How to watch Arizona vs. Northern Illinois: TV channel, streaming, game time and more
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Brent Brennan and the Arizona Wildcats return home this Saturday with a chance to get back in the win column, hosting the Northern Illinois Huskies at Casino Del Sol Stadium.
Arizona (1-1) took care of business in Week 1 against FCS opponent Northern Arizona, and looked completely in control in the first half of their battle with BYU last Saturday in Provo.
However, the Cougars outplayed the Wildcats over the final 30 minutes, holding Arizona scoreless and securing a 28-17 victory which has Arizona at the bottom of the conference standings.
Arizona looks to bounce back at home
The Wildcats came out of Saturday's loss disappointed, but determined to right the ship and put together what can still be an excellent season in Tucson.
Saturday's game represents a chance to take a big step in that direction, hosting an opponent that isn't projected to give the Wildcats much trouble. Northern Illinois is 0-2 on the year after losing 40-0 in Week 1 to Iowa and then falling to FCS opponent Illinois State, 28-24, in Week 2.
Arizona, who opened as 34.5 point favorites on FanDuel Sportsbook, should dominate on the ground against a very weak Huskies run defense that surrendered 289 rushing yards to Iowa to begin the season.
The Wildcats plan to get Ismail Mahdi - last year's leading rusher - in the mix on Saturday now that he is eligible and joining an already crowded group of backs that includes Kedrick Reescano, Antwan Roberts, and Quincy Craig.
Noah Fifita is closing in on Arizona history
Arizona's run game should be plenty dominant on Saturday, which could limit the throwing opportunities for star quarterback Noah Fifita. That's not necessarily a bad thing for the Wildcats, although it could prevent Fifita from setting a program record in front of the home crowd.
Currently Fifita is 320 yards away from passing Nick Foles as Arizona's all-time leader in passing yards. Should he miss that mark on Saturday he would almost certainly - barring injury - set it in Week 4, which comes on the road in Pullman against Washington State.
It's been nearly a year since Fifita threw for more than 320 yards - against Oklahoma State last October - and facing a weak run defense without star receiver Gio Richardson means it ultimately wouldn't be a surprise if he breaks the record in Pullman instead of at home.
Below is a look at how to watch Arizona take on Northern Illinois on Saturday in Tucson:
How to watch Arizona vs. Northern Illinois
Date: Saturday, Sep. 19
Game time: 7:30 PM PT
Where: Casino Del Sol Stadium (Tucson, AZ)
How to listen: Wildcats Radio 1290 AM
How to stream: Sling.tv
How to watch: TNT
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Andy Patton is a college basketball writer with deep ties to both Gonzaga and Arizona. A Gonzaga alumnus who graduated in 2013, he has hosted the Locked On Zags podcast covering Gonzaga basketball since 2021 and has co-hosted the Locked On College Basketball podcast since 2022. His years covering the Bulldogs have also given him extensive familiarity with Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd, who spent more than two decades on Mark Few’s staff at Gonzaga before taking over the Wildcats in 2021. Andy has worked in sports media since 2017, with experience covering nearly every major sport. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for USA TODAY from 2017–21, where he also spent time covering the USC Trojans and Oregon Ducks, and previously served as lead writer for College Sports Wire. He has also covered the NBA, NHL and MLB for various TEGNA outlets, including KREM in Spokane, 12News in Phoenix and KING 5 in Seattle. Andy now lives in Spokane, Washington, with his wife, daughter and dog.
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