Storylines, stats and quotes from Arizona’s win over Northern Illinois

Arizona fans in Tucson saw a record-setting night at Casino Del Sol Stadium on Saturday, as quarterback Noah Fifita led the Wildcats to a 42-17 victory over Northern Illinois and became the program’s all-time leader in career passing yards. The win gave Arizona its second victory of the season, but the evening became especially memorable when Fifita surpassed former Wildcat quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles with just over six minutes remaining. Fifita completed a 7-yard pass to receiver Isaiah Mizell for the record, then left the game with Arizona ahead 42-10.

The stadium video board showed a congratulatory message from Foles as Fifita walked off the field, and his teammates celebrated around him. His brother, Arizona linebacker Dash Fifita, also shared the moment, bowing to Noah after the record was announced. Head coach Brent Brennan called it a special night for the quarterback and said the program owed Fifita the opportunity to reach the milestone in Tucson. Brennan emphasized that the team’s focus was winning, not engineering a record, but the result allowed both goals to come together.

Fifita finished with 31 completions on 34 attempts for 325 yards, four touchdown passes and no interceptions. His 91.2 percent completion rate was the best single-game mark in Arizona history for a quarterback with at least 30 attempts, surpassing Foles. Fifita also completed his first eight throws and connected on 19 consecutive passes during the game. His best completion percentage remains the 92.7 percent he recorded at Houston last season, when he completed 24 of 26 attempts, another Arizona record. Fifita already owns the school’s career touchdown passing record and the single-game passing yardage record, set with 527 yards in the 2023 Territorial Cup.

The quarterback added a 30-yard rushing touchdown on the same drive during which he broke the career passing record, giving him five total touchdowns for the night. His four touchdown passes went to four different players, reflecting an Arizona offense that used 11 pass catchers. Tre Spivey led the Wildcats with six receptions for 90 yards and a touchdown. Chris Hunter added five catches for 73 yards and a score, while Mizell had five receptions for 49 yards and his first career touchdown. Brandon Phelps, tight end Cole Rusk and receiver Rodney Gallagher III each caught three passes, combining for 104 yards.

Several of those scoring plays carried their own significance. Spivey made a falling, one-handed catch in heavy coverage for a 14-yard touchdown, a play that ranked No. 4 on ESPN’s “SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays.” Hunter scored on a 38-yard post route. Tight end Tyler Powell caught his first touchdown at Arizona in the third quarter after spending the past year recovering from a season-ending knee injury suffered on the first play of last season’s opener against Hawaii. Brennan said he was especially pleased to see Powell’s reaction after the score.

Arizona did not begin the game with the control suggested by the final score. Northern Illinois ran effectively on its opening possession and picked up three first downs before kicking a 38-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead. Arizona’s first drive ended in a three-and-out with two sacks, and the Wildcats surrendered four sacks overall. After Arizona’s only punt, a 32-yard kick that went out of bounds, Northern Illinois began its next drive at the Arizona 48-yard line. Huskies quarterback Taron Dickens then hit Cam Thompson for a 52-yard touchdown, putting Northern Illinois ahead 10-0. Arizona cornerback Tyrese Boss was filling in for the injured Dwight Bootle II on the play.

The Wildcats responded by scoring 42 consecutive points. Arizona outgained Northern Illinois 441-341, and the defense settled in after the Huskies’ opening burst. Northern Illinois missed two field goals, punted three times in a row and was stopped on downs. Arizona linebacker Cooper Blomstrom also made a key fourth-down sack of Dickens short of the end zone in the third quarter. Strong safety Lee Molette III said the defensive staff challenged the team to be focused from the start after Northern Illinois produced two strong drives. Brennan said Arizona’s main adjustment was its overall physicality, a trait he believes makes the Wildcats difficult to handle when they play with the necessary edge.

Special teams supplied another major momentum swing. Freshman receiver and punt returner Caleb “Jet” Smith split two defenders, broke a tackle and raced 69 yards for the first touchdown of his Arizona career. Smith, who is from Allen, Texas, became the first Arizona player to return a punt for a touchdown since Shun Brown in 2017. Brennan said the Wildcats need to start faster in all three phases, but praised the way the team responded after the slow opening quarter. The victory followed Arizona’s 28-17 loss to No. 15 BYU, and Brennan identified the response to adversity as one of the key lessons from Saturday’s performance.