TUCSON, AZ – Despite the sluggish start, it was a historic night at Casino Del Sol Stadium. Three skill players scored their first-career touchdowns, while quarterback Noah Fifita became the program’s all-time leader in passing yards, as the Arizona Wildcats cruised to a 42-17 victory over Northern Illinois.
Arizona founds itself in a 10-0 hole early after a 38-yard Huskies field goal and a 52-yard touchdown from NIU quarterback Taron Dickens to Cam Thompson less than six minutes into the first quarter.
But the Wildcats responded, riding one of the most efficient games of Fifita’s career to score 42 unanswered points, before a last-second touchdown by the Huskies. Fifita completed 31-of-34 passes (91.2 percent) for 325 yards and four touchdowns, as well as another score on the ground, and zero turnovers. He completed 20-straight passes from the 12:35 mark of the second quarter to the 15:00 mark of the fourth, and capped off his night with a seven-yard toss to Isaiah Mizell to pass Nick Foles in the record books.
“The whole country should be talking about this kid. Not just based on how he plays, but the like who he is and the choices he has made throughout his career here,” said head coach Brent Brennan after the game. “That’s rare. Like so many other people have jumped ship and taken the money, or gone to something different, or looked for something new, or the grass is always greener. But that guy stayed here and watered the grass here and made it into something truly special.”
Arizona finished with 441 yards of total offense as 11 different players hauled in a reception. Tre Spivey led the way with six catches for 90 yards and a sensational one-handed touchdown grab that was reminiscent of Odell Beckham Jr.’s legendary catch with the New York Giants, while Chris Hunter had his best game of the season with five receptions for 73 yards and a 38-yard touchdown to kickstart the UA’s offense.
After shaking off the rust of the first quarter, Fifita found Mizell for a 14-yard touchdown, the first of his career, to give the Wildcats a 14-10 lead. From there, they never looked back. Spivey hauled in his SportsCenter worth catch to give Arizona a 21-10 lead, then true freshman Caleb “The Jet” Smith returned an NIU punt 69 yards for another score, extending the lead to 18. It was the first punt returned for a touchdown since 2017, when Shun Brown did it twice in games against NAU and at UTEP.
Northern Illinois looked like it may add another score in the first half when Cam Thompson appeared to roll over an Arizona defender and avoid going down by contact for a 57-yard touchdown, but an official review overturned the call, determining his bottom was down.
Arizona used an efficient start to the second half to extend its lead as it marched into the red zone with ease. Tight end Cole Rusk, who was limited during fall camp with a shoulder injury, was injured on the drive with what appeared to be a lower leg or ankle injury, but Fifita found tight end Tyler Powell for a three-yard touchdown on 4th and goal. Powell’s first-career touchdown gave Arizona a 35-10 lead.
“For Tyler Powell, you think about the journey he’s been on,” said Brent during the postgame. “First play of the season last year, tears his ACL, has to go through all that stuff, all that hard stuff, and so just I was so happy for him to get that touchdown, just to see the smile on his face, and just how incredibly rewarding that must have been for him.”
NIU looked like it might respond after the Powell touchdown, putting together an 8-minute, 19-second long drive that included a 13-yard conversion on third and seven and an 11-yard scramble by Dickens for a first down on fourth and four. But in the end, Cooper Blomstrom and the Arizona defense were too much, forcing a turnover on downs in the red zone with a 10-yard sack.
Due to a malfunction with the StatsBroadcast system, it appeared Fifita broke the passing record on a six-yard reception to Chris Hunter, setting up a 30-yard scramble by the fifth-year signal-caller two plays later to give Arizona a 42-10 lead early in the fourth quarter.
NIU kicker JJ Schlenhardt missed a pair of field goals on the night, including a 54-yard attempt in the fourth quarter, and on the next play, Fifita found Mizell for the record. From there, sophomore backup Sawyer Anderson took over quarterbacking duties for the Wildcats. He connected on a 32-yard deep ball down the left side of the field for freshman RJ Mosely, but threw an interception to NIU’s Yassine Falke two plays later and was called for a late hit after hit sticking Falke during the return.
Huskies backup quarterback Brady Davidson orchestrated the final drive of the game, as NIU used a pair of fourth down conversions to set up a one-yard touchdown for running back Elijah Porter with 24 seconds left to play.
Arizona (2-1) heads to the Pacific Northwest next week for a date with a former Pac-12 foe, Washington State. The game against the Cougars kicks off at 4:30 PM MST on CBS in what will likely be the Wildcats’ first and last trip to the Palouse after joining the Big 12 in 2024.