Arizona, Houston Unveils First Availability Report

The Arizona Wildcats and the Houston Cougars have released the first availability report of the week as they get set to face each other on the football field this Saturday at TDECU Stadium at 9 a.m. (MST).

This will be the sixth time these two teams have faced each other, the fourth time in as little as a decade. Arizona won the last game, but Houston won the two before that in 2017 and 2018.

Arizona is coming off a nail-biting 33-27 defeat in a double overtime game to the No. 15-ranked BYU Cougars. In that game, the Wildcats picked off quarterback Bear Bachmeier twice and racked up 383 yards of total offense, 164 of those from the ground and 219 through the air.

The Wildcats matched BYU in physicality during that game, but at the end of the day, they made too many constant mistakes and eventually it caught up to them.

Houston, on the other hand, is coming off a win over the Oklahoma State Cowboys by a 39-17 score behind Conner Weigman's 306 passing yards and two touchdowns thrown.

The Cougars' only loss of the season comes from a 45-11 routing by the Texas Tech Red Raiders, a game in which Houston went down early 15-3 in the first quarter and could never catch back up

Questionable

Aug 31, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt (1) celebrates touchdown with Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Chris Hunter (16) and Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Malachi Riley (10) during fourth quarter at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Arizona has done a stellar job in getting players healthy and off the availability report, as only one player on the Wildcats roster is questionable.

Wide receiver Chris Hunter has that designation for the first report of the week. Hunter played a huge role in the last game against BYU, catching two receptions for 50 yards and a touchdown. Noah Fifita hit Hunter in stride for the long 35-yard touchdown.

WHAT A PASS BY NOAH FIFITA 🤯@ArizonaFBall takes the lead 17-14 in the 2nd#Big12FB | 📺 ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/1WvHnOgRuy
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) October 12, 2025

On the other side, Houston has two players who are questionable to suit up and one more who is doubtful.

Offensive lineman Derek Joiner and defensive lineman Quindario Lee have started the week out as questionable. Wide receiver Stephon has started the week out on the doubtful list.

Out

Aug 30, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats defensive lineman Tre Smith (3) tackles Hawaii Rainbow Warriors running back Cam Barfield (0) during the first quarter of the game at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Nothing much has changed for the Wildcats in terms of new faces being out for this game. For Arizona, the absence of defensive linemen Tre Smith and Jarra Anderson is the most significant blow to the team. Defensive backs Jshawn Frausto-Ramos. Dajon Hinton and Gianni Edwards will not be suiting up. Offensive linemen Keona Peat and Jordan Brown are out as well.

The Wildcats have four tight ends who are not able to suit up either. Chase Randall, Kellen Ford, Tyler Powell and Keyan Burnett will not be playing. Powell's season ended in the first game of the season due to a leg injury, and Burnett has decided to redshirt after dealing with a lingering hamstring problem. Cam Barmore and Sam Olson will anchor the tight end room.

Wide receiver Landon Kelsey, so far, is not able to suit up for the Wildcats come gameday either, making the depth of the wide receiver room just a little bit thinner.

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