Arizona Clashes With BYU in First Big 12 Matchup of 2026

Arizona Athletics

9/7/2026

TUCSON, Ariz. — The Arizona Wildcats (1-0) and the BYU Cougars (1-0) will meet for the first Big 12 game of the season this Saturday afternoon at 12:30 p.m. MST at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah.

Saturday's game will be televised on FOX with Connor Onion, Robert Griffin III, and Alexa Landestoy on the call. It will also be broadcast live on Wildcats Radio 1290 AM with play-by-play from Brian Jeffries.

The Wildcats are fresh off a 35-7 season opener against NAU where Noah Fifita moved into second all-time in Arizona career passing yards behind Nick Foles. The Arizona defense held Northern Arizona to –7 rushing yards, marking the first time in 20 years the Wildcats held an opponent to negative rush yards.

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

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Listen on Wildcats Radio 1290

Live Stats

Game Notes

Arizona Notes & Numbers

The Arizona Wildcats hit the road for an early-season Big 12 Conference matchup against the BYU Cougars this Saturday in Provo, Utah.
Saturday’s game will be nationally televised on FOX with Connor Onion (PxP), Robert Griffin III (Analyst), and Alexa Landestoy (Reporter) on the call.
The game will also be broadcast live on Wildcats Radio 1290 AM featuring play-by-play from Brian Jeffries, analysis from Lamont Lovett, and sideline reporting from Mackenzie Hamilton.
Arizona and BYU have faced off 27 times previously, with games dating back to 1946 and the Cougars holding a narrow 14-12-1 edge in the all-time series.
In the most recent meeting between the two programs, BYU outlasted Arizona for a 33-27 double overtime victory in Tucson last season.
The Wildcats are searching for their first win in a road opener since the 2022 season (38-20 at SDSU). Arizona is 48-66-4 all-time in their first road game of the year.
Heisman candidate QB Noah Fifita has thrown for 75 touchdowns and 9,445 yards in his collegiate career, marks that rank tied for first and third among active FBS quarterbacks, respectively.
With 262 passing yards in week one, QB Noah Fifita moved into second place in Arizona history with 9,445 passing yards. He is 567 yards shy of Nick Foles’ program record of 10,011 yards.
Arizona’s defense held Northern Arizona to –7 rushing yards in week one, marking the first time in 20 years the Wildcats held an opponent to negative rush yards.

Big 12 Opener

Football

at BYU

Sep 12, 2026 at 12:30 PM MST

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SOME GAME THEMES: The Arizona Wildcats will face a big test this weekend in Provo, Utah with an early-season Big 12 Conference matchup against the BYU Cougars...Saturday’s game will be nationally televised on FOX with Connor Onion (play-by-play), Robert Griffin III (analyst), and Alexa Landestoy (reporter) on the call...The game will also be broadcast live on Wildcats Radio 1290 AM featuring play-by-play from Brian Jeffries, analysis from Lamont Lovett, and sideline reporting from Mackenzie Hamilton...Arizona and BYU have faced off 27 times previously, with games dating back to 1946 and the Cougars holding a narrow 14-12-1 edge in the all-time series...In the most recent meeting between the two programs, BYU outlasted Arizona for a 33-27 double overtime victory in Tucson last season....The Wildcats are searching for their first win in a road opener since the 2022 season (38-20 at SDSU)...Arizona is 48-66-4 all-time in their first road game of the year...BYU opened the season ranked No. 14 in the AP Top 25, while Arizona received 32 votes and narrowly missed out on cracking the Top 25.

LAST TIME OUT: The Wildcats posted a dominant victory over Northern Arizona in their opening game of the season. The Arizona defense allowed zero points and limited the NAU offense to –7 rushing yards while piling up 11 tackles for loss and five sacks. Quarterback Noah Fifita authored a near-perfect outing, going 22-for-29 through the air for 262 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Kedrick Reescano scored twice on the ground and wide receiver Giovanni Richardson led the team with eight receptions and 96 receiving yards. Additional highlights from last week’s game include...

Notable Postgame Notes vs. NAU

Under Head Coach Brent Brennan, Arizona has won three season openers by a combined score of 136-52.
After shutting out NAU in the first half on Saturday, Arizona’s defense has now logged six halves of shutout football under defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales.
The Wildcats defense has combined to post 23 scoreless quarters since Gonzales took over at DC last season.
QB Noah Fifita completed 13 consecutive passes in the first half against NAU, a career-best mark. His previous long streak was 10 straight completions, accomplished twice.
LB Dash Fifita, the younger brother of Noah Fifita, made his first career tackle, a sack, in the second quarter.

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.

NOAH'S ARC: Fifth year quarterback Noah Fifita, who entered the season as the nation's active career leader in touchdown passes, 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 already owns the program's all-time passing touchdowns record, and has the program's all-time passing yards record within striking distance.

SACK ‘EM UP: The Wildcats notched five sacks in their season opener against Northern Arizona, marking their first five-plus sack performance since tallying five in the 2025 season opener against Hawai’i. Since 1996, the Wildcats defense has notched five-plus sacks 44 times, including the two performances under current defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales. Prior to Coach Gonzales taking over the Arizona defense, the Wildcats logged five-plus sacks just five times over the previous 10 seasons (2015–24).

RANKED ROAD KILL: The Wildcats have picked up two road wins over teams ranked in the AP Top 25 under the direction of Head Coach Brent Brennan. Arizona took down No. 10 ranked Utah in 2024 and No. 22 Cincinnati in 2025 with Brennan at the helm. Coach Brennan is one of only seven coaches in program history with multiple road wins over ranked opponents.

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 12, 2026 at 12:30 PM MST

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Sep 19, 2026 at 7:30 PM MST

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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.