Photo by: Mike Christy / Arizona Athletics
Cats Rewind: Arizona Rushes Past Cincinnati
10/04/2026 | Football
TUCSON, Ariz. – The line of scrimmage is where the proverbial rubber meets the road. Control that real estate and you control the football game.
In their Big 12 home opener Saturday, the Arizona Wildcats did just that against the Cincinnati Bearcats, rushing for 238 yards and holding the Bearcats' rushing attack -- which was ranked seventh nationally after four weeks – to just 74 yards.
The result was a 34-7 win at Casino Del Sol Stadium before a Family Weekend crowd. The Wildcats improved to 4-1 overall and 1-1 in Big 12 play. The Bearcats are also 4-1 and 1-1.
Cincinnati entered the game averaging 270 rushing yards per contest, but Arizona's defense forced a three-and-out on the opening possession and set the tone from there. The Bearcats didn't score until garbage time.
The Wildcats racked up three sacks, seven tackles for loss and held Cincinnati to just 7 of 16 on third down and 1 of 3 on fourth down. Linebackers Taye Brown and Chase Kennedy paced Arizona with seven tackles each, while defensive lineman Dominic Lolesio posted two TFLs.
Meanwhile, Arizona's third-headed backfield monster of Antwan Roberts (87 yards), Quincy Clark (77) and Kedrick Reescano (57) helped the Wildcats keep the ball and move the chains throughout the evening. Arizona had 21 more offensive snaps than Cincinnati and had more than 35 minutes in time of possession. The Wildcats' rushing total was their best since a 2023 win over UTEP.
Quarterback Noah Fifita completed 25 of 37 passes for 284 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He also got in on the rushing fun, scampering for an eight-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Tight end Tyler Powell led the Wildcats with five receptions for 40 yards and a score, while wide receiver Isaiah Mizell had four catches for 67 yards. Arizona converted 6 of 7 red zone opportunities.
Bearcats quarterback JC French completed 16 of 29 passes for 153 yards and was his team's leading rusher with 29 yards.
For the third straight game, the Wildcats allowed a sack on their opening snap but Fifita & Co. immediately regrouped, methodically marching 75 yards to the end zone. Fifita was 5 of 6 on the drive and Reescano capped it with a 10-yard touchdown run.
The next two Arizona drives resulted in a pick for Fifita and a turnover on downs in Bearcats territory. But the Wildcats' defense didn't allow Cincinnati to capitalize on either change of possession.
The Bearcats finally found their footing early in the second quarter, driving from their 12-yard line to the Arizona 10 to set up first and goal. But on 4th and goal from the two-yard line, safety Gavin Hunter broke up a pass near the pylon and the Wildcats held.
The offense took advantage, gobbling up yards and clock. After 16 plays and 92 yards, Michael Salgado-Medina booted a 23-yard field goal, and the Wildcats took a 10-0 lead into the locker room. It was Arizona's longest scoring drive of the season.
On Arizona's first drive of the second half, Roberts burst free down the left sideline and appeared headed for a 70-yard touchdown. But Bearcats cornerback Jacob Finley knocked the ball out of Roberts' hands and the ball tumbled into the end zone. Fellow defensive back Antwan Peek then knocked the ball out of the end zone and was flagged for illegal batting.
Three plays later, Fifita slithered into the end zone for an eight-yard touchdown and Arizona had a 17-point cushion.
The Bearcats crossed midfield but then faced 4th and 5 at the Wildcats 36. French appeared to scramble for the first down, but replay ruled his knee was down short of the sticks. Arizona took over with 5:19 left in third quarter.
Fifita eluded the rush and hit Mizell for 36 yards down to the Cincinnati 17. On the next snap, the quarterback connected with wide receiver Brandon Phelps, who made a nifty move down the right sideline for a 24-yard touchdown and a 24-0 lead.
Salgado-Medina padded the margin with 35-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter and Fifita connected with Powell to punctuate a 13-play touchdown drive. French's two-yard scoring run finally got Cincinnati on the board with 1:56 left.
Quotables
"The fans, the city of Tucson, family weekend, Zona Zoo…you could feel the energy in the stadium. It was awesome tonight. That was a big time college football atmosphere. We had an undefeated time coming in here and I just thought the fans and everybody showed out. It was awesome environment to be a part of and to see."
The Wildcats venture to Morgantown, West Virginia, for the first time in school history, The Mountaineers dropped a wild 45-42 contest at Iowa State Saturday, their second straight loss after a 3-0 start. It's a coffee kickoff in Arizona -- 9 a.m. MST on TNT.
Territorial Cup
This season marks the 100th edition of the Territorial Cup so each week we will look back at one of Arizona's greatest moments in the rivalry's storied history.
In 1985, Max Zendejas booted a 32-yard field goal with 1:27 remaining, lifting the Wildcats to a 16-13 at Sun Devil Stadium before the largest crowd for a sporting event in state history (72,345). Zendejas had earlier nailed a 57-yarder to tie the game at 13. The Wildcats managed just 186 total yards but scored a touchdown on special teams and forced five turnovers, including an interception by Chuck Cecil on ASU's final drive.
In their Big 12 home opener Saturday, the Arizona Wildcats did just that against the Cincinnati Bearcats, rushing for 238 yards and holding the Bearcats' rushing attack -- which was ranked seventh nationally after four weeks – to just 74 yards.
The result was a 34-7 win at Casino Del Sol Stadium before a Family Weekend crowd. The Wildcats improved to 4-1 overall and 1-1 in Big 12 play. The Bearcats are also 4-1 and 1-1.
Cincinnati entered the game averaging 270 rushing yards per contest, but Arizona's defense forced a three-and-out on the opening possession and set the tone from there. The Bearcats didn't score until garbage time.
The Wildcats racked up three sacks, seven tackles for loss and held Cincinnati to just 7 of 16 on third down and 1 of 3 on fourth down. Linebackers Taye Brown and Chase Kennedy paced Arizona with seven tackles each, while defensive lineman Dominic Lolesio posted two TFLs.
Meanwhile, Arizona's third-headed backfield monster of Antwan Roberts (87 yards), Quincy Clark (77) and Kedrick Reescano (57) helped the Wildcats keep the ball and move the chains throughout the evening. Arizona had 21 more offensive snaps than Cincinnati and had more than 35 minutes in time of possession. The Wildcats' rushing total was their best since a 2023 win over UTEP.
Quarterback Noah Fifita completed 25 of 37 passes for 284 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He also got in on the rushing fun, scampering for an eight-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Tight end Tyler Powell led the Wildcats with five receptions for 40 yards and a score, while wide receiver Isaiah Mizell had four catches for 67 yards. Arizona converted 6 of 7 red zone opportunities.
Bearcats quarterback JC French completed 16 of 29 passes for 153 yards and was his team's leading rusher with 29 yards.
For the third straight game, the Wildcats allowed a sack on their opening snap but Fifita & Co. immediately regrouped, methodically marching 75 yards to the end zone. Fifita was 5 of 6 on the drive and Reescano capped it with a 10-yard touchdown run.
The next two Arizona drives resulted in a pick for Fifita and a turnover on downs in Bearcats territory. But the Wildcats' defense didn't allow Cincinnati to capitalize on either change of possession.
The Bearcats finally found their footing early in the second quarter, driving from their 12-yard line to the Arizona 10 to set up first and goal. But on 4th and goal from the two-yard line, safety Gavin Hunter broke up a pass near the pylon and the Wildcats held.
The offense took advantage, gobbling up yards and clock. After 16 plays and 92 yards, Michael Salgado-Medina booted a 23-yard field goal, and the Wildcats took a 10-0 lead into the locker room. It was Arizona's longest scoring drive of the season.
On Arizona's first drive of the second half, Roberts burst free down the left sideline and appeared headed for a 70-yard touchdown. But Bearcats cornerback Jacob Finley knocked the ball out of Roberts' hands and the ball tumbled into the end zone. Fellow defensive back Antwan Peek then knocked the ball out of the end zone and was flagged for illegal batting.
Three plays later, Fifita slithered into the end zone for an eight-yard touchdown and Arizona had a 17-point cushion.
The Bearcats crossed midfield but then faced 4th and 5 at the Wildcats 36. French appeared to scramble for the first down, but replay ruled his knee was down short of the sticks. Arizona took over with 5:19 left in third quarter.
Fifita eluded the rush and hit Mizell for 36 yards down to the Cincinnati 17. On the next snap, the quarterback connected with wide receiver Brandon Phelps, who made a nifty move down the right sideline for a 24-yard touchdown and a 24-0 lead.
Salgado-Medina padded the margin with 35-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter and Fifita connected with Powell to punctuate a 13-play touchdown drive. French's two-yard scoring run finally got Cincinnati on the board with 1:56 left.
Quotables
"The fans, the city of Tucson, family weekend, Zona Zoo…you could feel the energy in the stadium. It was awesome tonight. That was a big time college football atmosphere. We had an undefeated time coming in here and I just thought the fans and everybody showed out. It was awesome environment to be a part of and to see."
- Head coach Brent Brennan on the atmosphere at Casino Del Sol Stadium
- Head coach Brent Brennan on the Wildcats' rushing attack
- Linebacker Chase Kennedy on how the Wildcats approached stopping Cincinnati's run game
- The Wildcats now own a 2-0 record in the all-time series with the Bearcats.
- Brent Brennan is Arizona's first coach to start 4-1 in back-to-back years since Dick Tomey in 1993-94.
- Arizona's win snapped an odd streak of six straight losses on Family Weekend. Prior to beating Cincinnati, the Wildcats' last win on Family Weekend was in 2018 over California.
- The seven points allowed marked the fewest points yielded by the Wildcats to a conference opponent since 2024 (27-3 vs. Houston).
- Fifita has thrown a touchdown in 15 consecutive games, a streak that dates back to Iowa State in 2025.
- Saturday's honorary captain was former Wildcat tight end Brandon Manumaleuna, who played 10 seasons in the NFL with St. Louis, San Diego and Chicago. His teams made the playoffs in eight of those seasons.
- Saturday's game was Arizona's second game on FOX this season, matching last year's regular season total.
The Wildcats venture to Morgantown, West Virginia, for the first time in school history, The Mountaineers dropped a wild 45-42 contest at Iowa State Saturday, their second straight loss after a 3-0 start. It's a coffee kickoff in Arizona -- 9 a.m. MST on TNT.
Territorial Cup
This season marks the 100th edition of the Territorial Cup so each week we will look back at one of Arizona's greatest moments in the rivalry's storied history.
In 1985, Max Zendejas booted a 32-yard field goal with 1:27 remaining, lifting the Wildcats to a 16-13 at Sun Devil Stadium before the largest crowd for a sporting event in state history (72,345). Zendejas had earlier nailed a 57-yarder to tie the game at 13. The Wildcats managed just 186 total yards but scored a touchdown on special teams and forced five turnovers, including an interception by Chuck Cecil on ASU's final drive.
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