It turns out Arizona can have nice things.
Tetairoa McMillan’s record-setting performance last weekend against New Mexico was a pleasure to watch, yes, but it also probably should have been expected.
OK, maybe not 304 yards and four touchdowns on 10 catches, but the kind of dominant game to where you just knew the other team would be unable to find an answer.
We saw it against ASU last year and again in the Alamo Bowl, and odds are good we will see it plenty more this season.
In watching T-Mac have his way with defenses that undoubtedly game planned to stop him it is clear Arizona has the type of player who will provide an advantage every time he steps onto the field. He will dictate coverage, opening things up for other players on the field.
He’s the kind of player Arizona has not often had, the kind who will make everyone around him better and the offense something to be feared.
And that says nothing about his QB, Noah Fifita, who is quite excellent in his own right and responsible for getting McMillan the ball.
The two of them, really, have helped to put Arizona on the map. Their play last season as well as their decision to stay has reverberated on a national level, with the duo receiving praise and dark horse Heisman hype.
In a time of transition for the program, this couldn’t be more valuable. Because let’s be honest, as much as we like Arizona and understand that the basketball brand is strong, football is anything but.
The Desert Swarm era is long in the past and the last 20 years or so have only offered fleeting, moderate success. The highs were nice but the lows were terrible, and there was plenty of mediocrity to go around.
Some talented players came and went, some who set records or generated highlights. But on a national level few save for maybe Khalil Tate, Scooby Wright and Rob Gronkowski have garnered much attention at all, except for the occasional highlight.
McMillan and Fifita are different.
There were stories about them. Whether it was their friendship, their loyalty to Arizona or their prodigious talent, they’ve been featured in stories by ESPN and 247 Sports as well as highlighted in pieces by The Athletic. Those outlets, and many others, cover sports. But they rarely had a reason to put the spotlight on Arizona football.
Now they do, and the timing couldn’t be better.
Arizona football is at a bit of an inflection point. They’re in a new conference with a new coaching staff, the latter of which has done most everything right since taking over. But for all the good they’ve done, the simple fact is it’s difficult to consistently win at this level and even tougher to do so at a high level.
Last year’s 10-win season was great, but it won’t mean much if the program backslides in a substantial way this season. There may be disagreement on what would constitute a successful campaign, but we can all probably agree that anything less than 7, at least without some brutal injuries, would be a colossal disappointment.
Winning that few games would indicate to some that last season was the aberration, the fluke that will not be repeated anytime soon. Recruiting could suffer, as would fan support and enthusiasm.
We’ve seen it before, recently.
Conversely, if Brent Brennan and his staff can guide the Wildcats to a similarly-successful year it would be a sign that Arizona truly is a program on the rise and the coaching change could not halt the momentum. Proof of concept, so to speak, could lead to improved NIL and recruiting situations. The struggles of the past could be left there for good.
This is where McMillan and Fifita come in. Arizona has plenty of other good, important players, but these are the faces of the program and the ones who are most likely to keep the Wildcats on the national radar. Positive exposure means everything to a program like Arizona, one that is trying to grow its footprint and show everyone it is more than just a basketball school.
Arizona has arguably the best QB/WR duo in the country. Fifita and McMillan cannot win games alone, but when Nos. 4 and 11 are on the field it truly feels like the Wildcats can compete with and even beat anybody they play.
Perhaps McMillan summed it up best earlier this week when he was asked about his goals for this season, both team and personal.
“Team goals, Big 12 championship, national championship,” he said. “Personal goals, break every Arizona receiving record there is.”
With this duo, it all seems possible.
