Three BOLD Observations Following Arizona's 28-point Victory
Last time on the field, Arizona (4-1, 1-1 Big 12) came out flat on the road against No. 14 Iowa State falling behind 22 points before finding the end zone before half. The theme of game week against Oklahoma State for the Wildcats was starting off on the right foot and getting back to basics.
Well, the Wildcats were able to flip the script from last week and jump out 14-3 over OSU (1-4, 0-2) with a balanced attack that saw an even split of 35 rushing yards and 35 passing yards on the first drive of the game.
From that point on, it was all Arizona as the Wildcats were able to get back on track with a solid 41-13 win over Oklahoma State.
The breakout star of the game for Arizona was wide receiver Tre Spivey, who was questionable coming into the day with an unknown injury but gave it ago anyways.
Spivey hauled in three catches for 80 yards and managed to score the first two touchdowns on the game to help the team get the offense going.
As a whole, the Wildcats saw six receivers record a catch, showing off the depth of the group that has been heavily criticized for their 11 dropped passes coming into the game.
Getting the ball to the playmakers fell on the shoulders of quarterback Noah Fifita, who was looking to have a bounce-back game himself after struggling against ISU.
Against OSU, Fifita had his ups with five touchdown passes and his downs with two turnovers that slowed down the offensive unit.
Still, Fifita was able to pass for 376 yards while going 28 of 38 on his passing attempts, which is an improvement from not only last week but from what we have seen this season.
The defensive unit for Arizona felt like it made mental mistakes against ISU last week and wanted to get back on the field. Now, The Wildcats defense was able to get stingy against a Cowboys team that is going through a defensive change with a new coordinator.
Danny Gonzales’ unit was able to break out the turnover sword three times thanks to an interception, a fumble recovery and a game sealing pick that led to the success on the field.
Although we saw Arizona get back on track against the Cowboys, there was still a unit that struggled and it was once against the special teams squad that saw another missed field goal by Michael Salgado-Medina, a muffed punt (Arizona recovered) and a poor punt.
Still, that was the lone and major dark cloud from what was a highly successful game for the majority of the Wildcats' defensive and offensive units.
It was a major bounce back game for the Wildcats, who are now just two games away from bowl eligibility. We are Arizona Wildcats On SI have put together our three observations from the game.
Three Observations
Tre Spivey
- Arizona wide receiver Tre Spivey had caught two touchdowns in the first four games of the season, but he had totaled just five receptions combined in that span.
- In Saturday's win against Oklahoma State, Spivey hauled in three passes for 80 yards and two touchdowns in a true breakout game for the transfer from Kansas State.
LET. HIM. COOK.@SpiveyTre w some spicy moves for TD #2. pic.twitter.com/4i7ahB6xT7
— Arizona Football (@ArizonaFBall) October 4, 2025
- The Wildcats and quarterback Noah Fifita continue to seek to determine who is the true No. 1 receiver on this offense for the rest of the season. Spivey continues to make his case as a deep threat as well as a receiver who can make defenders miss in open space for Arizona.
Special Teams
- The Arizona punting unit was strong all game as Isaac Lovison averaged 46.5 yards per punt, his longest one being 54.
- Michael Salgado-Medina is a perfect 4-for-4 on field goals that are between 30-39 yards, but has been inconsistent in the last three games from longer ones. He is now 3-for-8 on field goals longer than 40 yards.
57 YARDS OUT WITH EASE. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/FZacC17igp
— Arizona Football (@ArizonaFBall) October 4, 2025
- On field goals that have come in between 40-49 yards, he is 1-for-5. The silver lining to that is on field goals that are anywhere in between 50-59 yards, he is 2 of 3.
- The field goal he missed today was from a distance of 46 yards. He did make up for that in the fourth quarter, nailing a 57-yard field goal for the final points of the game.
- He will need to be more consistent when teams like BYU come into town and any amount of points matters.
Noah Fifita
- Last time out, Fifita struggled against Iowa State where he threw two interceptions, missed wide open receivers and had a hard time reading the field. However, he was able to bounce back against OSU and put together his fourth career five touchdown passing game and second of the season.
five tuds through the air for @thenoah_fifita1 today.
— Arizona Football (@ArizonaFBall) October 4, 2025
this one was a BEAUT. pic.twitter.com/CrnQVp6W4q
- Still, it wasn’t perfect for Fifita, who had an interception where he overthrew an open receiver and a fumble on the 1-yard line.
- Although he made those mistakes, it seems like Fifita is trending in the right direction as the Wildcats start to prepare for their next game against BYU.
Please be sure to share your thoughts on our three observations from the UA-OSU game. To do so, follow us on our X account by clicking on the link.
feed
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.
Ari Koslow is a sports writer covering the University of Arizona athletics at On SI. Koslow has been covering Arizona sports for several years. Born and raised in Seattle, he is a diehard Seahawks fan and a longtime sufferer of the Mariners. He is a huge fantasy football fanatic. Koslow is a graduate of Arizona’s School of Journalism.
Nathaniel Martinez and a set of shoulder pads at 7 years old. He later graduated from Pima Community College in 2023, where he began writing for the Pima Post. He is working to achieve a Bachelor’s in Mass Communication and Media Studies.