Arizona QB Noah Fifita threw for two scores as the Wildcats upset No. 10 Utah 23-10 late Saturday night.
Fifita put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter with his second TD pass of the night. As he rolled out to his right to avoid pressure, he found Keyan Burnett in the back of the end zone for a 35-yard score with 8:13 to go.
It was the second fantastic throw of the drive from Fifita, who had hit Devin Hyatt for a 41-yard gain on third-and-long as a defender dove at Fifita’s legs just two plays earlier.
Utah played its third straight game without QB Cameron Rising. The seventh-year senior was again deemed to be a game-time decision after he suffered a right hand injury in Week 2 against Baylor. And once again, freshman Isaac Wilson started in his place.
Utah showed in a Week 4 win over Oklahoma State that it can win with Wilson at quarterback. However, the offense is much more limited with Wilson under center than Rising. That was clear in the red zone early in the game.
The Utes opened the game with a 13-play drive that stalled at the Arizona 10-yard line when Mike Mitchell was stuffed on fourth down. After Arizona kicked a field goal, Utah embarked on a 10-play, 73-yard drive that ended on fourth down at the Arizona 2 when Wilson threw an incomplete pass.
The offense’s inability to generate much was evident in the second half when coach Kyle Whittingham made the decision to punt with less than seven minutes to go instead of going for it on fourth-and-9 from the Utah 26.
Whittingham used Utah’s timeouts to get the ball back quickly, but Utah turned it over on downs without getting a first down.
A wide-open Big 12
The Utes can still be considered the favorites in the Big 12 … assuming Rising is back sooner rather than later. You can understand why Utah is being cautious with Rising, but the team is only playoff-caliber if he’s healthy.
It also helps the Utes’ case that Kansas State lost in Week 4 to BYU and Oklahoma State is now 0-2 in league play after losing to the Wildcats on Saturday. Arizona is firmly in the mix for the conference title as well as its loss to Kansas State in Week 3 didn’t count as a conference game.
Will Rising be back in time for Utah’s next game? The Utes are off in Week 6 before playing Arizona State in Week 7.