Arizona had every reason to feel good at halftime in Provo. The Wildcats were on top of BYU, had controlled the clock, and had Noah Fifita operating with confidence. Then the second half arrived, the offense stalled, and BYU walked away with a 28-17 win that left Arizona with its first Big 12 loss of the season.
The damage was done in part by what Arizona couldn’t finish early. Fifita and the Wildcats opened with a 12-play, 75-yard drive that ate nearly six minutes and ended with Fifita going 11 yards for a touchdown.
By halftime, Arizona still led 17-14 and looked like the team that should have been up by more. Instead, the cushion never came, and BYU answered with a 75-yard touchdown drive to start the third quarter and never gave the lead back.
Arizona’s inability to run the ball became a major problem, especially after sophomore wide receiver Gio Richardson was injured after the first quarter. That left Fifita under far too much pressure against a BYU defense that tightened up after the break.
One of the biggest swings came late in the fourth quarter. Arizona faced fourth and four from the BYU 21-yard line while trailing 21-17 with 8:24 left.
Fifita found Rodney Gallagher III on a short pass, and Gallagher appeared to have enough for the first down. The call initially went Arizona’s way, but a review overturned it and handed possession to BYU.
Three plays later, the Cougars punched in a 61-yard completion to freshman Legend Glasker, and Arizona’s comeback bid was basically over.
BYU also flipped the script on the ground. Arizona held the Cougars to 41 rushing yards in the first half, with star back LJ Martin limited to 25 yards on four carries.
But BYU made a point of feeding him early in the third quarter, giving him the ball on three of the first four plays. That sequence produced 20 rushing yards and helped the Cougars seize control of the game’s tempo.
Martin finished with 20 carries for 98 yards, and his late first-down run under two minutes helped put the game away.
Fifita was sharp early, finishing the first half 16 of 20 for 141 yards with one touchdown and one interception, while also running six times for 48 yards and a score. He finished 23 of 31 for 230 yards with the touchdown and interception, but BYU’s defense made life much harder after halftime.
BYU quarterback Bachmeier delivered in both phases, throwing for 217 yards and two touchdowns on 16 completions while also rushing six times for 37 yards and a score. Arizona’s plan was clearly aimed at making him win through the air, but the Cougars got what they needed anyway.
The afternoon also turned into a rough one for Arizona against Kyler Kasper. The Gilbert, AZ native, whom Arizona pursued when he starred at Williams Field high school, had originally chosen Oregon. After injuries slowed him there, he transferred to BYU, and on Saturday he made the Wildcats pay with four catches for 51 yards and two touchdowns, the first two scores of his career in his fifth collegiate season.
Arizona will try to bounce back in Week 3 when it hosts Northern Illinois at Casino Del Sol Stadium on Saturday, Sep. 19 at 7:30 PM MT.
In Other News...
Arizona Gets A Huge Boost For A Tough BYU Test
Arizona is getting a significant lift heading into Saturday afternoons Big 12 opener against BYU, with running back Ismail Mahdi and linebacker Max Harris set to be active after a court order granted both players eligibility. The pair had been practicing with the Wildcats, so this is less a surprise addition than the formal removal of a hurdle that had kept two important pieces in limbo.
Mahdi and Harris both played major roles last season, giving Arizona help on either side of the ball as the schedule turns to conference play for the first time in 2026. Against a BYU team that figures to demand a full complement of bodies, the Wildcats now have two familiar contributors back in the mix at exactly the right time. [Read more 🡒]