No. 22 Arizona pulled off an improbable comeback early Saturday, recovering an onside kick in the final minutes before Michael Salgado-Medina drilled a 37-yard field goal with 39 seconds remaining to lift the Wildcats to a 29-28 victory over TCU in Tucson.
"It was a great feeling, being able to execute it and work so hard for it," Salgado-Medina said. "And being able to do it on a big stage like that is an amazing feeling."
The Wildcats (7-2, 4-2 Big 12) had trimmed the deficit to 28-26 when Noah Fifita connected with Quincy Craig on a 15-yard touchdown pass with 1:45 to play. Arizona's two-point conversion attempt failed, leaving the Wildcats needing a recovery, and Ian French delivered by floating a pooch kick over the Horned Frogs' front line.
TCU's Ed Small could not come up with the over-the-shoulder catch, and Arizona's Zuri Watson pounced on the loose ball at the Horned Frogs' 26-yard line. Salgado-Medina converted the winning kick four plays later, and Tyrese Boss put the result away with an interception, preserving the Wildcats' Big 12 title hopes.
"The players kept believing, the sideline was electric," Arizona coach Brent Brennan said. "It was just magic the way that thing finished."
The win was Arizona's seventh straight at home, the program's longest such streak since 1993-94.
Fifita threw for 313 yards and two touchdowns, but his lone interception proved costly. With Arizona deep in TCU territory late in the second quarter, he threw toward the flat and never saw Hudson Hooper, who stepped in front of the intended receiver, broke a tackle near midfield and raced 93 yards for a touchdown that sent the Horned Frogs into halftime ahead 14-10. It was Fifita's fifth interception of the season.
TCU's Jaden Craig ran for two touchdowns, including a 2-yard score that pushed the Horned Frogs (4-5, 2-4) in front 28-20 in the fourth quarter. He also passed for 232 yards and hit Jordan Dwyer for a 6-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
Arizona could not have started better, capping a crisp opening drive with Isaiah Mizell's diving 20-yard touchdown catch, and Salgado-Medina's 43-yard field goal late in the first quarter made it 10-0. The Wildcats' defense bottled up TCU for most of the first half, allowing just 123 total yards, until Craig escaped a sack and scrambled 7 yards up the middle for a touchdown.
The Horned Frogs stayed in front until the closing minutes, only to watch a road win over a ranked opponent slip away. "I'm disappointed for our players," TCU coach Sonny Dykes said. "It's been a frustrating year. We've lost a lot of close games."
