Arizona QB Noah Fifita named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week

Following one of the best performances in school history, particularly considering the circumstances, Noah Fifita is getting the recognition he deserves for that effort.

The UA quarterback has been named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week after throwing for 302 yards and five touchdowns in Arizona’s 43-41, triple-overtime loss at USC on Saturday night. He is the first Wildcat QB to win that award since Grant Gunnell in 2019.

Gunnell got honored after throwing for 352 yards and a TD in a win over UCLA in his first career start. This was Fifita’s second start, and like the first was against a top-10 squad, the 10^th QB in the past 20 seasons to make his first two starts against top-10 teams, and he’s the first in UA history to throw five TD passes were the most against a ranked opponent.

Fifita has thrown eight TD passes in two starts since stepping in for Jayden de Laura, who suffered an ankle injury late at Stanford. However, head coach Jedd Fisch indicated after the USC game that the quarterback situation hadn’t changed, meaning de Laura would return to his starting spot once healthy.

Arizona (3-3, 1-2 Pac-12) plays a third straight ranked opponent on Saturday when it visits No. 19 Washington State (4-1, 1-1).