Arizona squanders another halftime lead in loss to Texas Tech: 3 takeaways

The Wildcats couldn't contain Texas Tech's rushing attack, wasting a 417-yard passing performance from Noah Fifita in a 34-26 defeat

Oct 31, 2026; Lubbock, Texas, USA; Arizona Wildcats quarterback Noah Fifita (1) passes against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the first half at Galaxy Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Arizona Wildcats once again struggled mightily in the second half against a ranked opponent, falling 34-26 to the No. 13 Texas Tech Red Raiders on Saturday - despite holding a 17-10 halftime lead.

Arizona has now led at halftime against two ranked Big 12 teams on the road, but failed to win either contest. And while the Wildcats didn't get held scoreless in the second half on Saturday, as they did in Week 2 against BYU, they may as well have.

Arizona scored on its first drive in the third quarter - after letting Texas Tech do the same - but the Wildcats were then outscored 17-3 for the rest of the game to fall to 6-2 on the season and 3-2 in league play.

The Wildcats were outgained on the ground by a staggering 316 yards, with Texas Tech dominating the line of scrimmage and picking up the win despite a herculean effort from Noah Fifita, who ran out of gas in the final quarter.

Below are three key takeaways from Arizona's second loss of the season:

1. Arizona had no answer for Thomas Castellanos on the ground

Texas Tech's Thomas Castellanos runs with the ball against Arizona during a Big 12 Conference football game, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, at Galaxy Stadium. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Arizona did a good job of slowing down Texas Tech's passing game, limiting Thomas Castellanos to an ugly 11-24 performance with 144 passing yards. However, the veteran QB - who started his first game of the season after Will Hammond was benched - was a huge problem on the ground, rushing or a whopping 117 yards and a touchdown.

It was part of an overall dominant rushing performance for Texas Tech, with the Red Raiders ultimately finishing with 332 rushing yards, most of which came in the second half. Arizona played extremely well defensively against both Cincinnati and West Virginia - strong rushing teams - but seemingly could not stop anything against Castellanos and the Red Raiders on Saturday morning.

2. Noah Fifita couldn't overcome Arizona's nonexistent run game

Oct 31, 2026; Lubbock, Texas, USA; Arizona Wildcats quarterback Noah Fifita (1) listens for the play in the first half against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Galaxy Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Fifita is the clear superstar for Arizona, but even he can't do everything. That's what was asked of him on Saturday in Lubbock; however, the Wildcats were completely unable to generate any yards on the ground.

Kedrick Reescano found the end zone twice but finished with just 18 rushing yards on nine carries, while the rest of Arizona's roster combined for an absurdly bad -6 yards on the ground.

UA's offensive line got beat nearly every snap, with Fifita having to throw on the run frequently, something he is capable of doing, but that seemed to take its toll late in this game.

Arizona's signal caller had uncharacteristic misses late in this game, including overthrowing Tyler Powell on a crucial fourth down and then missing two open receivers on the ensuing drive, failing to capitalize on a fumble recovery by Arizona's defense.

He finished with 417 passing yards and one touchdown, but without much help, he wasn't able to will this team to victory in Lubbock.

3. Giovanni Richardson provides a bright spot in the loss

Sep 5, 2026; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Giovanni Richardson (5) runs with the ball during the second quarter of the game against the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks at Casino Del Sol Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Richardson returned to Arizona's wide receiver room for the first time since the team's win over Cincinnati in Week 5, and he immediately made his presence known with a 55-yard reception on the third play of the game - which ultimately led to a Wildcats field goal and the first points of the game.

The sophomore wideout finished with six receptions for 90 yards, giving Fifita another major weapon alongside Isaiah Mizell (seven catches, 182 yards) and Chris Hunter III (four catches, 52 yards).

It wasn't a great performance from Arizona's offense, but Richardson's return is critical for this team going forward this season, especially with Tre Spivey out for the year.

Arizona is back home next week, hosting the TCU Horned Frogs on Friday, Nov. 6. The game is set to kick off at 7:15 PM, and will be broadcast on ESPN.