TUCSON, Arizona — Noah Fifita etched his name deeper into Arizona football history Saturday night, becoming the program’s all-time leading passer while accounting for five touchdowns in a 42-17 win over Northern Illinois at Casino Del Sol Stadium.
The Wildcats (2-1) shook off a sluggish start and a disappointing loss at then-No. 15 BYU the previous week, pulling away after trailing 10-0 early. Northern Illinois (0-3) jumped ahead on a field goal and a 52-yard touchdown pass from Taron Dickens to Cam Thompson, but Arizona responded quickly.
Fifita, efficient despite four sacks, completed 31 of 34 passes for 325 yards and four touchdowns, surpassing Nick Foles’ previous career mark of 10,011 yards to reach 10,017. He also scrambled for a 30-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter that pushed the lead to 42-10. Coach Brent Brennan left him in long enough to break the record on a short completion before removing him to a standing ovation
Key scores included a 38-yard touchdown pass to Chris Hunter, a 14-yard strike to Isaiah Mizell, a spectacular one-handed 10-yard grab by Tre Spivey, a 69-yard punt return touchdown by Caleb Smith just before halftime, and a short scoring toss to Tyler Powell in the third quarter. Arizona led 28-10 at the half and never looked back.
