New Mexico had a plan in place to slow down Tetairoa McMillan, which included several coverage maneuvers against Arizona’s All-American receiver.

The Lobos lost track of McMillan on Arizona’s opening drive, which made for a key play, and couldn’t catch him no matter what they tried.

McMillan rushed for a school-record 304 yards and caught four touchdowns – all from Noah Fifita – and No. 21 Arizona opened coach Brent Brennan’s first season with a 61-39 win over New Mexico on Saturday night.

“We tried man-to-man help and zone pressure,” New Mexico coach Bronco Mendenhall said. “They moved him very well, but we didn’t stop him very well.”

The Wildcats (1-0) put on an offensive show in their first game as a Big 12 member, with McMillan and Fifita headlining and former Syracuse coach Dino Babers calling the plays in his role as offensive coordinator.

Arizona’s stars scored a 69-yard touchdown on the Wildcats’ opening drive and continued to put a lot of pressure on New Mexico’s defense.

McMillan averaged 30.4 yards on 10 catches, breaking the Arizona record of 283 yards in a game set by Jeremy McDaniel in 1996. McMillan tied Jacob Cowing’s record for most touchdown catches, which he set last season against Southern California, and fell 10 yards short of the Big 12 record set by Baylor’s Terrance Williams in 2012.

Fifita rushed for 422 yards and four touchdowns on 19 of 31 passes and one interception. Quali Conley ran for 90 yards and three touchdowns to round out Arizona’s offense, which totaled 627 yards.

“I like how we caught up in the second half and that we played good team football,” Brennan said. “That’s the rhythm we need, we complement each other when we play.”

The Lobos (0-2) opened Mendenhall’s first season by blowing a 17-point lead in a 35-31 loss to Montana last week.

At least on offense, New Mexico was able to keep up well with Arizona.

Devon Dampier tore apart the Wildcats’ defense, throwing for 260 yards and three touchdowns, and rushing for 130 yards and two more scores, as well as throwing two interceptions.

“When they’re scoring, it’s easy for the offense not to give 100%,” Dampier said. “To see our guys out there still trying to score a touchdown, that’s all you could ask for.”

New Mexico’s problems for the second week in a row involved defense, particularly McMillan.

Arizona’s first preseason AP All-American also scored touchdowns of 17 and 78 yards in the first half and added a 40-yard touchdown in the third quarter to help Arizona pull away after leading 27-24 at halftime.

The chemistry between Fifita and McMillan played a big role in Arizona’s high expectations in Brennan’s first season.

They chose to stay in Tucson rather than join former coach Jedd Fisch in going to Washington. Their decisions affected the rest of the roster, so Brennan has a full roster for his first season in Arizona after spending the previous nine years at San Jose State. The Wildcats also appeared in the AP preseason poll for the first time since 2015 and lived up to expectations in at least one game.