Arizona Heads to Washington State for Meeting with Former Pac-12 Foe

Arizona Athletics

9/21/2026

TUCSON, Ariz. — Arizona Football (2-1) will travel to Washington State (1-2) for the team's second road game of the season this Saturday afternoon at Gesa Field. Kickoff is schedule for 4:30 p.m. MST.

Saturday's game will be televised on CBS with Rich Waltz, Adam Breneman, Brian Kelly, and Jordan Giorgia 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 first meeting between the programs since 2023 when both teams were in the Pac-12. Arizona took down Washington State 44-6 in Pullman, Washington and Noah Fifita picked up his first win as the starting quarterback in the game.

For more news and notes on Saturday's game, continue below.

Watch on CBS

Listen on Wildcats Radio 1290

Live Stats

Game Notes

Arizona Notes & Numbers

The Arizona Wildcats return to the road in week four to face an old Pac-12 foe, the Washington State Cougars, on Saturday afternoon.
Saturday’s game will be nationally televised on CBS with Rich Waltz (PxP), Adam Breneman (Analyst), Brian Kelly (Analyst) and Jordan Giorgio (Reporter) on the call.
The game will also be broadcast live on Wildcats Radio 1290 AM with play-by-play from Brian Jeffries. He is joined on the call by analyst Lamont Lovett and reporter Mackenzie Hamilton.
Arizona and Washington State have faced off 47 times previously, with games dating back to 1963 and the Wildcats holding a commanding 28-19 lead in the all-time series.
The Wildcats won the most recent matchup, 44-6, toppling the No. 19 ranked Cougars in Pullman. It was QB Noah Fifita’s first win as the Arizona starting quarterback.
QB Noah Fifita has thrown for 80 touchdowns and 10,017 yards in his collegiate career, marks that rank second and third among active FBS quarterbacks, respectively.
Across 13 career non-conference games, Fifita has led the Wildcats to a 10-3 record while throwing for 2,859 yards and 22 touchdowns while adding four rushing touchdowns.
The Wildcats defense has allowed an average of just 75.7 rushing yards across their first two games, the 15th best mark in FBS.
Arizona has scored nine touchdowns on 11 red zone trips this year, putting them in the end zone at an 81.8% clip, tied for the 18th best mark in FBS. This marks a drastic improvement from their red zone TD pct. of 54.4% last season.

Football

at Washington State

Sep 26, 2026 at 4:30 PM MST

Days

Hours

Mins

Secs

SOME GAME THEMES: The Arizona Wildcats, fresh off a dominant victory over NIU, go back on the road to face an old Pac-12 foe in the Washington State Cougars this Saturday in Pullman...Saturday’s game will be nationally televised on CBS with Rich Waltz (play-by-play), Adam Breneman (analyst), Brian Kelly (analyst) and Jordan Giorgio (reporter) on the call...The game will also be broadcast live on Wildcats Radio 1290 AM with play-by-play from Brian Jeffries; he is joined on the call by analyst Lamont Lovett and reporter Mackenzie Hamilton...Arizona and Washington State have faced off 47 times previously, with games dating back to 1963 and the Wildcats holding a commanding 28-19 lead in the all-time series...The Wildcats won the most recent matchup, 44-6, toppling the No. 19 ranked Cougars in Pullman; it was QB Noah Fifita’s first win as the Arizona starting quarterback...Overall, Arizona holds a 12-7 edge in the series when played in Pullman...Wildcats Associate Head Coach and Defensive Line Coach, Joe Salave’a, logged five years coaching at Washington State under Head Coach Mike Leach from 2012–16.

LAST TIME OUT: After falling behind 10-0 to open the game, the Arizona Wildcats scored 42 unanswered points to collect a dominant 42-17 victory over the Northern Illinois Huskies last weekend. As part of the comeback effort, quarterback Noah Fifita threw for 325 yards and accounted for five touchdowns. Two players, wide receiver Isaiah Mizell and tight end Tyler Powell, both pulled in their first career touchdown receptions against the Huskies. More highlights from last week’s game include...

Notable Postgame Notes vs. NIU

QB Noah Fifita broke the Arizona career passing yards record and now sits at 10,017 career passing yards. Fifita threw for 325 yards to pass Nick Foles’ 15-year record of 10,011 career passing yards.
QB Noah Fifita went 31-for-34 passing to break the Arizona single-game completion percentage record with a minimum of 30 completions. The record was previously held by Nick Foles who went 32-for-37 against Toledo on Sept. 3, 2010.
WR Tré Spivey logged 90 receiving yards in six catches to set career high marks in both categories. He also caught his second touchdown pass of the season during the game.
Northern Illinois had 157 total yards in the first quarter and Arizona’s defense limited the Huskies to 184 total yards the rest of the game.
Four different Wildcats caught touchdown passes for the last time since Arizona’s 52-17 win at Colorado on Nov. 1, 2025.

HE WAS NUMBER 1: Quarterback Noah Fifita was selected as the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week following Arizona's win over Northern Illinois in week three. Fifita made history twice against NIIU as the Wildcats posted a dominant victory over Northern Illinois to improve to 2-1 on the year. With his 325-yard passing performance, Fifita became Arizona's all-time leader in career passing yards, surpassing Nick Foles' record that stood for 15 years. Fifita also took down Foles' record for single-game completion percentage with a minimum of 30 completions, going 31-of-34 for a 91.2% completion rate. In addition to his record-setting numbers, Fifita also accounted for all five of the Wildcats touchdowns in the 42-17 romp as he passed for four and rushed for another. His 30-yard rushing score in the fourth quarter was the longest rush attempt of his career. Fifita's success led to an impressive PFF offensive grade of 90.8, tied for the second best single-game mark of his career.

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 three 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 22-15 as the Wildcats starting quarterback and has logged 37 consecutive starts under center dating back to 2023.

CODE RED: Arizona’s offense has made 11 trips into the red zone across the first three games of the season and has converted those opportunities into nine touchdowns and one field goal. The Wildcats have converted red zone trips into touchdowns at a 81.8% clip, which currently stands as the 18th best mark in the FBS and the 14th best mark in the Power Four. This marks a drastic improvement over the Wildcats fortunes in the red zone last season, when they converted 31-of-57 (54.4%) of red zone trips into touchdowns.

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 81.1% 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 325-yard effort in week three against Northern Illinois, Noah Fifita now boasts 10 such performances, which is tied for second most in that span. Leading the way is Nick Foles, with a seemingly insurmountable tally of 18 300-yard games.

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 on Saturday 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).

CATS COACHES: Arizona Head Coach Brent Brennan leads the Wildcats for his third season in 2026 and returns nearly his entire coaching staff from last year's 9-4 squad that earned a trip to the Trust & Will Holiday Bowl. Joining Coach Brennan at the top are Offensive Coordinator Seth Doege and Defensive Coordinator Danny Gonzales. Arizona is one of only 12 FBS programs in the nation to return their head coach, offensive and defensive coordinators, and starting quarterback from last season. Among the Wildcats position coaches is just one "new" face, running backs coach Lyle Moevao, who was promoted into the role from his role as Assistant Coach - Offense last year.

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.

GOOSE EGGS: Since taking over as the Wildcats defensive coordinator in 2025, Danny Gonzales has authored an incredible defensive turnaround that includes six halves and 23 quarters of shutout defense over 14 games. Across those 14 games, 23-of-58 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.

TOUGH SLEDDING: In the attempt to build on the momentum they built last season, the Wildcats face an uphill battle in scheduling this year. Following their nine win season in 2025, one that included a 6-3 mark in Big 12 play, Arizona looks to replicate their success in 2026 but this time against the toughest schedule in the conference. The chart below shows the total number of conference wins each team's 2026 opponents collected in 2025, and their collective win percentage.

WATCH THIS SPACE: Wildcats players have spent the last month-plus pulling in preseason watch list honors from all across the spectrum. They are led by quarterback Noah Fifita, who has hauled in seven watch list recognitions. In total, eight Arizona players combined to reel in 18 watch list selections.

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

Sep 26, 2026 at 4:30 PM MST

Football at

Washington State

Oct 3, 2026 at 8:00 PM MST

Football vs

Cincinnati

Oct 10, 2026 at TBA

Football at

West Virginia

Oct 24, 2026 at TBA

Football vs

Iowa State

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.