Arizona opens Year 3 of the Brent Brennan era on Saturday night with an in-state test against Northern Arizona, and plenty of the spotlight will naturally fall on Noah Fifita and the revamped defensive secondary. But there are a few other names worth tracking at Casino Del Sol Stadium, where the Wildcats begin the season after a month-long training camp and the Lumberjacks arrive fresh off a 34-27 win over Eastern Washington.
On the NAU side, Quran Gossett showed up right away in last week’s opener, carrying 21 times for 103 yards and a touchdown as the Lumberjacks piled up 201 rushing yards as a team. Gossett also brings a small hometown connection into the matchup, having played at Bishop Garcia Diego in Santa Barbara, California, with Arizona defensive lineman Mays Pese, who is two classes younger.
Another NAU player to watch is defensive tackle Jackson Murray, the Colorado State transfer and Scottsdale native who made his Lumberjack debut with four solo tackles against Eastern Washington. The 6-foot-1, 285-pound Murray had a decorated high school run at Horizon in Scottsdale, where he totaled 144 tackles, 19 stops for loss and 11 sacks. He’ll also see familiar faces across the line, since he’s already gone against multiple Phoenix-area Wildcats in high school, including wide receivers Giovanni Richardson and Brandon Phelps.
NAU also has a spark plug in Lindsey Graves, the freshman returner from Clovis, California. Graves made his presence felt immediately last week with two kick returns for 116 yards, including a 100-yard touchdown return.
Arizona’s most intriguing offensive name beyond Fifita is Giovanni Richardson. The second-year slot receiver and Chandler native stood out in camp as Fifita’s top target, and the quarterback didn’t hide how much confidence he has in him.
Fifita said Richardson “is the definition of a slot receiver” and “when we need a play, I’m going to look for him. I’m super excited for him and I think he’s going to turn the world upside down.”
Up front on defense, Tre Smith is back in the mix after missing 11 months of game action because of the season-ending shoulder injury he suffered last season. The sixth-year defensive end is in his third season with Arizona, and the program is hoping he can follow a path similar to Treydan Stukes, who preserved an extra year of eligibility and turned that into a second-round selection.
Smith, known as “Mr. Redline,” leads a front that will be tested by an NAU offensive line that did not allow a sack last week.
Then there’s punter Chase Ridley, the first-year Australian freshman whose leg stood out all summer. Nicknamed “The Boomin’ Onion,” Ridley repeatedly drove punts in the 50- to 60-yard range with strong hang time in camp, and he also showed he could place the ball when needed, dropping multiple kicks inside the 10-yard line during a coffin corner drill. Arizona sees enough in that combination of power and precision to think Ridley can grow into an All-Big 12 punter.
Northern Arizona (1-0) and Arizona (0-0) kick off Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at Casino Del Sol Stadium. The game will air on ESPN+, with radio coverage on 1290-AM, 107.5-FM and 1490-AM for the NAU broadcast.
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Noah Fifita And Arizona Have One Thing To Prove In Opener
Arizona opens at Casino Del Sol Stadium in a familiar in-state meeting with Northern Arizona, the 20th all-time matchup between the programs. The Wildcats bring back a strong offense led by senior quarterback Noah Fifita and enter the game as the clear favorite, with this opener carrying the sort of expectations that come with a veteran group trying to set the tone right away.
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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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 🡒]
Arizona Opens With Pressure To Deliver The Start Fans Expect
Arizona opens its season Saturday against Northern Arizona at Casino Del Sol Stadium, and there will be an immediate sense of expectation around Brent Brennans team. Brennan and defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales spent the week talking about what the Wildcats want to establish early, with the opener offering a first look at how Arizona intends to handle the pressure that comes with being the bigger brand, the deeper roster and the home favorite in a game fans expect it to control.
Noah Fifita is once again the central figure in that conversation for Arizona, while Northern Arizona brings Ty Pennington and a chance to make the Wildcats prove their focus from the start. Openers can be tricky even when the matchup looks straightforward, and this one gives Arizona a chance to show whether the standard Brennan has talked about will show up right away or take a little longer to settle in. [Read more 🡒]