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Coach Prime has high praise for his opponent ahead of Saturday.
The similarities between the Arizona Wildcats and Colorado Buffaloes are striking. Both teams are new members of the Big 12. Both teams are led by their two superstars at quarterback and receiver. Both teams underwent a complete offseason transformation. Both teams lost to ranked opponents in conference games last week. But most importantly, both teams need to win this week to stay relevant in the Big 12 championship race.
Deion Sanders knows this week is a challenge. Anytime you face off against an elite quarterback-receiver combo, you’re facing an uphill battle. Colorado and their staff recognized the task at hand, and they’re up for it.
“They’ve got a great quarterback and have one of the best receivers in the nation, if not the best arguably,” said Sanders in his weekly Tuesday presser. “[Tetairoa McMillan] is certainly a pro. Let’s start right there. You need to deal with those two.”
McMillan and quarterback Noah Fifita established themselves as one of the nation’s scariest duos under head coach Jedd Fisch in 2023, capping off Arizona’s season with an upset win over Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl. Fisch has since jumped ship to take the Washington job and former San Jose State coach Brent Brennan has taken the job in Tucson. The Wildcats have taken a noticeable step back under Brennan despite retaining most of their key talent, but can still gash you through the air if you aren’t careful.
Sanders fully understands the threat at hand, and had high praise for Fifita during his media availability ahead of Colorado’s game in Tucson.
“Their quarterback [Fifita] can make all the throws,” Sanders said. “He doesn’t look to run, but he can run. He has tremendous escapability. They’ve got a running game, and they can move the ball up and down the field.”
Fifita has established himself as one of the conference’s best quarterbacks, but McMillan is the bigger threat. The 6-foot-5, 215 receiver seemingly gets open at will. He has the size of a tight end, but the speed and hands of a receiver. Even with Colorado’s talent in the secondary, stopping McMillan might be the toughest challenge CU’s defensive backs face this season. Colorado has a game plan to stop McMillan, but they know it won’t be easy.
“We don’t wanna give away our gameplan, but we’re going to try our best,” Sanders said. “A lot of people have tried their best, but the kid is phenomenal. He’s exceptional. That’s why he’s one of the best in the country.”
When watching Fifita and McMillan play together, it’s hard not to draw comparisons between the relationship between Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter. Colorado fans know firsthand what a combination like that brings to a football team, and so does Coach Prime. Even he couldn’t shy away from drawing that comparison.
“[McMillan’s] has a quarterback who’s one of his best friends and he’s going to find a way to get him that ball,” Prime said. “It’s kinda like what Shedeur and Travis have. It’s going to be a task, man. We’re pretty sure our guys will be up for it.”
On the other hand, Colorado’s offense has their work cut out from them. Arizona had two preseason all-conference players in CB Tacario Davis and LB Jacob Manu, but have regressed under Brennan’s new coaching staff. The Wildcats have allowed 28.8 points per game, which is good for 90th in the nation. Same as always, expect Colorado to air the ball out to their plethora of receiving talent.
“Defensively, they’ve got some big guys in the middle,” said Prime. “They’re stout versus the run, somewhat. I don’t want to say they’re vulnerable to the pass, because everyone seems like they’re vulnerable to what we have out there at receiver. These guys play complimentary defense and they get after it.”
As of now, the Buffs are three-point underdogs against Arizona. That line may change after the news that Travis Hunter and Jimmy Horn will return to play in Tucson, so take advantage while you can. Kickoff against Arizona will be at 2:00 pm MT on Saturday. Fans can tune in on Fox.
by RylandScholes
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