Saturday Storylines: Arizona-Colorado hosts hotbed of NFL talent, MC Hammer, cactus helmets

Five storylines ahead of Arizona football's return to Tucson for a sold-out homecoming matchup against Colorado on Saturday afternoon at Arizona Stadium.

Arizona is hosting its first October afternoon game since 2016. Even with abnormally warm temperatures this month, kickoff temperature is expected to be just over 70 degrees.

"I wish it was hot," joked Arizona head coach Brent Brennan.

Under the sun, the stars will be out in Tucson on Saturday.

For starters, the biggest star of them of all, Colorado head coach Deion Sanders is making his first — and potentially last — appearance at Arizona Stadium.

Sanders' top two offensive weapons — Shedeur Sanders, his son and Colorado quarterback, along with two-way star Travis Hunter — are currently projected by ESPN as the top two picks in the upcoming NFL Draft.

The Colorado star quarterback leads the Big 12 in passing yards and touchdowns, while Hunter is on the short list of favorites to win the Heisman Trophy this season because he excels at cornerback and wide receiver. Brennan can't recall scouting a talent like Hunter, who could become the first two-way Heisman winner since Michigan's Charles Woodson in 1997.

"I haven't seen it. I don't think any of us have in my lifetime — not playing as much as he does," Brennan said. "What does he play, like, 90% of the snaps? It's impressive. The kid is a great player. He's a generational player."

Added Arizona defensive coordinator Duane Akina: "You gotta give him the respect he deserves. He's a good player, the quarterback is going to look for him and rightfully so.

"They have other weapons. That's what really helps him, too," Akina said.

ESPN projects three Wildcats to also land in the first round: wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (12), right tackle Jonah Savaiinaea (18) and cornerback Tacario Davis (24), who is questionable for Saturday after suffering a lower-body injury against BYU.

Between the five projected first-round picks, kicker Tyler Loop and others, NFL talent will be all over the field, which is why Arizona Stadium is credentialing nearly 20 NFL scouts for Saturday. For perspective, normally four or five scouts attend Arizona home games this season. After this week, all 32 NFL teams will have visited the UA to scout players this season.

Since Hunter is a two-way player, the Heisman hopeful will likely be matched up with McMillan and Davis throughout the day. For all involved, this could improve their draft stock.

"I think every game has a chance (to improve stock)," Brennan said. "The competition in this league is really good, so every game is important in that way. I've been coaching a long time and I've coached at every level. I've had NFL players on our team when I was coaching at Cal Poly and I've had them here and every in between.

"Those matchups mean a little bit more to the outside world than they do to those guys. (NFL scouts) are going to watch every play T-Mac has ever played at the University of Arizona; they're going to watch every single one. Same thing for Travis Hunter or every guy that's a high-level draft pick.

"Two outstanding players going head-to-head, who wouldn't be excited about that? I would say, in the flow of the game, I'm not really thinking that way. I'm think big picture of what's happening down-to-down, play-to-play. But I think for everyone that's coming to the game, that's exciting."

Injuries have 'definitely affected' UA secondary

Entering the season, Arizona returned a majority of its defensive secondary. At the halfway point of the season, that position group has endured more injuries than any other rooms in the Lowell-Stevens Football Facility.

"Just a few," Arizona defensive coordinator Duane Akina said.

The Wildcats returned safeties Gunner Maldonado and Dalton Johnson, cornerback Tacario Davis and nickel back Treydan Stukes. It's possible that only Johnson suits up on Saturday against Colorado.

Stukes is out for the remainder of the season, and Maldonado could potentially be out for the year and redshirt to return next season, while Davis suffered an injury against BYU and is questionable for Saturday. The Wildcats could also be without cornerback Marquis Groves-Killebrew.

Due to the injuries in Arizona's secondary, a few backups have been thrust into prominent roles, including redshirt freshman safety and Tennessee transfer Jack Luttrell and Miami transfer cornerback Demetrius Freeney, who both played their first defensive snaps last week.

Akina said Freeney, who played 21 snaps at cornerback, has "good quickness, good speed. ... He's got a lot of upside."

"He did a nice job for his first opportunity," Akina said. "I think they all did."

Navigating through the injuries "is one of the biggest challenges I've had in my years (coaching), but it is the next man up," said Arizona defensive coordinator Duane Akina.

"As I've shared, I'm not going to short-change what (Davis) and Gunner and all of these guys have done," Akina said. "But the guys who stepped up did a heck of a job. ... We're still working to see who we got. Whoever can go, we will play."

Sophomore safety Genesis Smith said the injuries in Arizona's secondary have "definitely affected us."

"A lot of people have to step up in the secondary. ... Just gotta keep talking and communicate," Smith said. "You can never over-communicate. I feel like that has helped us develop faster as well."

Smith, a 6-2, 203-pound defensive back from Chandler, leads the Wildcats in interceptions and has starts at nickel back, free safety and strong safety this season. Arizona head coach Brent Brennan said, "Everyone has been excited about (Smith) and his develop since we got here."

"Genesis' success is not surprising to us," Brennan said.

When Arizona beat Colorado in Boulder last season, the Wildcats used the "dollar" package with seven defensive backs, which might not be used on Saturday with the lack of available bodies. Even though Colorado's wide receivers aren't fully healthy, the Buffaloes have the second-best passing attack in the Big 12. Akina expects Colorado "to throw the ball all over the yard."

Colorado's top four wide receivers — Travis Hunter, Jimmy Horn Jr., Will Sheppard and LaJohntay Wester — have combined for 16 touchdowns through the air this season, a total that matches the entirety of Arizona's touchdown output in all phases.

"They have great dudes on offense. They got weapons on outside, inside. Their quarterback is a first-round pick," Smith said. "They've got weapons and can air it out, they can do a lot of things. We just gotta go out mentally focused, communicate and I think it will be a good game.

"I honestly love the games like this. More viewers, more people watching and just going up against better people. It brings the best out of us."

Colorado game 'a bit more personal' for MLC

Arizona wide receiver Montana Lemonious-Craig will end his college career as a Wildcat, but his current degree is from Colorado, where he played for three seasons before transferring to the UA last season.

Lemonious-Craig spent the 2023 spring semester at Colorado and briefly played for CU head coach Deion Sanders, who he called a "great human being and high-motor guy."

"Really nice coach. He's a good dude and is going to tell you the truth, whether you like it or not," Lemonious-Craig said. "He's a standup guy."

Going up against his former is "always going to be a bit more personal, knowing who gave me a shot coming out of high school," Lemonious-Craig said.

"It's still business at the end of the day," he said. "My goal is to go out there and help out my team accomplish the goal, and that's win the football game. Whatever that means I have to do or whatever my role is in the game, I have to take it head-on."

Lemonious-Craig scored his first touchdown of the season last week against BYU. In 19 games at UA, Lemonious-Craig has 45 catches for 468 yards and four touchdowns, and is a mainstay in the offense.

After the Wildcats have given up 42 points off six turnovers in the last two games, averaging 18.6 points per game in the last five games, Lemonious-Craig said the Arizona pass-catchers are focused on "making it easier on our quarterback," especially in the plus-30 territory, which has been the Achilles heel to the offense recently.

"Help him out as much as we can and just keep working together," Lemonious-Craig said of Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita, who has eight touchdowns and nine interceptions this season. "Give him a clear picture and make sure we're on the same page."

Former Arizona long snapper Kameron Hawkins, now at Colorado, is making his first trip back to Tucson since transferring to CU in the summer.

Hammer time!

Arizona is expecting around 300 former players and UA football alumni in Tucson for homecoming. On the list of notable ex-Wildcats: Chris McAlister, Scooby Wright, Earl Mitchell, Brooks Reed, Trung Canidate, Max Zendejas, Chuck Levy, Ortege Jenkins, Khalil Tate, Brandon Manumaleuna, Byron Evans, Tony Bouie, Bruce Hill and Randy Robbins.

It's the most Ring of Honor inductees to attend a homecoming game, according to a UA spokesperson.

In addition to the plethora of ex-Wildcats and recruits on visits, Arizona is also hosting hip-hop legend M.C. Hammer, who is longtime friends with Colorado head coach Deion Sanders. The two have a song together, "Straight To My Feet," which was released in 1994, when Sanders played for the San Francisco 49ers.

Arizona running backs coach Alonzo Carter was also a backup dancer for the fellow Oakland, California, native. When Carter was on the "Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em World Tour," they performed at the Tucson Convention Center in 1990 and stopped at a UA football practice, when the Wildcats were coached by Dick Tomey. Carter is the cousin of former UA linebacker and "Desert Swarm" member Marcel Wade.

Before Carter began his coaching career, he was a "posse leader" and led anywhere from "50-75 people."

"I wasn't the best dancer, but I was the one that he felt had the most leadership," Carter said over the summer. "When he was present, I could orchestrate and make sure everyone was aligned and working and rehearsing and training. I was doing all of that for him."

Cactus 'cool'

The Arizona Wildcats' iconic cactus logo, a popular emblem that was a longtime feature on the basketball court at McKale Center until just over a decade ago, is now a decal for the UA football team. Arizona will don its new helmets against Colorado.

The Wildcats' white helmets for Saturday will have the cactus logo along with the navy blue, red and white stripe decal down the crown of the helmet and red face masks.

It's the third different helmet for Arizona this season. In addition to its traditional "Block A" helmet, the Wildcats have also worn metallic-red helmets with a "Cats" script decal; the UA has a white version of the script helmets.

"I think it's cool. ... If the players are excited about it, great," Arizona head coach Brent Brennan said. "For me, I'm more concerned with how we play rather than what we have on the side of our helmet. But if the players are excited about it, great."

Contact Justin Spears, the Star's Arizona football beat reporter, at . On X(Twitter):

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