The winner of the Kansas-Arizona game on Saturday afternoon in Tucson, Ariz., will gain bowl eligibility and momentum heading into the last month of the regular season.
The first meeting since 1966 between Kansas (5-4, 3-3 in Big 12) and Arizona (5-3, 2-3) also will showcase two of the top quarterbacks in the conference — the Jayhawks’ Jalon Daniels and Wildcats’ Noah Fifita.
Kansas lost three of its previous four games before topping Oklahoma State 38-21 at home last week behind Daniels leading the Jayhawks to four second-half touchdowns.
Arizona also suffered defeats in three of four games before winning at Colorado 52-17 last week, with Fifita throwing four first-half touchdown passes.
The numbers of the two quarterbacks are similar.
Daniels has completed 160 of 240 pass attempts for 1,991 yards with 20 touchdowns and three interceptions, while Fifita is 166 of 254 for 2,042 yards. He has 21 touchdown passes and four interceptions.
“Jalon Daniels is brilliant,” Arizona coach Brent Brennan said. “He’s a California kid (from Lawndale). We’ve been watching him play since he was 14. Great player. Can do it all, make the throws, effective as a runner. We got a lot of work to do to get prepared for this game.”
Fifita has scrambled more for positive yardage this season, although not abundantly. He has gained 84 yards on 62 carries with three touchdowns after rushing for minus-16 yards on 104 carries with one touchdown in 2023 and 2024 combined.
“(Fifita) obviously gets the ball out quickly, very mobile, extends plays when he has to,” Kansas coach Lance Leipold said. “The accuracy part is what’s really impressive … he’s up there with the top in the league, without a doubt.”
Daniels is more of a threat as a runner, gaining 271 yards on 88 carries with two touchdowns this season.
He has 1,318 rushing yards in his six-year career at Kansas, playing that long because of the COVID-19 waiver in 2020 and a back injury in 2023 that limited him to three games.
