Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita eclipsed Nick Foles’ school career passing yardage record in the fourth quarter of the Wildcats’ game Saturday night with Northern Illinois at Casino del Sol Stadium.
Foles passed for 10,011 yards from 2009 to 2011.
Fifita, whose Arizona career began 2022, is at 10,017 yards after a 7-yard completion to Isaiah Mizell put him at 325 for the game.
“It is about us tonight,” Fifita told TNT right after the game. “It was a great team win. So happy to be a part of it. Our receivers played great. Our O’line played great, and the defense stepped up as always. So this is about the team tonight. I give all glory to God.”
Arizona led Northern Illinois 42-10 with 5:59 remaining at the time Fifita broke the record. The Wildcats beat the Huskies 42-1
Fifita finished the game completing 31 of 34 attempts, 91.2 percent.
He also owns the career touchdown record with 80, which includes four Saturday night.
“I’ve been saying for a while — he’s the best story in college football because he continues to make the unselfish choice, because he loves the U of A, he loves his teammates, he loves the city of Tucson, and he just keeps showing up in big moments like that,” Arizona coach Brent Brennan told TNT. “The kid is special in every way.”
Tre Spivey II, who caught a remarkable one-handed touchdown with a defender draped on him Saturday, was TNT’s postgame guest.
He said he was not aware of Fifita having the opportunity to break the record until Friday through social media.
He could feel the emotions involved when Arizona called timeout following Fifita’s record-breaking pass to Mizell.
“Noah’s the most humble person you’ll ever meet,” said Spivey, who finished with six catches for 90 yards. “We got so much love and respect for him. He probably doesn’t even think this is a big deal.
“But for us, like that was emotional, and he deserves every bit of it. He deserves everything — his flowers, all that. I’m super proud of him. I love him, and that was just beautiful. That was an awesome moment to be able to embrace him in that.”
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