Arizona vs. Northern Illinois has 4 storylines worth watching Saturday night
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Brent Brennan and the Arizona Wildcats look for win No. 2 on Saturday night, hosting the Northern Illinois Huskies at Casino Del Sol Stadium.
Arizona (1-1) fell to BYU on the road in Week 2, 28-17, after the offense was shut out in the second half. Noah Fifita and the Wildcats will hope to get back on track against an NIU team that surrendered 40 points to Iowa in Week 1 and enter this game as -34.5 point underdogs, per FanDuel Sportsbook.
Below is a look at four things fans should be watching for on Saturday night between Arizona and Northern Illinois:
1. Noah Fifita is closing in on Arizona history
The outcome on Saturday night isn't expected to be in question, but that shouldn't stop fans from watching until the very end to see if history is made.
Noah Fifita is 320 yards away from passing Nick Foles as Arizona's program leader in passing yards, a total he could hit in front of the home crowd on Saturday.
Fifita hasn't thrown for 320+ yards since last year's 41-13 blowout win over Oklahoma State, but against a struggling NIU club - and with history on the line - it feels very plausible the record will come down in Tucson, rather than Week 4 against Washington State in Pullman.
2. Ismail Mahdi could make his season debut
Brennan was rather non-committal about Mahdi - Arizona's leading rusher last year - making his season debut on Saturday against Northern Illinois, but offensive coordinator Seth Doege certainly sounded more confident that the running back would be part of the mix this week, alongside Kedrick Reescano, Antwan Roberts, and Quincy Craig.
Mahdi gained eligibility through a TRO granted in Pima County for himself and lineback Max Harris. While Harris played against BYU in Week 2, Mahdi did not, although he has been practicing with the team and should be ready to go.
Arizona likely won't need Mahdi on Saturday, but getting him back against a team that surrendered nearly 300 rushing yards to Iowa in Week 1 is a good way to get him in an established rhythm for the rest of the season.
3. Arizona must replace Gio Richardson
Gio Richardson clearly established himself as Arizona's go-to target to begin the 2026 season, leading the team in receptions in Week 1 against Northern Arizona and hauling in five catches in the first few drives against BYU.
Then he exited with a lower leg injury that will keep him out 'a while', per Brennan, forcing the Wildcats to look elsewhere in the passing game.
Tre Spivey is an obvious candidate to garner more touches on the outside, while tight end Cole Rusk and backup slot receiver Rodney Gallagher are also strong picks to click Saturday night in Tucson.
4. Sawyer Anderson could see more playing time
The first two plays of backup quarterback Sawyer Anderson's college career went about as poorly as possible. The Dallas native was sacked on play one and threw a pick-six on his second play, both against NAU in Week 1.
He settled in and looked much better for the rest of the game, and he could get another chance to run the offense on Saturday if Arizona jumps out to a big lead against NIU. Of course, getting Fifita the passing record could impact Anderson's snap count as well.
Arizona and NIU are slated to kick off at 7:30 PM PT on Saturday, Sep. 19, with the game broadcast on TNT.
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