Arizona's breakout receiver will miss time after suffering injury at BYU
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The Arizona Wildcats jumped out to a fast start in Week 2 against the BYU Cougars, but were held scoreless in the second half and ultimately handed a brutal 28-17 loss.
There were a lot of things that contributed to Arizona's listless offense in Provo, but a key element was the loss of sophomore wide receiver Gio Richardson, who exited early in the second quarter with an apparent lower leg injury and did not return.
Coach Brent Brennan provided an ominous update on Richardson during his weekly press conference on Monday, saying the 5'10 receiver has a "lower extremity injury and is going to be out for a little bit."
Arizona wide receiver Gio Richardson has a "lower extremity injury and is going to be out for a little bit," Brent Brennan says.
— Justin Spears (@JustinESports) September 14, 2026
Breakout season on hold
After a strong finish to his freshman season in 2025, Richardson was a popular breakout candidate heading into the year, drawing the starting role in the slot when Arizona's first depth chart was released in late August.
Richardson looked every bit the part of a breakout star in Week 1 against Northern Arizona, hauling in a team-high nine receptions for 113 yards in the Wildcats 35-7 victory.
How he would handle a much tougher assignment against BYU was a big pregame storyline last week, and it was clear right away just how much Noah Fifita relied on the shifty sophomore when he hauled in five passes in the first few drives, exiting with 48 receiving yards with over 10 minutes to go until halftime.
Arizona's offense stalled out after that, even with a strong performance from Richardson's backup, Rodney Gallagher, who had five catches of his own for 26 yards.
Gallagher will be counted on to provide a short-yardage outlet for Fifita in the absence of Richardson, while fellow receiver Trey Spivey and tight end Cole Rusk will pick up some of the slack as well.
But there is no denying the impact of this loss for Arizona, however long it ends up being. Even though he missed most of the BYU game, Richardson overwhelmingly leads Arizona with 14 receptions and 161 receiving yards. No one else has more than seven catches or 61 yards, highlighting how reliable the connection between Fifita and Richardson has been in the early going.
Arizona must replace Richardson's production
Arizona was vague on how long Richardson will be out, but it is safe to assume he'll miss this Saturday's home matchup with Northern Illinois and is unlikely to play in Pullman against Washington State in Week 4.
Those are both winnable games for Arizona, even without their leading receiver, but after that, Big 12 battles with Cincinnati, West Virginia, and Iowa State become trickier. Arizona fans will hope the sophomore is back at least in time for the Halloween showdown in Lubbock against No. 13 Texas Tech, where he'll be necessary to attack gaps in the Red Raiders' defense.
For now, expect Gallagher, Spivey, and Rusk to handle more targets this Saturday evening at Casino Del Sol Stadium against Northern Illinois. Kickoff is set for 7:30 PM MT and the game will be broadcast on TNT.
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