Northern Arizona Lumberjacks vs Arizona Wildcats Match Player Stats On Sep 19, 2015

The Sports Xchange
Sep 20, 2015

TUCSON, Ariz. -- Arizona quarterback Anu Solomon threw four touchdown passes to kick-start a record-setting night as 20th-ranked Wildcats used a 35-point second quarter en route to a 77-13 victory over Northern Arizona on Saturday.

Solomon completed 25 of 35 passes for 285 yards, leaving after Arizona's second series of the second half. His backup, Jarrard Randall, piled on with a 72-yard run on his first snap and then a 73-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter.

Arizona broke three school records on the same play with 5:45 left in the game -- an 11-yard touchdown run by fourth-string quarterback Zach Werlinger. That set the school record for points (77), total yards (792) and rushing yards (499). Those would be Arizona's final totals for the night.

The school scoring record had stood since a 1921 game when Arizona scored 74 against the school now known as UTEP.

Arizona (3-0) moves on to a Pac-12 South showdown against 10th-ranked UCLA next Saturday at Arizona Stadium. Northern Arizona (2-1) entered the game ranked 24th in the FCS coaches' poll.

Three of Solomon's touchdown passes came in the big second quarter. Running back Nick Wilson, who finished with 143 yards on 19 carries, scored the other two on short runs.

The Arizona defense picked off three passes, two against backup quarterback Kyren Poe, who played the second half after Case Cookus went 8 of 13 for 190 yards in the first half.

All four Arizona quarterbacks who played rushed for a touchdown. Brandon Dawkins had a 43-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter.

Northern Arizona kicked a 39-yard field goal by Ryan Hawkins on the opening drive of the game, but the Wildcats quickly grabbed the lead with a six-play, 51-yard drive, capped by a 1-yard run by Solomon.

The Lumberjacks had 161 yards in the opening quarter but had to settle for a second field goal -- from 21 yards -- after a 69-yard catch-and-run from Dejzon Walker set up the Lumberjacks in the red zone.

Arizona led 7-6 after one quarter -- and then the Wildcats got hot.

Arizona scored touchdowns on all five drives in the second quarter to take a 42-13 lead at halftime.

The Wildcats repeatedly exploited mismatches in the passing game as Solomon connected for three touchdowns in the quarter -- 8 yards to Samajie Grant, 27 yards to David Richards and 14 yards to Richards.

Arizona mixed in two short touchdown runs by Wilson, who rushed 17 times for 139 yards in the half.

The Wildcats' 35 points in a quarter were one short of the school record, set last year when they scored 36 in the fourth quarter against Cal.

NOTES: Northern Arizona redshirt freshman LB Jake Casteel was on the opposite sideline from his father, Jeff Casteel, Arizona's defensive coordinator. ... There has been no official announcement about the return of Arizona All-American LB Scooby Wright, who has missed two games after undergoing surgery to clean up meniscus. The optimistic end of the original timetable pegged a potential return against UCLA on Saturday. ... Arizona WRs Trey Griffey and Tyrell Johnson have not played this season because of foot injuries. ... Scouts from the New York Giants and Atlanta Falcons were in attendance, as was one from the Canadian Football League's BC Lions.