After a disappointing loss that came down to really just a handful of plays in the final six minutes against BYU, Arizona returns home ready to host Northern Illinois and get back into the win column. It’s been nothing but change for the Huskies in recent months, who not only are one of the newest members of the Mountain West, but also have an interim head coach in Rob Harley after Thomas Hammock resigned to become the Seattle Seahawks running backs coach. The Wildcats may have opened as 35.5-point favorites, but they are not taking these dogs lightly. Check out our 2026 Preview & Predictions as Arizona prepares for Northern Illinois.
Offense:
Arizona will look to replicate the success it had in the first half of the game at BYU, where Noah Fifita completed 16-of-20 passes for 141 yards and a touchdown, and Fifita, Kedrick Reescano and Quincy Craig rushed for 99 yards. The Wildcats will have to get creative without their leading receiver, Giovanni Richardson, who will be out a “little bit” after suffering a “lower extremity injury” according to head coach Brent Brennan earlier this week.
I would expect Fifita to try and get wide receivers Tre Spivey and Chris Hunter, who combined for just three catches for 26 yards in Provo last week, involved early and often. Rodney Gallagher III will likely absorb Richardson’s reps until he is able to return to the field, but Brandon Phelps is another guy offensive coordinator Seth Doege is keen on and would like to see get more involved throughout games.
The Wildcats, which had a 62.6 pass blocking grade and 43.3 run blocking grade on PFF, have to be better up front than they were a week ago. Against Nothern Illinois’ defensive line, that shouldn’t be an issue. In the season-opener against Iowa – Northern Illinois’ lone Power 4 opponent this season – the Huskies finished with a 44.2 run defense grade and a 61.3 pass rush grade.
Opponents are averaging 34.0 points per game against NIU, so Fifita, Doege, and the supporting cast should be able to move the ball down the field and into the end zone fairly easily.
Arizona will need to be mindful of NIU linebackers Jack Murray and Jashawn Nelson, who lead the team in tackles with 18 apiece. Defensive back Avery Jones is someone who can cause some problems with his ability to get pressure in the backfield, leading the Huskies with two sacks this season. And then there’s cornerback Yassine Falke, who has snared an interception in each of Northern Illinois’ two games this season.
While this defensive should be less formidable than BYU a week ago, there are still some talented players who can get into the backfield, speed up Fifita, and force some mistakes if Arizona isn’t careful.
Defense:
Danny Gonzales said after the loss last week that if Arizona could hold BYU to 100 yards rushing, they would win the game. 150 yards or more and the Wildcats would need to make a play to win the game. The Cougars finished with 148 yards, which was enough to force the UA into some pivotal moments on both sides of the ball down the stretch of the game.
Considering Northern Illinois finished with 120 yards of total offense against Iowa two weeks ago, Arizona could be in for a big day defensively. The Huskies use a tandem of quarterbacks in Taron Dickens and Jalen Macon. Macon has started both games, but it’s Dickens who leads NIU with 289 passing yards and a touchdown on 31-of-41 passing attempts this season.
Given the pair of signal-callers, Gonzales and Co. will likely dial up plenty of pressure with guys like Chase Kennedy, Tre Smith, and Cooper Blomstrom to disrupt the offensive line and not allow either quarterback to ever get settled in the game.
The quarterback duo’s favorite target is wide receiver DeAree Rogers, who has a team-high 12 receptions and the Huskies’ lone receiving touchdown of the season. But given the overall struggles in the passing game, this could an opportunity for the secondary to bounce back after an up and down game at BYU. Cornerbacks Jay’Vion Cole and Dwight Bootle each made costly mistakes a week ago that they’ll be looking to atone for, while Quinn Olson continues to get more and more comfortable in his role, despite what the TV coverage may look like.
Oregon transfer Daylen Austin has also worked his way back into the rotation and could be a guy that solidifies his role as a starter alongside Olson and Malcolm Hartzog Jr. once he’s fully healthy and ramped back up to speed.
On the ground, running back Telly Johnson Jr. leads the Huskies with 99 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries. He is a solid pass blocker, earning a 81.4 PFF grade through the two games this season, but the defensive front of Mays Pese, Leroy Palu, and Zac Siulepa could be all too much for the team from DeKalb, IL.
I expect Arizona’s defense to come out hungry on Saturday and feast, stifling Northern Illinois’ offense and making things difficult across 60 minutes.
Special Teams:
For the first time this season, Arizona won’t face a team that’s had a kickoff returned for a touchdown in the game before facing the Wildcats. That’s a plus!
Given the overall offensive struggles of Northern Illinois, kicker JJ Schlendhardt has been limited to just one field goal opportunity this season. Don’t expect much to change on Saturday.
As for the Wildcats, Michael Salgado-Medina was perfect on his first field goal attempt of the season last week, while punter Chase Ridley had more opportunities than folks would have liked, including a miscue on the controversial punt from the BYU 36 yard line that resulted in a touchback. Given NIU’s inability to slow down a historically non-lethal Iowa offense two weeks ago, Ridley may not see much action in Casino Del Sol Stadium.
Score Prediction:
I’ve been saying it all week, but I think Arizona may use Northern Illinois as a punching bag after letting an upset victory over a top-15 BYU team on the road slip away last week. Seth Doege said it best when he described the locker room being full of “pissed off” tears, not “shook” tears after the loss. Don’t be surprised if the defense lets it loose a little and the offense uncorks it, especially with the chance for Noah Fifita, who needs just 320 passing yards, to surpass Nick Foles as Arizona’s all-time passing yards leader.
Look for the Wildcats to dominate the Huskies on both sides of the ball, with a final score of 48-7.