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.
So far in the Brent Brennan era of Arizona football, the Wildcats have had their struggles on the road with four-straight losses dating back to last year. UA has lost those games by an average of 28 points and have fallen behind by double-digits in all four games.
On Saturday, Arizona (4-3, 1-3) were able to get things going early by striking quickly as quarterback Noah Fifita hit receiver Tre Spivey for a 70-yard touchdown pass, which seemed to set the tone early for the offense.
Despite the fast start, Arizona found itself trailing 21-14 to Houston (6-1-,3-1) at the half, thanks to defensive struggles in the second quarter. And once again, the Wildcats lost the middle eight of the game, which resulted in a Cougars 31-28 win over the Wildcats.
Similar to the BYU game, Arizona’s defense struggled against the run as Houston quarterback Conner Weigman sliced and diced the middle of the defense by racking up 98 yards on 14 carries. Meanwhile, as a team, the Cougars rushed for 232 yards for the game.
The rushing attack for Houston really opened things up in the secondary against Arizona as the Cougars totaled 164 yards through the air and racked up three passing touchdowns.
Just two weeks ago, the Wildcats’ defense hadn’t given up a passing touchdown all season. Now, Arizona has allowed four in two games.
Near the start of the fourth quarter, Arizona was able to cut into the lead with a rushing score from Spivey, which sparked the offense.
After getting a key stop with a missed 48-yard field goal by Houston, Arizona’s offense methodically moved the ball downfield and tied the game up on a rushing touchdown from running back Kedrick Reescano.
Oct 18, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars kicker Ethan Sanchez (92) kicks the ball against the Arizona Wildcats at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images / Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images
Although the Wildcats battled back in the fourth quarter to tie the game, Houston got the ball back with under five minutes left and relied on its running game to set up the game-winning 41-yard field goal against Arizona.
It wasn’t just Weigman that gashed the Wildcats’ defense on the ground; Houston running back Dean Connors racked up 100 yards on 20 carries and really seemed to wear down Danny Gonzales’ defense.
Arizona gave itself a chance to come up with a late-game stop to get the ball back to the offense, but failed to round up Weigman, who converted a 3rd and 2 situation.
Oct 18, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Arizona Wildcats quarterback Noah Fifita (1) throws the ball during the first quarter against the Houston Cougars at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images / Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images
At the end of the day, it was another heartbreaking loss for an Arizona team that seemed to be haunted by road games with the losing streak growing to five games for Brennan and his staff.
Although there were some issues on the offensive side of the ball, Arizona saw Fifita have a near perfect day going an impressive 24 of 26 passing and racking up 269 yards to go with his two touchdown passes.
You couldn’t have asked for much more from Fifita, who might’ve had his best game of the season from an eye test stand point.
Oct 18, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars running back Dean Connors (44) runs the ball during the fourth quarter against the Arizona Wildcats at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images / Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images
Still, Arizona clearly has problems on the defensive side of the ball and now is in danger of missing another bowl game with the team losing two-straight games that could suck the life out of the program.
The Wildcats will now enter the bye-week with a lot of self reflecting to do as Brennan and his staff try to get this team back on track before things start spiraling out of control.
Please be sure to share your thoughts on the Wildcats’ latest heartbreaking loss and what it means for the team moving forward. To do so, follow us on our X account by clicking on the link.