Arizona Beats TCU 29-28 on Salgado-Medina Field Goal With 43 Seconds Left

Arizona beat TCU 29-28 on Friday night in Tucson. Michael Salgado-Medina kicked a 37-yard field goal with 43 seconds left at Casino Del Sol Stadium, finishing a comeback from eight points down inside the last two minutes and lifting the No. 22 Wildcats to 7-2.

TCU falls to 4-5. The Horned Frogs still led 28-20 with 1:51 left, but lost the ball on the kickoff after Arizona's last touchdown, and their final drive ended with an interception on its first play.

Nine points in the last two minutes

Jaden Craig scored on a 2-yard run with 6:39 left in the fourth quarter, capping a 10-play, 61-yard drive that put TCU ahead 28-20.

On third and 15 with 1:51 left, Noah Fifita threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Quincy Craig, cutting the score to 28-26. The two-point try failed, so Arizona still trailed by two and needed the ball back.

Arizona got it on the kickoff. TCU returner Ed Small fumbled, and Zuri Watson recovered at the TCU 26 with 1:45 left. Four plays later, on fourth and 4 from the TCU 20, Salgado-Medina kicked the field goal that put Arizona ahead for the first time since the first half.

TCU had one last chance and lost it at once. Craig's first pass of the drive, from his own 25, was intercepted by Tyrese Boss with 39 seconds left and returned 27 yards to the TCU 9. Fifita took a knee and the game ended.

How TCU built its lead

Arizona started faster, leading 10-0 after the first quarter behind a 20-yard touchdown catch by Isaiah Mizell, while TCU did not score in the opening quarter.

TCU took control in the second quarter. Craig ran for a 7-yard touchdown, and linebacker Hudson Hooper intercepted Fifita and returned the ball 93 yards for a touchdown, the only return score of the game. TCU led 14-10 at halftime.

The teams traded touchdowns in the third quarter. Fifita ran 9 yards for a score, and Craig threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Dwyer, so TCU carried a 21-17 lead into the fourth quarter.

The numbers behind a one-point game

Fifita finished 24 of 37 for 313 yards, with two touchdown passes and one interception, plus 11 rushes for 38 yards and a rushing touchdown. Giovanni Richardson caught 11 passes for 171 yards, Mizell six for 78 yards, and Quincy Craig four for 47 yards, including the late touchdown.

Craig finished 28 of 41 for 232 yards for TCU, with one touchdown pass, one interception, and two rushing touchdowns. Kari Ashley caught 14 passes for 95 yards, and Dwyer nine for 86 yards and a touchdown.

Arizona outgained TCU 441 yards to 281. Turnovers finished 2-1 against TCU. Salgado-Medina made all three field goal tries, from 43, 23 and 37 yards, and both extra points. TCU kicker Kyle Lemmermann missed both of his attempts, one blocked, in a game decided by a single point.

What the result does

Arizona came in ranked No. 22 in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season, at 6-2 overall and 3-2 in the Big 12, and the win moves the Wildcats to 7-2. TCU came in at 4-4 overall and 2-3 in the Big 12, and drops below .500 at 4-5.

The game was played in 62-degree weather with thundery outbreaks nearby, and was broadcast on ESPN.