Arizona comes agonizingly close to stunning No. 2 Utah: 3 takeaways
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Saturday night's matchup between the Arizona Wildcats and Utah Utes was well worth the wait, an epic back and forth affair between two nationally ranked squads that was ultimately won by No. 2 Utah, 40-39, to preserve their undefeated season.
Arizona falls to 7-3 overall, another loss against a top tier Big 12 opponent - all three of which felt like very winnable games for the Wildcats.
Noah Fifita was heroic, but Arizona's inability to stop Utah's running game finally caught up with them in the fourth quarter, dashing the team's hopes of making a huge splash and keeping themselves in the running for a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Below are three key takeaways from Arizona's heartbreaking one point loss on Saturday night:
Scorching start for Noah Fifita
Noah Fifita was not intimidated by the undefeated Utah Utes' defense on Saturday night. He marched the Wildcats 75 yards for a touchdown on the opening drive, at one point completing three straight passes for 49 yards to get Arizona in the red zone, where Quincy Craig finished the job three plays later.
Fifita completed two more passes to start the game 8-8, and while that drive stalled out, Arizona found the end zone again early in the second quarter, another masterful 75 yard drive where Fifita went 5-6 before giving way to Kedrick Reescano, who made it 14-3 with 10 minutes to go until halftime.
Fifita had a rough stretch early in the season where he struggled in the first quarter, but lately he's been helping the Wildcats out to quick starts - and he made it look easy to open up Saturday's game against the No. 2 team in the nation.
The fun didn't stop there, with Fifita continuing to pick apart Utah throughout the game, ultimately finishing with 27 completions for 356 yards and three touchdowns. Arizona had three wideouts with 94+ receiving yards, with the star quarterback coming inches away from leading the Wildcats to a program-altering victory over the No. 2 team in the nation.
Arizona could not stop Utah on the ground
Arizona did a good job against Utah's passing game, holding Dampier to a modest 13 completions for 204 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception.
The problem? Dampier had 100 yards and a pair of rushing touchdowns, part of a massive night on the ground for the Utes. Starting running back Wayshawn Parker went out with an injury in the first quarter, but backup Daniel Bray had a career night in his stead - carrying the ball 18 times for 197 yards, an incredible 10.9 yards per carry.
Arizona has had a ton of success stopping the run this year, but could not find a way to slow down Dampier or Bray - and it ultimately cost them a chance at a massive upset win.
The secondary finally delivered
Last year, Arizona's secondary was among the best in college football, putting five players in the NFL and leaving this year's group filled mostly with inexperienced backups and transfers with something to prove.
Saturday was perhaps the finest performance that unit has put together all season long, and it was a massive difference maker despite Arizona falling short against the Utes.
Jay'Vion Cole, who had not played since the Iowa State game, made a huge play late in the third quarter, flying from across the field to pick off Dampier at the one yard line. Arizona then quickly put together a 99-yard scoring drive, taking the lead just before the fourth.
Then, when it looked like Utah was going to answer, Tyrese Boss made a phenomenal play on the ball in the end zone on third down, forcing the Utes to kick a field goal instead. It was one of two passes defended by Boss on the night, and contributed to what was overall a poor passing performance by Dampier - even if he made big plays down the stretch.
Utah is on the road one final time in 2026, heading to Kansas State on Saturday, Nov. 21. The kickoff time and TV information are yet to be revealed.
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Andy Patton is a college basketball writer with deep ties to both Gonzaga and Arizona. A Gonzaga alumnus who graduated in 2013, he has hosted the Locked On Zags podcast covering Gonzaga basketball since 2021 and has co-hosted the Locked On College Basketball podcast since 2022. His years covering the Bulldogs have also given him extensive familiarity with Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd, who spent more than two decades on Mark Few’s staff at Gonzaga before taking over the Wildcats in 2021. Andy has worked in sports media since 2017, with experience covering nearly every major sport. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for USA TODAY from 2017–21, where he also spent time covering the USC Trojans and Oregon Ducks, and previously served as lead writer for College Sports Wire. He has also covered the NBA, NHL and MLB for various TEGNA outlets, including KREM in Spokane, 12News in Phoenix and KING 5 in Seattle. Andy now lives in Spokane, Washington, with his wife, daughter and dog.
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