The Arizona Wildcats moved to 4-1 on Saturday with their first conference win of the season, throttling Oklahoma State 41-13 in dominant fashion. Quarterback Noah Fifita threw for five touchdowns, the fourth time in his career, as the Wildcats threw for over 400 yards. His 376 yard performance moved him into fourth in passing yards, passing Anu Solomon, while his five passing touchdowns tied him with Khalil Tate for third most passing touchdowns in program history . Defensively, Arizona held the Cowboys to 158 yards, the fewest yards in a conference game since 2021 against Cal. The Wildcats also kept OSU out of the end zone, while racking up 11 tackles for the loss, the most since Arizona’s 21-20 win over Stanford in 2023. As Arizona shifts its attention to No. 18 BYU on Family Weekend, check out our five reactions and takeaways from the 41-13 win over Oklahoma State.
1) Wildcats match last season’s win total with first 4-1 start since 2019
A 3-0 start, including a gritty win over Kansas State, might have given Arizona fans some false confidence about the outlook of the season, before the loss at Iowa State served as a humbling reminder about where the team is in its rebuild. While the win over Oklahoma State doesn’t mean the Wildcats are going to win the Big 12 and earn a College Football Playoff bid, it does show sizable improvement on both sides of the ball.
The offense is much more explosive than it was a year ago, averaging 33.2 points and 430.0 yards per game, including 286.2 yards through the air and 143.8 yards on the ground. Last season, Arizona was averaging 27.0 points per game, largely influenced by its 61-point outing in the season-opener. The Wildcats have also eclipsed 40 points in three of their five games this season, something they failed last season outside of the 61-point game against New Mexico.
Defensively, the Wildcats have been one of the best teams in all of college football through Week 6. Under defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales, Arizona boasts the 10th-best team in total defense, allowing 244.8 yards per game. The Wildcats are also tied for the 19th-best scoring defense in the nation, holding teams to just 15.6 points per game. Arizona also has the 10th-best defense on third down (.257) and is tied for the 7th-most turnovers forced this season (11).
While Arizona has been far from perfect under first year coordinators Seth Doege and Danny Gonzales, the Wildcats are leaps and bounds better than they were a year ago. If a bowl game berth is going to be the measure of success for Brent Brennan and Co. this season, then they are well on their way to reaching that mark.
2) Hometown prospect Tre Spivey emerging as WR1
Replacing Arizona’s all-time receiving yards leader and first-round NFL draft pick Tetairoa McMillan was never going to be easy. Arizona has done a good job this season utilizing its committee of receivers, after reloading this offseason with Kansas State transfer Tre Spivey, New Mexico transfer Luke Wysong, and former Washington State wideout Kris Hutson. Throughout fall camp and the first couple of the season, the question remained, who is Arizona’s WR1? Well, it appears Tre Spivey has moved into that role.
After entering the season with just one-career touchdown, Spivey has already hauled in four scores this year, including his first two-touchdown game on Saturday against Oklahoma State. He now also has scoring catches in back-to-back games for the first time in his career.
But it’s not just the consistency Spivey is hauling in receptions and touchdowns with, it’s the toughness he is showing while making them. He consistently makes contested catches in traffic, taking big shots while holding onto the football. There’s no better example than his first touchdown against the Cowboys, where he fought his way for 13 yards on fourth and three, losing his helmet on the way into the end zone.
Look for Noah Fifita to continue leaning on Tre Spivey down the stretch following the hometown prospect’s breakout game.
3) No Fly Zone
As we mentioned above, the Wildcats have the No. 10-rated defense in the country, allowing just 244.8 yards per game. As good as Arizona’s defense has been, its secondary, led by Genesis Smith and Dalton Johnson, has been even better. The Wildcats are the only team in the nation that have not allowed a passing touchdown this season. They also have not allowed opponents to score a touchdown in three of their five games this season, and have kept opponents out of the end zone in 16 of 20 quarters this season.
Furthermore, Danny Gonzales’ squad is allowing the 11th-fewest passing yards this season, holding opponents to 147.2 passing yards per game. On Saturday, Arizona limited Oklahoma State to just 69 yards through the air, the third time opponents have been held under 100 passing yards this season. The Wildcats boast the 2nd-best passing efficiency defense, holding opposing quarterbacks to an 83.22 through Week 6.
As Noah Fifita continues to get more and more comfortable in Seth Doege’s scheme, Danny Gonzales’ crew is doing everything it can to keep opposing offenses at bay and get the ball back to Arizona’s signal caller.
4) Is it Tyler Prasuhn time?
As improved as Arizona’s offense and defense have been this season, its special teams, and particularly its field goal kicking, have taken a step backwards. No one expected Michael Salgado-Medina to come in and seamlessly replace now-Ravens kicker Tyler Loop, but his accuracy on kicks greater than 40 yards has raised some concerns.
While Salgado-Medina did convert a career-long 57-yard field goal attempt on Saturday, he is still connecting on just 64.3 percent of his field goals this season, with five misses on the year. Of his five misses, four have come on kicks between 40-49 yards, with the final coming on a 62-yard long shot against Kansas State.
With some concerns around his accuracy, especially on longer attempts, it begs the question, should true freshman Tyler Prasuhn get a shot in the next game or two? While his lone attempt this season was a miss against Weber State, the Wildcats may not truly know what they have without Prasuhn feeling some in-game pressure and getting real-time reps.
Who knows, perhaps Tyler Prasuhn can take after his father Jon Prasuhn, who is one of the better kickers in Arizona program history.
5) Crowd versus the Cougars
The official announced attendance on Saturday was 40,685, but in all honesty, it felt closer to 20,000 folks in the stands at Arizona Stadium. For a fanbase that often cites late kickoffs as the main reason for low attendance, it was an underwhelming showing for a 12:00 PM MST kickoff, especially with sub-triple digit tempatures in the afternoon.
With a 5:00 PM kickoff, Family Weekend, and the Wildcats coming off the 41-13 blowout win, there is no excuse for anything less than a sellout crowd at Arizona Stadium. BYU’s fanbase historically travels well, so it will be imperative for Wildcat Nation to not give the No. 18 team in the nation any more of an advantage.