Know the Foe: Arizona Wildcats

As the 3-2 Arizona Wildcats come to Provo this weekend following a tough loss against Texas Tech, here's what you need to know about them.

Let's start with quarterback Noah Fifita and wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan. The two were high school teammates in California and have become quite the duo as Arizona Wildcats.

Photo by Aryanna Frank

Fifita threw for 2,869 yards and 25 touchdowns as a redshirt freshman in 2023, while McMillan hauled in 90 catches for 1,402 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Outside of these two playmakers, the Arizona offense has been out of sync.

Coaches and players are hoping for tight end Keyan Burnett to continue to emerge as a playmaker after catching a 35-yard touchdown pass against Utah.

Running back Quali Conley, who began his career at Utah Tech, has been a steady force for the Wildcats leading the team in rushing with 69 carries, 419 yards and five touchdowns.

In its previous game against the Red Raiders, Arizona made it to the red zone seven times, but only came away with one touchdown. The remainder of their points were scored by field goal kicker Tyler Loop, who earned the Lou Groza Star of the Week Award for his performance. The Wildcats also turned the ball over four times.

On top of that, earlier this season, the offense put up a meager seven points against Big 12 foe Kansas State.

It was after this game that the primary play-calling duties were delegated to tight ends coach Matt Adkins rather than offensive coordinator Dino Babers.

Photo by Grace Trejo, Arizona Daily Star

In his press conference this week, Adkins attributed the offensive struggles to inconsistency and a lack of attention to detail, noting multiple plays where guys were in the wrong spots. Other coaches mentioned other weapons not being utilized and struggles on first down.

On the other side of the ball, Gunner Maldonado and Treydan Stukes will both be out for Saturday's game. Both are team captains and defensive backs and each have one interception this season.

The Wildcats are ranked 57th in passing yards allowed (203 ypg), so the loss of these two defensive anchors could prove to be devastating, depending on how well BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff is clicking with his crew of elite pass-catchers on Saturday afternoon.

While the Wildcats have struggled offensively in the red zone, the Cougars have excelled on defense. Conversely, BYU's red zone offense is ranked No. 22 in the country and Arizona's red zone defense is ranked No. 68.

It is worth noting, however, that just two weeks ago, the Wildcat defense held then-No. 10 Utah to just ten points in Salt Lake City. If Arizona can somehow replicate that performance on Saturday afternoon, then it may have a chance in this game.

Photo by Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

The Wildcats are coached by Brent Brennan who was hired in January. He returns to the team 24 years later after a short stint as a graduate assistant in Tucson back in 2000. Most recently, he was the head coach at San Jose State for seven seasons, amassing a 34-48 record during his time there.

Brennan coached alongside Kalani Sitake at Oregon State in 2015. Their families lived in the same neighborhood.

"(Kalani) is one of my favorite people on the planet. He's just an incredible human being, great father, great husband, and great football coach," Brennan said.

In terms of Saturday's matchup, look for the Arizona offense to spread the ball out and get other playmakers involved.

The Wildcat defense will have to be scrappy without two team captains on the field and the return of star BYU running back LJ Martin.

Kickoff is at 2 p.m. The Wildcats are a four-point underdog, according to ESPN.