Known vs. unknown. Proven vs. unproven. Expected vs. unexpected.

That’s how the 2021 season opener is setting up for the BYU football team as the Cougars prepare to take on Arizona in Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

On the one hand, there is a BYU team that put together a great year last fall and has a number of pieces returning, as well as most of the coaching staff. There is no reason to expect the Cougars to do anything dramatically different.

On the other side, the Wildcats are coming in on a 12-game losing streak but with a brand-new coaching staff and tons of new faces — many of which are transfers who had experience at other places.

That presents an interesting challenge for BYU, since it can’t be certain what Arizona head coach Jedd Fisch and his staff are going to implement.

“It’s a huge challenge and honestly it’s a big advantage to them in this game,” Cougar offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said earlier this week. “They know a lot more about us than we know about them. We’ve been practicing and trying to learn everything we can, but there is a lot to it. It’s a guessing game for us, trying to guess what they are going to do.”

BYU head coach Kalani Sitake said his team is going to have to be “on top of its game” to be ready for the matchup.

“You have to go back and look at the different places the coaches have been,” Sitake said. “We’ve watched a lot of NFL film and a lot of different college programs. I think there are similarities but there are things that are different. Then you look at the personnel that they have and they have a good number of new players coming in to compliment the talent they already have.”

Wildcat defensive coordinator Don Brown is known for his aggressive, blitz-heavy approach, which has earned the nickname “Dr. Blitz”. That means the Cougar offensive line will likely be challenged from the start and has to be assignment sound and communicate well.

Roderick lauded the Arizona defensive staff but is pretty confident that BYU’s guys in the trenches will be up for the challenge.

“All of their defensive coaches are veterans who have extensive college and NFL experience,” Roderick said. “They have good players returning and have added good players as well, so they definitely have our respect. But we have a good offensive line. I get a lot of questions about our depth there and I don’t really get it because a lot of those guys have played a lot of football. It’s a good group and I have a lot of confident those guys are going to play well.”

On the defensive side of the ball, Cougar defensive coordinator Ilaisa Tuiaki said he expects the Wildcats to try to do the unexpected, as well as mix things up by using two different quarterbacks.

“We certainly have to make sure we are sound and try to have a backup plan for each quarterback and the challenges that they bring,” Tuiaki said. “We’re probably going to have a little more scheme involved just to make sure we are ready for them. That does pose more of a problem for us because of the unknowns. It’s difficult to know what you are going to end up doing when bullets are flying.”

But when it comes to the players on the field, the preparation is important but the bottom line is they have to make plays.

“We’re trying to be as prepared as possible but we’re also trying to simplify things down,” BYU senior defensive lineman Uriah Leiataua said.

At the end of the day, it’s a chance to play football and that’s what all the athletes are anxious to do.

“People are just ready to go,” BYU junior running back Lopini Katoa said. “Everyone is tired of beating up on each other at this point. We’re ready to just let loose, so we are all pumped up.”

BYU running back Lopini Katoa faces off against an Arizona defensive lineman while running toward the end zone during a game between BYU and Arizona on Saturday, Sept. 1, 2018, in Tucson, Arizona.

BYU vs. Arizona

TIME: 8:30 p.m. MT

TV: ESPN

WHERE: Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas

THE WORD

This will be the 25th meeting between BYU and Arizona with the Wildcats holding a slim, one-win edge in the series (11-12-1). The Cougars won each of the past two meetings, including a 28-23 win in Tucson in 2018 … This is the first of  five time BYU will play an opponent from the Pac-12 in 2021 (the Cougars also face Utah, Arizona State, Washington State and USC). BYU is 74-129-6 against current Pac-12 teams … Cougar head coach Kalani Sitake is 4-1 in season openers, while BYU is 15-5 in its first game over the past 20 seasons. This will be the third time in the last six years the Cougars have opened its season against the Wildcats.

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