Arizona had the game where it wanted it at halftime, then watched it slip away in a hurry.
The Wildcats carried a 17-10 lead into the break at No. 13 Texas Tech on Saturday, but the second half turned into another painful reminder of how hard it is to finish on the road against a ranked Big 12 team.
Arizona did score on its opening drive of the third quarter after Texas Tech answered first, yet that was about the last time the offense found much rhythm. From there, the Red Raiders outscored the Wildcats 17-3 the rest of the way and handed Arizona a 34-26 loss.
The defeat dropped Arizona to 6-2 overall and 3-2 in league play. It also extended a frustrating pattern: the Wildcats have now led at halftime in two road games against ranked Big 12 opponents and failed to close either one out. They didn’t go scoreless after the break this time the way they did in Week 2 against BYU, but the second-half output still barely moved the needle.
Texas Tech won the game by taking over the line of scrimmage. The Red Raiders piled up 332 rushing yards, and most of that damage came after halftime.
Arizona’s defense had done a strong job slowing the passing game, holding Thomas Castellanos to 11 completions on 24 attempts for 144 yards, but the veteran quarterback made up for it with his legs. In his first start of the season after Will Hammond was benched, Castellanos rushed for 117 yards and a touchdown.
That ground attack buried Arizona, which was outgained on the ground by 316 yards. The Wildcats had no real answer once Texas Tech started leaning into the run, even though Arizona had shown against Cincinnati and West Virginia that it could handle strong rushing teams. On Saturday morning, that resistance disappeared.
Noah Fifita was again the engine for Arizona, and he carried a massive load. He finished with 417 passing yards and one touchdown, but the Wildcats asked too much of him once the run game vanished. Arizona produced just 18 rushing yards from Kedrick Reescano, who scored twice on nine carries, and the rest of the roster combined for minus-6 yards on the ground.
That lack of balance put Fifita under constant pressure. Arizona’s offensive line struggled snap after snap, forcing him to throw on the move far too often.
He can make those plays, but the wear showed late. His misses in the fourth quarter stood out, especially an overthrow of Tyler Powell on a key fourth down and two missed open receivers on the next drive after Arizona’s defense had forced a fumble.
There was at least one bright spot in the receiving game. Richardson returned to Arizona’s wide receiver room for the first time since the Week 5 win over Cincinnati and wasted no time making an impact. On the third play of the game, he hauled in a 55-yard catch that set up the Wildcats’ first points, and he finished with six receptions for 90 yards.
He joined a productive group around Fifita that also included Isaiah Mizell, who had seven catches for 182 yards, and Chris Hunter III, who added four receptions for 52 yards. Arizona’s offense still wasn’t sharp enough to survive the second-half collapse, but Richardson’s return matters moving forward, especially with Tre Spivey out for the year.
The Wildcats head back home next week to face TCU on Friday, Nov. 6. Kickoff is set for 7:15 PM on ESPN.
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