Arizona Faces Final 2024 Road Test at TCU

TUCSON, Ariz. — The Arizona Wildcats (4-6, 2-5) face their final road game of the season this Saturday in Fort Worth, a 1:00 p.m. MST contest against the TCU Horned Frogs (6-4, 4-3) at Amon G. Carter Stadium.

Saturday's game will be televised on ESPN+ with Richard Cross (PxP) and Barrett Brooks (Analyst) on the call and broadcast live on Wildcats Radio 1290 AM with play-by-play from Brian Jeffries.

The Wildcats found their way back into the win column on Friday as they decisively took down the Houston Cougars at home, 27-3. 

Arizona has two games remaining on their schedule and will need to win both to attain bowl eligibility for a second consecutive season.

For more information on Saturday's road contest, continue reading below.

Arizona Notes and Numbers

• The Arizona Wildcats travel to TCU for the third matchup in series history. Richard Cross (PxP) and Barrett Brooks (Analyst) are the broadcast crew on ESPN+. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. MST. Arizona looks to win two straight for the second time this season.
• This is the third matchup in series history, with the series tied 1-1. Arizona and TCU last matched up on Sep. 27, 2003, in Tucson. The Wildcats fell 13-10 to the Horned Frogs in overtime. Arizona won its previous road contest against TCU, 35-31 on Sep. 5, 1999, in Fort Worth.
• QB Noah Fifita has thrown 41-career touchdowns which is 10th in program history. He is one touchdown away from tying Keith Smith and Ortege Jenkins (42 TD) for eighth in Arizona football history.
• Fifita is also 10th in program history with 5,545-career passing yards, moving past Ortege Jenkins (5,424 yards; 1997-2000). He is 178 passing yards away from tying Dan White (5,723) for ninth in program history.
• WR Tetairoa McMillan has 3,170-career receiving yards, which is the fourth-most in program history. He is 62 yards away from passing Mike Thomas (3,231 yards, 2005-08) for third in program history.
• McMillan is second the nation with 1,136 receiving yards this season, trailing only Nick Nash (1,282) with San José State. He is one of three receivers in FBS with over 1,000 receiving yards this season. McMillan is the first player in program history to record 1,000-plus receiving yards in back-to-back seasons.
• DB Genesis Smith was named Big 12 Co-Defensive Player of the Week on Monday after recording a career-high seven tackles, grabbing one interception, and forcing a fumble in Arizona's 27-3 victory over Houston.

By The Numbers…

TAKING ON TCU: The Arizona Wildcats (4-6, 2-5 Big 12) travel to TCU (6-4, 4-3 Big 12) for the third matchup in series history. Richard Cross (Play-by-play) and Barrett Brooks (Analyst) have the broadcast on ESPN+ ($). Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. MST. Arizona looks to win two straight for the first time this season after dropping five consecutive games prior to the 27-3 win over Houston last week. This is the third matchup in series history with the series tied 1-1. Arizona and TCU last matched up on Sep. 27, 2003, in Tucson. The Wildcats fell 13-10 to the Horned Frogs in overtime. Arizona won its previous road contest against TCU, 35-31 on Sep. 5, 1999, in Fort Worth.

LAST TIME OUT: Arizona went into victory formation for the first time in 48 days and running back Quali Conley celebrated with a backflip. Ending a long losing streak deserved to evoke that kind of joy from the Wildcats. Noah Fifita threw for two touchdowns, Conley scored twice and Arizona ended a five-game losing streak with a 27-3 win over Houston on Friday night. Fifita hit Tetairoa McMillan on a touchdown pass in the first quarter and found Conley for another score to open the third. Conley added a 50-yard touchdown run and the Wildcats (4-6, 2-5 Big 12) shut down the Cougars most of the night to bounce back from a blowout loss to UCF two weeks ago. "We're fired up," Arizona coach Brent Brennan said. "It feels good. The locker room is super electric. We were super focused on just getting one, we had to win one and now we get to celebrate." Houston (4-6, 3-4) couldn't sustain the momentum from consecutive wins over Utah and No. 20 Kansas State. The Cougars moved the ball fairly well in the first half, but lost two fumbles, threw an interception and turned it over on downs four times. "We didn't do a great job being smart and being plus in the turnover (margin)," Houston coach Willie Fritz said, "We had some foolish penalties, guys trying to do too much and not doing their job." J'Marion Burnette lost a fumble on Houston's opening drive, Zeon Chriss threw an interception, and the Cougars turned it over on downs twice in Arizona's end in the first half - one on fourth-and-goal from the 2. Houston's only points came on Jack Martin's 49-yard field goal. Arizona was only slightly better. The Wildcats went three and out four times in the first half and didn't get a field goal off when holder Michael Salgado-Medina bobbled the snap. Arizona had the half's lone touchdown on a free play when Houston jumped offsides. Fifita threw the ball up for grabs in the end zone and McMillan outleaped the defensive back for a 33-yard touchdown. Tyler Loop kicked a school-record 62-yard field goal on the final play to give Arizona a 10-3 lead. Arizona ran away with it in the second half. The Wildcats moved quickly down the field on their opening drive of the third quarter, going up 17-3 on Conley's 13-yard touchdown catch. Houston opened the second half with another miscue. The Cougars tried a fake punt, but the pass was incomplete, setting up Arizona for a 51-yard field goal by Loop. Conley put the game out of reach with his 50-yard TD run up the middle that made it 27-3. "All week in practice we talked about finishing," Conley said. Genesis Smith had quite a night. Arizona's safety had an interception, recovered a fumble, broke up a pass and finished with seven tackles, including 1 1/2 for a loss. "We all just continue to see Genesis grow and develop as a player," Brennan said. "He continues to find the football; he continues to make plays behind the line of scrimmage and he's absolutely a guy we count on." Arizona played the way it needed to in ending a long losing streak. Fifita threw for 224 yards on 20-of-35 passing and the defense had far better tackling than the previous five games. Houston couldn't take advantage of its early offensive successes and let the game get away by being outscored 17-0 in the third quarter.

SMITH NAMED BIG 12 CO-DEFENSIVE POTW: Arizona football defensive back Genesis Smith has earned Big 12 Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors after his performance in the 27-3 win over Houston, as announced today by the Conference. Genesis Smith recorded a career-high seven tackles, grabbed one interception, and recovered one fumble in Arizona's 27-3 win over Houston last Friday. It marks the first conference weekly honor for the sophomore defensive back. Smith became the fourth Wildcat honored by the Big 12 this season. Smith made six solo tackles, one assisted tackle, and 1.5 tackles for loss alongside one pass breakup in the stifling effort against Houston. The Wildcats held an opponent without a touchdown for the first time since the beginning of the 2023 season. The sophomore defensive back from Chandler has made four or more tackles in each of his last six games with 3.5 tackles for loss as he has become a starter on defense. Smith is fourth on the team in tackles (46.0), leads the team in interceptions (3), second on the team in pass breakups (5), and 5th on the team in tackles for loss (3.5) this season. Arizona came away with a dominant 27-3 victory, improving to 4-6 on the season and keeping the program's bowl game hopes alive. The three points surrendered to Houston match the fewest points allowed by an Arizona defense in a conference game since shutting out Oregon State during the 1993 season. The Wildcats surrendered three points to Oregon in 1998, Stanford in 2000, and Cal in 2021.

LAST GAME INDIVIDUAL NOTES:

• K Tyler Loop connected on a program-record 62-yard field goal as time expired in the first half.
  • It bested the previous program long field goal by five yards (previous: 57 yards, five times, last, Lucas Havrisik vs. Utah, Nov. 12, 2021).
  • Loop is only the 36th player in college football history to connect on a field goal of 62+ yards, and the second this year (64 yards, Maddux Trujillo, Temple).
  • Loop now has 318 career points, the third most in program history.
• WR Tetairoa McMillan hauled in his 25th career touchdown catch in the first quarter. It gave him sole possession of third place on the Arizona career leaderboard.
  • He has now scored a touchdown in three straight games after going six consecutive contests without finding the end zone.
• McMillan finished the game with 70 yards through the air and moved into third place in program history in receiving yards (3,240).
  • He posted the 27th 50+ yard performance of his career, and his eighth this season.
• QB Noah Fifita finished the night going 20-of-35 for 224 yards and jumped into the Arizona all-time top ten in passing yards (5,545), moving past Ortege Jenkins (5,424 yards; 1997-2000).
• RB Quali Conley posted the fifth 100-yard game of his career against Houston. He finished with 107 yards and one touchdown on 11 attempts.
  • Conley also hauled in a receiving touchdown against Houston, the first of his Arizona career and fourth of his collegiate career.
• DB Marquis Groves-Killebrew recorded the first sack of his career.
• DB Owen Goss led the Wildcats defense with a career-high nine tackles, four of which were solo stops. Goss also tallied 1.5 tackles for loss and his first career pass breakup.

LAST GAME TEAM NOTES:

• Arizona earned their first win since their Big 12 Conference opener at Utah on Sept. 28.
• Last Friday’s victory improved the Wildcats to 4-6 (2-5 Big 12) and kept the program’s bowl game hopes alive.
• The three points allowed by the Wildcats defense are the fewest of the season, and the fewest since holding Northern Arizona to three in the 2023 season opener (38-3).
• Three points are the fewest allowed by a Brent Brennan defense since San José State shut out Hawai’i, 35-0, in 2023.
• The Wildcats defense held the Cougars to just 326 yards of total offense, the fewest since they limited Northern Arizona to 182 in week two.
• 27 points marked the most scored by the Wildcats since the 61-39 win over New Mexico to open the season. »Arizona’s defense posted four turnovers on downs on Friday night, their second time coming up with four fourth down stops this season (also, at Utah).
• Friday night marks the first time Arizona lead a game at halftime (10-3) since they were in front of Utah, 10-3, in the fourth game of the year.
• Arizona has now won the turnover battle twice this year and won both games (also: at Utah).

TRACKING HISTORY:

• WR Tetairoa McMillan has 25 career receiving TD, the third most in program history. He is five receiving TD away from tying Theopolis Bell (1972-75) for second in program history with 30 career receiving TD.
• McMillan has 3,240 career receiving yards, the third most in program history. He is 13 yards away from passing Dennis Northcutt (3,252 yards, 1996-99) for second in program history.
• McMillan has eleven 100-yard receiving games in his career. He is tied with Mike Thomas (2005-08) and Juron Criner (2008-11) for third all-time with 11 career 100-yard receiving games.
• McMillan entered the day ranked second in the nation, and first in the Big 12, with 1,066 receiving yards this year.
• QB Noah Fifita has 41 career passing TD which ranks 10th all-time. He is one TD away from moving up the leaderboard into a tie for eighth with Keith Smith (1996-99) and Ortege Jenkins (1997-00) at 42 career passing touchdowns.
• Fifita is currently 10th in program history with 5,545 career passing yards. He is 179 yards from passing Dan White (5,723 yards, 1993-95) for 9th in program history.
• K Tyler Loop has 318 career points, the third most in program history. He is 20 points shy of passing Art Luppino (337 points, 1953-56) for second all-time.
• Loop currently boasts an 84.42% (65-of-77) career field goals made percentage, which would be the best mark in program history (min. 30 made FG).

LOSING STREAK SNAPPED: The Wildcats took down Houston 27-3 to snap their five-game losing skid and get back in the win column for the first time since Sep. 28, 2024, at Utah (23-10). Arizona has yet to surpass the 30-point plateau since a 61-39 win over New Mexico to open the season. It marked the second win in Big 12 play and kept the program’s bowl game hopes alive with a 4-6 record with two games to play.

ONE THOUSAND CLUB: Tetairoa McMillan became the first Arizona wide receiver to record back-to-back 1,000-plus-yard receiving seasons (2023: 1,402, 2024: 1,136). He is also climbing up the career receptions list in program history with 198 (5th).

ARIZONA’S BEST WIDE OUT: Tetairoa McMillan gained 202 yards receiving on 10 receptions against West Virginia (10/26). McMillan’s 202 yards were the 11th most in a single game in program history. He now owns three of the top 12 receiving performances in program history. He caught a touchdown in back-to-back games for the first time this season. McMillan is seventh among active FBS wide outs in career receiving yards (3,240).

T-MAC: Tetairoa McMillan is third in program history in career-receiving touchdowns (25), 3rd in career-receiving yards in program history (3,240). He has now recorded the most receiving yards in a single game (304) and the third-most receiving yards in a single game in program history in 2023 (266; at ASU, Nov. 25, 2023). McMillan pulled in 202 yards for his 11th 100-plus-yard receiving game of his career against WVU. He finished with 161 receiving yards on eight receptions against Texas Tech (10/5). His 11 100-yard performances are tied for third in program history. T-Mac is third nationally in receiving yards (982). He leads the Big 12 in receiving yards and tied for fourth in the conference in receiving touchdowns (4). McMillan has caught a pass in 23 straight games. With 84 yards receiving at UCF (11/2), McMillan crossed the 1,000-yard mark on the year. It marked the 12th 1,000-yard receiving season in Arizona Football history and second for McMillan.

QB1: Quarterback Noah Fifita’s career-completion percentage is 65.9% (467-709 for 5,545 yards and 41 TD) which is second in program history behind Super Bowl Champion Nick Foles (66.8%, 360-for-531). Fifita’s season high was 422 yards passing and four touchdowns against New Mexico (8/31) to open the season. He has passed for more than 300 yards twice in nine games this season. Fifita has thrown two touchdowns in each of his last three games. Fifita has thrown a touchdown in 8 of 10 games played this season. Fifita is 10th in program history with 5,545-career passing yards.

ONE OF THE NATION’S BEST PASSERS: Redshirt sophomore quarterback Noah Fifita ranks 24th nationally in passing yards per game (254.8). He is 23rd nationally in total passing yards (2,548) and 17th in the nation in pass attempts per game (35.7). Fifita is 23rd nationally in completions (217).

SWARM TO THE BALL: The three points allowed by the Wildcats defense against Houston (11/15) are the fewest of the season, and the fewest since holding Northern Arizona to three in the 2023 season opener (38-3). Three points are the fewest allowed by a Brent Brennan defense since San Jose State shut out Hawai’i, 35-0, in 2023. The Wildcats defense held the Cougars to just 326 yards of total offense, the fewest since they limited Northern Arizona to 182 in week two. Dalton Johnson leads the Wildcats with 70 total tackles which are good for 13 in the Big 12. Genesis Smith is 10th in the conference with three interceptions.

OVER QUALI-FIED: Senior RB Quali Conley recorded his first 100-plus yard rushing game with Arizona (112 vs. NAU, 9/7), and since he rushed for 155 yards against San Diego State on 11/18/23. He recently notched his second 100-yard rushing game (107 on 11 carries w/1 TD) with Arizona against Houston last Saturday (11/15). Conley broke off a 58-yard rush on Arizona’s first drive of the game, marking his longest rush with the Wildcats and the second longest of his career (Longest: 68 yards vs. New Mexico, 10/14/23). Conley matched his career-high in receptions with five against NAU (9/7) (2x; last: vs. Air Force, 9/22/23). Conley has rushed for eight touchdowns this season and made his first touchdown reception with Arizona last week (11/15 vs. Houston).

LACES OUT: Tyler Loop set the program record for most consecutive extra-points made (119-of-119) prior to missing a pair of extra-point attempts and he is now 123-for-125 in his career. Loop is chasing down the top-career field goal percentage (84.4%, 65 of 77) in program history. He is third in career-scoring in program history (318; 2022-present). He booted a program best 62-yard field goal against Houston (11/15) last week. Loop set a program record with five made field goals against Texas Tech (10/5), marking the most field goals made (5) and attempted (6) in a single game in program history. Loop is fifth among active kickers in FBS in field goal percentage (84.4%, 65-77).

CREATING TURNOVERS: Against Colorado (10/19), Arizona forced multiple turnovers in a game for the fourth time this season. That matches the same number of games with a turnover forced that Arizona has had in both 2023 and 2022. Arizona’s last season with more than four games forcing two-plus turnovers was 2017 (eight). The Wildcats forced three fumbles at UCF (11/2) but were unable to recover a fumble. It marked the most fumbles forced this season. Arizona’s defense won the turnover battle for the second time this season against Houston (11/15), forcing two fumbles and grabbing one interception. Genesis Smith becomes the first Wildcat this season to recover a fumble and make an interception in the same game. The Wildcats have recorded seven interceptions and seven fumble recoveries through 10 games this season. DB Owen Goss has introduced himself to the Big 12 with the second most forced fumbles (3) and the second most fumbles recovered (2).

CHRISTMAS CATS: Arizona defensive back Genesis Smith has stated the Genesis Smith Foundation. The first building block for the nonprofit Genesis Smith Foundation: “Christmas Cats,” an initiative to donate presents to Tucson- and Phoenix-area families during the holidays. Family nominations and monetary donations can be made through the Genesis Smith Foundation Instagram page (@genesissmithfdn) or the Christmas Cats website. In the following weeks, the Genesis Smith Foundation will pick families and create an “Amazon Wishlist,” which will be revealed on Friday, Nov. 29. The genesis of Smith’s foundation and generosity during the holiday season is the foundation “One Last Chance,” founded by his late grandmother, Tonia, who “was really big in the Phoenix area,” said Smith, a Chandler native and Hamilton High School product. “She had a bunch of food shelters where she would store the food, and we would go out and give out food after church during Christmas time and Thanksgiving,” Smith said. “Growing up, we would go out and drop off turkeys. Most of the time, we went out out to church and then go out to give out food during Christmas time. That was always a tradition of ours.”

WILDCATS IN THE NFL: Arizona currently has 11 players on NFL rosters during the 2024 season. Former offensive lineman Jordan Morgan was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the first round (25th overall) following the 2023 season. He was the first first-round selection since Antoine Cason was picked 27th overall in 2008. He joined a list that includes Cason (2008; 27th, San Diego), Trung Canidate (2000; 31st, St. Louis), Chris McAlister (1999; 10th, Baltimore), John Fina (1992; 27th, Buffalo), Chris Singleton (1990; 8th, New England), Anthony Smith (1990; 11th, Oakland), Rickey Hunley (1984; 7th, Cincinnati), Mike Dawson (1976; 22nd, Arizona), Bill Lueck (1968; 26, Green Bay), and Walt Nelson (1939; 10th, New York Giants) to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. Wide receiver Jacob Cowing was picked in the fourth round (135th overall) by the San Francisco 49ers and became the highest wide receiver selected since Mike Thomas in 2009 (4th Rd, 107 overall by Jacksonville) and the first wide receiver since Juron Criner (5th Rd, 168th overall by Oakland) in 2012. Tight End Tanner McLachlan was the third Wildcat selected in the 2024 NFL Draft when the Cincinnati Bengals picked him the 6th round (194 overall). The three draft picks matched the most selected in one draft since 2014 when Ka’Deem Carey (4th Rd, 117 overall), Shaquille Richardson (5th Rd, 157th overall), and Marquis Flowers (6th Rd, 212 overall) were picked in the 2014 NFL Draft.

Current Wildcats on NFL Rosters (as of 11/17/24)

*Practice Squad