No. 24 Arizona Stuns TCU 29-28 After Onside Pooch Kick Sets Up Late Field Goal

No. 24 Arizona rallied to beat TCU 29-28 in a game that ended early Saturday in Tucson, with Michael Salgado-Medina kicking a 37-yard field goal with 39 seconds left after the Wildcats recovered an onside pooch kick, according to the Associated Press. The game kicked off at 8:15 p.m. MST Friday.

Arizona improved to 7-2 and TCU fell to 4-5, per Arizona Athletics’ game center.

How the finish unfolded

TCU led 28-20 after quarterback Jaden Craig’s 2-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Then the final two minutes flipped the game:

1. Touchdown, failed 2-point try: Noah Fifita threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Quincy Craig with 1:45 left, AP reported, but the 2-point conversion failed, leaving Arizona down 28-26.
2. The onside pooch kick: Arizona lined up for an onside kick, and Ian French floated the ball over TCU’s front line. TCU’s Ed Small couldn’t make an over-the-shoulder catch, and Arizona’s Zuri Watson recovered at the TCU 26.
3. The winning kick: Four plays later, Salgado-Medina made the 37-yard field goal.
4. The seal: Tyrese Boss intercepted a TCU pass to finish it.

AP called the TCU muff on the onside kick the moment the Horned Frogs let a win “slip through” their grasp.

Key numbers

Score by quarter, per Arizona Athletics: Arizona 10-0-7-12, TCU 0-14-7-7.

Noah Fifita’s night

Fifita threw for 313 yards and two touchdowns, AP reported. His one costly mistake came late in the first half: throwing to the flat deep in TCU territory, he didn’t see Hudson Hooper, who stepped in front of the receiver and returned the interception 93 yards for a touchdown that put TCU up 14-10 at halftime. AP said it was Fifita’s fifth interception of the season.

Arizona had opened with a crisp drive capped by Isaiah Mizell’s diving 20-yard touchdown catch, and Salgado-Medina’s 43-yard field goal made it 10-0 late in the first quarter. The rest of the half was a struggle, with Fifita having a hard time finding open receivers and his protection breaking down at times, according to AP.

For TCU, Jaden Craig ran for two touchdowns, threw for 232 yards and hit Jordan Dwyer for a 6-yard score in the third quarter.

Why it matters

AP said the win kept Arizona’s Big 12 championship hopes alive at a point when they had appeared to be gone. TCU dropped to 4-5.

What’s next

• Arizona: hosts No. 3 Utah on Nov. 14.
• TCU: hosts Kansas State on Nov. 14.

FAQ