No. 25 Arizona scored on its first four possessions to cruise to a 39-3 win over Iowa State in a Big 12 Conference game on Saturday in Tucson, Ariz.
The Wildcats (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) have won five consecutive games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1992-93. They are bowl eligible in consecutive years for the first time since 2014-15 and are a game back in the loss column for first place in the Big 12.
Noah Fifita threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns on 27-of-34 passing, increasing his career TD passes to 91, first among active FBS players. His younger brother Dash Fifita, a first-year linebacker, had 2.5 tackles for loss and two sacks, while receiver Isaiah Mizell caught eight passes for 134 yards and a score.
Iowa State (3-4, 1-3) dropped to 0-4 against ranked teams this season, finishing with 221 yards to Arizona’s 477. Cyclones quarterback Jaylen Raynor (8-for-10, 106 yards) was benched at halftime for Connor Moberly (7 of 17, 63). Running back Aidan Flora, who was second in the Big 12 in rushing, finished with only 36 yards on 12 carries.
The Wildcats led 25-3 at halftime, outgaining Iowa State 321-112 in the opening 30 minutes. After a scoreless third quarter, Fifita threw a 40-yard TD pass to Henry Gabalis with 6:41 left. Backup quarterback Sawyer Anderson finished things off with a 4-yard scoring run.
Gabalis also threw a two-point pass on Arizona’s first score of the game, a 71-yard TD pass from Fifita to Mizell less than a minute in.
Quincy Craig’s 6-yard run made it 15-0 just midway through the first quarter. After trading field goals, Arizona went up 25-3 on a 5-yard run by Kedrick Reescano with 1:55 left in the first half.
Arizona hits the road to take on current No. 8 Texas Tech on Oct. 31, while Iowa State hosts Oklahoma State on Halloween.