CORVALLIS, Ore --
J.J. Taylor rushed for 284 yards on 27 carries Saturday afternoon to lift Arizona to a 35-14 win over Oregon State in both team's Pac-12 opener.
Taylor became the 15
th player in school history to rush for 200 or more yards in a game. His final total of 284 ranks fourth all-time in program history. As a team, the Wildcats rushed for 442 yards, with sophomore
Gary Brightwell adding 113 yards and a touchdown for his first 100-yard rushing game and first-career touchdown.
Taylor also had a pair of touchdowns, scoring from 40 yards out in the first quarter and 62 yards out in the fourth. Only Ka'Deem Carey (366 yards versus Colorado),
Khalil Tate (327 yards at Colorado) and Trung Canidate (288 versus Arizona State) rushed for more yards in a game in program history.
With the win, first-year coach
Kevin Sumlin became the first Arizona coach to win his Pac-12 opener since Larry Smith and the Wildcats won at California, 31-24 to open the 1987 Pac-10 season. The win moved Arizona to 2-2 overall and 1-0 in league play.
Tate did more than enough in the passing game, throwing for 152 yards and two touchdowns.
The Wildcats got on the board first when Taylor scored on his 40-yard touchdown to give Arizona a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter. After Oregon State tied it up, Tate and
Shun Brown hooked up for a 21-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter to make it 14-7.
The Cats added on to their lead in the second half. Tate found
Shawn Poindexter for a 16-yard touchdown in the third and then Brightwell scored from eight yards out to make it 28-7 with 13:32 to play. Taylor's 62-yard score made it 35-14 and closed the scoring.
The Wildcats were aggressive all game on defense, picking up nine tackles-for-loss and three sacks in the win.
Colin Schooler finished with four tackles-for-loss, establishing a new career high. He has nine TFLs over his last three games and already has 10 on the season in four games.
Postgame Notes:
*
J.J. Taylor's 200-yard rushing game was Arizona's first since teammate
Khalil Tate rushed for 206 yards against Oregon State last season. Taylor's game also marked the first time this season an Arizona player recorded more than 100 rushing yards in a game.
*
Shun Brown's touchdown catch marked the 12
th of his career. He is now tied with Samajie Grant and Rodney Williams for 14
th all-time at Arizona. Brown is six catches shy of 100 for his career.
* The win marked the first time Arizona has won its conference opener since 2014 when the Wildcats topped Call 49-45 in 2014 at Arizona Stadium.
* Taylor's 62-yard run was the longest by an Arizona player this season. All three of Arizona's longest rushes this season came Saturday with Taylor rushing for 40 yards first, before Brightwell rushed for 43 yards to establish a new high, which was passed by Taylor.
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