Wildcats Host #18 Cougars for Family Weekend

TUCSON, Ariz. — The Arizona Wildcats (4-1, 1-1) continue their early season run of home games with a Family Weekend matchup against the No. 18 ranked BYU Cougars this Saturday at Arizona Stadium. Kickoff on Saturday is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. MST.

Saturday's game will be nationally televised on ESPN2 with Mike Couzens (play-by-play) on the call. It will also be broadcast live on Wildcats Radio 1290 AM with play-by-play from Brian Jeffries.

This weekend's game will serve as the program's annual Family Weekend contest. Tickets are still available but moving fast and are available for purchase here.

The Wildcats are fresh off a dominant victory over Oklahoma State for their first Big 12 Conference win of the season. With one of the top defenses in the nation on their side, Arizona will look to topple a ranked opponent and remain undefeated at home.

For more news and notes on Saturday's game, continue below.

Arizona Notes & Numbers

• The Arizona Wildcats play host to the No. 18 BYU Cougars this Saturday at Arizona Stadium for the program’s annual Family Weekend contest.
• Saturday’s game will be nationally televised on ESPN2 with Mike Couzens (PxP), Kirk Morrison (analyst), and Dawn Davenport (reporter) on the call.
• The game will also be broadcast live on Wildcats Radio 1290 AM with play-by-play from Brian Jeffries.
• The Wildcats and Cougars have faced off 26 times previously, with games dating back to 1936 and BYU holding a narrow 13-12-1 edge in the all-time series.
• The two programs have met once as fellow members of the Big 12 Conference, a contest in Provo last season in which BYU earned a 41-19 victory. Arizona’s last win in the series came in 2008, a 31-21 win in Las Vegas.
• Dating back to 1929, Arizona boasts a record of 52-36-1 in Family Weekend games, though they have not won one since 2018 (Arizona 24, California 17). This weekend will mark the third time in the last four Family Weekend games that Arizona’s opponent is ranked in the AP Top 25.
• Arizona’s defense has yet to allow a passing touchdown this season, making them the only program in the nation who can make the claim.
• The Wildcats defense has allowed just seven touchdowns in five games this season, and has held opposing offenses out of the end zone in 16-of-20 quarters played.
• QB Noah Fifita continued to climb the program career leaderboards last weekend, and is now among the top passers in program history in both career passing yards (4th, 7,296) and touchdowns (t-3rd, 57).

SOME GAME THEMES: The Arizona Wildcats (4-1, 1-1) get a second consecutive home game this Saturday evening as they host the No. 18 ranked BYU Cougars (5-0, 2-0) for Family Weekend at Arizona Stadium…Saturday’s game will be nationally televised on ESPN2 with Mike Couzens (play-by-play), Kirk Morrison (analyst), and Dawn Davenport (reporter) on the call…The game will also be broadcast live on Wildcats Radio 1290 AM featuring play-by-play from the Voice of the Wildcats, Brian Jeffries…Arizona and BYU have squared off 26 times previously, with games dating back to 1936 and the Cougars holding a narrow 13-12-1 edge in the all-time series over the Wildcats…The two programs have met once as fellow members of the Big 12 Conference, a contest in Provo last season in which BYU earned a 41-19 victory…Arizona’s last win in the series came in 2008, a 31-21 win in Las Vegas…This weekend will be the first meeting in the series in Tucson since 2018 (BYU 28, Arizona 23); Arizona last beat BYU in Tucson in 2006 (W, 16-13)…Dating back to 1929, Arizona boasts a record of 52-36-1 in Family Weekend games, though they have not won one since 2018 (Arizona 24, California 17)…This weekend will mark the third time in the last four Family Weekend games that Arizona’s opponent is ranked in the AP Top 25…BYU enters this weekend’s matchup ranked No. 18 in the AP Top 25, making them the second ranked opponent for Arizona this season…The Wildcats are 54-135-1 (.287) all-time against the AP Top 25, including a mark of 1-4 under head coach Brent Brennan…Arizona is 33-60 (.355) all-time at home against the AP Top 25; their most recent home victory over a ranked opponent was a 42-18 victory over No. 16 Utah on Nov. 18, 2023.

FIFITA BIG 12 OFFENSIVE POTW: Arizona Football quarterback Noah Fifita has been selected as a Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week, the conference announced on Monday morning. His selection is the sixth conference weekly award of his career, and the third for the Wildcats this season. Ismail Madhi and the Wildcats offensive line also picked up weekly honors following the team's victory over Kansas State last month. Fifita threw for 376 yards and five touchdowns to help lead the Wildcats to a dominant 41-13 victory over Oklahoma State on Saturday. His five touchdown performance was the fourth of his career and his second this season after also accomplishing the feat against Weber State in week two; he is one of only two FBS quarterbacks with multiple such games this season. Fifita now owns four of the 15 five-plus passing TD games in school history, more than any other player. His 376 yards and five touchdowns continued to vault him up the program's career leaderboards; he now sits fourth all-time in passing yards and tied for third all-time in passing touchdowns. Over the course of 67 snaps on Saturday afternoon, Fifita spread the ball around across 10 different receivers and earned a PFF passing grade of 84.7, the fifth best mark of his career.

LAST TIME OUT: The Wildcats got back in the win column with a dominant 41-13 victory over the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Quarterback Noah Fifita threw for 376 yards and five touchdowns while spreading the wealth to four different receivers who hauled in scores. That group was led by WR Tre Spivey, who tallied 80 yards and two touchdowns on just three catches. It was the Wildcats first Big 12 Conference win of the season. Additional highlights from last week’s game include…

Notable Postgame Notes

• The Cats limited the Cowboys to just 69 yards through the air, marking the third time this year they have held an opponent under 100 passing yards.
• The Wildcats defense limited the Cowboys to just 158 yards of total offense, the fewest allowed by Arizona in a conference game since California in 2021 (122 yards).
• Arizona’s 478 yards of offense and 41 points against Oklahoma State were their most against a Power Four opponent since rolling for 619 yards and 59 points at Arizona State in 2023.
• Arizona’s Noah Fifita threw five touchdowns on Saturday, his second game in 2025 with at least five touchdown passes (also: vs. Weber State). The only other FBS player with multiple such games this season is Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza.
• Fifita’s five passing touchdowns are tied for the second most in school history; the 14th five-plus pass TD performance in school history. He owns 4-of-15 five-plus passing touchdown performances in program history, the most by any player (next: Khalil Tate, 3).
• WR Tre Spivey hauled in his third and fourth receiving touchdowns of the year on Saturday afternoon. It was his first career multi-score game and he now has scoring catches in back-to-back games for the first time in his career.

NOAH'S ARC: Redshirt junior quarterback Noah Fifita, one of the most prolific passers in program history, returns behind center to lead the Wildcats offense in 2025. The California native has logged three-plus seasons and 32 games with the Wildcats since his true freshman campaign in 2022. Over that span he has etched his name into the Arizona record books and looks to cement his legacy even further this season. Fifita currently sports 7,296 career passing yards and 57 career passing touchdowns, marks that ranks fourth and tied for third in program history, respectively. Fifita is 323 yards shy of moving past Tom Tunnicliffe (1980–83) for third all-time, while also standing 10 passing touchdowns shy of a tie for first. The fourth-year signal caller was selected to a trio of watch lists this preseason, earning national recognition from the Maxwell Award, the Polynesian Player of the Year Award, and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.

PICK CITY: Arizona’s seven interceptions this season are the 12th most in the nation. The Wildcats are currently on pace for 17 interceptions this season, which would be the most for the program since pulling in 19 during the 2017 season. The Wildcats defense is spearheaded by Defensive Coordinator Danny Gonzales, who has made led multiple INT-hungry defenses during his career. From 2011–16 while he served as the safeties coach at San Diego State, the Aztecs pulled in 100 interceptions, the third most in the country during that span. Across 12 games last year the Wildcats pulled in just eight interceptions. Six different players have combined to pull in Arizona’s seven picks: DBs Jay’Vion Cole (2), Genesis Smith, Treydan Stukes, Gavin Hunter, and Jack Luttrell, alongside LB Taye Brown.

I GOT 5 ON IT: Quarterback Noah Fifita’s five passing touchdown performance last weekend against Oklahoma State was the fourth of his career and his second this season. The only other FBS player with multiple 5+ TD games this season is Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza (via Stats Perform). Across all of Arizona Football history there have been only 15 five-plus pass touchdown performances, four of which belong to Fifita, the most by any player (next: Khalil Tate, 3).

NO FLY ZONE: The Wildcats defensive secondary has led the charge for one of the best pass defenses in the nation through the first five weeks of the season; Arizona is the only FBS program in the country who has yet to allow a passing touchdown. Arizona also ranks among the national leaders in fewest passing yards allowed (11th, 147.2 ypg) and team passing efficiency defense (2nd, 83.22). Three times this year the Arizona defense has held opponents to fewer than 100 passing yards: Weber State (68), Kansas State (88), and Oklahoma State (69). According to Pro Football Focus, the Wildcats defense has logged a coverage grade of 80 or better in four of five games this season, highlighted by a 90.2 mark against Oklahoma State.

HIT SOMEONE: Early returns on Defensive Coordinator Danny Gonzales’ unit have been promising, with the Wildcats ranking among the top 25 teams in the nation in total defense (10th), passing defense (11th), scoring defense (19th), and rushing defense (25th). The Arizona defense has also been busy in the turnover department, pulling in 11 turnovers across the first five games of the season after logging only 16 across 12 games last season. The Wildcats 11 turnovers gained (7th) and +0.8 turnover margin (25th) are both among the best marks in the nation among all 134 FBS programs.

MAHDI MOTION: Arizona running back Ismail Mahdi has been a key piece of the Wildcats offense over the first three games, tallying 528 all-purpose yards and a pair of touchdowns. Prior to his time with the Wildcats, Mahdi spent two years at Texas State and one season at FCS Houston Christian. The Murphy, Texas native currently boasts one of the most productive careers in the nation: Mahdi's ranks among the top five active career leaders with 4,080 all-purpose yards (4th), 90.1 rush yards per game (4th), and 136.00 all-purpose yards per game (2nd) during his FBS career.

GONE PORTALIN’: According to research done by ESPN’s Max Olson, the Wildcats are ranked fourth among Power Four programs and second in the Big 12 Conference in experience added via the transfer portal. Arizona added 27 transfers that brought with them 403 starts and 25,467 snaps of Division I experience.

WILDCATS IN THE NFL: The Arizona Wildcats are once again well represented in the NFL, with 10 players currently sprinkled throughout league rosters. Highlighting the group of former Wildcats are a pair of first round picks in Tetairoa McMillan (2025) and Jordan Morgan (2024). With his selection earlier this year, McMillan became the 12th Arizona player to earn a first round NFL Draft pick. He joined a list that includes Morgan (2024; 25th, Green Bay), Antoine 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). McMillan was the first of four Wildcats selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, marking the most Arizona picks since 2008.

Current Wildcats on NFL Rosters (as of 10/05/25)

• Jonah Savaiinaea, OL, Miami Dolphins
• Nick Folk, K, New York Jets
• Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB, Washington Commanders
• Tyler Loop, K, Baltimore Ravens
• Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, LB, New York Giants
• Roy Lopez, DT, Detroit Lions
• Jordan Morgan, OT, Green Bay Packers
• Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Carolina Panthers
• Jacob Cowing^, WR, San Francisco 49ers
• Gary Brightwell*, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

*Practice Squad    ^Reserve/Injured