AP Player of the Week: Arizona's McMillan records first 300-yard receiving game since '22 Rose Bowl

Updated Sep. 3, 2024 10:00 a.m. ET

Associated Press

The inaugural Associated Press national player of the week in football for Week 1 of the season:

Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona

McMillan, an AP first-team preseason All-American, set the school record with 304 yards receiving and tied another with four touchdown catches in the Wildcats' 61-39 win over New Mexico. It was the first 300-yard receiving game in the Bowl Subdivision since Ohio State's Jaxon Smith-Njigba amassed 347 against Utah in the 2022 Rose Bowl.

The 6-foot-5, 212-pound third-year player from Waimanalo, Hawaii, averaged 30.4 yards on his 10 catches and in the third quarter surpassed the previous school record of 283 yards by Jeremy McDaniel in 1996. McMillan matched Jacob Cowing’s touchdown catches record set against Southern California last season.

It was McMillan's fifth straight 100-yard receiving game and eighth of his career.

He had touchdown catches of 69, 17 and 78 yards in the first half and a 40-yarder early in the third quarter.

Runner-up

Ashton Jeanty, Boise State. The third-year player from Jacksonville, Florida, set school records with 267 yards rushing and six touchdowns in the Broncos' 56-45 win at Georgia Southern.

Jeanty shed two would-be tacklers on his way to a career-long 77-yard touchdown after the Broncos went three-and-out on their first possession. He also had TD runs of 26, 1, 5 and 1 yards before breaking a 75-yarder that gave the Broncos the lead for good early in the fourth quarter.

Jeanty’s six rushing touchdowns tied the Mountain West Conference record and were the most in the FBS since Pittsburgh's Israel Abanikanda had six against Virginia Tech in 2022.

Honorable mention

Miami QB Cam Ward, who was 26 of 35 for 385 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-17 win at Florida; Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders, who passed for 445 yards and four TDs in a 31-26 win over North Dakota State; and Abilene Christian QB Maverick McIvor, who threw for 506 yards and three touchdowns in a 52-51 overtime loss at Texas Tech.

Six stats

— North Dakota churned out 23 plays on a drive in a 21-3 loss at Iowa State, the most in an FBS game since at least 2014, according to SportRadar. The Fighting Hawks moved 88 yards in 12 minutes, 24 seconds — all for a 26-yard field goal.

— Purdue's Hudson Card tied the FBS record for completion percentage (minimum 20 completions), completing 24 of 25 passes (96%) for 273 yards and four TDs in a 49-0 win over Indiana State.

— Mississippi's 772 total yards in a 76-0 rout of FCS team Furman were the most in a Division I game since UCF piled up 798 against Memphis in 2020.

— There were two 100-yard interception returns in Week 1, matching last season's total. The pick-6s were by Washington State's Stephen Hall (vs. Portland State) and Tulane's Rayshawn Pleasant (vs. Southeastern Louisiana).

— On his first play for Bowling Green, Tennessee Tech transfer Justin Pegues returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown to start a 41-17 win over Fordham.

— Missouri was the only team to not allow a scrimmage play of 10 yards or longer, according to SportRadar. The Tigers limited Murray State to 85 yards in a 51-0 win and gave up one 9-yard pass and two 9-yard runs.

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AP voters: Aaron Beard, Tim Booth, Pat Graham, Gary B. Graves, Stephen Hawkins, Pete Iacobelli, Mark Long, John Marshall, Eric Olson, Ralph D. Russo, John Zenor.

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