Arizona (3-2, 1-1 Big 12) at No. 14 BYU (5-0, 2-0), Saturday, 4 p.m. ET (FOX)
BetMGM College Football Odds: BYU by 3 1/2.
Series record: Tied 12-12-1
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
BYU is 5-0 for the third time in five seasons. The Cougars can secure bowl eligibility with their third straight Big 12 Conference victory after winning just two league games a year ago. Arizona scored an upset over Utah on its last trip to the Beehive State two weeks ago. The Wildcats are looking to snap a three-game skid in the series and spoil BYU’s undefeated season.
KEY MATCHUP
This promises to be a low-scoring battle with both teams fielding strong defenses. BYU’s front seven has excelled at pressuring quarterbacks. Jack Kelly and Isaiah Glasker both have 5.0 tackles-for-loss. Arizona can punish the Cougars’ aggression with a cadre of talented receivers led by Tetairoa McMillan, who leads all Big 12 players with 664 receiving yards.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Arizona: Noah Fifita continues to put up good numbers, throwing for 1,361 yards through five games while completing 61.5% of his pass attempts. Still, Fifita struggled with finishing drives in both of Arizona’s losses. For the Wildcats to pull an upset, he needs to find a consistent rhythm against a rugged BYU defense and not make drive killing mistakes.
BYU: The Cougars have all their running backs healthy and available for the first time in a month. LJ Martin and Sione Moa have both shown potential to emerge as a lead back. BYU needs to find a reliable bell cow back to absorb some defensive pressure from Jake Retzlaff. Moa is the only back to eclipse 70 rushing yards in a game so far this season.
FACTS & FIGURES
Seven different BYU players have had at least one interception. The Cougars rank third in the Big 12 in turnovers gained. … McMillan needs 91 yards to move into fourth place on the Wildcats’ career receiving yards list. … Kalani Sitake’s first game as a head coach at BYU was against Arizona in 2016. The Cougars won 18-16 on a 33-yard field goal from Jake Oldroyd. Sitake is 3-0 against the Wildcats. … Arizona is second in the Big 12 in fourth down defense (3-of-9, .333). … BYU has allowed a passing efficiency of 91.01 through five games, ranking fifth among FBS teams. The Cougars are allowing 171.0 passing yards per game.
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