streak.

McMillan became the first Wildcat this season to win Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week, while Fifita snagged his fifth Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honor in eight weeks.

Arizona’s bowl game and opponent will be announced on Sunday.

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