Arizona football shut down by Colorado, WR Tetairoa McMillan scoreless again

Arizona football fell 34-7 to the Colorado Buffaloes in Tucson, as Wildcats wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan was scoreless for the sixth straight game.

BY AP

Oct 19, 2024, 4:51 PM Updated: 5:03 pm

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Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita being sacked in 34-7 loss to Colorado on Oct. 19, 2024...

Quarterback Noah Fifita #11 of the Arizona Wildcats is sacked by Nikhai Hill-Green #41 of the Colorado Buffaloes during the first half of the NCAAF game at Arizona Stadium on October 19, 2024 in Tucson, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Shedeur Sanders threw for 250 yards and accounted for three touchdowns, and Colorado’s defense shut down Arizona in a 34-7 win on Saturday.

The Buffaloes (5-2, 3-1 Big 12) scored two early touchdowns and swarmed the Wildcats (3-4, 1-3) all afternoon to bounce back from last week’s 31-28 loss to Kansas State.

Sanders threw for two touchdowns with two interceptions on 23-of-33 passing and ran for another score. Colorado converted 8 of 11 third downs while building a 21-point halftime lead and its defense held the Wildcats to 245 total yards.

Arizona spent most of the afternoon chasing the Buffaloes.

The Wildcats had trouble protecting quarterback Noah Fifita, giving up seven sacks after allowing six combined the first six games. Scrambling most of the day, Fifita threw an interception, lost a fumble and couldn’t find preseason All-American Tetairoa McMillan, who had five catches for 38 yards.

Arizona coach Brent Brennan said the team’s woes are “100 percent my fault” and the amount of player injuries is “rare air” for him to navigate, as reported by ABC15’s Matt Reynoldson on X.

One of those many piling-up injuries was junior linebacker Jacob Manu, who was sidelined in the second quarter with a non-contact injury.

The Wildcats’ problems started from the opening kick.

Trying to surprise the Buffaloes, Arizona tried an onside kick that failed and spent most of the first half defending a short field.

Colorado started its opening drive at Arizona’s 46-yard and converted with Isaiah Augustave’s 1-yard touchdown run. Drelon Miller scored on a 1-yard shovel pass from Sanders on the next drive, then Will Sheppard hauled in a 16-yard touchdown in the corner of the end zone — initially ruled incomplete before being overturned on review.

Sanders’ 6-yard touchdown run put Colorado up 28-7 at halftime.

Arizona had one sustained drive in the first half, capped by Fifita’s 1-yard shovel pass to Chris Hunter, and lost a fumble deep in its own end — two plays after recovering a fumble.

Colorado’s offense stalled in the second half, but it didn’t matter the way its defense played.

Linebacker Jack Luttrell was one of the few bright spots for the Wildcats in any phase of the game, the freshman coming down with two interceptions in his first career start.

THE TAKEAWAY

A week after a close loss to Kansas State, Colorado appears to be back on track with one of its best all-around games. Arizona is searching for answers on both sides of the ball following its third straight loss.

UP NEXT

Colorado: hosts Cincinnati next Saturday.

Arizona: hosts West Virginia next Saturday.