A rising legend
Though signing Fifita may have initially been a tactic to get McMillan on the roster, Fisch had no option but to roll with the ascendant young signal-caller going forward. Arizona played No. 11 Oregon State and staved off a Beavers rally to win 24-21 in front of a packed Arizona Stadium. Fifita completed 25 of 32 passes (78.1%) for 275 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception.
The next week on Homecoming against No. 19 UCLA, it was more of the same: 25 of 32 passes, but this time for 300 yards with an identical three touchdowns and one interception in the 27-10 win. This win propelled Arizona into the AP Top 25 for the first time since their one-week stint in 2017 and secured bowl eligibility for the first time since that same season.
The closest call Arizona had was a 34-31 win over Colorado, where the Wildcats relied on a game-winning field goal from Tyler Loop. It was Fifita's worst performance of the season: he only completed 21 passes at a 60% clip for 214 yards, all season-lows as a starter. However, he tacked on two touchdowns and didn't turn the ball over, which was enough for the win.
Against No. 22 Utah, Arizona put on a clinic in the rain and doused any fire the Utes may have had entering the showdown. Fifita completed 22 of his 30 passes (73.3%) for 253 yards and two touchdowns en route to a 42-18 shellacking. With this, Arizona sat at 8-3 (6-2 in Pac-12) and earned the No. 15 ranking in the AP Poll ahead of the Territorial Cup and Fifita's finest showing of the year.