Arizona Football: Matchup info, spread, and how to watch vs BYU

Gameday is here for Arizona Football, and as the Wildcats kick-off against BYU, here are a few key things to remember about the matchup!

The 2021 Arizona Football is finally here, and after a long and arduous off-season, we are finally ready to kick off the Jedd Fisch era in Tucson.

Coming into week one, the Wildcats will have just about as tough of a matchup as anyone as they take on BYU. While the Cougars are replacing a lot of pieces from a team that went 11-1, overall, this is still going to be a competitive and talented group.

For Arizona, while the team has had to answer a lot of lingering questions about the roster, personnel, etc. this past fall camp was a pretty productive one, and it seems like we may have a team that is ready to fight and compete.

Luckily for us, the Cougars are in a somewhat similar place here as both squads break in new quarterbacks, and have needed to replace several key positional players. With that said, here is our Preview of the Wildcats’ game against BYU.

Getting to Know the details with Arizona Football’s matchup against the BYU Cougars

Team: BYU Cougars 

Conference: Independent

Head Coach: Kalani Sitake enters his 6th season with the Cougars, and is coming off his best season yet. Sporting a 38-26 record, Sitake has built a solid program, and once again should have a talented squad in 2021.

Key Returners/ Starters:

Offense

Jaren Hall will get the call on Saturday, and while he may not be Zach Wilson, Jaren is still plenty talented and plenty mobile. He will also have a solid group of receivers to throw to, starting with players like incoming transfer Puka Nacua (Washington), Neil Pau’u, Gunner Romney, and tight end Isaac Rex.

At running back, they are talented as well, having two very capable runners in Tyler Allgeier who ran for over 1,000 yards last year, and Lopini Katoa. Together, the two provides a perfect 1-2 punch that make things challenging for opposing defenses.

Lastly, coming in, the offensive line will be a little tested. This is a fairly new group, and while they’ve competed and settled things in camp, it’s different competing in practice than it is in games. Let’s see if Arizona can take advantage.

Defense

As a reminder, the Cougars lose a lot from a defense that finished inside the Top 10 last year. BYU has had to replace seven of its top 10 tacklers, but they will still have some talent especially with the return of Linebacker Keenan Pili, Linebacker Max Tooley, Defensive Lineman Caden Haws, and Defensive Back Micah Harper.

Maybe this group doesn’t finish Top 10, but they are going to be a talented and skilled group nonetheless, so Arizona will need to be ready.

Key Injuries: 

BYU

• N/A

Arizona 

• WR- Jamarye Joiner (Foot) – Will be out he recovers from surgery.

Game Information: 

When: Saturday, September 4th, 2021

Time: 7:30 PM

Watch: ESPN, FuboTV 

Spread: +12.5 Arizona (Don’t forget to use WynnBet to enhance your betting experience)

Where: Allegiant Stadium – Las Vegas, NV (65,000)

Overall Series Record: 12-11-1 Arizona. This one has been neck and neck, with the Cougars winning the last two match-ups. Arizona’s last win came back in 2008 in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Last Meeting vs. Arizona: BYU has won two straight in this series, and is coming off a win in 2018 when they beat the Wildcats 28-23 in Tucson. Although last time Arizona beat BYU, they were in Vegas.

My Prediction: BYU 27 UA 20 – BYU is just too physical and too talented. While they are breaking in a few positional players, so is Arizona. However, the major difference here is that BYU is coming off an 11-1 season, meanwhile the Wildcats are losers of 12 straight.

While I see Arizona being more competitive, I still see them coming up just short. Hopefully, I am wrong! Bear Down, Arizona!