Evaluating Noah Fifita’s Impressive Performance vs. Colorado
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Welcome! To another edition of the Arizona Wildcats Insiders Podcast featuring your host Troy Hutchison, who will be delivering a daily podcast discussing everything happening surrounding Arizona athletics giving you an inside look at all the programs on campus.
Hutchison has been covering Arizona for the last seven years with his coverage spanning all-across UA’s campus from football and men’s basketball to Title IX sports. Plus, with so many former Wildcats playing at the next level in their prospective sports there will be moments where he will take a deep dive into the Cats excelling outside of Tucson.
Throughout the Brent Brennan era, thus far, Arizona has struggled on the road, losing 5-straight games and having a 1-5 record. In the last game, the Wildcats battled back from a 28-14 deficit but couldn’t complete the comeback, falling 31-28 against Houston.
Now, Arizona (5-3, 2-3 Big 12) went up against Colorado following the bye-week and started off hot, hitting receiver Tre Spivey for a 57-yard touchdown, setting the tone early in the game. From that point on, it was all Wildcats as they went on to hammer the Buffaloes 52-17, sealing the fifth win of the year.
Although the Wildcats lost to Houston, quarterback Noah Fifita had his best passing game of the season, going 24 of 26 for 269 yards and two touchdowns. Fifita was able to build on that solid performance against Colorado.
Against Colorado, Fifita had another high-level passing game and was able to surgically pick apart the defense, going an impressive 11-for-19, totaling 213 yards while racking up four touchdowns on the night.
With the four passing touchdowns, Fifita is getting closer to the top of the record, sitting at 65, which puts him third on the list.
However, he is now two touchdowns away from tying the record held by quarterbacks Willie Tuitama and Nick Foles.
Not only was Arizona able to get an elite passing performance from Fifita, but the offense was able to score fast when it had the ball, with five scoring drives under four minutes.
The game was so out of hand that with six minutes left in the third quarter, Arizona turned to backup quarterback Braedyn Locke to finish off the rest of the game.
As an offensive unit, Arizona racked up 390 total yards, 213 passing yards and rushed the ball for 177 yards while finding the end zone three times on the ground.
On the defensive side of the ball, Arizona has struggled the last two games giving up 490 yards on the ground. Both BYU and Houston were able to run right through the defense having the most success on the ground against the Wildcats than any other opponent this season.
Against Colorado, Arizona was able to hold the Buffs to 128 yards rushing and forced them into passing situations all game long.
In all, the defense gave up 261 yards in total offense and 133 yards passing. However, the defense was that Danny Gonzales’ unit was able to create five turnovers helping flip the field for the Wildcats’ explosive offense.
Not only did the Wildcats snap their 5-game road losing streak but it was the largest win on the road dating back to the 2023 season against ASU where Arizona won 59-23, sealing a trip to the Alamo Bowl.
Arizona has gotten back in the win column and we at Arizona Wildcats On SI have put together our grade on the performance of Fifita.
Noah Fifita’s Stats
Against Colorado, Fifita managed to make the most out of his 2 ⅔ quarters of work going 11 of 19, totaling 213 yards and racking up four touchdowns. With the Wildcats having a strong 52-7 lead, Arizona pulled him with six minutes left in the quarter.
Quarterback Grade
- Noah Fifita: A
Reason
Last season, Fifita had a hard time in the Dino Babers’ offensive scheme and led the Big 12 in interceptions racking up 12 and throwing for 18 touchdowns. Now in his third system in as many years, he is starting to find his groove and is playing at a high-level.
Against Colorado, Fifita went 11 of 19 on his passes totaling 213 yards and collecting four touchdowns. He was pulled in the third quarter with Arizona leading 52-7 and if that didn’t happen he might’ve broken the single-game school touchdown record for a QB, which is six.
With the Wildcats wrapping up their eighth game of the season and one win away from a bowl berth, Fifita is sitting on 2,042 yards, 21 touchdown passes to his four interceptions. He is on pace to break the school-record of 67 career passing touchdowns and has 65 with four games left in the season.
Please be sure to share with us your thoughts on our grade for Fifita and what you think of his performance. To do so, follow us on our X account by clicking on the link.
Troy Hutchison grew up attending Arizona athletic events, which gave him a unique perspective and knowledge of the athletic department's rich history. He attended UA and began covering the Wildcats in 2018. As the Arizona Wildcats Beat Writer on SI, he is set to deliver wall-to-wall coverage to give fans an in-depth perspective.
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