After back-to-back heartbreaking losses, Brent Brennan and Arizona looked like a team that was tired of losing on Saturday night in Boulder. The Wildcats were dominant on both side of the ball, finishing with over 400 yards and seven touchdowns on offense in balanced air and ground attack, while the defense turned the Buffaloes over five times, as Arizona blew out Colorado 52-17 for its first road win of 2025.
Noah Fifita continued his dominant and efficient stretch of play, connecting on 11-of-19 passing attempts for all of Arizona’s 213 yards and four touchdowns through the air, while the Wildcats added another 204 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Arizona continued to show improvement in critical down and distance situations, converting 5-of-13 third down attempts, while going 1-of-3 on 4th down, with the two failed attempts coming in the fourth quarter with the game already decided.
The Wildcats are now one game away from securing a bowl game berth, snapping a two-game skid while taking advantage of the bye-week to get healthy and prepare for Deion Sanders team that has been tough at home this season.
Fifita on fire to start the game
Arizona’s start was about as good as they come. Just like the opening drive against Houston, the Wildcats needed just three plays to punch their way into the end zone. Noah Fifita found Tre Spivey for a 57-yard touchdown giving Arizona a 7-0 lead just 65 seconds into the game. Danny Gonzales’ group did their job on the other end, as Arizona’s defense forced a three-and-out on Colorado’s opening possession.
A 27-yard punt return by Luke Wysong set the UA up at midfield, but the Wildcats couldn’t turn the favorable field position into six points. Kris Hutson kept the drive alive with a fourth down conversion, but the drive ultimately stalled, as Arizona took a 10-0 lead with a 49-yard field goal from Michael Salgado-Medina.
Defense leading to offense
Brent Brennan said winning the turnover battle would be a key for Arizona looking for its first road-win of the season. That messaged was received was early and often on Saturday for the Wildcats. Linebacker Chase Kennedy and defensive lineman Leroy Palu combined for a forced fumble and recovery, giving the ball back to the offense with an instant red zone opportunity. Noah Fifita needed just one play to capitalize on the Kaidon Salter fumble, finding Kris Hutson in the corner of the end zone to take a 17-0 lead with 7:08 remaining in the first quarter.
After forcing a takeaway on the previous drive, the defense couldn’t get off the field on its next trip out. Colorado orchestrated a 17-play drive that consumed nearly eight minutes, converting two third downs and a fourth down on its way to an eight-yard touchdown from Kaidon Salter to Omarion Miller.
Seth Doege and Arizona’s offense responded though. Fifita found true freshman Gio Richardson for a 60-yard touchdown, the first of the Arizona native’s career, giving the Wildcats a 24-7 lead with 12:38 remaining in the second quarter.
Colorado crumbling early
Colorado’s offensive woes went from bad to worse on the following possession. Colorado was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after a player simulated “brandishing a weapon”, effectively ending the drive before it could even get started. The following drive could’ve been catastrophic for the Cats, but Arizona escaped by merely punting the ball away. Ismail Mahdi coughed the ball up, but tight end Cameron Barmore fell on the ball, avoiding the turnover. On the following play, Noah Fifita threw what would have been his first interception since the BYU game, but a roughing the passer penalty saved the turnover.
Arizona’s defense continued its hot start in the first half when Dalton Johnson came away with his second interception of the season, giving the Wildcats the ball back with 5:39 to play in the second quarter. Johnson nearly returned the interception for a touchdown, but Javin “Nunu” Whatley made quick work of the rest of the field, punching it in from 13 yards out on a jet sweep to give Arizona a 31-7 lead.
The second quarter quickly became the Javin Whatley show after his first touchdown. Arizona executed a two-minute drill to perfection, moving the ball nine plays and 65 yards in a little over two and half minutes, capped off by a 34-yard strike from Noah Fifita to Whatley before the end of the half. The Wildcats would take a 38-7 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Danny’s defense keeps foot on the gas
Arizona’s defense was all over Colorado to start the second half. Backup quarterback Ryan Staub got the second-half start for Colorado over Kaidon Salter, but Texas transfer Jay’Vion Cole came away with the interception on Staub’s first attempt of the night. It looked like Colorado might atone for its mistake after a Kris Hutson fumble, but Ayden Garnes came away with the interception on the very next throw from Staub, giving the ball right back to the Wildcats. Arizona took advantage of Colorado’s second interception in as many throws, with running back Ismail Mahdi punching it in from seven yards out to give the Wildcats a 45-7 lead with 12:06 in the third quarter.
With Colorado’s offense continuing to stagnate, third-string quarterback Julian Lewis checked into the game for the Buffaloes. On his first drive, Lewis gave the offense some life, stringing together a five-play, 75-yard drive that resulted in a 59-yard touchdown pass to Omarion Miller, his second of the game. But it wasn’t enough to disrupt Arizona’s offensive flow. Ismail Mahdi erupted for a 68-yard run on the Wildcats’ next drive, setting up a one-yard Kedrick Reescano touchdown run three plays later to give Arizona a 52-14 lead.
Opportunity for freshmen
From there, the action slowed down significantly for both teams. Braedyn Locke checked into the game for Arizona, but was unable to keep the Wildcats’ offensive momentum alive, going 0-for-6 through a majority of the second half. It did serve as an opportunity for a number of Arizona’s freshmen skill players and backup offensive linemen to see some game action. Freshman running back Cornelius Warren III finished the game with 32 yards on seven carries, while fellow freshman running back Wesley Yarbrough added another 24 yards on nine totes.
Colorado safety Tawfiq Byard, who led the Buffaloes in tackles heading into the game, was ejected with 8:17 remaining in the final frame for a targeting penalty after a hard hit on wide receiver Devin Hyatt. Then, two drives later, Colorado kicker Alejandro Mata connected on a 31-yard field goal, cutting Arizona’s lead to 35 with 2:04 left to play. A last ditch onside kick attempt from Colorado was unsuccessful as Brent Brennan and Arizona served Deion Sanders his second blowout loss in as many weeks for the Wildcats’ first road-win of 2025.
After spoiling Colorado’s homecoming, the Wildcats return to Tucson for their own homecoming in a contest against Kansas (5-4, 3-3) on Saturday, November 8. With a win, Arizona would advance to .500 in conference play, while clinching its first bowl game berth under Brent Brennan.
[…] After two heartbreaking losses and a bye-week, the Arizona Wildcats had plenty of time to think about how those games felt in the locker room after the fact. Brent Brennan described the team as “pissed off” and “frustrated” heading into the bye-week, but said the team attacked the extra week with a different “edge.” Well, that edge showed up on Saturday when the Wildcats defeated Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes by their largest margin of victory in the 28-game history between the two programs. See what Arizona head coach Brent Brennan, wide receiver Javin Whatley, and cornerback Jay’Vion Cole had to say postgame following the 52-17 win over Colorado. […]