Arizona football begins Big 12 play in Week 2 and it's potentially the Wildcats' biggest challenge of the year, a showdown with 15th-ranked BYU in Provo.
Arizona (1-0) vs. No. 15 BYU (1-0)
When: Saturday, 12:30 p.m.
Where: LaVell Edwards Stadium, Provo
TV: Fox
Radio: 1290-AM, 107.5-FM
Point spread, over/under (via Action Network): Arizona +6.5, 47.5 points
Arizona Wildcats
2026 Record: 1-0 (0-0 Big 12)
WHEN ARIZONA IS ON OFFENSE (PROJECTED):
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[Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr.]
WR | 12 | Tre Spivey III | 6-4 | 212 | Sr.
WR | 5 | Gio Richardson | 5-10 | 180 | So.
LT | 73 | Matthew Lado | 6-6 | 320 | Jr.
LG | 59 | Rhino Tapa’atoutai | 6-5 | 320 | Sr.
C | 58 | Zach Henning | 6-4 | 310 | Sr.
RG | 63 | Alexander Doost | 6-7 | 335 | Sr.
RT | 71 | Tristan Bounds | 6-8 | 320 | 6th
TE | 14 | Cole Rusk | 6-5 | 245 | 6th
WR | 11 | Chris Hunter | 6-1 | 195 | 5th
QB | 1 | Noah Fifita | 5-10 | 190 | 5th
RB | 3 | Kedrick Reescano | 6-0 | 215 | Sr.
WHEN ARIZONA IS ON DEFENSE (PROJECTED):
Arizona linebacker Chase Kennedy gestures to the crowd behind the end zone after registering a sack in the second quarter of the game against Northern Arizona on Sept. 5, 2026.
[Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr.]
DL | 3 | Tre Smith | 6-5 | 265 | 6th
DL | 95 | Leroy Palu | 6-3 | 295 | Sr.
DL | 99 | Mays Pese | 6-3 | 290 | So.
LB | 7 | Chase Kennedy | 6-3 | 235 | 5th
LB | 6 | Taye Brown | 6-2 | 230 | Sr.
LB | 48 | Cooper Blomstrom | 6-2 | 245 | Sr.
NB | 15 | Malcolm Hartzog Jr. | 5-8 | 190 | 5th
CB | 8 | Jay’Vion Cole | 5-10 | 190 | 5th
CB | 12 | Dwight Bootle II | 5-9 | 175 | Sr.
BS | 23 | Gavin Hunter | 6-2 | 208 | Sr.
FS | 35 | Quinn Olson | 6-3 | 205 | Jr.
UA 2026 SCHEDULE
September
5 | NORTHERN ARIZONA | W, 35-7
12 | at No. 15 BYU | 12:30 p.m. | Fox
19 | NORTHERN ILLINOIS | 7:30 p.m. | TNT
26 | at Washington State | 4:30 p.m. | CBS
October
3 | CINCINNATI
10 | at West Virginia
24 | IOWA STATE
31 | at No. 13 Texas Tech
November
6 | TCU* | 8:15 p.m. | ESPN
Arizona defensive lineman Tre Smith storms in to pressure Northern Arizona quarterback Ty Pennington into a bad throw in the third quarter on Sept. 5, 2026.
14 | No. 20 UTAH
21 | at Kansas State
28 | ARIZONA STATE
Home games in Bold; *=Friday game
UA 2026 STATS
PASSING
[Name | Comp-Att-INT | Yards | TDs | Long]
Fifita | 22-29-0 | 262 | 2 | 31
Anderson | 5-8-1 | 52 | 0 | 17
RUSHING
[Name | Carries | Yards | TDs | YPC | YPG]
Reescano | 10 | 48 | 2 | 4.8 | 48
Roberts | 4 | 45 | 1 | 11.2 | 45
Yarbrough | 5 | 25 | 0 | 5.0 | 25
Craig | 5 | 24 | 0 | 4.8 | 24
RECEIVING
[Name | Rec. | Yards | TDs | YPC | YPG]
Richardson | 8 | 96 | 0 | 12.0 | 96
Spivey | 4 | 45 | 1 | 11.3 | 45
Mizell | 2 | 39 | 0 | 19.5 | 39
Mosley | 3 | 26 | 0 | 8.7 | 26
Phelps | 1 | 21 | 1 | 21.0 | 21
DEFENSE
[Name | Tackles | Sacks | INTs | FR | FF]
Brown | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0
Blomstrom | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1
Arizona linebacker Max Harris (4), top, and linebacker Riley Wilson (16) team up to stop BYU wide receiver Parker Kingston (11) during their Big 12 game, Oct. 11, 2025, in Tucson.
Hartzog | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0
Kennedy | 5 | 2.5 | 0 | 0 | 0
Bootle | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0
BYU Cougars
2026 record: 1-0 (0-0 Big 12)
WHEN BYU IS ON OFFENSE (PROJECTED):
[Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr.]
WR | 3 | Kyler Kasper | 6-6 | 212 | R-Jr.
TE | 7 | Walker Lyons | 6-4 | 245 | Jr.
LT | 58 | Paki Finau | 6-5 | 310 | R-So.
LG | 51 | Sonny Makasini | 6-4 | 315 | R-Sr.
C | 63 | Bruce Mitchell | 6-4 | 300 | R-Sr.
RG | 64 | Kyle Sfarcioc | 6-4 | 310 | R-Sr.
RT | 75 | Andrew Gentry | 6-8 | 315 | R-Sr.
WR | 1 | Legend Glasker | 6-1 | 175 | Fr.
WR | 13 | Jojo Phillips | 6-5 | 205 | Sr.
QB | 47 | Bear Bachmeier | 6-2 | 230 | So.
RB |4 | L.J. Martin | 6-2 | 225 | Sr.
WHEN BYU IS ON DEFENSE (PROJECTED):
[Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr.]
DE | 48 | Bodie Schoonover | 6-3 | 275 | R-Sr.
NT | 96 | Justin Kirkland | 6-3 | 310 | R-Sr.
DT | 57 | Keanu Tanuvasa | 6-4 | 300 | R-Sr.
LB | 5 | Nusi Taumoepeau | 6-3 | 242 | So.
LB | 4 | Cade Uluave | 6-1 | 230 | Sr.
A general view of a BYU football helmet during the second half of a game against the Utah Tech Trailblazers at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Sept. 5, 2026.
LB | 16 | Isaiah Glasker | 6-5 | 240 | R-Sr.
NB | 32 | Cannon DeVries | 6-0 | 184 | So.
CB | 0 | Evan Johnson | 6-0 | 185 | R-Sr.
SS | 22 | Tommy Prassas | 6-2 | 200 | R-So.
FS | 11 | Faletau Satuala | 6-4 | 215 | Jr.
CB | 1 | Therrian Alexander | 6-2 | 175 | Jr.
BYU 2026 SCHEDULE
September
5 | UTAH TECH | W, 63-7
12 | ARIZONA | 12:30 p.m. | Fox
19 | at Colorado State | 4:30 p.m. | CBS
October
3 | at TCU
9 | IOWA STATE* | 7:15 p.m. | ESPN
17 | No. 3 NOTRE DAME
24 | at UCF
31 | ARIZONA STATE
November
7 | at Utah
14 | BAYLOR
21 | at Kansas
28 | CINCINNATI
Home games in Bold; * = Friday game
BYU 2026 STATS
PASSING
BYU wide receiver Kyler Kasper (3) runs after a catch against Utah Tech defensive back Brady Sorenson (22) during the second quarter at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, in Provo, Utah.
[Name | Comp-Att-INT | Yards | TDs | Long]
Bachmeier | 16-20-0 | 198 | 3 | 33
Bourguet | 1-2-0 | 15 | 0 | 15
RUSHING
[Name | Carries | Yards | TDs | YPC | YPG]
Eka | 8 | 59 | 1 | 7.4 | 59
Martin | 7 | 54 | 0 | 7.7 | 54
Rex | 5 | 38 | 1 | 7.6 | 38
Tonga | 2 | 38 | 1 | 19.0 | 38
RECEIVING
[Name | Rec. | Yards | TDs | YPC | YPG]
Glasker | 3 | 65 | 2 | 21.7 | 65
Kasper | 4 | 42 | 0 | 10.5 | 42
Saleapaga | 2 | 23 | 0 | 11.5 | 23
Lyons | 2 | 22 | 0 | 11.0 | 22
Frischknecht | 1 | 20 | 0 | 20.0 | 20
DEFENSE
[Name | Tackles | Sacks | INTs | FR | FF]
Kalama | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0
Leach | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0
Wall | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0
Uluave | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0
Pula | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0
Arizona center Zachary Henning will anchor the Wildcats' offensive line after starting his career at Washington.
Head to Head
58 Zachary Henning vs. 57 Keanu Tanuvasa
Arizona's first-year center had the second-best offensive grade (78.7) behind left guard Rhino Tapa'atoutai in the Wildcats' season-opening victory over NAU — and the second-best pass-blocking grade (83.2) behind right guard Alexander Doost. Henning is not only tasked with blocking a stout defensive front, but he's also shotgun-snapping in one of the loudest venues in the Big 12.
Between his time at Utah and BYU, Tanuvasa has started 34 games, including all 14 of the Cougars' games last season. The fifth-year Tanuvasa has 75 tackles, 16.5 stops for loss and six sacks as an interior defensive lineman. In BYU's double-overtime win over Arizona last season, Tanuvasa was ejected for targeting in the second quarter — and flagged for roughing the passer.
Arizona safety Quinn Olson holds the turnover sword aloft for the crowd after snagging an interception against NAU in Tucson on Sept. 5, 2026.
35 Quinn Olson vs. 3 Kyler Kasper
Olson made his first-ever start at Arizona against NAU, and despite being charged with two missed tackles, according to Pro Football Focus, Olson grabbed his first interception in the final minutes of the third quarter — which happened just days after he was named starter and put on scholarship.
The Phoenix-area native graduated from Williams Field High School in Gilbert and signed with Oregon's 2022 recruiting class. Kasper was rated as the third-best player from Arizona in the '22 recruiting cycle, according to 247Sports.com. The big-bodied Kasper had five catches for 77 yards in four seasons at Oregon. He's the son of former Iowa standout and NFL receiver Kevin Kasper.
The matchup
When Arizona has the ball …
The last time the Wildcats were in Provo, Arizona committed four turnovers, including three interceptions by Fifita. The only multi-interception game of Fifita's career since then was the Big 12 road opener against Iowa State last season. After two lost fumbles and a pick-six last week, ball security is a point of emphasis. The turnover battle could decide the outcome on Saturday.
When BYU has the ball …
BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier warms up before a game against Utah Tech on Sept. 5, 2026.
The Cougars were 9 for 11 on third-down conversions in a 56-point win over Utah Tech last week. In the double-overtime win over Arizona in Tucson last season, BYU went a combined 10 for 19 on third- and fourth-down plays — a 52% conversion rate. BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier's versatility on third-and-short plays could spell problems for the UA defense.
College Football 27 prediction: BYU 28, UA 21
Arizona tied the game, 21-21, in the fourth quarter after Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita rushed for 6 yards on fourth-and-5. Fifita nearly found the end zone, but was tackled short of the goal line. Arizona running back Kedrick Reescano, who had two goal-line touchdowns against NAU, punched it in for a touchdown after Fifita's run.
The Cougars powered their way down the field on the following possession and running back L.J. Martin scored on a 7-yard run. With a chance to either tie or win the game, Fifita's pass near the sideline was jumped by BYU cornerback Evan Johnson, who made the game-sealing interception. Martin had 129 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the win over Arizona.
Contact Justin Spears, the Star's Arizona football beat reporter, at jspears@tucson.com. On X(Twitter): @JustinESports
Justin Spears
Sports Reporter
