Arizona didn’t need a full stable of receivers to put Cincinnati away on Saturday night. It just needed the rest of the roster to keep doing the dirty work.
With Gio Richardson, Chris Hunter and Tre Spivey all exiting because of injuries in the first half, the Wildcats still found plenty of answers and powered past the Bearcats 34-7 in their Big 12 home opener at Casino Del Sol Stadium. The win moved Arizona to 4-1 overall and 1-1 in conference play, and it came within 1:56 of becoming the program’s first shutout in 13 years and first conference shutout since 1993.
Noah Fifita kept the offense moving despite leaning on second- and third-string targets for much of the night. He finished 25 of 37 for 284 yards, two touchdown passes and a rushing score. Isaiah Mizell, Brandon Phelps, Caleb ‘Jet’ Smith, RJ Mosley and tight end Tyler Powell were among the players who stepped into bigger roles and helped Arizona stay balanced enough to unleash its ground game.
That run game had its best Big 12 showing yet, piling up 238 yards, Arizona’s most in a conference game since the 2022 Territorial Cup.
But the night belonged to the defense for long stretches. Cincinnati arrived averaging 270 rushing yards, and Arizona chopped that down to 74. JC French IV passed for 153 yards on 16-of-29 throwing, and his 2-yard touchdown run with 1:56 left was the only thing that kept the Bearcats from being blanked.
Arizona opened with a quick punch. Even though Fifita was sacked on the first play for the third straight game, the Wildcats still marched 75 yards and finished the drive with Kedrick Reescano’s 10-yard touchdown run for a 7-0 lead with 10:21 left in the first quarter.
The Bearcats had a chance to answer after Fifita was intercepted by MJ Cannon at the Arizona 35, but Cincinnati came away empty. Stephen Rusnak’s 53-yard field goal try hit the right post and bounced away.
The Wildcats then stalled in the red zone late in the opening quarter, with Reescano getting tripped up for a loss on fourth-and-2 from the 20.
Cincinnati’s best stretch came midway through the second quarter, when it put together its first sustained drive and reached the Arizona 10. The Wildcats tightened up there, forcing a fourth-down throw from the 2 that Gavin Hunter broke up to deny Gavin Grover a touchdown.
Arizona added to the lead just before halftime, driving to the 5 before settling for Michael Salgado-Medina’s 23-yard field goal with one second left to make it 10-0.
The game opened up after halftime. On Arizona’s first possession of the third quarter, Antwan Roberts Jr. ripped off a 58-yard run, then had the ball poked loose from behind at the Cincinnati 12.
The ball bounced into the end zone and a Bearcats player swatted it out of the back, drawing a penalty that gave Arizona first-and-goal from the 6. Three plays later, Fifita kept it himself for an 8-yard touchdown and a 17-0 cushion.
It was his third rushing score of the season.
Arizona’s defense forced another turnover on downs on the next Cincinnati series after replay showed French’s knee was down short on fourth-and-5. Starting at its own 32, Arizona went 68 yards in six plays, capped by Fifita’s 24-yard touchdown pass to Phelps for a 24-0 lead with 3:07 left in the third.
Salgado-Medina added a 35-yard field goal to push the margin to 27-0 with 12:11 remaining, and Powell finished the scoring with a 5-yard touchdown catch with 5:21 to go.
By the end, Arizona had not just beaten an unbeaten team. It had done it with depth, defense and enough offense to make the injuries matter a lot less than they might have on another night.
In Other News...
Arizona Just Made A Big 12 Statement Fans Had Been Waiting For
Arizona walked out of Casino Del Sol Stadium with the kind of conference win that can travel well, and it came on the back of a ground game that finally looked like a real calling card. In a 34-7 rout of Cincinnati in Week 5, the Wildcats piled up a season-high 238 rushing yards and kept the Bearcats from ever settling in, with Kedrick Reescano punching in a 10-yard score and Antwan Roberts and Quincy Craig helping set the tone.
For Arizona, the bigger message was on the other side of the ball. The defense smothered Cincinnatis best strength and never let the Bearcats find a rhythm, turning a matchup that could have gone the other way into a clean statement win. For a team trying to show it belongs in the Big 12 conversation, this was the sort of performance that gets noticed long after the final whistle. [Read more 🡒]
Arizona Depth Takes Another Hit As Fallout From Judges Ruling Looms
Arizonas depth chart took another jolt this week when a Pima County judge declined to block the NCAA from enforcing its new 5 for 5 eligibility rule, leaving the Wildcats to absorb another layer of uncertainty in the midst of a tricky roster situation. The ruling centers on running back Ismail Mahdi and linebacker Max Harris, two players whose availability had become part of the broader conversation around how Arizona manages its veteran pieces.
The fallout does not stop with football, either, as the same decision also reaches beyond the gridiron to Arizona baseball pitcher Garrett Hicks and mens golfer Connor Hamm. For a program trying to keep its competitive footing across sports, the immediate issue is no longer just the legal fight itself but what the ruling means for the Wildcats planning while the NCAAs rule remains in place. [Read more 🡒]
Arizona Suddenly Has Another Gio Richardson Concern
Arizona got Gio Richardson back after a two-game absence because of a leg injury, and his return was supposed to give the passing game another steady option. Instead, the receiver was forced out again early against Cincinnati, leaving after two catches for 26 yards and not coming back.
The Wildcats have had other pass-catchers and contributors step up while Richardson has been sidelined, so the offense has shown it can keep moving. Even so, any setback for a player who just rejoined the lineup is a concern, and an update from coach Brennan after the game should offer a better read on where Richardson stands now. [Read more 🡒]