An old Pac-12 rivalry will be renewed when Arizona faces Washington State in a non-conference game Saturday in Pullman, Wash.
The Cougars (1-2) are coming off a 48-7 home win over Duquesne, their first victory under coach Kirby Moore.
The triumph saw Washington State have a pair of running backs — Maxwell Woods and Kirby Vorhees — rush for at least 100 yards in the same game for the first time since 2005. The Cougars also had two punt returns for touchdowns.
“I think our guys have some confidence from that game,” said Moore, who came to Washington State after three years as Missouri’s offensive coordinator.
Arizona (2-1) most recently beat Northern Illinois 42-17 at home last Saturday, shaking off an early 10-0 deficit.
Noah Fifita became the Wildcats’ career leader in passing yards (10,017) and set a school single-game record for completion percentage by connecting on 31 of 34 passes (91.2%) for 325 yards and four touchdowns. Fifita broke Nick Foles’ 15-year-old passing mark of 10,011 yards and also ran for a score.
“That was a really special moment, and I think maybe those moments are more rare now than they’ve been in college football in the past because there’s so much movement and players transfer,” Arizona coach Brent Brennan said.
Washington State ran for 316 yards in its last game, the most since 2006, while Arizona is holding opponents to an average of 75.7 rushing yards per game. The Wildcats are last in the Big 12 in rushing, at 123.3 yards per game, while FBS opponents are averaging 214.5 yards per game on the ground against the Cougars.
Arizona and Washington State were both members of the Pac-10 (and then Pac-12) from 1978-2023 before that version of the conference broke apart, with the Wildcats heading to the Big 12 and the Cougars playing as an independent for two seasons until the Pac-12 reformed this year.
“If you think about travel from here, I guess this trip that we’re making this weekend would have been the most challenging travel in the old Pac-12,” Brennan said.
Arizona holds a 28-19 advantage in the series, winning the most recent meeting 44-6 in Pullman in 2023.