How To Watch, Stream and Listen: Arizona vs. New Mexico (2024)

Kickoff Time: 7:35 MST

Television: ESPN (Play by Play: Brian Custer, Analyst: Rod Gilmore, Sideline: Lauren Sisler)

Watch Online:ESPN Online/FUBO

TUC Flagship Stations: 1290 AM, 107.5 FM (Play by Play: Brian Jeffries, Analyst: Lamont Lovett, Sideline: Steve Quis)

Listen Online:Wildcats Radio 1290 App

SiriusXM Satellite Radio: 81

*The Wildcats are 85-30-5 all-time in season openers, and 92-22-5 all-time in home openers. They have posted back-to-back season opening wins over NAU (2023) and San Diego State (2022) but have gone just 1-3 in their last four home openers.

*Arizona and New Mexico have faced each other 67 times previously, with the Wildcats holding a definitive 44-20-3 lead in the all-time series. Arizona has opened their season against UNM one time previously, a 6-0 road win over the Lobos to kick off the 1911 season.

* The Wildcats enter the year ranked No. 21 in both the Associated Press Preseason Top 25 and the USA Today Coaches Poll. It marks the first time since 2015 that Arizona began the year ranked in the AP Top 25.

* Last week in a loss to Montana State, Devon Dampier led UNM on his nine drives that weren't truncated by the end of halves to a pair of touchdowns and three field goal attempts. Meaning 55.6% of all of his complete drives ended in a scoring chance. Additionally, eight full drives that started in UNM territory, Dampier either scored, had a field goal attempt or crossed MSU territory in six of the eight, giving UNM a 77.8% success rate at a minimum, flipping the field. Overall, Dampier's 18 completions were a career-best, and his 26 attempts tied him for his career best. His passing touchdown and rushing touchdown gives him 12 total touchdowns in 10 total games.

*Bronco Mendenhall has 16 new offensive lineman, five of those were making their first FBS starts, and the Lobos did a little late switching. Tevin Shaw started at left tackle, moving Wallace Unamba to right tackle, with McKenzie Agnello moving to center. The only other offensive lineman to get in was Malik Alaine for seven snaps at center. The six Lobos allowed zero sacks, just three pressures and one hit on Devon Dampier all night, despite nearly 30 passing plays in total. Agnello and Beckett earned perfect 100% pass blocking efficiency ratings from PFF for the game. Agnello earned the top grade in run blocking as well with an 80.6 mark. Amazingly, every single snap taken by an offensive lineman in the game did not play for UNM last season.

*The Wildcats return a veteran core of the roster including Noah Fifita, Tetairoa McMillan, Jonah Savaiinaea, Josh Baker, Montana Lemonious-Craig, Rayshon Luke, Leif Magnuson, Wendell Moe (pronounced Moi) Jr., Justin Flowe, Jacob Manu, Gunner Maldonado, Treydan Stukes, Dalton Johnson, Tacario Davis, and Ta'ita'i Uiagalelei to the 2024 roster that has mixed in newcomers to make up the team. Of the 109 players on the roster, the Wilcats return 65 and add 44 newcomers. Of the 43 newcomers, 31 are transfers from junior college (7) or FBS/FCS transfers (24) and 12 true freshmen joining the roster in 2024.

*The Arizona Wildcats embark on a new journey in a new conference after joining the Big 12 in Aug. 2024. The Wildcats end an era of Pac-10/12 that began in 1978 and finished with a 277-256-7 record while playing in the Pac10/12, including a 171-202-6 Conference record over 45 years in the conference. The legendary Dick Tomey led the Wildcats through 13 years of the Pac-10/12 Conference and recorded the most wins of any head coach in program history (95).

*After back-to-back years in 2021 and 2022 where punter Aaron Rodriguez finished the regular season as the nation's leader in most punts, he punted just 52 times. Rodriguez has punted 218 times in his Lobo career and he has amassed 9,414 yards overall, and he is third on the career average list at 43.2 yards per punt. The school record for most total punts is 276 by Tyler Gaus from 2002-05. Additionally, the record for most total yards is 11,096, putting Rodriguez 1,682 yards away.

*Wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan is the first Arizona player to be named preseason AP First-Team All-American since the Associated Press began the preseason list in 2016. McMillan pulled in numerous preseason accolades in the leadup to the 2024 season, including Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award Watch List, Biletnikoff Award watch list, Walter Camp Player of the Year Award watch list, Maxwell Award watch list, Phil Steele Magazine First-Team All-American, Athlon Sports First-Team All-American, and All-Big 12 Team. McMillan enters the 2024 season 8th in career-receiving touchdowns (18) in program history, 8th in career-receiving yards in program history (2,104). He pulled in the second-most receiving yards in a single-season in program history in 2023 (1,402). McMillan also posted the secondmost receiving yards in a single game in program history in 2023 (266; at ASU, Nov. 25, 2023).