HOUSTON — Arizona had its sights set on a 6-1 start following the first bye week of the season. Instead, the Wildcats dropped two straight games in heartbreaking fashion and are 4-3. 

Arizona lost back-to-back games to No. 18 BYU and Houston by a combined nine points — one game ending in double-overtime and the most recent one ending with a walk-off field goal.   

As the Wildcats turn their attention to a potentially much-needed bye week, here’s a look at the good, the bad and the ugly from Arizona’s loss to Houston. 

The good

Before Saturday, Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita’s best completion rate was 79.1%, which he set against Washington State in 2023, the game that sparked the Wildcats’ seven-game winning streak.

Fifita is the only starting quarterback in Arizona history to finish with a completion percentage higher than 70% in a season, which he set in ’23.  

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But Arizona’s leader never eclipsed 80% passing in a game, let alone 90%.

Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita drops back to pass during the first half against Houston on Saturday in Houston.

Jason Fochtman, Houston Chronicle

Fifita completed 24 of 26 passes (92.3%) for 289 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in 34 drop-backs on Saturday, which is the best single-game completion rate in school history (with a minimum of 20 pass attempts). Fifita’s two incompletions were also broken up by Houston defenders. 

Fifita became one of nine quarterbacks in college football history to complete over 90% of their passes in a game. Arizona head coach Brent Brennan called Fifita’s accurate performance “a ridiculous day.”  

Sean Renfree (Duke) and Jameis Winston (Florida State) are the only two quarterbacks ahead of Fifita on the nine-player list. Arizona offensive coordinator and former Texas Tech quarterback Seth Doege is sixth on the list from his 40-of-44 performance against New Mexico in 2011.

“What’s happening is the synergy between Noah and Coach Doege and the offense continues to accelerate,” said Brennan. “The more we play, the more we know each other, the more we get into the flow of things and I think Noah is trusting the offense and Coach Doege and you’re seeing good results. But dammit, we want to win. We want to win the damn game.”   

Arizona running back Kedrick Reescano, right, takes a handoff from quarterback Noah Fifita and runs for a 2-yard touchdown during the second half against Houston, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, in Houston.

Jason Fochtman, Houston Chronicle

Fifita said Arizona had “a great (offensive) game plan, a great scheme” against Houston. Fifita’s average depth of target (ADOT) on Saturday was 4 yards, the lowest of his career since he took over as Arizona’s starter in 2023, according to Pro Football Focus. Fifita’s time-to-throw (TTT) average was 2.98 seconds, his second-lowest time of the season. Fifita had two games with a TTT average lower than three seconds last season. 

Between the quick passes, bubble screens and handoffs to wide receivers, it was the snappy offensive play-calling that Doege was expected to implement when he took over as offensive coordinator this season. Arizona didn’t have any three-and-outs — unless you consider a three-play scoring drive to start the game a three-and-out.      

“Coach Doege put us in great positions to succeed,” Fifita said. “At the end of the day, the only stat that matters is winning, and we didn’t get that done. There’s a few plays that I wish I could have back that would’ve changed the game, but like I said, you just gotta learn from it.” 

Fifita completed passes to nine different pass catchers. His top three targets were Javin Whatley, who caught seven passes for 42 yards on eight targets, along with Kris Hutson and receiver-converted-tight end Cameron Barmore, who had a season-high four receptions for 42 yards. Barmore was Arizona’s highest-graded (83.9) offensive player on Saturday, ahead of left tackle Ty Buchanan (78.9) and Fifita (72.8). 

Arizona tight end Cameron Barmore (80) catches a pass during fall football practice at Dick Tomey practice field, Aug. 20, 2025.

Grace Trejo, Arizona Daily Star

Arizona tight end Sam Olson had two catches for 17 yards, but one of the most notable plays from Olson was sealing a block on the edge of the line of scrimmage, which allowed wide receiver Tre Spivey to take a 3-yard jet sweep to the left side of the end zone for a touchdown.

Following Tyler Powell’s season-ending leg injury, which he suffered on the first offensive play of the season, and Keyan Burnett redshirting after playing in three games, Olson and Barmore have shouldered the reps at tight end this season. 

“They attack every day through all of the ups, through all of the downs,” Fifita said of Arizona’s tight ends. “Even when they’re not getting the ball, they block extremely hard. Every single day, they’re the same person. I got so much respect and so much love for that room. It all stems from the leader of that room, which is (tight ends coach Josh Miller). I’m glad Cam got some looks today. Like I said, I gotta improve and get the guys the ball.”    

In addition to his touchdown run, Spivey also caught a pass in traffic over the middle, avoided an ankle tackle and burst for a 70-yard touchdown on the opening drive, the longest of his career. Spivey has six touchdowns on 11 touches this season. 

University of Arizona receiver Tre Spivey III signs Berkleigh Coleman’s souvenir football as the Wildcats’ camp for those with special needs winds down on May 6.

Kelly Presnell / Arizona Daily Star

“He continues to get more confident and more comfortable,” Fifita said. “When he knows the play and he has no doubt in his mind that he knows what he’s doing, he’s unstoppable. You’re starting to see him get more comfortable in the offense. He’s a playmaker. Every jump ball, it’s really 70-30 his. I love Spivey as a person, I love him as a player, but it all goes back to the team and we didn’t get it done today.”

The bad 

After a 52-yard touchdown pass from Houston quarterback Conner Weigman to Amare Thomas and Weigman’s touchdown run to cap a 96-yard scoring drive, the Cougars punted on back-to-back drives, which gave the Wildcats a chance to take a two-score lead in the second quarter. 

Arizona opted to keep the offense on the field on fourth-and-1 on the Houston 31-yard line, but a zone-read handoff to running back Kedrick Reescano was stopped for no gain and a turnover on downs. Fifita could’ve pulled the ball and likely would’ve avoided the crashing defender for a first down. 

“We didn’t execute the plays that we needed to make and there’s a handful of them that would’ve changed the game,” Fifita said. “I think it’s been a repetitive thing and now we have a bye week to clean it up. … We probably could’ve scored on that drive and there probably wouldn’t have been enough time for Houston to score at the end of the half. I gotta pull the ball and get the first down myself. That’s one of the plays I made that would’ve changed the outcome.”

Brennan “felt like a huge momentum swing was when we didn’t get the fourth down there” and “that ended up giving points on the backside of that,” he said.

Arizona head coach Brent Brennan reacts during the first half against Houston, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, at TDECU Stadium.

Jason Fochtman, Houston Chronicle

Following a short pass from Weigman to Houston running back Dean Connors, which would’ve had the Cougars at third-and-8, Arizona wide receivers coach Bobby Wade was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct and sideline interference.  

“I’ll tell you this, there’s no person on our staff and our program or athletic department that’s worthy of 15 (yards),” Brennan said. “Nobody. Not me, not Coach Wade, nobody. That’s ridiculous. We’re going to address that, too.”

On the same drive, the officials reviewed a bobbled catch by Houston’s Harvey Broussard near the sideline. Even though Broussard didn’t have full possession, the officials upheld an 11-yard gain. The questionable review and the penalty contributed to Houston extending its 17-play, nine-minute drive in the third quarter — and the Cougars grabbing a 28-14 lead. 

There was another contribution… 

The ugly

Houston had three straight scoring drives and took a two-touchdown lead, which Arizona erased in the fourth quarter, but the Wildcats had no answers for the Cougars’ rushing attack.

In Houston’s three straight scoring drives in the second and third quarters, the Cougars had 24 rushing attempts in 39 total plays, which took up over 16 minutes of game clock. 

In a similar fashion to Arizona’s double-overtime loss to BYU in Tucson, the Wildcats struggled to contain the one-two punch of a big-bodied mobile quarterback and a powerful running back. 

Arizona surrendered a combined 490 rushing yards against BYU and Houston — 449 between Weigman, Connors, BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier and running back LJ Martin. Weigman rushed for a career-high 98 yards and a touchdown on 14 rush attempts. The Wildcats have allowed a combined 187 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns to quarterbacks in the last two games.

Forty-five of Houston’s 68 offensive plays (66%) were running plays. The Cougars averaged 5.2 yards per rush against Arizona, and 11 of the Cougars’ 12 plays on the final drive were runs. Weigman averaged 5.8 yards per carry in Houston’s final possession of the game and set up Ethan Sanchez for a walk-off 41-yard field goal, which was almost impacted by an illegal motion penalty committed by Connors, but the officials waived the flag.  

“We weren’t doing what we were supposed to do,” Arizona linebacker Max Harris said of Houston’s run game. “It was nothing that they really did. It’s all on us. It’s hard letting people run the ball, but it’s a fixable thing, so it’s nothing crazy and nothing we can’t fix. It’s up to us to fix it.”

Brennan credited Houston and BYU, two teams that are in the top half of the Big 12 in rushing, but noted the Wildcats’ rushing defense — which is sixth in the conference and 60th nationally — has been a red flag the last two games, especially the quarterback runs.  

“I think we played two good football teams, for starters,” Brennan said. “Also, both of them played plus-one in run with a quarterback run. It’s different than just lining it up and handing it to the tailback. … We’re going to see that the rest of the season, so we better figure that out — today.”

The Wildcats have the next two weeks to figure it out. 

Up next

What: Arizona (4-3, 1-3) vs. Colorado (3-4, 1-3)

When: Saturday, Nov. 1 (kickoff time TBA)

Where: Folsom Field, Boulder

Watch: TBA

Listen: 1290-AM, 107.5-FM, 92.5-FM (Spanish)

Contact Justin Spears, the Star’s Arizona football beat reporter, at jspears@tucson.com. On X(Twitter): @JustinESports

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