The University of Arizona football team (3-6, 1-5 in Big 12) lost its fifth consecutive game in a crushing 56-12 defeat against the University of Central Florida (4-5, 2-4 in Big 12) on Saturday, Nov. 2 at FBC Mortgage Stadium. This loss marks the Wildcats’ second straight on the road. Arizona will have to win its final three games to be bowl-eligible.
“From here on out it’s win or go home […]. It’s a one-week Super Bowl from here on out,” said quarterback Noah Fifita.
Offense:
The offense started out flat, not scoring until its fifth drive. The only touchdown of the half came from tight end Sam Olson, making it his second touchdown of the year and the only points for Arizona in the first half.
Running back Quali Conley fumbled midway through the first quarter, marking the second consecutive game Conley has lost the ball in the opening period.
During the second half, Fifita found receiver Tetairoa McMillan in the endzone, making an impressive catch for a touchdown, his only for the game and his fifth of the year. The Wildcats failed to score again for the remainder of the game.
Fifita finished with 256 yards passing and a pair of touchdowns. Sophomore Chris Hunter led the team in receiving with seven receptions for 102 yards.
“You got to give a lot of credit to the defense [UCF], great job by the defensive coordinator,” Fifita said.
Defense:
The Wildcats’ defense collapsed right from kickoff. After a missed field goal on the first drive, UCF scored 5 consecutive touchdowns, including a Hail Mary right before halftime.
The defensive struggles continued throughout the second half as Arizona gave up 213 yards in the final two quarters. The Wildcats allowed the Knights a total of 602 yards on offense and 56 points for the game, the most since 2020 in a 70-7 defeat against ASU.
“Any time that kind of number shows up in the scoreboard in total yards, that’s a negative for your football team […]. That’s the harsh reality that we have to deal with,” said head coach Brent Brennan.
UCF running back RJ Harvey ran for 184 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Knights’ fourth new starting quarterback, Dylan Rizk, had 294 yards passing and a touchdown to go along with.
“He’s a good back [Harvey], I got to give him credit, he’s probably the best back we’ve seen if not you know, going to be the best,” said defensive back Dalton Johnson.
“The hardest part is that I feel like I’m letting them down because I love how they show up to work every week […]. Today is unacceptable and none of us expected to be where we are right now but the biggest thing is we got to look forward,” Brennan said.
Looking Ahead:
The Wildcats will have a bye week before hosting the University of Houston on Nov. 15 at 8:15 p.m. at Arizona Stadium.
Follow the Daily Wildcat on Instagram and Twitter/X
