The night started disastrously for Colorado and only got worse. Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita torched the Buffaloes for four first-half touchdown passes, and the Wildcats forced five turnovers on the way to a 52–17 win Saturday at Folsom Field.
On just the third play from scrimmage, Fifita hit Tre Spivey on a screen pass that turned into a 57-yard touchdown after a series of missed tackles. The early strike set the tone for what became another long evening for Colorado’s defense, which surrendered explosive plays throughout.
Colorado’s offense stumbled out of the gate, opening with a three-and-out before Arizona extended its lead to 10–0 with a 49-yard field goal. Linebacker Shaun Myers made two tackles for loss on the drive, but the Wildcats kept converting, controlling possession and tempo.
Moments later, things unraveled further for the Buffaloes. Quarterback Kaidon Salter missed an open receiver on one play, then fumbled on the next, giving Arizona the ball at the Colorado 12-yard line. One snap later, Fifita found Kris Hutson in the corner of the end zone for his second touchdown. By the end of the first quarter, the Wildcats led 17–0 and had already doubled Colorado’s yardage output.
Colorado showed signs of life early in the second quarter. Salter led a 17-play, 75-yard drive capped by a touchdown pass to Omarion Miller, cutting the deficit to 17–7. Salter extended it with a key fourth-down run. But the momentum faded quickly.
On Arizona’s next possession, Fifita hit Gio Richardson over the middle for a 60-yard score, again aided by poor tackling from Colorado’s secondary. Penalties soon compounded the Buffs’ troubles three on the next series, including one that reversed a 75-yard touchdown pass.
Colorado’s defense missed multiple turnover chances, including a dropped interception and a fumble that wasn’t recovered. Those mistakes proved costly when Salter’s pass was intercepted by Dalton Johnson, who returned it to the Colorado 8-yard line. Two plays later, Arizona was back in the end zone.
Before halftime, Fifita added a fourth touchdown, finding Javin Whatley down the seam to make it 38–7. Arizona entered the locker room with 271 total yards compared to Colorado’s 117.
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders made a change to start the second half, benching Salter for sophomore Ryan Staub. The move didn’t spark much. Staub threw interceptions on his first two passes, one of which was returned 59 yards to set up another Arizona touchdown. Wildcats running back Ismail Mahdi finished the drive with a short scoring run, extending the Wildcats’ lead to 45–7.
Sanders then turned to freshman Julian “JuJu” Lewis, who provided a brief highlight for the Buffaloes. Lewis scrambled for 15 yards, then found Omarion Miller deep for a 59-yard touchdown Miller’s second of the night and Lewis’s first career scoring pass. Arizona answered immediately, as Mahdi broke a 68-yard run that led to yet another touchdown, pushing the margin to 52–14. Arizona’s dominance left little room for optimism in Boulder.
The Wildcats controlled every phase Fifita’s precision passing, Mahdi’s explosiveness on the ground, and a defense that feasted on Colorado’s mistakes. The Buffaloes’ offense never found rhythm, plagued by turnovers, penalties, and poor execution, while the defense struggled to contain big plays.
With the loss, Colorado falls to 3–6 overall and 1–5 in Big-12 play, while Arizona improves to 5–3 overall and 1-5 in Big-12 play. The Buffaloes will try to regroup next week when they travel to face West Virginia, still searching for answers as their season nears its end.
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