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PROVO, Utah — It was a tale of two halves for the Arizona Wildcats in their 28-17 loss to the 15th-ranked BYU Cougars on Saturday at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

In the first half, Arizona looked like a team worthy of contending for a Big 12 title and had a lead over its conference rival. The second half? The Wildcats unraveled and were shut out in the final two quarters of play for the first time since their blowout loss to Colorado in 2024.

“When I look at how that thing went for us late in that game, to me, we just have to finish,� said Arizona head coach Brent Brennan. “That is execution, that is redline for us and we didn’t finish in the fourth quarter — on offense or defense. We had opportunities to do that.

“As frustrated as we are, I was proud about how hard we played. I thought we played physical, I thought we ran the ball effectively against a really good defense and I was proud of our kids.�

Not only did Arizona suffer its first loss of the season, but the Big 12-opening loss to BYU puts the Wildcats in last place in the conference standings.

Here are notable storylines, statistics, quotes and a look at what’s next for the Wildcats as they turn the page to Week 3.

Decisions, decisions

Two fourth-down decisions in the second half could’ve changed the outcome of the game. Let’s examine the first one, shall we?

After four straight penalties by BYU and Arizona in the middle of the third quarter, the Cougars punted to Arizona, which started the subsequent drive on the UA 45-yard line, but left guard Rhino Tapa’atoutai was flagged for a personal foul on the first play, so the Wildcats were backed up to the 30-yard line.

Arizona wide receiver Brandon Phelps’ 30-yard reception brought the Wildcats well inside BYU’s side of the field. The Wildcats were in a dilemma on fourth-and-10 on the BYU 36-yard line: kick the field goal, attempt to convert the fourth down or punt. The Wildcats chose the latter, down 21-17, and punter Chase Ridley was unable to pin the Cougars near the goal line and kicked a touchback.

Opting to kick a field goal on fourth down would’ve set up kicker Michael Salgado-Medina for a 53-yard field goal. Salgado-Medina made a 37-yarder in the first half and had a strong training camp. Plus, Salgado-Medina’s career-best is a 57-yarder he made last season. He also kicked a crucial 51-yarder in Arizona’s win over Cincinnati last season.

Brennan said the decision not to try for three points was because “we’ve done a great job (on defense) and had great field position.�

“I was disappointed we didn’t (do) more with that possession, because we didn’t get the ball in plus territory (to start),� Brennan said. “My thought process was, ‘Let’s do that again (on defense).’ Now I’m playing the field-position game. How many possessions are left in this for us? We just didn’t execute. … They went three-and-out again. Our defense stopped them again. I was hoping to create a short field for (quarterback Noah Fifita) and our offense.�

With just over eight minutes remaining, still 21-17, Arizona faced another kick-or-go-for-it decision on fourth-and-4 on the BYU 21-yard line. The Wildcats went for it. The result? Zero points. Fifita completed a pass to West Virginia transfer Rodney Gallagher III, who filled in for the injured Giovanni Richardson in the second half.

Gallagher picked up 3 yards, but the game officials initially ruled it a first down after measuring the spot. After further review, Gallagher was ruled a yard short.

“We were chasing there a little bit and time was short in the game,� said Brennan, on the decision to go for it on fourth down in the fourth quarter. “I just have a lot of faith in Noah. He delivered a strike, but BYU made a great play, a great tackle and a great tackle in space and stopped us just short of the sticks.�

Added Brennan: “That’s football. They made a great play right there at the sticks and that’s disappointing, but in that moment, what choice do you have? The only choice you have in that moment is getting back to fighting, because there’s still plenty of time in the football game. In my opinion, that’s when we did not execute at the level we need to.�

Two field goals could’ve put the Wildcats ahead in the fourth quarter. Instead, a fourth-down stop deflated Arizona’s momentum.

The knockout punch was a 61-yard deep pass from BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier to freshman receiver Legend Glasker, who was the Big 12 Freshman of the Week last week. Glasker’s catch set up a 12-yard touchdown from Bachmeier to Oregon transfer receiver and Chandler native Kyler Kasper, who caught two touchdowns — the first of his career. Kasper’s first touchdown was a go-ahead score in the third quarter.

Second-half woes

Arizona came out swinging.

Arizona attacked first with a methodical, 12-play drive, with quarterback Noah Fifita completing 6 of 7 passes for 52 yards. Fifita capped the first scoring drive by scrambling to his right before tucking the ball in and powering his way through the goal line for an 11-yard rushing touchdown. Fifita has five rushing touchdowns in his career, including three last season.

The Wildcats almost captured a two-touchdown lead, but cornerback Jay’Vion Cole — who had a clear path to the end zone — dropped the ball on BYU’s opening drive.

Even though BYU went three-and-out on its first drive, the Wildcats were unable to capitalize on taking a two-possession lead. Third-year left tackle Matthew Lado committed a holding penalty that nullified a first-down run by running back Kedrick Reescano.

Two plays later, Fifita, who was pressured by BYU linebacker Isaiah Glasker, threw an interception over the middle to linebacker Cade Uluave — the first pick for Fifita this season. Bachmeier answered the takeaway with a 6-yard touchdown run.

Arizona took a 17-14 lead at halftime following Fifita’s 16-yard throw to Southern Miss transfer tight end Shane King, the first touchdown of his UA career. Fifita threaded the pass through the arms of BYU defensive tackle Keanu Tanuvasa for the touchdown.

That would be the final time Arizona put points on the board in Provo. Let’s break down the differences between Arizona and BYU in the first and second half.

Arizona’s total yards in the first half: 240

Arizona’s total yards in the second half: 87

BYU’s total yards in the first half: 132

BYU’s total yards in the second half: 233

Arizona’s points in the first half: 17

Arizona’s points in the second half: 0

BYU’s points in the first half: 14

BYU’s points in the second half: 14

First downs for Arizona in the first half: 19

First downs for Arizona in the second half: 4

First downs for BYU in the first half: 6

First downs for BYU in the second half: 11

Arizona’s time of possession in the first half: 21:29

Arizona’s time of possession in the second half: 12:12

BYU’s time of possession in the first half: 8:31

BYU’s time of possession in the second half: 17:48

Arizona’s third- and fourth-down conversions in the first half: 4-7 (57%)

Arizona’s third- and fourth-down conversions in the second half: 1-6 (17%)

BYU’s third- and fourth-down conversions in the first half: 2-5 (40%)

BYU’s third- and fourth-down conversions in the second half: 4-6 (67%)

Arizona’s offense took a big hit in the first half, when Richardson was tackled by Uluave at the Arizona sideline and exited the game with an undisclosed injury and watched the second half from the sidelines. Even though Richardson didn’t play the final two quarters, he led the Wildcats in receiving with five catches on six targets for 48 yards.

“He was pretty hot, so the impact was significant,� Brennan said.

In Richardson’s place, Gallagher had five catches for 26 yards, the second-most receiving yards by a Wildcat on Saturday. Chris Hunter and Tre Spivey, the other two players in Arizona’s starting receiving trio, had a combined three catches for 26 yards.

“I think Rod stepped up in a big way,� Fifita said of Gallagher. “He has a lot of game experience. He’s a dude. He’s been a dude for a long time. I don’t think we missed too much of a beat. Gio brings some explosiveness to our offense that we’re going to need when we get him back. Rod and (Caleb Smith), they’re both really good players, running routes and also with the ball in their hands.

“I gotta take it upon myself to get my guys the ball. Tre Spivey and Chris Hunter didn’t touch the ball enough today and that’s my fault.�

Arizona also committed seven penalties — five of them were from the left side of the line in Tapa’atoutai and Lado. They combined for two holding penalties, two false starts and a personal foul. Lado (42.2) and Tapa’atoutai (44.4) had the lowest Pro Football Focus grades for the Wildcats on Saturday.

“Mental mistakes,� Fifita said. “I gotta be a better communicator. We knew this environment was going to be great. I knew it was going to be loud. I didn’t do a good enough job communicating, which caused some of the pre-snap penalties that we can’t have. That threw us off rhythm. That’s another part we gotta be better at.�

Between lack of receiver production after Richardson’s injury and mistakes by the offensive line, including 10 quarterback pressures, Arizona’s offense took a step back in the second half against BYU.

“I think we showed glimpses that we’re a really good team, but you have to play a complete game and we haven’t done that offensively,� Fifita said. “I take the blame for that. I gotta be more consistent in the second half to give us opportunities to score points.

“There’s a lot of things that I wish I could have back, some decisions, some throws. I thought we were going to come out victorious, but God doesn’t make mistakes. I’m going to learn, but I’ll take the blame for this one, especially offensively.�

Harris, Mahdi return to game action

Arizona running back Ismail Mahdi and Max Harris, after successfully filing for a temporary restraining order against the NCAA and posting a $1,000 bond to become eligible as five-for-five players, suited up for the Wildcats on Saturday.

Mahdi, who was Arizona’s leading rusher last season, didn’t play but was active. Reescano and Quincy Craig were Arizona’s two primary running backs against BYU. Fifita said the return of Mahdi is “big time.�

“It brings another explosive running back in our room,� Fifita added. “It’s nice to get that.�

Harris played 28 defensive snaps against BYU, according to PFF, and logged two tackles.

“Max is a great guy for our team and as an individual, he’s a great human and great player,� said Arizona defensive end Tre Smith. “It’s been great to have him.�

Said Brennan: “Max and Izzy are two incredible human beings and they’re also good football players. … Having them with us for one final ride is really exciting.�

By the numbers

-9: Rushing yards for the Wildcats in the fourth quarter.

1: Arizona defensive tackle Leroy Palu recorded his first-career sack against BYU.

6: Consecutive wins for BYU over Arizona since hiring head coach Kalani Sitake in 2016. Arizona hasn’t beaten BYU since the 2008 Las Vegas Bowl.

25: Career interceptions for Fifita.

38: Rushing yards for Fifita, including an 11-yard touchdown. Fifita needs one more rushing touchdown to match last season’s total.

69: Combined receiving yards for Arizona tight end Cole Rusk and King, including a 34-yard catch by Rusk on third-and-12 in the fourth quarter.

72: Yards allowed by UA cornerback Dwight Bootle II on three catches, per PFF.

320: Yards Fifita needs to pass Nick Foles for Arizona’s all-time passing yards leader.

They said it

Fifita, on Arizona’s tight ends: “They’re alphas. Every time a play needed to be made, they made it, whether it’s in the run game and being able to block as hard as they can, but also in the pass game and being threats. I think they’re really good with the ball in their hands. I’m super excited about that group, but like I said, this loss is on me. I have to get better.�

Brennan, on Arizona’s tight ends: “The tight ends are making progress. It’s a good group. … It’s good to see those guys getting more and more involved. I think you’re going to see more from them as the season goes.�

Smith, on Arizona’s defense in the second half: “We started well and didn’t do a good enough job of finishing. Looking at it from a leadership perspective, I gotta start with myself. I wasn’t executing it perfectly either. It’s just a battle of execution and we lost that one today.�

Smith, on what Arizona can learn from the BYU loss: “It’s a learning lesson like anything else. It’s like a life lesson: you go into battle and come out with knowledge. The biggest thing for us is to keep working hard, step it up a little bit and put a premium on execution.�

Sitake, on the Wildcats: “Arizona is one of the best teams in the country. I think they're definitely a team that should be ranked.�

Fifita, on chasing Foles’ record: “I only focus on the team record. There’s a lot of team goals that I want to accomplish. To be completely honest, I hope I don’t talk to media for the rest of the year, because that means we’re doing something right.�

Availability report

Brennan didn’t have an update on Richardson’s status. Three Wildcats were held out: linebacker Everett Roussaw, defensive tackle Ezra Funa and defensive back Dajon Hinton. Linebacker Myron Robinson, who suffered a gruesome leg injury against Cincinnati in November, was active.

What’s next

BYU is “a really good football team at the end of the day, so you have to give them props,� Fifita said.

“We know in our locker room that there are plays to be made that we didn’t make personally and it would’ve changed the tide of that game,� Fifita said. “We’re 0-1 in Big 12 play, but we have eight more opportunities — 10 more to go in total — so it’s back to the drawing board for us. It’s going to hurt today, but I’m looking forward to getting back to Tucson and getting to work.�

Arizona returns to nonconference play to Northern Illinois at Casino Del Sol Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 19 at 7:30 p.m. on TNT, TruTV and HBO Max. The Wildcats will then conclude nonconference play with a road trip to former Pac-12 foe Washington State on Sept. 26.

“I’m disappointed we didn’t get the win,� Brennan said. “Everybody is. But the reality is this: we gotta look at the film and fix it. That’s part of redline: own it, fix it and we gotta get back to work. We have a lot of football left to play this season. We’ll assess the tape and attack what we need to attack. We’ll go to work to prepare for Northern Illinois next week.�