Overview
- Arizona defeated Northern Arizona 35-7 on Saturday as Noah Fifita completed 22 of 29 passes for 262 yards and two touchdown passes.
- The Wildcats’ defense held NAU to 193 total yards and minus-seven rushing while recording five sacks, with linebacker Chase Kennedy accounting for 2.5 of those takedowns.
- Fifita moved into second place on Arizona’s career passing list with 9,445 yards and now needs 567 yards to break Nick Foles’ school record.
- Depth and turnover issues surfaced late when backup quarterback Sawyer Anderson threw his first collegiate pass that was returned 36 yards for a pick-six and Arizona finished with three turnovers.
- The game preserved Arizona’s fourth straight season-opening win and serves as a tune-up before a much tougher Big 12 opener at No. 14 BYU next weekend, following the program’s nine-win 2025 season.