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Numbers never lie, as they say.

Entering Arizona's battle with No. 18 BYU, Fifita is currently fourth behind Nick Foles, Willie Tuitama and Tom Tunnicliffe for career passing yards (7,296) and is tied with Khalil Tate for third for career passing touchdowns (57). Fifita just needs 11 more touchdown passes to pass Foles for the most-ever touchdown passes thrown by a Wildcat.

Fifita is one of two quarterbacks in college football this season to throw for five touchdowns twice. Fifita's most recent five-touchdown performance earned Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors. One of his touchdown passes last week against Oklahoma State was one of the top plays of his career — a 47-yard pass to wide receiver Luke Wysong after avoiding two sacks.

After Oklahoma State blitzed a cornerback, "he feels it, he doesn't even see it and escapes that, makes two other guys miss, he picks up a block from (right tackle) Tristan Bounds," said Arizona head coach Brent Brennan.

"As he escapes, he has three defenders converging on him — and they're going to level him — and delivers a perfect strike to Luke Wysong," Brennan said. "It's just an incredibly impressive play. To be able to escape all that and deliver that ball with accuracy and it obviously led to a big touchdown. There's a lot of great plays that he's made. He doesn't get enough credit for how tough he is. The amount of throws he was able to complete while he was taking a shot, that takes courage. It's one of the many reasons we love Noah so much." 

Wysong said the touchdown "was a crazy play by Noah. That was insane." 

Fifita's quarterback counterpart on Saturday is Bear Bachmeier, BYU's freshman quarterback who wears jersey No. 47. Bachmeier's dad picked out the number when he first started playing football and has kept the number regardless of position.

Bachmeier is the first Big 12 quarterback since Robert Griffin III in 2008 to have at least five passing touchdowns and five rushing touchdowns through the first five games of the season. Bachmeier is BYU's second-leading rusher behind standout running back LJ Martin. 

"He's very confident out there," Brennan said. "He's a talented player and can make all the throws he needs to make and he's also an effective runner. He's a big, sturdy, tough kid."

The Cougars are "incredibly efficient with a young quarterback and are combined with big-play receivers and a really effective run game and a plus-one run game with the quarterback," Brennan said. 

"This is a great challenge for our team and we know that," he added.

Especially Arizona's QB1, who threw two interceptions — the first of the season — against 14th-ranked Iowa State, which carried into the following week, when Fifita threw an interception and fumbled the ball on the 1-yard line against Oklahoma State.

Brennan noted the turnover battle as arguably the most essential point of emphasis for the Wildcats, along with how the team handles weather and physicality "to beat a mature team like BYU."

Arizona's defense has unsheathed its popular cactus-shaped "turnover sword" every game this season. If the turnover sword returns on Saturday and Fifita doesn't cough up the ball to BYU, the Wildcats could be in position for their first win over a ranked opponent at home under Brennan.