Noah Fifita has seen a notable drop in the CBS Sports “College Football QB Power Rankings,” falling from seventh to twelfth as of Wednesday. This change follows his performance in Arizona’s 41-17 victory over Baylor, where he completed 14 of 25 passes for 183 yards, including one touchdown and one interception.
During the game, Fifita came out strong, hitting 11 of his first 15 throws for 103 yards, with seven completions resulting in first downs and one touchdown. However, he struggled towards the end, completing only three out of his final ten attempts for 80 yards, all of which managed to secure first downs. His ability to make significant plays was evident, as he recorded five completions of over 15 yards, with his last three attempts showcasing his capability despite the decreased number of passes.
In a game that saw Arizona dominate the second half, outscoring Baylor 27-0, Fifita’s contributions were limited in terms of passing, resulting in only three completions from eight attempts. The ground game for Arizona was strong, with the team rushing for 120 yards on 21 carries, scoring three touchdowns, and forcing three turnovers, including an interception returned for a touchdown.
Fifita’s interception against Baylor ended an impressive streak of 139 consecutive passes without an interception. His last pick before the Baylor match had occurred during a double-overtime loss to BYU. Remarkably, he went through four games without throwing a single interception, accumulating eight touchdown passes over that stretch.
Despite the setback in his individual ranking, Fifita has successfully led Arizona to a remarkable 4-0 record in November and an overall impressive record of 8-3 ahead of this week’s rivalry game against Arizona State. With a total of 25 touchdown passes against just five interceptions this season, he has had a notable bounce-back year for both himself and the Wildcats.
Fifita finished November with a solid performance, completing 61.0% of his passes for 848 yards, eight touchdowns, and one interception. He also boasts an overall completion percentage of 64.4% with 2,677 passing yards for the season. His modest outing against Baylor is what prompted his slip in the rankings, yet he remains the highest-rated Big XII quarterback in CBS Sports’ assessments. With one week to go in the regular season, Fifita is poised for potential All-Big XII recognition, reflecting his impressive development and resilience as a quarterback.