No. 22 Arizona improbably comes back to beat TCU in wild finish

No. 22 Arizona rallied to defeat TCU, 29-28, after a diving Quincy Craig touchdown grab, a recovered onside kick, a Michael Salgado-Medina field goal and a Tyrese Boss interception all in the final two minutes.

Coming off a loss to No. 15 Texas Tech last Saturday and with a date with No. 3 Utah set for next Saturday; the Wildcats (7-2) narrowly avoided losing a trap game to a 4-5 Horned Frogs team on a late Friday night at Casino Del Sol Stadium to keep their Big 12 title hopes alive.

After the Wildcats trailed 28-20 with 6:35 remaining, Noah Fifita led a touchdown drive, which culminated in Craig’s incredible 14-yard touchdown grab on a wheel route with 1:43 remaining.

QUINCY CRAIG 🤯 https://t.co/htJQlcL1QM

— Arizona Football (@ArizonaFBall) November 7, 2026

The running back redeemed himself after fumbling the ball two plays prior, which was recovered by Fifita on the 15-yard-line (but resulted in the loss of five yards). The touchdown was upheld after a review, but Arizona could not convert the would-be-tying two-point conversion.

Arizona’s Zuri Watson then recovered a pooch onside kick after the touchdown, giving the Wildcats new signs of life.

ARIZONA RECOVERS THE KICK 😱

📺 ESPN https://t.co/jAgvCikYkx

— Big 12 Studios (@big12studios) November 7, 2026

After three short runs from the Wildcats, the inconsistent Salgado-Medina later nailed a 37-yard field goal with 38 seconds left to give Arizona a one-point advantage, its first lead since midway through the third quarter.

KICK IS GOOD ‼️ WILDCATS TAKE THE LEAD. https://t.co/tyzKy15aXO

— Arizona Football (@ArizonaFBall) November 7, 2026

Boss then sealed the Wildcats’ win with an interception, the antithesis of how Arizona found itself facing the deficit after its shorthanded secondary was repeatedly targeted and exposed.

Tyrese Boss called GAME 😤

📺 ESPN https://t.co/WK0e651hbi

— Big 12 Studios (@big12studios) November 7, 2026

Arizona finished the game without four of its defensive backs, and the Horned Frogs made the Wildcats pay.

Arguably Arizona’s best defender, Jay’Vion Cole, was ruled out prior to the start of the game with a leg injury, along with the injured Cam Chapa, while Malcolm Hartzog went to the injury tent late in the first quarter.

Dwight Bootle II started in place of Cole, and Bootle and was targeted repeatedly by TCU quarterback Jaden Craig. The defensive back was kept on an island in single coverage and nearly every throw from Craig in Bootle’s direction resulted in Bootle either giving up a chunk play or a pass interference penalty (he gave up three on the evening).

The mismatch with Bootle and TCU wide receiver Jordan Dwyer resulted in 86 receiving yards for Dwyer on nine receptions.

In addition to the injuries to Cole, Chapa and Hartzog, Quinn Olson, who started at free safety in place of Chapa, headed to the medical tent in the fourth quarter, with what appeared could have been a concussion. Defensive back Dajon Hinton returned for the Wildcats on Friday after not playing since the Holiday Bowl defeat last season.

Fifita finished 24 of 37 with 313 passing yards and two touchdowns to one interception. He looked sharp in the game’s early stages starting 9 of 11, with the Wildcats scoring on the first two drives before the offense went cold and was kept off the board for the next five possessions.

The man issue was Fifita largely had no time, the culmination of his offensive line giving him no protection. It was namely right tackle Tristan Bounds getting beat ad nauseum, which proved to be an issue for the Wildcats.

Fifita did make a costly mistake, which allowed the Horned Frogs back into the game. After leading 10-0 at one point, Fifita forced an ill-advised pass attempt to Giovanni Richardson, which turned into a 93-yard pick-six from TCU linebacker Hudson Hooper, and Arizona found itself trailing 14-10 with 4:09 left in the first half.

HUDSON HOOPER PICK SIXXXXXX https://t.co/TittHhQb7F

— TCU Football (@TCUFootball) November 7, 2026

Richardson was excellent on the evening and finished with a career-high 11 receptions and 171 receiving yards.

Arizona remained without running back Ismail Mahdi and linebacker Max Harris, who had their emergency appeal denied by the Pima County Superior Court on Friday.

Official attendance

40,501

Up next for Arizona

The Wildcats will now host No. 3 Utah (8-0, 5-0) at Casino Del Sol Stadium next Saturday. The Utes have a showdown with No. 9 BYU in Salt Lake City on Saturday, leading up to the matchup against Arizona.

Related

Arizona appears in 1st College Football Playoff rankings of 2026 seasonArizona Wildcats still in AP Top 25 despite loss vs. Texas TechRed Raiders’ running game haunts Wildcats, as Arizona falls to Texas TechNoah Fifita played half of 2025 season with torn MCLArizona’s Gio Richardson, Chris Hunter upgraded to probable ahead of Texas Tech showdownBrent Brennan bought shots for a full bar of Arizona fans: ‘It was a good 5 minutes’