Arizona opened the 2026 season the way any team wants to start: with control, a comfortable 35-7 win over NAU, and enough good tape to feel encouraged without getting carried away. The Wildcats mostly took care of business, cleaned up the usual early-season messiness as the night went on, and now turn their attention to a trip to Provo and a matchup with BYU.
Offensively, Arizona earned the highest marks. Noah Fifita set the tone immediately by hitting Tre Spivey for a 20-yard touchdown on the opening drive, and the Wildcats were rolling again on the third possession when Fifita connected with Brandon Phelps from 21 yards out. Kedrick Reescano added a rushing touchdown on the fourth drive, and by halftime Fifita had already reached 200 passing yards while the offense had piled up just under 300 total yards.
The second half brought more of the same, at least before the game got loose. Antwan Roberts Jr. broke free for a 14-yard touchdown after three straight completions from Fifita to Giovanni Richardson.
Reescano later scored again in the fourth quarter, after which Fifita’s night was over and Sawyer Anderson stepped in. Anderson’s first pass was intercepted and taken back for a pick-six.
Roberts Jr. then ripped off another 19-yard run, but he coughed up the ball and NAU recovered for Arizona’s third turnover of the game.
Even with the mistakes, the numbers were strong. Arizona finished with 520 total yards, including 314 through the air and 206 on the ground.
The Wildcats went 7-12 on third down and 2-2 on fourth down. Fifita completed 22 of 29 passes for 262 yards and two touchdowns while adding 24 rushing yards on five carries.
Reescano led the backfield with 48 yards on 10 carries and two scores, and Richardson caught eight passes for 98 yards.
The defense was just as sharp for long stretches. Arizona posted a first-half shutout, though tackling was a little loose at times before the group tightened things up.
Chase Kennedy had two sacks, and freshman Dash Fifita recorded his first career sack. NAU did get into field goal range once, but the attempt from 34 yards missed wide right.
Taye Brown was all over the field early, piling up 10 tackles in the first half alone while the next closest defender had four.
The second half brought more disruption. Zac Siulepa drew a holding penalty and knocked away a pass to help force a three-and-out, Kevin Moorer Jr. added a sack, and Quinn Olson grabbed the first turnover of the season with an interception of Ty Pennington.
Arizona held NAU under 200 total yards and limited the Lumberjacks to minus-7 rushing yards. Brown finished with 11 tackles, and Cooper Blomstrom added eight.
NAU went 4-14 on third down and 0-3 on third down.
Special teams were solid, with just one early blemish when freshman Ian French kicked one out of bounds on a kickoff. Otherwise, the kicks were touchbacks.
Chase Ridley handled three punts in the second half and averaged well enough with boots of 50, 45, and 49 yards. Michael Salgado-Medina was perfect on five extra points, and Arizona did not record any kickoff or punt returns.
From the sideline, Brent Brennan had his team ready and the Wildcats played a clean enough game for a season opener. Danny Gonzales’ defense technically earned a shutout, since NAU’s only score came on defense, though the tackling needs work and the pass defense had a few shaky moments.
On offense, Fifita’s command made life easy, even if the second half got conservative. Roberts Jr. also stood out as a possible speed option if Ismail Mahdi does not play this season.
Arizona walked out healthy, with a win in hand, and with plenty to sharpen before BYU. The jump from week one to week two is usually where teams start to show who they really are, and the Wildcats are going to need a big one in Provo.
In Other News...
Arizona Heads Into BYU With An Early Season Concern
Arizona got the result it needed in its opener against Northern Arizona, but not much else went cleanly from a betting standpoint. The Wildcats now head into a much stiffer test at BYU, where the Cougars looked sharp in their first game by rolling past Utah Tech and will have the home-field edge when Arizona arrives for a better read on where this team really stands.
The early concern for Arizona is that BYU is not just coming off a convincing win, it may also be getting healthier in key spots while still dealing with some uncertainty of its own on defense. Kalani Sitake said senior safety Raider Damuni is working through a left knee injury, and senior linebacker Isaiah Glasker was held out as a precaution, a reminder that even in September, availability can shape a matchup before kickoff ever gets there. [Read more 🡒]
Arizona Showed Fans Exactly What Matters Beyond The Final Score
Arizona went into its matchup with Northern Arizona already dealing with a long list of absences, with Everett Roussaw, Cornelius Warren, Isaac Perez, Ezra Funa, Dajon Hinton, Ismail Mahdi and Max Harris all unavailable. Even so, the Wildcats still had enough depth to control the game from the start, stringing together scoring drives, handling the matchup with a clear talent edge and showing the kind of next-man-up approach teams need once the season gets rolling.
What mattered most for Arizona was less the final margin than the way it managed the details around it. The Wildcats answered mistakes, kept moving the ball in chunks and never let the game turn into a stress test, even as NAU found a brief jolt later on. For a program trying to build habits as much as wins, the bigger takeaway was how much the roster still had to offer when the injury list was already making its presence felt. [Read more 🡒]
Arizona Opens With A Win Fans Can Feel Good About
Arizona's season opener gave fans plenty to like at Casino Del Sol Stadium, where the Wildcats rolled past Northern Arizona 35-7 and looked sharp on both sides of the ball. Noah Fifita led the way with two touchdown passes, and Arizona's defense set the tone by keeping NAU stuck at negative rushing yards while piling up five sacks.
Fifita's night added another layer beyond the scoreboard, as he kept moving up Arizona's record book while directing an offense that was efficient when it needed to be. The only real blemish came late, when the shutout slipped away, but the broader takeaway was clear: Arizona came out of the gate looking organized, physical and very much in control. [Read more 🡒]