Arizona Athletics
10/19/2026
TUCSON, Ariz. — The No. 25 Arizona Wildcats (5-1, 2-1 Big 12) are set to host the Iowa State Cyclones (3-3, 1-2 Big 12) for Homecoming on Saturday afternoon in Casino Del Sol Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. MST in Tucson.
Saturday's game will be televised on ESPN2 with Lowell Galindo, Kirk Morrison, and Dawn Davenport on the call. It will also be broadcast live on Wildcats Radio 1290 AM with play-by-play from Brian Jeffries.
This will be the eighth meeting between both programs with Arizona holding a 4-2-1 record over Iowa State. In Tucson, the Wildcats hold a 3-1-1 record over the Cyclones.
For more news and notes on Saturday's game, continue below.
Arizona Notes & Numbers
- The Arizona Wildcats will host the Iowa State Cyclones for Homecoming this Saturday afternoon at Casino Del Sol Stadium in Tucson.
- Saturday’s game will be nationally televised on ESPN2 with Lowell Galindo (PxP), Kirk Morrison (Analyst), and Dawn Davenport (Reporter) on the call.
- The game will also be broadcast live on Wildcats Radio 1290 AM and KHYT 107.5 FM with play-by-play from the Voice of the Wildcats, Brian Jeffries. He is joined on the call by analyst Lamont Lovett and reporter Mackenzie Hamilton.
- The Wildcats hold an all-time record of 62-40-5 in Homecoming contests. Arizona is 3-2 in their last five Homecoming games. This will be the seventh consecutive Homecoming day game.
- Arizona and Iowa State have met seven times previously, with games dating back to 1948 and the Wildcats holding a 4-2-1 edge in the all-time series. The Cyclones won the only game between the two programs since the Wildcats joined the Big 12.
- The Wildcats entered the AP Top 25 for the first time this season on Oct. 17 — Arizona will be ranked No. 25 for Homecoming.
- QB Noah Fifita has thrown for 89 touchdowns and 10,939 yards in his collegiate career, marks that rank tied for first and second among active FBS quarterbacks, respectively.
- Arizona’s 5-1 start is their best six-game opening to a season since the 2014 team also started 5-1 and proceeded to improve to 6-1.
- Under Head Coach Brent Brennan, the Wildcats have gone 3-1 in games following a bye week.
QB Noah Fifita has thrown 89 career touchdown passes, the most in program history and tied for the 69th most among all players in FBS history.
Fifita has also thrown for 10,939 yards in his career at Arizona, the most in program history and the 96th most among all players in FBS history.
Arizona’s passing offense is the 10th best in the FBS and the second best in the Big 12 Conference. The Wildcats are averaging 306.7 yards per game through the air.
Arizona’s defense has averaged 3.17 sacks per game this year, a mark that lands second in the Big 12 and ranks sixth nationally.
The Wildcats defense has strengthened when it matters most, and their 64.7% red zone defense mark ranks fourth nationally.
Since 1968, the Wildcats have gone 93-51-1 (.645) when the team is ranked in the AP Top 25.
SOME GAME THEMES: The Arizona Wildcats, coming off their bye week, begin the second half of the season with a Homecoming matchup against the Iowa State Cyclones this weekend at Caino Del Sol Stadium...Saturday’s game will be nationally televised on ESPN2 with Lowell Galindo (PxP), Kirk Morrison (Analyst), and Dawn Davenport (Reporter) on the call...The game will also be broadcast live on Wildcats Radio 1290 AM and KHYT 107.5 FM with play-by-play from the Voice of the Wildcats, Brian Jeffries; he is joined on the call by analyst Lamont Lovett and reporter Mackenzie Hamilton...The Wildcats hold an all-time record of 62-40-5 in Homecoming contests...Arizona is 3-2 in their last five Homecoming games...This will be the seventh consecutive Homecoming day game...Arizona and Iowa State have met seven times previously, with games dating back to 1948 and the Wildcats holding a 4-2-1 edge in the all-time series...The Cyclones won the only game between the two programs since the Wildcats joined the Big 12...The Wildcats entered the AP Top 25 for the first time this season on Oct. 17 — Arizona will be ranked No. 25 for Homecoming...Arizona’s 5-1 start to the season is their best start since 2014, when the team opened the year 5-1 and proceeded to improve to 6-1.
LAST TIME OUT: Two weeks ago, the Wildcats closed out the first half of their season with a road victory over West Virginia. Arizona was bolstered on offense by a career performance from WR Isaiah Mizell, another dominant effort by QB Noah Fifita, and a trio of rushing touchdowns by three different running backs. The Wildcats defense tallied five fourth down stops and added a pair of turnovers to aid in the effort. More highlights from the Cats last game include...
Notable Postgame Notes vs. West Virginia
- Arizona’s defense recorded its first game with 10+ TFL against a conference opponent since Baylor in 2025.
- Lee Molette III’s fumble recovery touchdown was Arizona’s first fumble returned for a TD since Sterling Lane II (70 yards) at TCU in 2024.
- WR Isaiah Mizell became one of just five Arizona players to have five-plus catches, 180-plus yards, and 2-plus touchdowns in a game since 1996 (last: Tetairoa McMillan 10-304-4 vs. New Mexico 2024).
- QB Noah Fifita posted the 11th 300-yard passing performance of his career, the second-most by a Wildcat since 1996 (Nick Foles, 18).
- Fifita threw for 341 yards to break into the top 100 in FBS history in career passing yards with 10,939 yards.
POLL POSITION: Following a bye week, the streaking Wildcats earned a spot in the AP Top 25 for the first time this year and will enter their Homecoming matchup this weekend ranked No. 25. Since 1968, the Wildcats have played 145 games while ranked in the AP Top 25 and have posted a 93-51-1 (.645) record in those games. When ranked and playing at home, Arizona has gone 53-19 (.736) with their last home loss coming to No. 9 UCLA in September 2015. With their jump into the polls, Arizona has now earned a spot in the AP Top 25 in each of the last four seasons. The last time the Wildcats were ranked in four consecutive seasons was from 1992–95. This weekend’s game on Oct. 24 will be the first time that Arizona entered a game played in October ranked since 2014.
CODE RED: Arizona’s defense has been stifling when it matters the most this season: when opposing offenses reach the red zone. The Wildcats have allowed their opponents into the red zone just 17 times in six games and have allowed scores on just 11-of-17 opportunities. Arizona’s 64.7% mark in red zone defense is the fourth best mark in the FBS and the second best in the Power Four. This marks a drastic improvement over the Wildcats defensive efforts in the red zone last season, when they allowed opponents to convert 30-of-36 (83.3%) red zone trips into scores.
NOAH'S ARC: Fifth year quarterback Noah Fifita, one of just five senior/redshirt senior quarterbacks in FBS who spent their entire career at the same school, returned under center to lead the Wildcats offense one final time in 2026. Since taking over the starting quarterback role in 2023, Fifita has cemented his legacy as one of the greatest passers in program history. The California native is the program’s all-time leader in career passing yards and passing touchdowns — with only six games in the books, he stands to potentially widen the gap in both categories significantly. Fifita broke the Wildcats career passing touchdowns record with a 15-yard strike to Gio Richardson at Cincinnati on Nov. 15, 2025 and broke the program’s career passing yards record on a seven-yard throw to Isaiah Mizell on Sept. 19, 2026 vs. Northern Illinois. He has posted a record of 25-15 as the Wildcats starting quarterback and has logged 40 consecutive starts under center dating back to 2023.
SACK ATTACK: Arizona’s defense has tallied multiple sacks in 4-of-6 games this season, including two six-sack performances against Northern Arizona and Washington State. In total, the Wildcats have dropped opposing quarterbacks for 19 sacks, an average of 3.17 sacks per game that is the sixth best mark in the FBS. The production has come from all over the field as well, with 15 different players getting in on the action.
THIRD AND WON: The Wildcats offense has excelled on third down this season, converting at a 55.6% clip that ranks fourth among all 138 FBS programs. Each of the top four teams in the FBS in third down conversion percentage are Big 12 Conference members: Houston (1st, 61.4%), Kansas State (2nd, 59.3%), BYU (3rd, 56.5%), and Arizona (4th, 55.6%). Last season, the Wildcats converted just 41.0% of their third downs.
GOOSE EGGS: Since taking over as the Wildcats defensive coordinator in 2025, Danny Gonzales has authored an incredible defensive turnaround that includes seven halves and 29 quarters of shutout defense over 19 games. Across those 19 games, 29-of-76 quarters (including two OT periods) have featured a zero in the opponents side of the box score — that amounts to nearly 40% of quarters being scoreless for the Wildcats opponents. To close out the 2025 season, the Arizona defense worked second half shutouts in three consecutive games against Baylor, Arizona State, and SMU in the Trust & Will Holiday Bowl.
THROWING DARTS: Quarterback Noah Fifita's pinpoint accuracy has continued to blossom throughout his career, to the point which he currently ranks third among all FBS quarterbacks with an 73.3% completion percentage. After his 31-for-34 (91.2%) performance in week three against Northern Illinois and his 24-for-26 (92.3%) effort at Houston last season, Fifita now owns the program’s single-game completion percentage records for games with a minimum of 20 and 30 pass completions.
TRIPLE HUNDO: Since 1996, eight different Arizona quarterbacks have posted multiple 300-plus yard passing performances. With his 341-yard effort in week six against West Virginia, Noah Fifita now boasts 11 such performances, the second most in that span. Leading the way is Nick Foles, with a seemingly insurmountable tally of 18 games surpassing 300 yards.
HOUSE CALL: In week three against Northern Illinois, freshman wide receiver Caleb Smith returned a punt 69 yards for a touchdown, making him the first Wildcat to score a punt return touchdown in nine years. Since 2008, the Wildcats have combined for eight punt return touchdowns, only two of which have been longer than Smith’s.
GOING NOWHERE FAST: Since 1996, Arizona defenses have limited an opposing offense to negative rush yards just four times. Northern Arizona’s -7 rushing yards in week one were the least allowed by the Wildcats defense since holding No. 22 USC to –20 rush yards in 1999. Across 122 seasons of Arizona Football history, the least rushing yards ever allowed in a game were –33 at Stanford in 1992 (28 attempts).
CHART TOPPERS: Arizona has seven players that rank among the Top 10 graded returning players in the Big 12 Conference, per PFF. The group is led by safety Cam Chapa, who was rated as the No. 1 returning safety in the Big 12. Cornerback Jay’Vion Cole (2nd), tight end Cole Rusk (2nd), and quarterback Noah Fifita (3rd) also checked in among the top three at their positions.
Arizona Players in the PFF's Big 12 Top 10
- OL Tristan Bounds
- Big 12 Rank: 9th
- 2025 Grade: 72.3
- LB Taye Brown
- Big 12 Rank: 7th
- 2025 grade: 75.9
- S Cam Chapa
- Big 12 Rank: 1st
- 2025 grade: 91.4
- CB Jay'Vion Cole
- Big 12 Rank: 2nd
- 2025 grade: 86.3
- QB Noah Fifita
- Big 12 Rank: 3rd
- 2025 grade: 85.1
- RB Kedrick Reescano
- Big 12 Rank: 10th
- 2025 grade: 76.1
- TE Cole Rusk
- Big 12 Rank: 2nd
- 2025 grade: 79.2
BROTHERLY LOVE: Arizona's roster features three sets of brothers: Noah & Dash Fifita, Tré & Kingston Spivey, and Jake & Jaxon Griffin. The Wildcats are one of 15 FBS programs with multiple sets of brothers on their roster, and one of 10 with three or more sets of brothers. Oregon leads the nation with four sets of brothers.
CONSISTENCY IS KEY: The Wildcats are banking on consistency of leadership delivering results for the team in 2026. Following a nine-win campaign last year, Arizona retained their head coach, offensive and defensive coordinators, and starting quarterback — they are one of only 12 FBS programs in the nation that can claim that. With that level of consistency of leadership, the Wildcats are among the top 8% in the FBS.
CASINO DEL SOL STADIUM: Last November, the University of Arizona and Casino Del Sol, an enterprise of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, announced a landmark 20-year naming rights agreement for Arizona Stadium valued at more than $60 million, the largest such agreement in Big 12 Conference history. Under the partnership, the venue will be known as Casino Del Sol Stadium. The naming partnership includes new exterior and interior branding, field logos, and digital platforms, along with expanded integration into national television broadcasts. The collaboration prioritizes the roles the U of A – as Arizona's flagship, land-grant university – and the Pascua Yaqui Tribe have in benefiting students, families, and communities across Southern Arizona. Through new programs and co-created initiatives, the partnership will deepen academic, cultural, and economic links between the university and the tribe.
WILDCATS IN THE NFL: The Arizona Wildcats are once again well represented in the NFL, with 14 players currently sprinkled throughout league rosters. Among the many highlights achieved by Wildcats in the NFL are the tremendous exploits of Tetairoa McMillan, one of the most accomplished wide receivers in program history and a first round draft selection of the Carolina Panthers in 2025. McMillan burst onto the scene as a rookie last year, pulling in 70 receptions for 1,014 yards and seven touchdowns en route to being named AP Offensive Rookie of the Year, PFWA Offensive Rookie of the Year, and PFWA Rookie of the Year. In the 2026 NFL Draft, the Wildcats had four defensive backs selected, tying the NFL record for number of DBs drafted from a single program in a draft.
Current Wildcats on NFL Rosters (as of 10/18/26)
- Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, LB, Buffalo Bills
- Jonah Savaiinaea, OL, Miami Dolphins
- Tyler Loop, K, Baltimore Ravens
- Genesis Smith, S, Los Angeles Chargers
- Dalton Johnson, S, Las Vegas Raiders
- Treydan Stukes, S, Las Vegas Raiders
- Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB, Washington Commanders
- Jordan Morgan, OL, Green Bay Packers
- Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Carolina Panthers
- Ayden Garnes, CB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Deshawn McKnight, DL, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Nick Folk, K, Atlanta Falcons
- Jacob Cowing, WR, San Francisco 49ers
- Roy Lopez, DL, Detroit Lions
