Noah Fifita added another line to Arizona’s record book Saturday night, and this one came with the game already in hand. A seven-yard completion to Isaiah Mizzell in the fourth quarter of a 42-17 win over Northern Illinois pushed Fifita past Nick Foles for the Wildcats’ career passing yards mark.
The number now belongs to Fifita: 10,017 career passing yards. Foles had held the standard with 10,011 from 2009-11.
That milestone also came with a quick exit. After breaking the record, Fifita came off the field and was recognized at Casino Del Sol Stadium.
The record-setting night was part of a bigger statistical run for the Arizona quarterback. He threw four touchdown passes against Northern Illinois, which lifted him to 80 career touchdown passes. That means Fifita already owns Arizona’s career touchdown pass record, a mark he set in 2025.
His name is all over the program ledger. Fifita also owns Arizona records for 527 passing yards in a 59-23 win at Arizona State in 2023, 29 touchdown passes in 2025, 10,297 total yards and 86 total touchdowns responsible for. Foles had previously held the total offense record at 9,712.
Fifita’s latest performance also kept his 2026 season moving at a fast clip. He is 77-of-95 passing for 834 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception, and he has added 22 carries for 66 yards and two scores on the ground.
Against Northern Illinois, his 91.2 completion percentage was the second-best of his career in a game with more than four pass attempts. The only other times Fifita has completed more than 90 percent of his passes came in a 24-of-26 outing for 269 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in a 31-28 loss at Houston in 2025, and Saturday’s win over Northern Illinois.
There are still more Arizona records within reach. Foles still owns the program marks for completions and attempts, with 933 and 1,396, respectively. Fifita has 862 career completions and 1,305 attempts, putting him on pace to threaten both later this season.
And there’s another milestone in sight, too. Fifita now has a chance to become the first Arizona quarterback to reach 100 career touchdown passes, while also moving toward his own single-season touchdown passing record.
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Arizona Faces An Early Test Brent Brennan Cant Keep Ignoring
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That makes this week at Washington State a useful measuring stick for Arizona, especially with a sizable number attached to the game. The Cougars are only 1-2 and have been outscored by FBS opponents this season, so the Wildcats should be expected to handle business. The question Brennan cant quite avoid yet is whether Arizona can start pairing the wins with more convincing finishes. [Read more 🡒]