By: John Marshall, The Associated Press Posted:
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Noah Fifita threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns, Isaiah Mizell scored on a 71-yard catch on the game's second play and No. 25 Arizona shut down Iowa State for a 39-3 win on Saturday night.
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TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Noah Fifita threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns, Isaiah Mizell scored on a 71-yard catch on the game's second play and No. 25 Arizona shut down Iowa State for a 39-3 win on Saturday night.
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TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Noah Fifita threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns, Isaiah Mizell scored on a 71-yard catch on the game’s second play and No. 25 Arizona shut down Iowa State for a 39-3 win on Saturday night.
The Wildcats (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) played as a ranked team for the first time this season, having moved into the AP Top 25 despite not playing last week.
Arizona was sharp following its bye, jumping to a quick 15-0 lead and dominating both sides of the ball to match its best start since the 2014 team opened 6-1.
Fifita completed 27 of 34 passes and hit Henry Gabalis on a 40-yard touchdown with 6:41 left before sitting out the rest of the game. Mizell finished with eight catches for 134 yards.
The Wildcats stagnated offensively for most of the second half, but it didn’t matter the way their defense was playing.
Arizona held the Cyclones (3-4, 1-3) to 221 total yards, including 52 yards on 31 carries to end their 23-game streak of running for at least 100 yards. Aiden Flora, who entered the game ranked ninth nationally in rushing yards per game (113.3), had 36 yards on 12 carries.
The Wildcats overwhelmed Iowa State from the start, going up 15-0 on Mizell’s 71-yard TD catch and Quincy Craig’s 6-yard touchdown run the next drive. Kendrick Reescano added a 5-yard TD run to give Arizona a 25-3 halftime lead.
The Wildcats were just as good on defense, holding the Cyclones to 112 first-half yards.
Iowa State crossed Arizona’s 40-yard line three times, its only points coming on Kyle Konrady’s 40-yard field goal. The Cyclones failed on a fourth-and-3 from the Wildcats 22, thanks to an open-field tackle by Cam Chapa, and lost a fumble on an ill-advised pitch by quarterback Jaylen Raynor while trying to avoid a sack.
Connor Moberly relaced Raynor to start the second half and it did little good — ISU didn’t cross midfield once in the second half.
The takeaway
Iowa State: A bye week did little to help the Cyclones. They fell into an early hole and had no chance of recovering with an offense that stagnated no matter who was behind center.
Arizona: The Wildcats got off to a great start and dominated both sides of the ball to win their fifth straight. A move up in the rankings could be next.
Up next
Iowa State: Hosts Oklahoma State next Saturday.
Arizona: At No. 8 Texas Tech next Saturday.
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