Arizona Returns Home, Hosts Texas Tech at Arizona Stadium

TUCSON, Ariz. — Following a monumental road victory last weekend, the Arizona Wildcats (3-1, 1-0) return home to Tucson to renew an old rivalry against the Texas Tech Red Raiders (4-1, 2-0) on Saturday night at Arizona Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 8:00 p.m. MST.

The Wildcats and Red Raiders, former Border Conference foes, will match up in a nationally televised contest carried by Fox. Connor Onion (PxP), Mark Helfrich (Analyst), and Allison Williams (Reporter) will have the call.

Arizona is fresh off a road victory over No. 10 Utah in Salt Lake City, one that gave the Wildcats back-to-back victories over the Utes for the first time in a decade. Saturday night's game will serve as the Wildcats Big 12 home opener.

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

Arizona Notes and Numbers

• The Arizona Wildcats host the Texas Tech Red Raiders. FOX will have the broadcast with Connor Onion (Play-by-play), Mark Helfrich (Analyst), and Allison Williams (Sideline) providing the call.
• This is the 34th all-time meeting between Arizona and Texas Tech and the first since 2019. Arizona trails the all-time series 5-26-2 dating back to 1932. The Wildcats won the last matchup 28-14 on Sept. 14. 2019 in Tucson.
• Texas Tech enters tonight’s matchup with a 4-1 record and have won three in a row since dropping its second game of the season 37-16 at Washington State.
• Arizona and Texas Tech were once members of the Border Conference that began in 1931 and existed until 1962. The conference was comprised of teams from Texas to as far was as Arizona. Member schools included Arizona, ASU, Hardin-Simmons, New Mexico, New Mexico State, Northern Arizona, Texas Tech, UTEP, and West Texas A&M.
• Arizona defeated No. 10 Utah 23-10 last Saturday, 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.
• Last week's win was 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 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…

RENEWING AN OLD RIVALRY: The Arizona Wildcats (3-1, 1-0 Big 12) host the Texas Tech Red Raiders (4-1, 2-0 Big 12). FOX will have the broadcast with Connor Onion (Play-by-play), Mark Helfrich (Analyst), and Allison Williams (Sideline)providing the commentary. This is the 34th all-time meeting between Arizona and Texas Tech and the first since 2019.  Arizona trails the all-time series 5-26-2 dating back to 1932. The Wildcats won the last matchup 28-14 on Sept. 14. 2019 in Tucson. In the 2019 win, Khalil Tate accounted for 314 yards and two touchdowns. Gary Brightwell capped a late 99-yard drive with his second touchdown run and Arizona grinded out a 28-14 win over Texas Tech. Tate led the Wildcats with 185 yards passing and 145 yards rushing, accounting for two touchdowns, one through the air and one on the ground in the 2019 win. Texas Tech enters tonight’s matchup with a 4-1 record and have won three in a row since dropping its second game of the season 37-16 at Washington State. Arizona and Texas Tech were once members of the Border Conference that began in 1931 and existed until 1962. The conference was comprised of teams from Texas to as far was as Arizona. Member schools included Arizona, Arizona State, Hardin-Simmons, New Mexico, New Mexico State, Northern Arizona, Texas Tech, UTEP, and West Texas A&M.

LAST GAME: Noah Fifita threw for 197 yards and two touchdowns and Arizona's defense stopped No. 10 Utah four times on fourth down to help the Wildcats beat the Utes 23-10 last Saturday night. Arizona (3-1, 1-0 Big 12) turned in a stellar defensive performance with two interceptions, eight pass breakups and seven tackles for loss. Utah (4-1, 1-1 Big 12) played without QB Cam Rising again. Freshman Isaac Wilson moved the ball but couldn't convert in the red zone and threw a pair of interceptions. Fifita hit Tetairoa McMillan for a 41-yard pass on third-and-11 and then threw a 35-yard touchdown to Keyan Burnett on another third-and-11 to make it 23-10 with 8:13 to play. Tao Johnson intercepted Fifita in the end zone on the first play of the fourth quarter before Wilson drove the field and found Caleb Lohner for a 20-yard TD reception to cut the lead to 16-10 with 11:54 to play. But the Wildcat defense held strong . In the third quarter after Tyler Loop's 53-yard field goal, Wilson was intercepted by Genesis Smith on the next play. Loop's ensuing 33-yard field goal gave the Wildcats a 16-3 lead. Fifita used quick passes to avoid Utah's pass rush and capped a seven-play, 75-yard drive with a 3-yard TD pass to Jeremiah Patterson to give Arizona a 10-3 lead at halftime. Fifita completed all seven passes on the Wildcats opening drive but it was Kedrick Reescano's 23-yard run that set up Loop's 47-yard field goal. The Wildcats stopped the Utes first two possessions on downs - both inside the Arizona 10-yard-line on fourth-and-2. Utah fans and the team waited to see if Rising would be able to play after hurting his throwing hand on Sept. 7. Again, it was a game-time decision, but Wilson was the one who ran out with the offense. Rising, a seventh-year senior, has only played four total quarters this season after missing all of last season. Arizona now has a 6-31-1 road record against AP Top 10 teams. Utah had its most explosive first half of the season with 219 yards but only scored three points. Then, when the pressure was on, Wilson threw two interceptions despite a career-high 280 yards.Utah should tumble from their Top 10 perch after the loss at home while Arizona looks to find its way into the rankings.

Tacario Davis Named Big 12 Defensive POTW: Arizona defensive back Tacario Davis has been named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week, as announced today by the Conference. Davis recorded five pass breakups which were the most by any defensive back in the Big 12 during Week 5. He also made seven solo tackles, third on the team, to help Arizona upend No. 10 Utah 23-10. Arizona as a team recorded eight pass breakups in total. Davis came up big for the Wildcats with a pass breakup in the end zone on a fourth-and-goal and turned the Utah offense away on another fourth-down attempt causing two turnovers on downs. Davis, a junior from Long Beach, Calif., entered Saturday's contest with no pass breakups and moved into second in the Big 12 in passes defended with his huge five PBU performance.

DESERT DEFENSE: 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.

LAST GAME INDIVIDUAL NOTES:

• TE Keyan Burnett recorded career-high marks in both receptions (5) and yards (76) on Saturday night. His fourth quarter touchdown was the first of his career.
• QB Noah Fifita threw for two touchdowns and moved into a tie for 12th all-time at Arizona with 33rd career TDs.
• K Tyler Loop connected on 3-for-4 field goals, tying his career high with three made attempts.
• DL Stanley Ta’ufo’ou recorded his first sack with the Wildcats late in the first half.
• Safety Genesis Smith picked off Utah QB Isaac Wilson for his third-career interception and second of the 2024 season.
• DB Tacario Davis has made five pass breakups, marking a single-game career high and giving him 21 passes defended for his career.
• Safety Gunner Maldonado also logged an interception on Saturday, giving him four career picks.
• RB Kedrick Reescano posted career-high marks in attempts (7) and yards (73) in Saturday’s victory.
• LB Taye Brown led the Wildcats with 10 total tackles, marking his second double-digit tackle performance of the season.
• DB Gunner Maldonado also logged an interception on Saturday, giving him four career picks.
• RB Kedrick Reescano posted career-high marks in attempts (7) and yards (73) in Saturday’s victory.
• LB Taye Brown led the Wildcats with 10 total tackles, marking his second double-digit tackle performance of the season.

BACK ON TRACK: 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, the most in the nation over that span. Arizona picked up its second road win versus a top 10 opponent in the last 10 seasons. (Won at #9 UCLA in 2022).

FIRST BIG 12 WIN: Arizona won their first Big 12 Conference game in program history and improved to 3-1 on the year. The Wildcats are now 21-26-2 all-time against Utah.  Last Saturday 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 TRE WAY: Arizona defensive lineman Tre Smith is third nationally in hurries, getting after the quarterback 17 times so far through three games this season (Per PFF). Keldric Faulk (Auburn) is first nationally in hurries with 20. Smith joined the Wildcats prior to the 2024 season as a transfer from San Jose State. Smith has recorded 105 total tackles (51 solo, 54 ast) over 27 games. He has 10.5-career sacks and 18.5 tackles for loss combined between Arizona and San Jose State.

GETTING TO THE BALL: Defensive back Tacario Davis recorded five pass breakups during last Saturday’s game at Utah. He moves into a tie for second in the Big 12 with those five breakups. Trailing only Korie Black (Oklahoma State) with six. Davis is tied for first with 1.25 passes defended per game. He now has 21 passes defended in his career.

QUALI TAKES FLIGHT: RB 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).

MAKING MANU: Linebacker Jacob Manu once again leads the Wildcats in tackles with 34 (16 solo, 18 ast) so far this season. Manu is 13th in the Big 12 in total tackles, averaging 8.5 per game which is 6th in the Big 12.

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).

RUSHING OFFENSE: The Wildcats rushed for 161 total yards 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. So far, the Wildcats are averaging 5.9 yards per carry (17th nationally) and averaging 152.5 yards per game.

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 (2,557). 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 10th in FBS with four touchdown grabs.

EXPLOSIVE OFFENSE: 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).

TRENDING UPWARD: 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 19 games played over his career, Fifita has finished with a completion percentage above 60%.  He has never thrown more than one interception in any single game in his collegiate career (19 games; 482 pass attempts). Fifita’s career-completion percentage is 69.4% (332-482) for 4,057 yards and 33 touchdowns. Fifita has surpassed the 1,000-yard passing mark through four games with 1,060 yards this season. He has thrown seven touchdowns four interceptions.

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.

GOLDEN BOOT: 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. (84.85%) in college football history, which is second among active kickers in FBS (1st; Jonah Dalmas, 88.3% - Boise State), 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.

POLYNESIAN PIPELINE: Arizona continues to build its program with some of the top Polynesian College Football Players in the nation on its roster. The Wildcats had seven players selected to the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award watch list including quarterback Noah Fifita, defensive lineman Keanu Mailoto, linebacker Jacob Manu, wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, offensive lineman Jonah Savaiinaea, defensive lineman Stanley Ta’ufo’ou, and defensive lineman Ta’ita’I Uiagalelei. The seven players included in this watch list is second in the nation behind only BYU in 2024. It also marked the most for the Wildcats since the inception of the award preseason watch list. Fifita joined the college watch list for the first time. Savaiinaea makes his second straight appearance on the list. McMillan advanced to the finals of the 2023 award consideration after being named to the preseason list. Mailoto, Manu, Ta’ufo’ou, and Uiagalelei made their first appearance as Wildcats on this award watch list.

WILDCATS IN THE NFL: Arizona currently has 11 players on NFL rosters heading into 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 9/2/24)

*Practice Squad