Arizona vs. Northern Arizona: 3 things to watch in the 2026 season opener
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The Arizona Wildcats kick off year three of the Brent Brennan era on Saturday evening, squaring off against in-state opponent Northern Arizona at Casino Del Sol Stadium.
It is the 20th all-time matchup between these two programs, and the 15th since 2002. The Wildcats are 17-2 all-time against the Lumberjacks, with the first loss coming in 1932 and the second one far, far more recently in 2021 - a game that extended UA's losing streak to a program-record 15 games while giving NAU their first win of the season.
Arizona may be the heavy favorite in this one, but Brennan must ensure his team doesn't get complacent or start looking ahead to Week 2 against BYU, as this NAU squad is more than capable of stunning the Wildcats for the second time this decade.
What to know about Northern Arizona
NAU is 1-0 on the year after pulling off a surprise comeback victory over Eastern Washington in Week 0. The Lumberjacks, who were picked fourth in the Big Sky preseason rankings, were down 24-3 late in the first half before Lindsay Graves returned a kick 100 yards to the house with 2:44 left until halftime. That was enough time for NAU to get the ball back and score again, completely deflating the Eagles and ultimately leading to a 34-27 win for the Lumberjacks.
NAU is in year three of Brian Wright's tenure, and they have gone 16-10 overall and 11-6 in the Big Sky. The Lumberjacks had two players named to the preseason All-Big Sky team in tight end Jeter Purdy and cornerback Shoes Brinkley, although running back Quaran Gossett made a nice case for himself in Week 0 with 21 carries for 103 yards and a touchdown.
Can Noah Fifita make a Heisman statement?
You won't find Noah Fifita's name near the top of any preseason Heisman Trophy lists, but the senior quarterback has a real chance to start changing that narrative in Week 1.
Sure, dominating an FCS opponent won't move the needle all that much, but Fifita is well equipped to have the best season of his career in 2026, after the Wildcats returned nine starters from last year's offense that went 9-4.
Fifita excelled last year, completing 64.3% of his passes for a career-high 3,228 yards with 29 touchdowns and six interceptions. He finished second in the Big 12 in completions (275) and touchdowns, and was third in passing yards.
While his top two targets - Kris Hutson and Javin Whatley - are no longer on the team, Fifita is familiar with Tre Spivey, Chris Hunter, and Gio Richardson, who are all set to start this year after finishing third, fourth, and fifth on the team in receiving yards last year, respectively.
All the familiarity works in Fifita's favor, and a strong showing against NAU will give the senior real momentum heading into Week 2, where he could start to build a Heisman case in what is currently a wide-open race.
Can Arizona's new secondary live up to the hype?
Arizona had an outstanding secondary last year, and the proof is in the 2026 NFL Draft - where Treydan Stukes (2nd round), Genesis Smith (4th round), and Dalton Johnson (5th round) all heard their name called. Ayden Garnes didn't, but he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, giving Arizona another pro from Danny Gonzales' elite group of DBs last year.
This year will feature multiple new faces, including Charlotte transfer Dwight Bootle II and Nebraska transfer Malcolm Hartzog. Gonzales recently called Hartzog "one of the best cover guys in man-to-man I've ever been around," a huge compliment for a player that was quite good in the Big Ten, but is coming off a season where he only played one game before succumbing to an injury.
Arizona should dominate against an FCS quarterback who went 15-27 in Week 0, but that doesn't mean it's not worth seeing how this group gels on the field for the first time - especially with a big matchup looming in Week 2 against the Cougars.
Game info
Arizona and NAU are set to kick off at 7:30 PM MT at Casino Del Sol Stadium. Currently, the Wildcats are -31.5 point favorites, down slightly from the -32.5 opening line at FanDuel.
The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
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