Arizona rallied from 14 points down to beat Washington State 34-24, finishing nonconference play 3-0. SB Nation gave the offense and coaching B grades and the defense and special teams B-minus grades; Noah Fifita threw for 297 yards and four touchdowns with one interception.
Arizona totaled 447 yards, including 150 rushing, and converted all three red-zone trips. Tre Spivey led receivers with 129 yards and two touchdowns, while Ismail Mahdi rushed for 63 yards on 10 carries. The defense allowed 335 yards, forced two turnovers—Cam Chapa's interception and Everett Roussaw Jr.'s forced fumble, recovered by Tre Smith—and held Washington State to 4-for-14 on third down. After a 46-yard Cougars touchdown, Arizona sealed the win with a fourth-down stop.
Arizona's special teams missed a 42-yard field goal and had a 43-yard try blocked, but Michael Salgado-Medina later made kicks from 27 and 51 yards; Tre Smith also blocked a Washington State field goal. The Wildcats are 3-1 overall and 0-1 in the Big 12 and next host unbeaten Cincinnati in their conference home opener.
