Arizona Beats Iowa State 39-3 as Fifita Throws Two Touchdown Passes

Arizona beat Iowa State 39-3 on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at Casino Del Sol Stadium in Tucson. Noah Fifita threw two touchdown passes for the No. 25 Wildcats, and Iowa State scored only in the first quarter before Arizona held the Cyclones scoreless for the final three quarters of the Week 8 game, which kicked off at 6:30 p.m. Central on ESPN2.

Arizona scored on its second play of the night. Fifita found Isaiah Mizell on a 71-yard touchdown pass, and a two-point conversion made it 8-0. The fast start set the tone for a game Arizona controlled in total yards, first downs and time of possession.

Craig and Konrardy trade scores in the first quarter

Quincy Craig scored on a 6-yard touchdown run to cap a 13-play, 80-yard drive that used nearly seven minutes, giving Arizona a 15-0 lead in the first quarter. Kyle Konrardy then kicked a 40-yard field goal for Iowa State to make it 15-3. Those were the only points Iowa State scored all night.

Michael Salgado-Medina kicked a 53-yard field goal early in the second quarter to put Arizona up 18-3, and Kedrick Reescano scored on a 5-yard touchdown run for a 25-3 halftime lead. Salgado-Medina later missed a 31-yard attempt just before halftime, ending his perfect season. The third quarter was scoreless and ended with Arizona still ahead 25-3.

Iowa State changes quarterbacks at halftime

Iowa State starting quarterback Jaylen Raynor was benched for the second half after completing 8 passes for 106 yards and rushing for minus 21 yards in the first half. Backup Connor Moberly started the second half. Raynor had also fumbled on a lateral play late in the first half, and Arizona recovered the ball.

The change did not produce a score. Late in the fourth quarter, Iowa State turned the ball over on downs when Moberly was sacked by Dash Fifita for a loss of seven yards on fourth-and-four, and Arizona took over on the Iowa State 36-yard line with 5:04 left.

Fifita closes it in the fourth quarter

In the fourth quarter, Fifita capped a 78-yard, eight-play drive with a 40-yard touchdown pass to Henry Gabalis, extending the lead to 32-3 with 6:41 left. Arizona scored 14 points in the fourth quarter in total to reach the 39-3 final. The quarter scores were Arizona 15, 10, 0 and 14, and Iowa State 3, 0, 0 and 0.

The team numbers match the score. Arizona outgained Iowa State 477 total yards to 221, with 336 net passing yards to 169 and 141 rushing yards to 52. Arizona had 24 first downs to 14, completed 30 of 37 passes against Iowa State at 15 of 27, and held the ball for 34 minutes 26 seconds against 25 minutes 34 seconds. Iowa State allowed four sacks for 31 yards.

Arizona entered the game 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the Big 12, ranked No. 25 in the AP Top 25. Iowa State entered 3-3 overall and 1-2 in the Big 12, coming off a bye week. Arizona leaves the night with a home win built on an early 71-yard strike, a defense that gave up one field goal, and a fourth quarter that removed any doubt about the result.