If only there was a week off between every game, Arizona might be unbeaten.
The Wildcats made the most of their extra time to prepare after a bye, using a dominant defense, some timely offense and Tyler Loop’s NFL leg to snap a 5-game skid and beat Houston 27-3 on Friday night at Arizona Stadium.
It was the first win for Arizona (4-6, 2-5 Big 12) since beating then-No. 10 Utah on the road on Sept. 28, which also came after a bye, and helped the Wildcats stave off being eliminated from bowl consideration. The UA has to win its final two games, Nov. 23 at TCU and Nov. 30 at home against ASU.
Arizona got two touchdowns from Quali Conley, one rushing and one passing, two takeaways from Genesis Smith and two field goals from Loop, including a school-record 62-yarder to end the first half. Noah Fifita threw for 224 yards and two TDs, with a pick, and Tetairoa McMillan moved closer to the school career receiving record.
Conley had his second 100-yard rushing game with the UA, going for 107 on 11 carries including a 50-yard score, while McMillan had six catches for 70 yards and a TD to get within 112 yards of Bobby Wade’s career mark with at least two games to go.
The Wildcat defense kept Houston (4-6, 3-4) from maximizing the legs of mobile quarterback Zeon Chriss, effectively taking away its best offensive weapon. Chriss ran for 55 yards but was sacked twice and only gained 10-plus yards twice, and through the air he was 16 of 27 for 191 yards and an interception after going 11 for 11 in an upset win over then-No. 20 Kansas State two weeks ago.
Arizona held Houston to 2 for 13 on 3rd down and stopped the Cougars on all four 4th-down attempts, including at the 1-yard line when it was only a 7-0 game. The Wildcats also forced three turnovers, two on fumbles.
Arizona led 10-3 at the half, its first halftime lead since the season opener, thanks to Loop’s school-record 62-yard field goal. The boot, which may have been good from 70, surpassed Lucas Havrisik’s 57-yarders in 2017 and 2021.
That’s a PROGRAM RECORD 62-yarder from @tyler_loop!!
FS1 pic.twitter.com/bXKxlnkcKR
— Arizona Football (@ArizonaFBall) November 16, 2024
The Wildcats made it 17-3 with 10:01 left in the third on a 13-yard TD catch by Conley, who leaked out of the backfield and was all alone along the sidelines. It was their first 2-score lead since the 23-10 win at Utah in late September.
Houston faked a punt on its next possession, and had Arizona completely fooled, but the wide-open throw bounced. It was the third time the Wildcats had forced a turnover on downs, and Loop kicked a 51-yard field goal to make it 20-3 with 6:15 left in the third.
Arizona’s next scoring drive was a single play, a 50-yard TD run by Conley to make it 27-3 with 4:27 to go in the third. Before that run the Wildcats had gained 16 yards on 19 carries including sack yardage.
Houston turned it over for a third time with just over four minutes left when Dominic Lolesio knocked out a fumble and Owen Goss recovered at the UA 5.
After starting the game on offense but going 3-and-out, Arizona got a much-needed early boost from the defense when Stanley Ta’ufo’ou forced a fumble and Genesis Smith recovered. Seven plays later, the Wildcats had its first lead in more than 231 minutes of game play.
Houston jumped offsides, giving the UA a free play, and Fifita threw it up to McMillan in the end zone for a 33-yard TD pass and a 7-0 lead with 8:28 left in the first quarter. Arizona hadn’t led since being up 7-0 at BYU on Oct. 12.
The Cougars looked poise to tie it early in the second quarter when a couple long runs got them inside the UA 10. But with three snaps from inside the 2-yard-line Houston couldn’t score, with Arizona forcing an incompletion on 4th-and-goal from the 1.
Smith picked off Chriss a few minutes later, but Arizona couldn’t capitalize despite driving into the red zone. After stalling at the 11, a 29-yard field goal attempt never happened as holder Michael Salgado-Medina dropped the snap and was tackled for a 9-yard loss.
It was Arizona’s third poor snap/hold on a field goal or PAT in the past three games.
Houston turned that UA mistake into points, a 49-yard field goal by Jack Martin with 42 seconds left before halftime, only to see Loop more than one up that with his 62-yarder to end the half.