Arizona Athletics
11/9/2026
TUCSON, Ariz. — The No. 22 Arizona Wildcats (7-2, 4-2 Big 12) will take on the No. 2 Utah Utes (9-0, 6-0 Big 12) at Casino Del Sol Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. MST in Tucson.
Saturday's game will be televised on FOX with Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt, and Jenny Taft on the call. It will also be broadcast live on Wildcats Radio 1290 AM with play-by-play from Brian Jeffries.
FOX Big Noon Kickoff will be at Arizona on Saturday morning for the first time ever. The show will begin at 8 a.m. MST on the UA Mall on Saturday and it is hosted by Rob Stone, who is joined by analysts Matt Leinart, Mark Ingram II, Brady Quinn, and Urban Meyer. Rob Gronkowski will also make a return to Tucson with Big Noon Kickoff.
For more news and notes on Saturday's game, continue below.
Arizona Notes & Numbers
- The No. 22 Arizona Wildcats are set to host the No. 2 Utah Utes at Casino Del Sol Stadium in Tucson this Saturday.
- Saturday’s game will be nationally televised in primetime on FOX with Gus Johnson (PxP), Joel Klatt (Analyst), and Jenny Taft (Reporter) on the call.
- Tucson will also serve as the site for FOX Big Noon Kickoff on Saturday morning. The best pregame party in all college football will take place on the UA mall from 8–10 AM MST.
- 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.
- Arizona and Utah have met 47 times previously, with games dating back to 1924 and the Utes holding a 26-21-2 edge in the all-time series.
- The Wildcats have won each of the previous two meetings with the Utes and hold a record of 11-12-2 in the series when hosting Utah in Tucson.
- QB Noah Fifita has thrown for 94 touchdowns and 11,977 yards in his collegiate career, marks that both rank first among all active FBS quarterbacks.
- Arizona has won seven consecutive home games dating back to November 2025. Over the last two seasons, the Wildcats are 11-1 at Casino Del Sol Stadium.
- With last week’s win over TCU, the Wildcats have secured a winning regular season record. This marks only the fourth time in the last 10 seasons that Arizona has reached the 7-win mark.
This week marks the eighth week that Arizona Football will play as a ranked team in the AP Top 25 under head coach Brent Brennan.
QB Noah Fifita has thrown 94 career touchdown passes, the most in program history and tied for the 46th most among all players in FBS history.
Fifita has also thrown for 11,977 yards in his career at Arizona, the most in program history and the 53rd most among all players in FBS history.
Arizona has three conference wins by at least 20 points this season, most in the Big 12 and tied for fourth most in the FBS. (via OptaStats)
Arizona's defense has allowed opponents to score on 70.8% of red zone trips this year, the eighth best mark in the nation.
Arizona has averaged 8.52 yards per play on third down this season, most in the FBS. (via OptaStats)
Arizona has won seven consecutive home games, dating back to last season.
SOME GAME THEMES: The No. 22 Arizona Wildcats are set to host the No. 2 Utah Utes at Casino Del Sol Stadium in Tucson this weekend...Saturday’s game will be nationally televised in primetime on FOX with Gus Johnson (PxP), Joel Klatt (Analyst), and Jenny Taft (Reporter) on the call...Tucson will also serve as the site for FOX Big Noon Kickoff on Saturday morning; the best pregame party in all college football will take place on the UA mall from 8–10 AM MST...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...Arizona and Utah have met 47 times previously, with games dating back to 1924 and the Utes holding a 26-21-2 edge in the all-time series...The Wildcats have won each of the previous two meetings with the Utes and hold a record of 11-12-2 in the series when hosting Utah in Tucson.
LAST TIME OUT: The Wildcats mounted an improbable comeback to earn a thrilling 29-28 victory over TCU on Friday night. Michael-Salgado Medina’s game-wining field goal with 38 seconds to play was the difference. Another 300-yard performance from Noah Fifita and a career night from Giovanni Richardson helped pace the offence, while the defense limited the Horned Frogs to just 49 rush yards. More highlights from the Cats last game include...
Notable Postgame Notes vs. TCU
- Michael Salgado-Medina’s game-winning field goal was Arizona’s first game-winning field goal attempted late in the 4th quarter since Tyler Loop made a 24-yarder as time expired at Colorado on Nov. 11, 2023.
- The Wildcats have won seven straight home games dating back to Nov. 8, 2025 when Arizona beat Kansas 24-20.
- Arizona has committed no more than one giveaway in 10 straight games versus conference opponents, tied for the second-longest active streak in the FBS (Duke – 14). The Wildcats are winning the turnover battle, 16-6, during this stretch. [via OptaStats]
- WR Isaiah Mizell is the first Arizona player with TD catches in four straight games since Tetairoa McMillan pulled in a TD in the final five regular season games of 2023.
- QB Noah Fifita logged his fourth game this year with both a passing and a rushing touchdown, tied for the most in the Big 12 Conference (also: Bear Bachmeier, Michael Hawkins Jr.).
POLL POSITION:
- Following their 29-28 victory over TCU, the Arizona Wildcats moved up two spots in the AP Top 25 poll to No. 22.
- Arizona has 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 1992–95.
- Since 1968, the Wildcats have played 148 games while ranked in the AP Top 25 and have posted a 95-52-1 (.645) record in those games.
- When ranked and playing at home, Arizona has posted an all-time record of 55-19 (.743).
- Arizona’s opponent, Utah, is ranked No. 2 in the AP poll. The Wildcats are 3-5 all-time against opponents ranked No. 3 in the AP Top 25.
- When Arizona and their opponent are both ranked, the Wildcats have gone 21-29 (.420).
- In ranked matchups in which their opponent is ranked higher, Arizona has an all-time record of 13-19 (.406).
- The Wildcats last win over an AP Top 10 team was a 23-10 road victory over No. 10 Utah in 2024.
SALGADO-MEDINA NAMED BIG 12 SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Salgado-Medina earned Big 12 Special Team Player of the Week laurels for the first time in his career. He was a critical piece of the Wildcats improbable comeback and 29-28 victory over TCU on Friday night — his 37-yard go-ahead field goal with 38 seconds remaining won the game for Arizona and completed his perfect 3-for-3 effort on field goal attempts in the game. Salgado-Medina connected on field goals of 43, 23, and 37 yards to tie his career high in made field goals while also going 2-for-2 on extra points to contribute 11 points to the winning effort.
BOWL BOUND: With their win over Iowa State three weeks ago, the Wildcats are now bowl eligible for the second time under head coach Brent Brennan. This marks the first time that Arizona is bowl eligible in back-to-back seasons since 2014 & 2015. The Wildcats have played in 23 bowl games in program history, with a record 10-12-1 in those games. Arizona’s most recent bowl appearance was in the 2025 Trust & Will Holiday Bowl in a matchup against the SMU Mustangs. Arizona remains tied to the Pac-12 legacy bowl affiliations: Alamo Bowl, Las Vegas Bowl, Holiday Bowl, Sun Bowl, and Independence Bowl. After those selections have been exhausted, they are eligible for Big 12 affiliated bowls: Pop-Tarts Bowl, Texas Bowl, Liberty Bowl, and Cactus Bowl.
FROM WAY DOWNTOWN: QB Noah Fifita and WR Isaiah Mizell connected on a 94-yard touchdown strike at Texas Tech, marking the longest pass of Fifita’s career and the longest passing play for Arizona since 2015. Across the entirety of Arizona’s program history, the Wildcats have logged just eight pass plays of 90+ yards.
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 a minimum of four games left to play, he stands to 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 27-16 as the Wildcats starting quarterback and has logged 43 consecutive starts under center dating back to 2023. His 27 wins as Arizona’s starting quarterback are the most in program history.
SEASON TO REMEMBER: In addition to his career records, quarterback Noah Fifita is also chasing down numerous single-season passing records. His current marks of 2,794 passing yards and 21 passing touchdowns sit as the 11th and 10th most in program history, respectively. Fifita set the program’s single-season passing touchdowns record with 29 last season. Nick Foles holds the program’s single-season passing yards record with 4,334 yards in 2011.
MY OH MIZELL: Wide receiver Isaiah Mizell has been a highlight of the Wildcats offense the last four weeks, posting a trio of 100-yard performances while scoring five touchdowns. His three-game streak logging 100+ receiving yards made him one of just two Arizona receivers in the last decade to accomplish the feat (also: Tetairoa McMillan in 2023). His active streak of four straight games with a receiving touchdown makes him the first Arizona player with TD catches in four straight games since Tetairoa McMillan pulled in a TD in the final five regular season games of 2023. Over the last four games, Mizell has accounted for 577 receiving yards and five touchdowns.
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 24 times in nine games and have allowed scores on just 17-of-24 opportunities. Arizona’s 70.8% mark in red zone defense is the eighth best mark in the FBS and the sixth 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.
SACK ATTACK: Arizona’s defense has tallied multiple sacks in 6-of-9 games this season, including two six-sack performances against Northern Arizona and Washington State. In total, the Wildcats have dropped opposing quarterbacks for 28 sacks, an average of 3.11 sacks per game that is the 10th best mark in the FBS. The production has come from all over the field as well, with 19 different players getting in on the action. Arizona’s current sack leader, LB Chase Kennedy, already has six sacks this year. His six sacks are the most by an Arizona player since Taylor Upshaw had 8.5 sacks in 2023.
GOOSE EGGS: Since taking over as the Wildcats defensive coordinator in 2025, Danny Gonzales has authored an incredible defensive turnaround that includes eight halves and 33 quarters of shutout defense over 22 games. Across those 22 games, 33-of-88 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 a 73.0% 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.
THIRD AND WON: The Wildcats offense has excelled on third down this season, converting at a 50.4% clip that ranks 12th among all 138 FBS programs. Five of the top 12 teams in the FBS in third down conversion percentage are Big 12 Conference members. Last season, the Wildcats converted just 41.0% of their third downs.
TRIPLE HUNDO: Since 1996, eight different Arizona quarterbacks have posted multiple 300-plus yard passing performances. With his 313-yard effort in week 10 against TCU, Noah Fifita now boasts 14 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 11/09/26)
- 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
