Who: Arizona (2-2, 0-1 Pac-12; last week: 49-31 loss to Cal)) vs. Colorado (0-4, 0-1; last week: 45-17 loss to UCLA)

When: 6:30 p.m. (MST)

Where: Arizona Stadium | Tucson, Arizona

TV: Pac-12 Network

All-time series: Colorado leads 16-8 all time (last meeting: 34-0 Colorado win; Oct 16, 2021)

Odds: Arizona (-17.5); O/U 57.5 (VegasInsider)

Arizona is eyeing to turn things around as it prepares to host Colorado in its first home conference game of the season.

The Buffs had the Wildcats' number a season ago, shutting them out in Boulder, 34-0, and again in 2020, the last time the two teams played in Tucson, defeating Arizona 24-13. Both teams will offer new teams this season and will be looking for a win to get back on track in conference action.

The Wildcats are looking forward to upping their game against the winless Buffs in their first home conference game. Jedd Fisch is optimistic about the opportunity his team has this upcoming Saturday.

“I'm excited about getting back home for the next two weeks,” Fisch said. “Got a big opportunity this week to play better than we did last week and have a chance of playing good football in all three phases.”

Although the Buffs are 0-4 so far on the season, Fisch feels that there is still a lot to prepare for when facing Colorado.

“They play really hard and certainly have guys that can disrupt,” he said. “They have a defensive front that can make plays…they have the ability to play tight man-to-man coverage. I assume they’re going to test our run defense and they’re gonna feel really confident, last time they played us, they shut us out.”

Saturday, the Buffs will feature freshman quarterback Owen McCown (son of former NFL signal caller Josh McCown) who will make his first road conference start in the game against the Wildcats. McCown, who passed for 258 yards and a touchdown against his first Pac-12 opponent last week in a start against UCLA, will pose a threat to Arizona’s struggling defense that will work to limit McCown’s production in the air.

Like the elder McCown, Fisch has been around his fair share of NFL teams and understands the development that a veteran quarterback can offer to an up-and-coming prodigy.

“You can tell that he’s been brought up in a football family,” he said. “You can tell he has a really good poise about him, when he’s in the pocket, he looks very comfortable.”

Arizona quarterback Jayden de Laura has also looked a lot more comfortable in the pocket as the season has progressed, completing 21-of-29 passes against North Dakota State and throwing for 401 yards last week at Cal. Fisch pointed out that his quarterback is a fast learner and fundamentally sound learner leading to quick adjustments made by the Wildcats signal caller in recent games.

“Jayden is getting better every week,” Fisch said. “He’s working very hard on his fundamentals… you can see his drops are continuing to improve, when he runs, he runs forward, when he is in the pocket, he moves forward. I am really impressed with what he is giving us, he’s everything you want in a quarterback.”

Being present and focused is what Colorado head coach Karl Dorrell noted for his expectations heading into Saturday after shutting out the Wildcats a season ago.

“We’re always hopeful, we’re building this game plan to win,” he said. “Yes we have beaten this team the last couple years but those years don’t matter anymore because this team is a different team than previous teams. … We have what it takes to win.”

Arizona will host Colorado this Saturday in its first home Pac-12 game of the season. Kickoff is set for 6:30 MST at Arizona Stadium and will be aired on Pac-12 Network.

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