Saturday Storylines: Arizona football's Big 12 era officially, finally, begins at Utah

Five storylines ahead of Arizona's Big 12 opener against the No. 10 Utah Utes on Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City. 

This time, it actually counts toward the conference standings. 

After an unofficial introduction to the Big 12 with a road loss at Kansas State, since the game was previously scheduled as a nonconference game, Arizona's battle with Utah is the Wildcats' first-ever conference game as a member of the Big 12.

The last time Arizona played its first game in a new conference — excluding the Pac-12's inaugural season in 2011 — was 45 years ago, when the Wildcats beat Oregon State 21-7 in Tucson for the Pac-10 opener.

Arizona previously competed in the Western Athletic Conference and played its first game as a WAC member in 1962, when they beat BYU 27-21 in Tucson. For nearly 30 years, Arizona was a Border Conference member and was conference foes with current Big 12 rival Texas Tech, which comes to Tucson next week. In Arizona's first game in the Border Conference in 1932, the Wildcats lost 19-6 to rival Arizona State Teachers College at Tempe (now ASU).

Before then, Arizona had an independent athletic department. Now, the Wildcats have a seat at the Power 4 table in the ever-changing landscape of collegiate athletics led by media rights deals and exposure.

Utah, which started Big 12 play in its win over Oklahoma State last week, is no stranger to new conferences. Since head coach Kyle Whittingham's first season as a defensive line coach in 1994, the Utes have played in four different conferences: WAC, Mountain West, Pac-12 and now Big 12. The Utes have won conference championships at every stop — and they're positioned to do it again this season. 

'Great athlete' Kennedy 'becoming more disciplined'

For the second time this season, which is more common on now thanks to the transfer portal, a Wildcat will face their former team. Arizona running back and New Mexico transfer Jacory Croskey-Merritt, who has been held out due to eligibility concerns, rushed for 106 yards and a touchdown against the Lobos in the season opener. 

Over the years, Arizona wide receiver Jacob Cowing (UTEP) and quarterback Jayden de Laura (Washington State) played against their respective teams. The Wildcats also signed several players from Pac-12 schools since the transfer portal era started — and they ended up facing each other.

This week, former Utah defensive end Chase Kennedy, who started the first three games for Arizona, will return to Salt Lake City. The 6-3, 220-pound edge rusher and Dallas native played two seasons at Utah and appeared in seven games with one tackle. Kennedy transferred to Arizona in the spring following the hiring of head coach Brent Brennan and rose to starter status in training camp. 

"I think he's getting more comfortable in the scheme. ... Now that we've played a couple of games, you can see him start to play with more confidence and play faster," Brennan said. 

Kennedy has five tackles and a sack this season and is second on the team behind defensive end Tre Smith (14) with 10 quarterback hurries, according to Pro Football Focus. Arizona defensive coordinator Duane Akina said Kennedy is "just understanding the system" as the season progresses.

"He's a great athlete, but now he's becoming more disciplined," Akina said. "Many times you have a great athlete chasing plays, because they have that athletic ability to run around a guy or try to make plays. As athletes, as you move up competition-wise, it's about technique and all of that, because you're lining up against people with a scrapbook about this thick (gestures textbook with hands), too. You can't just out-athlete them. He's becoming more of a technician." 

Added Akina: "He's constantly moving to get more physical and not just be a speed guy on the field."  

Ex-Wildcat Singer 'will be a challenge' for UA

Chase Kennedy won't be the only player on Saturday playing against his former team. Utes wide receiver Dorian Singer will face Arizona for the second time since transferring from the UA after the 2022 season.

Singer, a St. Paul, Minnesota product and former Pinnacle High School (Phoenix) standout, emerged as a star at Arizona under former head coach Jedd Fisch and became an All-Pac-12 second-team wide receiver in 2022 after he recorded 66 catches for 1,105 yards and six touchdowns in a UA passing offense that ranked sixth nationally.

"If the ball is coming his way, he's most likely coming down with it, so you have to be in position and have strong hands versus him," said Arizona safety Dalton Johnson, who matched up with Singer in UA practices. "He can catch the ball well."

There were two blemishes on Singer's career at Arizona: he was ejected from the Wildcats' Territorial Cup loss to Arizona State in Tempe in 2021, and got into a shoving match with former quarterback Jayden de Laura on the sidelines of Arizona's loss to Washington State in ’22.

After slot receiver Jacob Cowing announced his return instead of declaring for the NFL Draft, coupled with the rise of Tetairoa McMillan, Singer transferred to USC to team up with Heisman Trophy winner and Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams. In USC's triple-overtime win over Arizona in Los Angeles, the Wildcats shut down Singer and didn't allow him to record a reception. 

Singer ended his lone season at USC with 23 catches for 276 yards and three touchdowns and was fifth on the team in receiving yards before he transferred to Utah. 

Through four games with the Utes, Singer has 17 catches for 204 yards, but is still searching for his first touchdown reception this season. Singer had seven catches for 95 yards in last week's win over Oklahoma State. 

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham called Singer "a big-time talent and I’m sure he’ll be extra motivated this week, because he was on the Wildcats a couple years ago.”

Johnson tipped his cap to Singer this week and said, "Dorian is a good receiver, good guy, he's just on another team."

When Singer, who plays with a bravado and swagger that could draw penalties if Arizona isn't careful, was asked about trash-talking his former teammates, he said, "Nah, not during the week."

But during the game? That could be another story for Singer, who Arizona defensive coordinator Duane Akina called "a very competitive young man."

"I don't know him, but a lot of these guys know him personally. I guess they were on the team together. But I see a very competitive young man that has great catch radius, great hands, tough young man and very passionate about his work," Akina said. "That jumps out at you — and I like that. I like receivers that play like that. He'll be a challenge for us. He's a good football player." 

Cameron Rising vs. Isaac Wilson

Utah's starting quarterback on Saturday will either be a seventh-year senior or a true freshman. 

Super-senior Cameron Rising is questionable with a hand injury he suffered in Utah's second game against Baylor. Freshman Isaac Wilson, the younger brother of NFL quarterback and former BYU star Zach Wilson, started the last two games and has 550 yards, five touchdowns and five interceptions. 

Rising was prepared to start last week against Oklahoma State, but was pulled about 25 minutes before kickoff. For the Arizona contest, Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said, “Bottom line is, whichever gives us the best option to win is going to be out there." 

The biggest difference between Rising and Wilson? 

"A decade of college football experience," Arizona head coach Brent Brennan said. 

No kidding. Despite several injuries, Rising has appeared in 29 games for the Utes since 2020, while Wilson has played in four this season. 

"There's no substitute for live bullets," Brennan said. "Cam has had so many opportunities, big games, big moments and big arenas, that part of it. But Wilson looks like a really good player and he obviously handled that situation great last weekend. ... Whoever we end up playing against, we're going up against a really good player."

Where it all started

Some would say Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita's college career began last season when he took over as the starter and led the Wildcats to a 10-3 season. 

The first of Fifita's 31 passing touchdowns at Arizona happened in 2022, a 45-20 loss to the Utes in Salt Lake City. In symbolic fashion, Fifita's first touchdown pass was to longtime best friend and teammate Tetairoa McMillan. 

"My whole family was there so I knew it was special," Fifita said. "I couldn't wait for that game, whether I was playing or not. The night before, T-Mac was my roommate and I told him I had a feeling my first touchdown would be to him in that stadium. God don't make mistakes and it happened. I'm excited to see what script God has written for this Saturday."

Fifita also "grew up watching Utah games, going to Utah games" to support his uncles, Kelly Talavou and Steve Fifita, who both played defensive line for the Utes and went on to play in the NFL. 

"I know about their past, so I have a lot of respect for them," Noah Fifita said on Thursday. "But I'm looking forward to going into that stadium to compete."

Utah's "dark mode" crowd under the lights at Rice-Eccles Stadium, which traditionally sells out home games, will be rowdy and affect the coach-to-player communication, however "the helmet communication was great at Kansas State," said Brent Brennan. 

Brennan said, "Outside of Oregon, Utah is the hardest place to play in the West."

"Those fans have an impact on the outcome of the game. They impact momentum and they impact energy that everyone is feeling on the field," Brennan said. "That's why I keep urging our fanbase here that we have match these other great home-field advantages that other people have. We need them to come out and support and be a pain for that opponent."

Throughout Arizona's inconsistencies and struggles, the one common denominator this season has been Fifita's leadership and taking accountability for the offensive issues.   

"It's one of the things that makes him special," Brennan said. "I think that's the sign of any good leadership on a football team, is that they don't point the finger; they look at themselves. ... That part of it is incredibly refreshing from a young player, because Noah is still a young player.

"So many young people — people in general — are quick to blame someone else when something is going wrong. It's awesome he knows the position he plays, the importance of his role as the quarterback and leader of our football team and he's willing to shoulder that."