Arizona opens its season Saturday night with NAU coming to Casino Del Sol Stadium, and there’s no mistaking the energy around this one. The Wildcats kick off year three under Brent Brennan at 6:30 p.m., coming off a nine-win season and looking to carry that momentum straight into the new year.
“Big week. Obviously, there’s nothing like the excitement of the start of a college football season […] we couldn’t be more excited to get back at Casino Del Sol Stadium,” Brennan said.
The matchup comes with plenty of history, and most of it has gone Arizona’s way. The series dates back to 1931, when the Wildcats beat the Lumberjacks 19-12, and Arizona has controlled the rivalry ever since, holding a 17-2 edge. NAU’s last win over Arizona came in 2021, a 21-19 result that helped send the Wildcats to a 1-11 season, the worst record in program history.
Second-year defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales isn’t spending much time on the past, though. He’s treating Saturday like a clean slate.
“The University of Arizona should have every advantage in the world against them [NAU] and that means nothing comes Saturday,” Gonzales said.
Arizona’s offense will again run through redshirt senior quarterback Noah Fifita, one of five senior quarterbacks in the FBS who has spent his entire career at one school. Brennan pointed to that loyalty as part of what makes Fifita such a central figure for this team.
“Noah [Fifita] leads the way in terms of like that high profile player that’s chosen to stay, but I think this city appreciates loyalty […] and no one has been more loyal than Noah Fifita,” Brennan said.
Fifita’s 2025-26 season was a big one. He threw for 3,228 yards, set a single-season program record with 29 touchdowns and had only six interceptions. The 5-foot-10 senior also became the first Arizona quarterback to earn first-team all-conference honors since Bruce Hill in 1975.
Arizona will have some new faces in the secondary after Treydan Stukes, Dalton Johnson and Genesis Smith all moved on to the NFL Draft, with Stukes and Johnson going to the Las Vegas Raiders and Smith to the Los Angeles Chargers. Gonzales says the next group has to be ready.
“I’ve preached this since last year, I think Jay’Vion Cole is the best corner in the league […] the pressure is going to come down to Dwight Bootle on the other side. They’re going to throw at you, what are you gonna do?” Gonzales said.
NAU arrives with some confidence after a Week 0 win, rallying past Eastern Washington University 34-27. Senior quarterback Ty Pennington leads the Lumberjacks, coming off a 2025-26 season in which he threw for 3,071 yards, 19 touchdowns and four interceptions.
Last week, Pennington was more of a dual threat than a pure passer, finishing with 164 passing yards and two touchdowns while adding 61 rushing yards on eight carries. Gonzales made it clear he knows what Arizona is up against.
“Ty Pennington, that dude is a savage. He’s a badass.
He is tough. He refuses to slide.
It’s my goal to make that sucker slide. He refuses, which is freaking awesome. […] that’s what we have coming in here, that are going to be hungry.
We have to find a way to make our kids hungrier,” Gonzales said ahead of Saturday’s duel.
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Noah Fifita And Arizona Have One Thing To Prove In Opener
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Northern Arizona arrives with a win already on its ledger under coach Brian Wright, which gives the Lumberjacks at least some early confidence heading into a tougher stage. For Arizona, the bigger question is less about whether it should win and more about how cleanly it can handle business in front of a home crowd while showing the kind of sharp start this team believes it can make. [Read more 🡒]
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Northern Arizona brings its own familiar threats, including running back Quran Gossett and defensive tackle Jackson Murray, so this is more than a tune-up for Arizona even if the gap in expectations is obvious. For the Wildcats, the real intrigue is which supporting players turn August momentum into September production, and which of them can turn a first-game opportunity into something bigger as the season starts to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Arizona Opens With One Big Noah Fifita Question
Arizona heads into its 2026 opener against Northern Arizona at Casino Del Sol Stadium with plenty of continuity and plenty left to prove. The Wildcats are bringing back more than half of their starters from a 9-4 season, while also blending in newcomers and first-time starters, including transfers and freshmen, as the roster starts to take shape around another run.
At the center of it all is Noah Fifita, who is closing in on school records and is being talked about as a Heisman Trophy candidate. Even with that buzz, the early-season focus remains on the broader picture, because the staff has made clear that the opener is about getting the team ready to win rather than turning September into a personal showcase for its quarterback. [Read more 🡒]