Arizona and BYU have spent the week circling Saturday’s Big 12 opener in very different ways.
The Wildcats have done plenty of talking. The Cougars have mostly kept their heads down.
Either way, the 1:30 p.m. MDT kickoff at LaVell Edwards Stadium should tell a lot about where both teams stand early in the race to chase down Texas Tech.
The stakes are simple enough: the winner leaves Provo with a major edge in the conference picture, while the loser will be staring at a much steeper path to Arlington. That pressure sits especially on BYU at home, but it lands even harder on Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita.
Fifita is 0-2 against BYU and still carries the memory of the Cougars’ 41-19 win two years ago at LES, when BYU forced four turnovers and rolled in Arizona’s first season in the Big 12. He also remembers last year’s 33-27 double-overtime loss in Tucson, a game he said he had circled since the schedule came out last January.
The Wildcats’ defense has been thinking about that one too. Defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales was still stewing over it in July, when he said BYU’s quarterback “had his day” last year and that Arizona would be better prepared for the dual-threat threat in Provo.
BYU, meanwhile, has been careful not to fuel much of anything. Kalani Sitake kept the tone steady this week, saying, “They’re a tough team, and we’re excited about the matchup,” and adding, “We have to be at our best to beat them.”
The Cougars also have a little personnel turbulence of their own. Safety Tommy Prassas, an Arizona native, said he wasn’t paying attention when told the Wildcats had been talking about revenge for five straight losses to BYU. He’ll be in the starting lineup Saturday after Raider Damuni suffered a serious injury in the 63-7 win over Utah Tech and will be out at least a month, maybe longer.
BYU will also be missing sophomore running back Sione Moa. Arizona, on the other hand, comes in relatively healthy.
That said, the Wildcats got a big boost this week when leading rusher Ismail Mahdi and third-leading tackler Max Harris were added back to the roster after a county judge granted them a temporary restraining order to play a fifth college season. Both players traveled to Utah on Friday and have been cleared to play.
Sitake said the challenge for his secondary is obvious against Arizona’s offense and Noah Fifita.
“The challenge goes to our DBs to be ready to go against a very difficult offense and one of the best quarterbacks in the country,” Sitake said. “Those guys threw for 300 and ran for 200 (in a 35-7 win over Northern Arizona) and that’s not an easy thing to do.”
Even with BYU’s low-key approach, there has been at least a small shift inside the room. Receiver Kyler Kasper said the emphasis has sharpened this week, and receivers coach Fesi Sitake drove that home after Tuesday’s practice.
“really emphasized it to us receivers after practice (Tuesday),” Kasper said. “We really have to lock in this week.”
Aaron Roderick said this is exactly the kind of test the Cougars signed up for in a power conference.
“There’s a lot of parity. Everybody in this league is good enough to beat each other.
The difference from the top team to the bottom in the standings is not that wide of a gap, and you have to be ready every week,” Roderick said. “I think that’s kind of a hallmark of our conference is that parity every week.
You have to be ready. I know it sounds like a cliche, but it’s a real thing.”
In Other News...
BYU Will Honor The Team That Defined Cougar Football
The 1976 BYU football team is getting a proper salute in Provo, and it fits the programs history as well as any reunion could. That group helped define Cougar football under LaVell Edwards and offensive coordinator Doug Scovil by leaning into the forward pass, and quarterback Gifford Nielsen along with other members of the team will be part of the pregame celebration before the game against Arizona.
The tribute will include the Cougar Walk and the Light the Y ceremony, giving fans a chance to recognize a team whose influence still hangs over the program. It also comes with a little added context from the matchup itself, since BYUs history against Arizona has included some memorable September wins over the years, making this weekend feel like more than just another game on the schedule. [Read more 🡒]
BYU's Big 12 Opener Comes With Extra Tension Against Arizona
BYUs Big 12 opener already had plenty of weight attached to it, but the coaching subplot adds another layer of familiarity to a game that matters for both programs. Kalani Sitake and Arizonas Brent Brennan go back to their time together at Oregon State, where their relationship was built on shared work and the kind of mutual respect that tends to linger long after the setting changes. Now theyll be on opposite sidelines as BYU steps into conference play against a familiar opponent with its own history in the matchup.
Sitake and Brennan both acknowledged the personal side of the meeting while making clear the competition will take over once the game starts. For BYU, it is another chance to measure itself in the Big 12 against a team that knows how to raise the stakes, and the conversation around the matchup has only grown with recent remarks from Arizonas defensive staff about how far along its preparation already is. The familiarity makes it interesting, but the conference points make it matter. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Faces An Early Big 12 Test Provo Can Help Decide
Saturdays matchup with Arizona gives BYU an early Big 12 measuring stick, and the buildup has already drawn attention from the College GameDay crew. The Cougars return home with Bear Bachmeier still front and center on offense, while the Wildcats bring Noah Fifita into one of the conferences more intriguing early-season games. Provo should have plenty to say about it, too, with a crowd that figures to give BYU the kind of edge that can tilt a tight conference game.
There is also a familiar defensive storyline to watch for the Cougars as Isaiah Glasker is set to make his season debut against Arizona, giving BYU another piece to work with in a game that could hinge on field position and pressure. Arizonas quarterback has already had a rough night in Provo once before, and BYU would love for the home environment to help stir up more of the same while it tries to make an early statement in the Big 12 race. [Read more 🡒]