ARIZONA (1-0) AT BYU (1-0)
DATE: Saturday, Sept. 12
TIME:12:30 PM MST
LOCATION: Provo, Utah
STADIUM: LaVell Edwards Stadium (62,073)
TELEVISION: FOX (Connor Onion, Robert Griffin III and Alexa Landestoy)
ALL-TIME SERIES: BYU leads, 14-12-1
in PROVO: BYU leads, 5-3
LAST MEETING: BYU 33, Arizona 27 (2OT), Oct. 11, 2025 (Tucson)
STREAK: BYU has won 5 in a row
1 The Revenge Narrative & Big 12 Title Implication
BYU staged a dramatic fourth-quarter comeback in Tucson, ultimately defeating Arizona 33-27 in a double-overtime heartbreaker for the Wildcats last season. Arizona players, including running back Kedrick Reescano, have openly stated they have had this weekend’s game circled ever since. “Losing that game last year was one of the hardest things that we went through as a team, and being able to go forward and get another opportunity at them, a lot of us have been preparing for this moment,” Reescano said after the victory over NAU on Saturday at Casino del Sol Stadium. Because it is the conference opener, the winner gains an immediate upper hand in a highly competitive race to reach the Big 12 championship game in Arlington, Texas.
2 Noah Fifita vs. Bear Bachmeier Quarterback Duel
This matchup features two dynamic quarterback who looked excellent in their season openers. Arizona’s star quarterback Noah Fifita threw for two touchdowns against NAU, moving into second place all-time in career passing yards for the Wildcats. He faces off against BYU’s Bear Bachmeier, who displayed elite precision and mobility while throwing three touchdown passes without breaking a sweat in a 63-7 win over Utah Tech.
3 Arizona’s Stifling Front Seven vs. BYU’s O-Line
Arizona’s defense put on a historic performance in Week 1, holding Northern Arizona to minus–7 rushing yards—the first time the Wildcats have held an opponent to negative rushing yards in 20 years. That’s a result of 11 tackles for loss, five of them sacks. The linebacker trio of Chase Kennedy, Taye Brown and Cooper Blomstrom swarmed to the ball. Kennedy led the group with 2.5 sacks. Brown ended the night with a team high 11 tackles. Blomstrom, a Georgetown transfer was second with eight and forced a fumble. However, replicating that success will be a much steeper challenge against BYU’s veteran offensive line, which brings back high-level continuity to control the line of scrimmage. The line is anchored by two projected NFL draft picks in Andrew Gentry and Bruce Mitchell. Gentry was a former top-100 recruit and national champion at Michigan before transferring to BYU. Mitchell is a former walk-on defensive tackle before becoming the nation’s third best returning center according to Pro Football Focus.
4 Containing Freshman Phenom Legend Glasker
BYU has found a dangerous new weapon in true freshman receiver Legend Glasker, who earned Big 12 Freshman of the Week honors after scoring three touchdowns on his first three touches last week in the win over Utah Tech. Arizona’s secondary, which lost five key contributors to the NFL in the offseason, will be severely tested by Glasker’s explosive speed out of the backfield and slot. Glasker, a 6-1, 175-pound talent from Lehi, Utah, led all Cougar receivers with three catches for 65 yards and two touchdowns. In addition, he had two carries for 16 yards and a third touchdown, accounting for 18 total points in his first collegiate game. The last Cougar true freshman with three or more touchdowns in a game was Jamaal Williams, who had four at Georgia Tech on Oct. 27, 2012.
5 Breaking the Provo Jinx & the Stadium Environment
LaVell Edwards Stadium is widely considered one of the toughest venues in college football, and the Cougars currently boast an eight-game home winning streak. Remarkably, Arizona has not won a football game in Provo since 1975. Arizona head coach Brent Brennan commented this week that BYU’s hostile crowd wasn’t the main cause of his team’s 41-19 loss there in 2024. “I didn’t feel like the crowd was a problem; I felt like we didn’t play very well,” Brennan said. “You know what I mean? We turned the ball over too many times. I think that’s a very separate issue. They have a great crowd though. That part of it I respect and we know that going in there. That’s one of those things, if you let that be an excuse, it will be.” Arizona historically struggles when forced to travel for its first league game, going just 15–29–1 on the road in conference openers. Conversely, they are 29–16–3 when opening at home in Tucson. The Recent Trend: Over their final decade in the Pac-12, the Wildcats suffered a brutal stretch, dropping 8 out of 10 conference openers between 2014 and 2023, often due to drawing top-tier opponents like Oregon, Utah, or Washington early.
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