Arizona responds from two-touchdown deficit in 34-24 road win at Washington State

PULLMAN, WA – For the second week in a row, the Wildcats played with their food and got off to a sluggish, slow start. Arizona trailed 14-0 late in the first quarter, but used the explosive play of wide receiver duo Tre Spivey and Caleb “Jet” Smith, as well as strong second-half defensive adjustments and a pair of turnovers to escape Pullman with a 34-24 road win over Washington State.

Noah Fifita finished the night 22-of-36, throwing for 297 yards, four touchdowns, and an interception. It’s the eighth time in Fifita’s career, and second time in as many weeks, he’s throw for four-plus touchdowns. The Wildcats rode on the back of Tre Spivey to get out of the early deficit. He finished the night with seven catches for 129 yards and two touchdowns, setting career-bests in catches and yardage. In the second half, Caleb “Jet” Smith soared. Smith hauled in four receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown, the first receiving touchdown of his career.

“It’s a good win. Winning is hard,” said head coach Brent Brennan after the game. “Credit to Washington State. They played tough football. They made plays, and I loved our response.”

Arizona and Wazzu had about as opposite of starts as two teams could have. The Wildcats went three and out after Noah Fifita was sacked on the first play of scrimmage for the second week in a row. The Cougars used a 28-yard catch by Daniel Blood on third down to set up an 11-yard touchdown run by quarterback Caden Pinnick, giving WSU a 7-0 lead.

Cam Chapa came up with Arizona’s first interception since the season-opener, but the offense squandered the opportunity as WSU safety Jackquintin Bal came away with a pick-six to extend the Cougars’ lead to 14. It was Noah Fifita’s first interception returned for a touchdown since Arizona’s 41-19 loss at BYU in 2024.

But Arizona had had enough. The Wildcats needed just five plays and 1:57 to march 75 yards down the field, where Fifita connected with Spivey for a 28-yard touchdown.

“You go down 14-0 and nobody flinched. Everybody just went to work doing their job, playing, Redline, and the results followed after that,” said Brennan postgame.

Arizona then used a more methodical drive to find its way back to the end zone. The Wildcats used up nearly six and a half minutes and converted three third downs before Fifita once again found his favorite target, Spivey, for a four-yard touchdown.

The Wildcats continued to build on the momentum after the 14-point response. Defensive lineman Tre Smith blocked WSU kicker Jack Stevens’ 39-yard field goal attempt to keep the score knotted at 14. It was Arizona’s first blocked field goal since the Wildcats’ 27-10 win over UCLA in 2023.

But on the final drive of the first half, Arizona’s newness in the secondary reared its ugly head once again. Wyoming transfer Tyrese Boss and Northern Colorado transfer Cam Chapa were whistled for a late hit out of bounds and pass interference on back-to-back plays, moving the Cougars from their own 33 yard line to the UA 37 yard line.

“Obviously we’re not aiming to get penalties, but we just play hard as a unit and I think sometimes you get a little caught up in that,” said defensive veteran Tre Smith after the game. “We’re gonna improve it and fix it from there. That’s never the goal. Never has been. Never will be.”

It looked like veteran cornerback Jay’Vion Cole might atone for their mistakes, but his interception was taken off the board after an official review, giving Lee Molette III the opportunity to commit Arizona’s second late hit of the drive. WSU was able to capitalize on the 42 total penalty yards and kicked a 33-yard field goal to take a 17-14 lead into the locker room.

But after such costly mistakes that gave away the lead, it really was a tale of two halves, particularly for the defense. After converting 4-of-7 third down attempts in the first half, Arizona held Washington State to just 1-of-9 on third and fourth down combined in the second half.

The Wildcats forced a three and out on the Cougars’ opening possession of the second half, then used a 30-plus yard punt return from the “Jet” to set up shop just outside the red zone. With a chance to tie the game back up at 17, Michael Salgado-Medina’s kick was wide right after poor execution on the snap and hold.

Defense got the Wildcats out of a jam once again though. Linebacker Everett Roussaw Jr., who made his Arizona debut after transferring from Memphis, forced a fumble that was recovered by Tre Smith, giving the Wildcats another opportunity just outside the red zone. But Arizona left points on the field again after Salgado-Medina’s 43-yard field goal attempt was blocked.

Finally, Fifita said enough is enough. He and Caleb “Jet” Smith needed just three plays, including 41-yard and 38-yard shots, to march 82 yards down the field and take a 21-17 lead, Arizona’s first of the game with 4:02 to play in the third quarter.

“It’s been fun to see Jet start to emerge as a playmaker,” said Brennan after the game. “I think Coach Wade’s done a great job with Jet, getting him going, and being patient, and helping him learn. And then you got to see some of his talent show because now he’s playing with confidence.”

The defense continued to stifle Wazzu’s offensive attack. Michael Salgado-Medina extended the lead to 24-17 with a 27-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter. Then, Fifita connected with Isaiah Mizell on an 11-yard touchdown, the second in as many weeks for the sophomore wide receiver.

It isn’t Arizona football without some late-game nerves though, right? Washington State responded with a six-play, 75-yard drive, capped off by a 46-yard score from Pinnick to wide receiver Branden Ganashamoorthy. The score cut Arizona’s lead back to just seven points with over seven minutes to play.

But unlike the game at BYU two weeks ago, Arizona finished on the road against Wazzu. The Wildcats churned and burned the clock down with an 11-play drive that used up over five minutes of clock. Salgado-Medina finished things off with a 51-yard field goal, giving Arizona a two-score lead with under two minutes to play.

Arizona would go on to defeat Washington State 34-24 in the first non-conference road win of the Brent Brennan era.

After making the trip to Provo earlier this month, the Wildcats now shift their attention back to the Big 12. Arizona hosts Cincinnati (4-0), which is coming off a 31-26 win over Kansas State, in its conference home-opener on Saturday, October 3. The game kicks off at 8:00 PM MST and is on FOX, giving the Wildcats four consecutive games on national TV.