What a relief! Subs rescue Arizona against Stanford on the road
Sep 23, 2023, 7:25 PM | Updated: 8:55 pm
Head coach Jedd Fisch of the Arizona Wildcats prepares his team for the game against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium on September 23, 2023 in Stanford, California. (Photo by Loren Elliott/Getty Images)
(Photo by Loren Elliott/Getty Images)
It may not have been how they wanted to get their opportunity but when DJ Williams and Noah Fifita got on the field, they made the most of it.
Williams, a graduate student who previously played at Florida State, took a number of the carries for the injured Michael Wiley, and found the end zone for the Arizona Wildcats as they beat the Stanford Cardinal 21-20 in Stanford, Calif. on Saturday.
Williams finished with 11 carries and 39 yards, but the touchdown midway through the fourth quarter put the Wildcats ahead for good.
Fifita, a redshirt freshman, came in and orchestrated a nine-play, 67-yard drive that took 3:58 off the clock in the fourth quarter for the injured Jayden de Laura.
de Laura came out after getting hit after throwing the ball while running out of the pocket down beneath the knee late in the third quarter. He did not come out for the next drive. He was on the sideline early in the fourth quarter with his right ankle wrapped.
Fifita completed his first pass attempt, the first play of the go-ahead drive, and a clutch third-and-3 with 2:10 left for seven yards to Jonah Coleman to help Arizona drain the clock.
Wildcats take the lead with @djwilliams2366 first TD of the year 😤
📺: Pac-12 Network pic.twitter.com/mMg6Cn8oBP
— Arizona Football (@ArizonaFBall) September 24, 2023
Injuries
Starting running back Michael Wiley did not return after the first quarter for Arizona.
He finished with just two carries for eight yards.
In his stead, Jonah Coleman and Williams filled in successfully. Coleman finished with 12 rushes for 75 yards.
de Laura, meanwhile, did not play the entire fourth quarter after suffering a leg injury.
He finished 14-for-26 for 157 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score.
Up Next
Arizona returns home to Tucson to take on No. 8 Washington. The Wildcats lost a close one, 49-39, to the Huskies last season in Seattle.
