Arizona’s Noah Fifita scored two touchdowns, Tyler Loop kicked a school-record 62-yard field goal and the Wildcats snapped a five-game losing streak with a 27-3 victory over Houston on Friday night in Tucson, Ariz. .
Fifita completed 20 of 35 passes for 224 yards for the Wildcats (4-6, 2-5 Big 12), who never trailed and went up 27-3 on Quali Conley’s 50-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter. Conley had scored on a 13-yard field goal earlier in the quarter.
Houston (4-6, 3-4), which entered the game third-to-last nationally in scoring (15.2 points per game), committed three turnovers and turned the ball over on downs four times, including a fourth-and-goal. from the 1 in the second quarter and on a fake punt near the field in the third quarter.
Loop ended the first half with his 62-yard field goal, breaking Arizona’s record of 57, which was held by four players. Loop added a 51-yard field goal in the third quarter.
Conley finished with 107 yards on 11 carries. Tetairoa McMillan caught six passes for 70 yards and a touchdown. Arizona safety Genesis Smith had a fumble and a fumble recovery to go with seven tackles, 1.5 for a loss.
Houston, which had won three of its last four games, failed to reach double-digit points for the fourth time this season. The Cougars’ last scoring chance came on a fumble inside the Arizona 10 with 4:27 left.
Cougars quarterback Zeon Chriss completed 16 of 27 passes for a combined 191 yards. He also rushed for 55 yards on 18 carries.
The Wildcats scored first on a 33-yard touchdown pass to McMillan midway through the first quarter as Fifita threw left and passed out of the back of the end zone. Arizona took the lead early in the second quarter by breaking up a pass on fourth-and-goal.
Arizona squandered an opportunity with four minutes left in the half when Michael Salgado-Medina dropped a snap on a 28-yard field goal attempt.
Houston’s Jack Martin kicked a 49-yard field goal to make it 7-3 with 42 seconds left before halftime before the Wildcats drove into the Loop 62-yard field goal. He is 5 of 7 this season on field goals of 50-plus yards.
–Field Level Media
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