Arizona Beats TCU 29-28 After Onside Kick and Late Field Goal

By The Arena Staff

TUCSON, Ariz., Nov. 7, 2026 — Michael Salgado-Medina kicked a 37-yard field goal with 39 seconds left after Arizona recovered an onside pooch kick, and the Wildcats pulled out a 29-28 win over TCU early Saturday that kept their Big 12 championship hopes alive.

Arizona (7-2, 4-2 Big 12) had pulled within 28-26 on Noah Fifita's 15-yard touchdown pass to Quincy Craig with 1:45 remaining, but the two-point try failed. The Wildcats lined up for an onside kick anyway. Ian French floated a pooch over the Horned Frogs' front line; TCU's Ed Small could not haul in an over-the-shoulder catch, and Arizona's Zuri Watson recovered at the Horned Frogs' 26, the Associated Press reported. Four plays later, Salgado-Medina drilled the winner. Tyrese Boss sealed it with an interception.

"It was a great feeling, being able to execute it and work so hard for it," Salgado-Medina said, per AP. "And being able to do it on a big stage like that is an amazing feeling." Coach Brent Brennan called the finish "magic," saying the sideline stayed electric and the players kept believing.

Fifita threw for 313 yards and two touchdowns with one interception — a flat pass Hudson Hooper returned 93 yards for a touchdown that gave TCU a 14-10 halftime lead. Arizona had opened 10-0 on Isaiah Mizell's diving 20-yard touchdown catch and a 43-yard Salgado-Medina field goal. TCU (4-5, 2-4) answered behind Jaden Craig, who ran for two touchdowns, including a 2-yard score that made it 28-20 in the fourth, and threw for 232 yards with a 6-yard touchdown to Jordan Dwyer.

Arizona has won seven straight home games, its longest streak since 1993-94, AP reported. The Wildcats host No. 3 Utah on Nov. 14. TCU hosts Kansas State the same day. "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."

Sources: CBS Sports (Associated Press) and University of Arizona Athletics (Associated Press).