No. 22 Arizona beat TCU 29-28 on Friday in Tucson, rallying from a fourth-quarter deficit to win on Michael Salgado-Medina's 37-yard field goal in the final minute. The Wildcats outgained the Horned Frogs 441 yards to 281. A 93-yard interception return and 10 penalties for 111 yards are why it came down to the last kick.
How It Happened
Arizona struck first when Noah Fifita hit Isaiah Mizell for a 20-yard touchdown at 10:39 of the first quarter. Salgado-Medina added a 43-yard field goal late in the quarter, and the Wildcats looked in control.
TCU answered in the second. Jaden Craig ran in from 7 yards midway through the quarter. Then Hudson Hooper returned an interception 93 yards for a touchdown with 4:09 left, sending TCU to the half in front.
Fifita took the lead back with a 9-yard touchdown run midway through the third. TCU went ahead again late in the quarter on Craig's 6-yard pass to Jordan Dwyer.
Salgado-Medina's 23-yard field goal with 14:57 left pulled Arizona within a point. Craig's 2-yard run at 6:35 stretched TCU's lead to a full score. Fifita found Quincy Craig for a 15-yard touchdown with 1:45 left, but the two-point pass failed and Arizona still trailed. The Wildcats got the ball back, and Salgado-Medina hit from 37 yards with 38 seconds remaining.
Key Performers
Noah Fifita, Arizona: 20-yard TD pass to Isaiah Mizell, 9-yard TD run, 15-yard TD pass to Quincy Craig
Michael Salgado-Medina, Arizona: field goals of 43, 23 and 37 YDS
Jaden Craig, TCU: 7-yard TD run, 6-yard TD pass to Jordan Dwyer, 2-yard TD run
Hudson Hooper, TCU: 93-yard interception return TD
Arizona offense: 441 YDS – 313 passing, 128 rushing on 33 ATT (3.9 per carry)
TCU offense: 281 YDS – 232 passing, 49 rushing on 21 ATT (2.3 per carry)
The yardage tells you which team moved the ball. Arizona averaged 8.5 yards per pass to TCU's 5.7, and the Wildcats were well ahead on the ground. TCU managed little with its run game, yet Craig still ran in two touchdowns.
Arizona's problem was self-inflicted. The Wildcats committed 10 penalties for 111 yards, and their lone turnover became TCU's 93-yard touchdown. TCU stayed close because it converted 6 of 12 third downs, better than Arizona's 5 of 14.
What It Means
Arizona moves to 7-2 and stays unbeaten in Tucson at 5-0. The road record, 2-2, is ordinary by comparison. This was not a dominant home win, but the Wildcats found a way to close it out on their own field again.
For a ranked team hosting an unranked opponent, needing a final-minute kick is a warning. Arizona cannot count on overcoming 111 penalty yards and a pick-six every week.
TCU falls to 4-5 and 1-2 on the road. The Horned Frogs got two scores from Craig on the ground, one through the air and a defensive touchdown, and still lost. With a run game managing 2.3 yards per carry, the margin for error was always going to be thin.