LAWRENCE, Kan. – For the first time in 59 years, the Kansas Jayhawks will face the Arizona Wildcats when they travel to Tucson on Saturday for a matinee matchup. Kickoff at Arizona Stadium is slated for 2:30 p.m., CT on ESPN2 with Mike Monaco (Play-by-Play), Kirk Morrison (Analyst) and Dawn Davenport (Sideline) on the call.
The Jayhawks enter Saturday's Big 12 showdown at 5-4 (3-3 Big 12) following a 38-21 Homecoming victory over Oklahoma State on Nov. 1. The win was Kansas' fourth-consecutive win on Homecoming, which is the longest streak since 1997-2000. The Jayhawks will now be a part of Arizona's Homecoming festivities at Arizona Stadium on Saturday, where the Wildcats are 4-1 this season. Arizona is 5-3 overall and 2-3 in league play.
Saturday's matchup will feature two of the top quarterbacks in the conference – Kansas' Jalon Daniels and Arizona's Noah Fifita -- with both hailing from Southern California.
Daniels, from Lawndale, California, is having the best year of his career, completing 160-of-240 passes for 1,991 yards and 20 touchdowns. Daniels' 20 passing touchdowns this season are the fifth-most in single season KU history. Daniels also hit a historic milestone in the win over Oklahoma State as he surpassed 10,000 career yards of total offense, becoming the second Jayhawk in school history and the eighth active player in FBS to accomplish the feat.
Partnered with Daniels, the dynamic rushing duo of Daniel Hishaw Jr. and LeShon Williams have combined for 10 rushing touchdowns this season.
Defensively, Kansas redshirt junior Trey Lathan leads the team with 60 tackles, while 14 different Jayhawks have recorded or assisted on a sack this season. Defensive end Leroy Harris III leads the team with 4.5 sacks and is coming off a performance Saturday where he picked up a tackle-for-loss and a blocked field goal. Defensive tackles Blake Herold and Marcus Calvin also picked up sacks Saturday.
They will try to slow down Fifita, who has thrown for 2,042 yards, 21 touchdowns and four interceptions. He has thrown multiple touchdown passes in five straight games and tossed four scores Saturday in a 52-17 win at Colorado. The Wildcats have a balanced attack around Fifita, a Huntington Beach, California native, with five different receivers with more than 200 yards and multiple touchdown catches. Tre Spivey leads the team with six touchdown catches, while Javin Whatley has the most receiving yards with 404. The Wildcats are coached by Brent Brennan, who is in his second year with the program.
Saturday's game between Kansas and Arizona will be the first since 1966 and the seventh in the all-time series, which Kansas leads, 3-2-1, with a 3-1 advantage in games played in Tucson. This will be the first time the two teams have faced each other since Arizona joined the Big 12 Conference prior to the 2024 season.
Following the trip to the desert, Kansas will have its third and final open week of the season, before a road trip to Ames, Iowa to take on Iowa State on Nov. 22. The Jayhawks will then conclude the regular season at home on Nov. 28 against Utah.