Wildcats, Cougars Square Off with Big Noon Kickoff in Provo

TUCSON, Ariz. — For the second time in three weeks the Arizona Wildcats (3-2, 1-1) make the journey to the Beehive State, this time to face off against the No. 14 ranked BYU Cougars (5-0, 2-0) in Provo.

Saturday's game, set for a national television broadcast on FOX, is slated to kick off at 1:00 p.m. MST. Provo will also be the site for Fox's Big Noon Kickoff pregame show.

The Wildcats look to get back into the win column, where they found themselves two weeks ago in a road trip at then No. 10 Utah. Arizona currently sits at 1-1 in Big 12 Conference play.

Wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan and kicker Tyler Loop both had superlative performances in last week's game against Texas Tech and will look to keep the strong performances rolling this weekend.

For more information on Saturday's game, continue reading below.

Arizona Notes and Numbers

• The Arizona Wildcats travel to face the BYU Cougars. FOX will have the broadcast with Gus Johnson (Play-by-play), Joel Klatt (Analyst), and Jenny Taft (Sideline) providing the commentary. FOX pregame show Big Noon Kickoff will have coverage live in Provo, Utah prior to the game.
• This is the 26th all-time meeting between the two schools dating back to 1936. Arizona and BYU are tied in the all-time series 12-12-1 with BYU winning the last three matchups. Arizona is 3-4 all-time in Provo.
• BYU is 4-1 over the last five games and 7-3 over the last 10 games with a three-game winning streak matching the longest winning streak in the series for BYU.
• Arizona owns the longest winning streak in the series, four games from 1970-1973.
• Arizona defeated No. 10 Utah, 23-10, two weeks ago, marking the first win over an AP Top 25 opponent for Head Coach Brent Brennan. It was the first loss for Utah to an unranked team at home since falling 21-7 to Washington on Sept. 15, 2018.
• That game also marked the Wildcats first road win at Utah since 2014. Arizona has won back-to-back games over Utah for the first time since rattling off four straight victories from 2012-14.
• In the season-opening 61-39 win over New Mexico, Tetairoa McMillan became the first player in FBS history to have a game with 10-plus receptions, 300-plus receiving yards, 30.0-plus yards per reception, and 4-plus receiving TD (per OptaSTATS).

By The Numbers…

AGAINST BYU: The Arizona Wildcats (3-2, 1-1 Big 12) travel to face the BYU Cougars (5-0, 2-0 Big 12). This is the 26th all-time meeting dating back to 1936. Arizona and BYU are tied in the all-time series 12-12-1 with BYU winning the last three matchups. Arizona is 3-4 all-time in Provo and 8-6-1 at home. The Cougars and Wildcats have played three neutral site games and Arizona holds a 1-2 record in those matchups. BYU is 4-1 over the last five games and 7-3 over the last 10 games with a three-game winning streak matching the longest winning streak in the series for BYU. Arizona owns the longest winning streak in the series, four games from 1970-1973. The last time these teams faced off was Sept. 4, 2021, at Allegiant Stadium. The Wildcats fell 24-16 and in that game quarterback Gunner Cruz completed 34-of-45 passes for 336 yards and one touchdown. Runningback Michael Wiley rushed for 64 yards on 15 carries and receiver Stanley Berryhill III made 12 receptions for a team-leading 102 yards. BJ Casteel reeled in the only touchdown pass for the Wildcats in the loss. Berryhill III set a then career-high in receptions with 12 and receiving yards with 102. At that time, he was the first Wildcat to eclipse 100 receiving yards in a game since Tayvian Cunningham in the 2020 season opener vs. USC.

LAST GAME: Tahj Brooks ran for 128 yards and three touchdowns. Jacob Rodriguez forced a late fumble and Texas Tech rallied after blowing a 15-point lead to beat Arizona 28-22 on Saturday night. Texas Tech (5-1, 3-0 Big 12) got consistent pressure on Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita, forcing him to get rid of the ball quickly or throw it away. The Red Raiders also intercepted two of his passes and forced a turnover on downs deep in their own end while building an 18-3 halftime lead. The Wildcats' defense kept them within reach, forcing two Brooks' fumbles to take a 19-18 lead early in the fourth quarter. After Arizona's Tyler Loop missed a 48-yard field goal, Texas Tech finally found a rhythm, setting up Gino Garcia's 41-yard field goal for a 21-19 lead.Arizona (3-2, 1-1) took over at its own 25 with 2:21 left, but Rodriguez stripped Tetairoa McMillan on the first play and the Red Raiders recovered. Brooks then burst 32 yards up the middle for a touchdown, sending Texas Tech to its fourth straight win since losing to Washington State the second game of the season. Brooks scored on a 3-yard run in the first quarter and the Red Raiders spent the rest of the half shutting down the Wildcats. Texas Tech held Arizona to a field goal late in the first quarter, then stopped the Wildcats on fourth-and-1 at the Red Raiders' 20. Texas Tech's Quincy Ledet intercepted a pass by Fifita that was tipped at the line of scrimmage and Brooks followed with his second TD run, from nine yards out. Fifita had another pass intercepted by CJ Baskerville in the end zone late in the second quarter and Texas Tech marched quickly down the field for Garcia's last-second 30-yard field goal to lead 18-3. Arizona moved into Texas Tech's end twice in the third quarter - the second after a fumble by Brooks at the 32 - and had to settle for two more field goals. The Wildcats finally broke through when Quali Conley scored on a 3-yard run and forced another Boyd fumble - after a review overturned the original call - to set up Loop's 37-yard field goal for a 19-18 lead.

BIG NOON KICKOFF: Big Noon Kickoff will be broadcasting live in Provo, Utah prior to kickoff of Arizona at BYU on FOX. Starring host Rob Stone, Mark Ingram II, Matt Leinart, Urban Meyer, and Brady Quinn. Recognized as the best pregame party in all college football, Big Noon Kickoff provides a preview of the day’s top games LIVE from the most exciting college campuses across the nation. The pregame tailgate starts at 8:30AM Eastern. If you want to increase your chances of being on TV and having a close-up spot to the stage in the fan pit, we recommend arriving before 8:30AM Eastern Time. Select weeks throughout the season, Big Noon Kickoff will host a three-hour special. For these shows, the tailgate will begin an hour earlier at 7:30AM Eastern and the show will go live at 9AM Eastern. Watch Big Noon Kickoff every Saturday at 10am ET on FOX. Select weeks throughout the season, Big Noon Kickoff will host a three-hour special and go live at 9am ET.

SWARM TO THE BALL: The Wildcats allowed 10 points to Utah, which marked the fewest points allowed to a top 10 team since shutting out #10 Miami 29-0 in 1994 Fiesta Bowl. The Wildcats held the Utes to just 10 points, marking the fewest first half points by Utah since scoring seven against Northwestern at the 2023 Las Vegas Bowl. Ten points is Utah’s lowest scoring output against a conference team since losing 6-35 to Oregon in 2023. Arizona limited the Texas Tech offense to 28 points, the Red Raiders average 39.33 points per game this season. Texas Tech managed just 14 first downs in the contest, threw two interceptions, and fumbled twice. The Wildcats held the Red Raiders to 2-of-11 on third down conversion attempts.  The Wildcats defense held the Red Raiders to just 118 rushing yards, their lowest output on the ground since going for 110 yards against then No. 7 Texas in 2023. The Wildcats are tied for 16th nationally in fourth down conversion defense (3-for-9, .333).

LAST GAME INDIVIDUAL NOTES:

• Kicker Tyler Loop set a school record with five made field goals. He finished the night 5-for-6 and connected on fild goals of 47, 40, 30, 37, and 52 yards. He has made 8 of his last 10 field goal attempts.
• Loop has 299 career points, the fourth most in program history. He is 14 points shy of passing Ka’Deem Carey (312 points, 2011-13) for third all-time.
• WR Tetairoa McMillan recorded the tenth 100-yard receiving game of his career and finished with 161 receiving yards on eight receptions.
• McMillan improved his career receiving yards total to 2,768 and is now just 91 yards shy of moving past Juron Criner (2,859 yards, 2008-11) for fourth all-time.
• McMillan’s ten 100-yard performances are the fourth most in program history; he is one 100-yard games away from tying Mike Thomas (2005-08) and Juron Criner (2008-11) for third all-time with 11 career 100-yard receiving games.
• DL Stanley Ta’ufo’ou recorded the third sack of his career on Saturday night, and now boasts sacks in back-to-back games.
• DB Genesis Smith logged a pair of pass breakups against Texas Tech, a career high.

TOUGH LOSS: Arizona's loss to Texas Tech is the Wildcats' first loss to an unranked team since the Mississippi State game last year. First loss to an unranked opponent at home since Washington State in 2022. It was the first home loss in over a year for the Wildcats (Last: No. 7 Washington, 31-24). The Wildcats are 10-2 in their last 12 games dating back to last season.

THE TRE WAY: Arizona defensive lineman Tre Smith is third nationally in hurries, getting after the quarterback 18 times so far through three games this season (Per PFF). Smith joined the Wildcats prior to the 2024 season as a transfer from San Jose State. Smith has recorded 112 total tackles (53 solo, 59 ast) over 29 games. He has 11-career sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss combined between Arizona and San Jose State. He is 17th in the Big 12 in tackles for loss (4.5).

WE’RE BREAKING UP: Defensive back Tacario Davis recorded five pass breakups during last Saturday’s game at Utah. He is tied for first in the Big 12 with five pass breakups. Davis has 22 total passes defended in his career. As a unit, the Arizona defense logged a season-high eight pass breakups, with Davis contributing five on his own. Arizona's eight PBU at Utah were their most since logging nine against Southern Utah in 2018, while Davis' five PBU were tied for the most in a single game by a Wildcat since 2007.

MAKING MANU: Linebacker Jacob Manu once again leads the Wildcats in tackles with 41 (18 solo, 23 ast) so far this season. Manu is 10th in the Big 12 in total tackles, averaging 8.2 per game which is 5th in the Big 12.

RUNNING CATS: The Wildcats rushed for 161 total yards at Utah with Kedrick Reescano (74 yards) and Quali Conley (75 yards) combining for 149 of those yards. It was the third of four games that the Wildcats have rushed for more than 160 yards combined on offense. Arizona has rushed for 282 yards over the last two games against Utah (161) and Texas Tech (121). The Wildcats averaged 5.4 yards per carry against Utah and 4.0 yards per carry against Texas Tech.

RISE OF QUALI: Running back Quali Conley recorded his first 100-plus yard rushing game with Arizona (112 vs. NAU, 9/7), and since he rushed for 155 yards against San Diego State on 11/18/23. Conley broke off a 58-yard rush on Arizona’s first drive of the game, marking his longest rush with the Wildcats and the second longest of his career (Longest: 68 yards vs. New Mexico, 10/14/23). Conley matched his career-high in receptions with five against NAU (9/7) (2x; last: vs. Air Force, 9/22/23).

BIG RANKED WIN: Saturday was the Wildcats first road win at Utah since 2014. They have now won back-to-back games over Utah for the first time since rattling off four straight victories from 2012–14. Arizona now boasts nine wins while unranked over AP Top 10 ranked teams in the last 20 seasons.’ Arizona picked up its second road win versus a top 10 opponent in the last 10 seasons. (Won at #9 UCLA in 2022). The 23-10 win over No. 10 Utah on Saturday, Sept. 28, was the first win over an AP Top 25 program for head coach Brent Brennan. The 23-10 victory for Arizona is the first loss for Utah to an unranked team at home since falling to Washington 21-7 on Sept. 15, 2018.

O-FER ON 4TH: Arizona’s defense turned away Utah on fourth down four times, marking their first 0-for-4 performance since Oregon in 2006. The Wildcats’ defense has forced four turnovers in the last two games and seven total turnovers this season (3 fumbles, 4 interceptions).

T-MAC: After making four touchdown grabs in Game 1 against New Mexico, wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan is 6th in program history in career-receiving touchdowns (22), 6th in career-receiving yards in program history (2,768). McMillan pulled in the second-most receiving yards in a single-season in program history in 2023 (1,402). He has now recorded the most receiving yards in a single game (304) and the second-most receiving yards in a single game in program history in 2023 (266; at ASU, Nov. 25, 2023). Currently, McMillan is tied for 6th in FBS with four touchdown grabs in 2024. McMillan improved his career receiving yards total to 2,768 and is now just 91 yards shy of moving past Juron Criner (2,859 yards, 2008-11) for fourth all-time. McMillan recorded the tenth 100-yard receiving game of his career and finished with 161 receiving yards on eight receptions. His ten 100-yard performances are the fourth most in program history; he is one 100-yard games away from tying Mike Thomas (2005-08) and Juron Criner (2008-11) for third all-time with 11 career 100-yard receiving games.

HELLO BIG 12 RECORD BOOK: McMillan became the first player in FBS history to have a game with 10-plus receptions, 300-plus receiving yards, 30.0-plus yards per reception, and 4-plus receiving TD (per OptaSTATS). In Arizona’s first game as a member of the Big 12, McMillan added his name to the record books, recording the second-most receiving yards (304) in a single game in Big 12 history. His four touchdowns also tied for third most in a single game in Big 12 history.

QB 1: Quarterback Noah Fifita continues to climb up the Arizona passing record charts with another outstanding performance to open the 2024 season, throwing for 422 yards and four touchdowns. In 16 of 20 games played over his career, Fifita has finished with a completion percentage above 60%.  He has thrown more than one interception in any single game once in his collegiate career, 2 vs. Texas Tech on Oct. 5, 2024. Fifita’s career-completion percentage is 67.8% (360-531) for 4,358 yards and 33 touchdowns, which leads the program history by one percent over Nick Foles (66.8%, 360-for-531). Fifita has surpassed the 1,000-yard passing mark through four games with 1,361 yards this season. He has thrown seven touchdowns and six interceptions. Fifita recorded 301 passing yards, which are the second-most in a single game this season (1st; 422 vs. New Mexico). It was the second time this year that he passed for more than 300 yards in a single game.

ON A LOOP: Tyler Loop has led the program in multiple kicking records, first the most consecutive extra-points made (115) and he is chasing down the top-career field goal percentage (84.85%, 56 of 66) in program history. Loop is chasing the record for the most consecutive games with a made field goal (24) in program history. He is fourth in career-scoring in program history (283; 2022-present). Loop is currently 14th in career-field goal percentage. (.847%) in college football history, which is third among active kickers in FBS (1st; Jonah Dalmas, 88.3% - Boise State), (2nd; Kenneth Almendares, .850 – Louisiana), ahead of last year’s Lou Groza Award winner Graham Nicholson (Alabama, 83.6%). Loop was a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award in 2023. He booted a career-long 54-yarder against New Mexico on Aug. 31. He also made two-of-three field goal attempts against NAU, booting a long of 48 yards against the Lumberjacks. Arizona’s all-time leading scorer, Max Zendejas, was the honorary captain prior to the NAU game. Loop made a 53-yarder among three made field goals at Utah in the 23-10 win. He set a program record with five made field goals against Texas Tech (10/5), marking the most field goals made (5) and attempted (6) in a single game in program history.

WELCOME TO THE BIG 12: The Arizona Wildcats embark on a new journey in a new conference after joining the Big 12 in Aug. 2024. The Wildcats end an era of Pac-10/12 that began in 1978 and finished with a 277-256-7 record, including a 171-202-6 Conference record over 45 years in the conference. The legendary Dick Tomey led the Wildcats through 13 years of the Pac-10/12 Conference and recorded the most wins of any head coach in program history (95).

THE CATS ATTACK: The Wildcats recorded 627 yards of total offense in the season-opening win over New Mexico on Aug. 31. It marked the most since recording 673 (178 rush, 495 pass) against Colorado in 2022. The offensive output tied for 8th in program history (627; California, Sept. 20, 2014). Despite the loss, the Wildcats recorded 422 total yards of offense against Texas Tech (10/5), outgaining the Red Raiders 422 to 331. It marked the first time this season that the Wildcats have outgained their opponent and lost the game.

LOOP NAMED BIG 12 SPECIAL TEAMS POTW: Arizona kicker Tyler Loop earns Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week honors, as announced today by the conference. Loop made a program record five of six field goal attempts with kicks of 47, 40, 30, 37, and 52 yards to score 15 of the Wildcats 22 points against Texas Tech on Saturday. This is the first Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week honor for Loop and he is the third Wildcat to earn a conference weekly honor this season. Arizona has had a player earn a Big 12 Player of the Week honor in back-to-back weeks with Tacario Davis taking home the Defensive Player of the Week accolade after the 23-10 win over Utah in Week 5. The senior from Lucas, Texas set a new Arizona Football program record with five made field goals and has made eight of his last 10 field goal attempts. Loop booted five of six kickoffs into the end zone and made one extra point. Loop has 299 career points, the fourth most in program history. He is 14 shy of passing Ka'Deem Carey (312 points, 2011-13) for third all-time. He is third among active FBS kickers in career-field goal percentage (84.7%, 61-of-72).

WILDCATS IN THE NFL: Arizona currently has 10 players on NFL rosters during the 2024 season. Former offensive lineman Jordan Morgan was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the first round (25th overall) following the 2023 season. He was the first first-round selection since Antoine Cason was picked 27th overall in 2008. He joined a list that includes Cason (2008; 27th, San Diego), Trung Canidate (2000; 31st, St. Louis), Chris McAlister (1999; 10th, Baltimore), John Fina (1992; 27th, Buffalo), Chris Singleton (1990; 8th, New England), Anthony Smith (1990; 11th, Oakland), Rickey Hunley (1984; 7th, Cincinnati), Mike Dawson (1976; 22nd, Arizona), Bill Lueck (1968; 26, Green Bay), and Walt Nelson (1939; 10th, New York Giants) to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. Wide receiver Jacob Cowing was picked in the fourth round (135th overall) by the San Francisco 49ers and became the highest wide receiver selected since Mike Thomas in 2009 (4th Rd, 107 overall by Jacksonville) and the first wide receiver since Juron Criner (5th Rd, 168th overall by Oakland) in 2012. Tight End Tanner McLachlan was the third Wildcat selected in the 2024 NFL Draft when the Cincinnati Bengals picked him the 6th round (194 overall). The three draft picks matched the most selected in one draft since 2014 when Ka’Deem Carey (4th Rd, 117 overall), Shaquille Richardson (5th Rd, 157th overall), and Marquis Flowers (6th Rd, 212 overall) were picked in the 2014 NFL Draft.

Current Wildcats on NFL Rosters (as of 10/6/24)

*Practice Squad