Noah Fifita and the Arizona Wildcats have dominated their first two matchups of the 2025 season. While neither Weber State nor Hawaii are Power 4 opponents, Fifita and the Wildcats have made a statement, winning both games by a combined score of 88-9.
“Every week we’re trying to prove it,” head coach Brent Brennan said. “Every week we’re trying to prove we’re a good football team.”
Through the two games, Fifita holds a Big 12-best 210.3 passer rating that ranks fourth in the country. It’s a notable start with conference play on the radar and the deep group of signal callers among the 16 teams.
Eight Big 12 quarterbacks have already thrown for four or more touchdowns, and only two from that group have been intercepted this season.
Fifita had a relatively quiet passing game against Hawaii with 13 completions for 161 yards, but he did have a rushing touchdown as well. In the second game of season, Fifita exploded for 373 yards and five touchdowns while only needing 17 completions against Weber State on Saturday.
“I don’t think Noah necessarily looks at it as trying to make up for (a quiet first game), but he wants to play better,” Brennan said. “He just has such a high standard for himself, and we all have such a high standard for him.”
Fifita has already accumulated a third of his total touchdowns last season in the two games. The redshirt junior is always working to make his game better in small ways.
“I thought he was really dialed in,” Brennan said. “He was dialed in all week in practice. He continues to find his edge in the extra, in the in between, in the unrequired, and when you do that consistently, you give yourself a chance for good performances.”
Fifita and the Wildcats’ next opponent is Kansas State, with kickoff set for 6 p.m. MST on FOX Friday night.
Kansas State will be the first of 10 Big 12 opponents for the Wildcats, as the matchup was scheduled prior to Arizona’s exit from the Pac-12. KSU has been tripped up twice already, losing to Big 12 rival Iowa State in Ireland and falling 24-21 against Army this past week after earning a nail-biter of a victory over North Dakota in between.
The game will be by far the toughest yet for Fifita and the Wildcats, but Brennan is confident in his quarterback.
“Every week we’re trying to put Noah Fifita in the best position to be able to make plays and utilize his talent,” Brennan said. “Obviously, last week started off well. I was really proud of Noah.”
Arizona QB Noah Fifita atop Big 12 quarterbacks in passer rating
1. Noah Fifita, Arizona (210.3)
2. Behren Morton, Texas Tech (207.9)
3. Devon Dampier, Utah (183.2)
4. Jalon Daniels, Kansas (182.3)
5. Tayven Jackson, UCF (167.0)
6. Rocco Becht, Iowa State (161.0)
7. Sawyer Robertson, Baylor (159.4)
8. Conner Weigman, Houston (157.3)
9. Josh Hoover, TCU (154.0)
10. Bear Bachmeier, BYU (149.3)
11. Avery Johnson, Kansas State (148.9)
12. Brendan Sorsby, Cincinnati (146.3)
13. Nicco Marchiol, West Virginia (145.8)
14. Kaidon Salter, Colorado (125.5)
15. Sam Leavitt, Arizona State (110.4)
16. Zane Flores, Oklahoma State (84.7)
