Cats Rewind: Wildcats Rally to Win at Washington State
09/27/2026 | Football
PULLMAN, Wash. – On a crisp Saturday evening on the Palouse, the Arizona Wildcats found themselves staring down a two-touchdown deficit and a delirious crowd relishing the possibility of vanquishing a former conference foe.
But the nightmarish opening soon gave way to an aerial show by the offense, a swarming performance by the defense and a clutch kick (and decision) late as the Wildcats rallied for a 34-24 win at Washington State.
Arizona improved to 3-1 on the season, while the Cougars fell to 1-3. It was the first meeting between the teams since 2023, when they were both in the Pac-12 Conference.
Quarterback Noah Fifita threw an early pick six but then proceeded to do Noah Fifita things the rest of the game, finishing with 297 passing yards and four touchdown passes. Wide receiver Tre Spivey caught two of them, part of a dazzling seven-catch performance for 129 yards. Freshman Caleb Smith hauled in four passes for 86 yards, including a 41-yard touchdown in the third quarter that gave Arizona the lead for good.
The Wildcats had six passing plays of 20 yards or more and converted 7 of 15 on third down.
WSU held a 17-14 halftime lead but the Wildcats' defense held them in check for most of the second half. The Cougars' first five drives after halftime resulted in four punts and a lost fumble, enabling Fifita and the offense to build a two-touchdown lead.
But Cougars quarterback Caden Pinnick threw a 48-yard touchdown pass to Branden Ganashamoorthy to cut the deficit in half and suddenly WSU had life. But the Wildcats ate up the next five minutes before Michael Salgado-Medina calmly drilled a 51-yard field goal with 1:57 left to seal the win.
The Wildcats had three sacks and seven tackles for loss and held the Cougars to just 4 of 14 on third down – 0 of 7 in the second half. Defensive end Tre Smith recovered a fumble and blocked a field goal.
The Wildcats struggled to run the ball early but found their legs late, rushing for 93 of their 150 yards in the fourth quarter. Ishmail Mahdi paced the team with 63 yards on 10 carries. The rushing success enabled Arizona to own the time of possession battle by more than eight minutes – even with the big plays.
It didn't start well. WSU marched 71 yards to the end zone on its first drive, converting two third-down passes along the way.
On their second drive, the Cougars tried a flea flicker but linebacker Chase Kennedy pressured Pinnick into throwing an ill-advised deep ball that was picked off by safety Cam Chapa at the Wildcats 8. But three plays later Fifita threw an interception that was returned 25 for a touchdown by safety Jackquintin Bal. WSU was up 14-0 and the crowd was going wild.
Fifita regrouped, picking up a long third down with a 44-yard pass down the right sideline to Spivey to the Cougars 29. Two plays later he hit Spivey again across the middle and the receiver sliced and diced his way through the open field for a 28-yard score. The deficit was cut in half just before the end of the opening quarter.
Arizona forced a punt and the offense went back to work. Fifita engineered a 13-play, 78-yard drive and capped it with another scoring toss to Spivey, this one for four yards.
The Cougars responded by marching to the Wildcats 21 before settling for a 38-yard field goal attempt by Jack Stevens. Tre Smith burst up the middle to block it and Arizona took over with 3:36 left in the half.
WSU forced a three-and-out and the Wildcats' defense committed two personal fouls on the ensuing drive, helping the Cougars get into field goal range and take a 17-14 lead heading into the locker room.
Arizona forced a punt to start the second half, but the drive ended with Salgado-Medina missing a 42-yard field goal to the right. The defense gave the ball right back to the offense after linebacker Everett Roussaw strip-sacked Pinnick and Tre Smith recovered at the Cougars 32. Four plays later, Salgado-Medina lined up for a 43-yarder and it was blocked.
The Wildcats got the ball back at their 18-yard line and needed just 42 seconds to take their first lead of the game. Fifita connected with Caleb Smith on three consecutive passes – three yards, 41 yards and a 38-yard scoring strike. It was 21-17.
After the defense forced another Cougars punt, Fifita marched the Wildcats into the red zone, picking up a key third down with a 23-yard completion to wide receiver Chris Hunter. The drive stalled but Salgado-Medina kicked a 27-yard field goal to push the lead to seven.
The Cougars had another three-and-out and the Wildcats extended their lead to 31-17 with a 69-yard touchdown drive capped by Fifita's fourth touchdown toss, an 11-yarder to wide receiver Isaiah Mizell.
After Pinnick's touchdown pass, the crowd was back in it but the Wildcats chewed up precious clock and Salgado-Medina left no doubt on his longest of four attempts on the night.
Quotables
"When I think about how that game finished to me that's something we've been talking about and working on since BYU – where we didn't finish in the fourth quarter but tonight we did. When we had to have a drive and sustain it and hit a field goal to make it a two-possession game, Mike did that and our team did that."
"It's been fun to see Jet start to emerge as a playmaker for us. He's a young player and the transition from high school to college is a big jump. I think Coach Wade has done a great job with Jet getting him going and being patient and helping him learn. You got to see some of his talent show because now he's playing with confidence."
Notes
It's Big 12 play the rest of the way for the Wildcats, who return home to Casino Del Sol Stadium to host Cincinnati next Saturday. Kickoff is at 8 p.m. on FOX. The Bearcats improved to 4-0 Saturday at home by defeating Kansas State 31-26 in their conference opener.
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 1982 the Wildcats, wearing their white jerseys at home due to a communications mix-up between the schools, stormed out to a 28-0 lead and never looked back, defeating ASU 28-18. The Sun Devils entered game ranked No. 6, needing a win to clinch a Rose Bowl berth. Tom Tunnicliffe threw a 92-yard touchdown pass to Brian Holland during the opening barrage, then the longest play in UA football history. Joe Drake recorded two safeties for good measure.
But the nightmarish opening soon gave way to an aerial show by the offense, a swarming performance by the defense and a clutch kick (and decision) late as the Wildcats rallied for a 34-24 win at Washington State.
Arizona improved to 3-1 on the season, while the Cougars fell to 1-3. It was the first meeting between the teams since 2023, when they were both in the Pac-12 Conference.
Quarterback Noah Fifita threw an early pick six but then proceeded to do Noah Fifita things the rest of the game, finishing with 297 passing yards and four touchdown passes. Wide receiver Tre Spivey caught two of them, part of a dazzling seven-catch performance for 129 yards. Freshman Caleb Smith hauled in four passes for 86 yards, including a 41-yard touchdown in the third quarter that gave Arizona the lead for good.
The Wildcats had six passing plays of 20 yards or more and converted 7 of 15 on third down.
WSU held a 17-14 halftime lead but the Wildcats' defense held them in check for most of the second half. The Cougars' first five drives after halftime resulted in four punts and a lost fumble, enabling Fifita and the offense to build a two-touchdown lead.
But Cougars quarterback Caden Pinnick threw a 48-yard touchdown pass to Branden Ganashamoorthy to cut the deficit in half and suddenly WSU had life. But the Wildcats ate up the next five minutes before Michael Salgado-Medina calmly drilled a 51-yard field goal with 1:57 left to seal the win.
The Wildcats had three sacks and seven tackles for loss and held the Cougars to just 4 of 14 on third down – 0 of 7 in the second half. Defensive end Tre Smith recovered a fumble and blocked a field goal.
The Wildcats struggled to run the ball early but found their legs late, rushing for 93 of their 150 yards in the fourth quarter. Ishmail Mahdi paced the team with 63 yards on 10 carries. The rushing success enabled Arizona to own the time of possession battle by more than eight minutes – even with the big plays.
It didn't start well. WSU marched 71 yards to the end zone on its first drive, converting two third-down passes along the way.
On their second drive, the Cougars tried a flea flicker but linebacker Chase Kennedy pressured Pinnick into throwing an ill-advised deep ball that was picked off by safety Cam Chapa at the Wildcats 8. But three plays later Fifita threw an interception that was returned 25 for a touchdown by safety Jackquintin Bal. WSU was up 14-0 and the crowd was going wild.
Fifita regrouped, picking up a long third down with a 44-yard pass down the right sideline to Spivey to the Cougars 29. Two plays later he hit Spivey again across the middle and the receiver sliced and diced his way through the open field for a 28-yard score. The deficit was cut in half just before the end of the opening quarter.
Arizona forced a punt and the offense went back to work. Fifita engineered a 13-play, 78-yard drive and capped it with another scoring toss to Spivey, this one for four yards.
The Cougars responded by marching to the Wildcats 21 before settling for a 38-yard field goal attempt by Jack Stevens. Tre Smith burst up the middle to block it and Arizona took over with 3:36 left in the half.
WSU forced a three-and-out and the Wildcats' defense committed two personal fouls on the ensuing drive, helping the Cougars get into field goal range and take a 17-14 lead heading into the locker room.
Arizona forced a punt to start the second half, but the drive ended with Salgado-Medina missing a 42-yard field goal to the right. The defense gave the ball right back to the offense after linebacker Everett Roussaw strip-sacked Pinnick and Tre Smith recovered at the Cougars 32. Four plays later, Salgado-Medina lined up for a 43-yarder and it was blocked.
The Wildcats got the ball back at their 18-yard line and needed just 42 seconds to take their first lead of the game. Fifita connected with Caleb Smith on three consecutive passes – three yards, 41 yards and a 38-yard scoring strike. It was 21-17.
After the defense forced another Cougars punt, Fifita marched the Wildcats into the red zone, picking up a key third down with a 23-yard completion to wide receiver Chris Hunter. The drive stalled but Salgado-Medina kicked a 27-yard field goal to push the lead to seven.
The Cougars had another three-and-out and the Wildcats extended their lead to 31-17 with a 69-yard touchdown drive capped by Fifita's fourth touchdown toss, an 11-yarder to wide receiver Isaiah Mizell.
After Pinnick's touchdown pass, the crowd was back in it but the Wildcats chewed up precious clock and Salgado-Medina left no doubt on his longest of four attempts on the night.
Quotables
"When I think about how that game finished to me that's something we've been talking about and working on since BYU – where we didn't finish in the fourth quarter but tonight we did. When we had to have a drive and sustain it and hit a field goal to make it a two-possession game, Mike did that and our team did that."
- Head coach Brent Brennan on closing out the win
"It's been fun to see Jet start to emerge as a playmaker for us. He's a young player and the transition from high school to college is a big jump. I think Coach Wade has done a great job with Jet getting him going and being patient and helping him learn. You got to see some of his talent show because now he's playing with confidence."
- Head coach Brent Brennan on freshman wide receiver Caleb "Jet" Smith
Notes
- Arizona now holds a 29-19 lead in the all-time series with Washington State.
- Arizona's offense totaled 447 yards, the third game this season that the Wildcats have had 440 or more yards.
- Fifita is now the active FBS career leader in touchdown passes (84) and Saturday marked his eighth game with four or more scoring tosses. He completed all eight passes in the third quarter for 103 yards and a touchdown.
- Spivey posted the first 100-yard receiving game of his career and it was the second time he had two touchdown catches in a game.
- Caleb Smith's 41-yard scoring grab was his first receiving touchdown – he scored on a punt return against Northern Illinois last week.
- Tre Smith's field goal block was the first blocked field goal for Arizona since Ephesians Prysock did it in 2023 against UCLA.
It's Big 12 play the rest of the way for the Wildcats, who return home to Casino Del Sol Stadium to host Cincinnati next Saturday. Kickoff is at 8 p.m. on FOX. The Bearcats improved to 4-0 Saturday at home by defeating Kansas State 31-26 in their conference opener.
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 1982 the Wildcats, wearing their white jerseys at home due to a communications mix-up between the schools, stormed out to a 28-0 lead and never looked back, defeating ASU 28-18. The Sun Devils entered game ranked No. 6, needing a win to clinch a Rose Bowl berth. Tom Tunnicliffe threw a 92-yard touchdown pass to Brian Holland during the opening barrage, then the longest play in UA football history. Joe Drake recorded two safeties for good measure.
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