TCU was less than two minutes away from a much-needed road win. Instead, the Horned Frogs left Tucson with another tough loss.
A late touchdown gave Arizona life, but a mistake on the ensuing kickoff put the Wildcats in position to steal the game. No. 22 Arizona took advantage, scoring the go-ahead field goal with 39 seconds left to hand TCU a 29-28 loss at Casino Del Sol Stadium.
The Horned Frogs had led 28-20 after Jaden Craig’s 2-yard touchdown run with under seven minutes remaining. For much of the second half, TCU had done enough to keep Arizona from taking control.
That changed quickly.
Arizona put together a late scoring drive, capped by Noah Fifita’s 15-yard touchdown pass to Quincy Craig with 1:45 remaining. The Wildcats failed on the two-point attempt, leaving TCU with a 28-26 lead.
Then came the play TCU will want back.
Arizona went with a short kickoff, and Ed Small couldn’t come up with the ball. The Wildcats recovered at the TCU 26, suddenly giving their offense another chance without having to travel far.
Michael Salgado-Medina made the Horned Frogs pay, drilling a 37-yard field goal with 39 seconds left.
TCU still had one possession, but Craig’s pass on the first play was intercepted by Tyrese Boss. That ended any chance of a last-second response.
Craig completed 28 of 41 passes for 232 yards and a touchdown. He also scored twice on the ground. Jordan Dwyer caught nine passes for 86 yards and a touchdown, while Kari Ashley finished with 14 receptions for 95 yards.
Defensively, Hudson Hooper gave TCU one of its biggest moments of the night. His 93-yard interception return for a touchdown in the second quarter helped the Horned Frogs carry a 14-10 lead into halftime.
But the final minutes belonged to Arizona.
For TCU, this one will sting. The Horned Frogs had the lead, had the opportunity to close it out and couldn’t finish the job.
