Arizona is coming to Provo and has made no mistake that they’ve had this game circled since taking a tough 33-27 double overtime loss to the Cougars last year in Tucson in a game that featured a little bit of everything. Most fans will remember the bizarre weather delay, the strong momentum swings, Cougar offensive lineman’s Kyle Sfaricioc’s miraculous fumble recovery, and finally BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier’s dramatic leaps across the goal line to both put the game into overtime, and then to top off the second overtime period for the dramatic win.

“It was a very competitive game a year ago, and I think a battle between two teams that are very even,” said BYU defensive coordinator during interview sessions this past week. “If you look at just our records over the last couple of years, it’s very similar, and I think Coach (Brent) Brennan’s got it going down there. I think they’re doing a great job.”

Had the game flipped the other direction last season, which it easily could have, then it would have have been the Wildcats on the cusp of a Big 12 Conference championship instead of the Cougars. Games have a funny way of effecting future performances, and had Arizona come out on top of a tough 31-28 loss to Houston a week later, then the tiebreaker would have gone its way, setting up a Big 12 Championship Game berth versus Texas Tech.

But neither team is exactly the same products that will take the field this time around although the same signal-callers will be front and center. For BYU, it’s going to be Bachmeier, whose outing in the first game versus Utah Tech was limited to just one half. Saturday’s game versus the Wildcats will showcase more regarding whatever strides he’s made in taking on what’s certain to be a tough defensive scheme to go against.

“We know (they were) one of the best defenses in the country last year, and I don’t expect any drop-off this year,” said BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick. “They’re really well-coached. They play really hard, and they have a lot of good players. They also have a great offense. You know, we’re worried about their defense, but we know their offense is really good (with a ) great quarterback and just a good team overall.”

Of course the quarterback BYU’s defense will go against is Noah Fifita, who is widely regarded as the best quarterback in the entire Big 12 Conference. Although relatively small in stature, the senior signal-caller has proven time and again an great ability to drop dimes into tight windows while beating overall defensive schemes regularly.

“I think he’s a hard guy to scheme to be honest with you,” Poppinga observed. “The guy can run, he can throw, he can get out of the pocket and run … I think he’s a very versatile player that does a lot of different things, and so, I think ultimately for us, we got to try to eliminate the explosive plays as much as we can, keep the ball in front of us, tackle well, and make sure he stays in the pocket as much as we can … Outside of the pocket is where I think he does a lot of his damage throwing the football.”

Both teams will present some intriguing options outside of their respective quarterbacks. For the Cougars, sure LJ Martin will again be tasked to carry a heavy load, although a lot of the focus will be on a group of exciting new receivers like Legend Glasker and Kyler Kasper, along with tight ends Walker Lyons and Roger Saleapaga. The Wildcats, meanwhile, received good news when a judge ordered that running back Ismail Mahdi and linebacker Max Harris can return to the team, although how much either player will be employed, if at all, is in question. Mahdi ran for 859 yards a year ago while Harris notched 78 total tackles as one of the team’s defensive leaders.

So yeah, buckle up and get ready for a game that is almost certain to be competitive while dictating to a large degree which teams will be there at the end of the Big 12 Championship race. So if the game is starting to feel like a big game and even a natural rivalry, then that’s because it very much should.

“There’s a little proximity between states and a little rivalry between the state of Utah and the state of Arizona,” Poppinga said. “But I look at it as every game is a rivalry. Once you get into con- conference play, if you don’t look at it that way, then you’re going to have a letdown.”