TUCSON, Ariz. — A national college football pregame show is coming to the University of Arizona campus in Tucson this Saturday, and the Wildcats will follow it with one of their biggest home games in years. Big Noon Kickoff goes live from the campus mall at 8 a.m. MST on Nov. 14. Later that day Arizona, 7-2 overall and 4-2 in the Big 12, hosts No. 2 Utah, which is 9-0 and 6-0 in conference play. The game starts at 5:30 p.m. MST inside Casino Del Sol Stadium.
Arizona alumnus Rob Gronkowski, the former tight end who won four Super Bowls, joins the broadcast and will host a pregame party on Gittings Lawn starting at 6:30 a.m. Rob Stone hosts the show, and the analysts are Urban Meyer, Matt Leinart, Mark Ingram II and Brady Quinn. Arizona has appeared on the program once before, a 41-19 defeat at BYU in 2024. Tucson has also hosted a national pregame broadcast for football twice, in 2009 and 2015, and the Wildcats lost both games.
Head coach Brent Brennan said Monday he wants the city and the university to put on a show for the national audience, and he encouraged students, the Zona Zoo and the Greek system to start early. He called the attention a chance to showcase the school but said he does not want it to pull focus from preparation. The Wildcats are coming off a dramatic win over TCU, and players have talked about staying locked in on details instead of treating this game differently from any other.
The challenge on the field is steep. Utah has not lost, and Arizona has not had an answer all season for a mobile quarterback, which is what Utah’s Devon Dampier presents. Dampier torched the Wildcats’ defense in the 2024 season opener while playing for New Mexico, throwing for 260 yards and three touchdowns and running for 130 yards and two more scores in a loss. Arizona has won the last two meetings with Utah. Fifth-year senior Tre Smith, coming off a sack and a blocked field goal against TCU, said the team plans to respect Utah but fear no one.
