TUCSON (Interstat) — Noah Fifita threw four touchdown passes and ran for another score, and Arizona defeated Northern Illinois 42-17 on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, in an NCAA Football Bowl Division game at Casino Del Sol Stadium.

Arizona improved to 2-1, while Northern Illinois fell to 0-3. The Wildcats scored 21 points in the first quarter, seven in the second, seven in the third and seven in the fourth. The Huskies scored 10 points in the first quarter and seven in the third. Arizona’s 21-point opening quarter set the tone for the game and gave the Wildcats a cushion they maintained the rest of the way. The Wildcats’ defense allowed only one Northern Illinois touchdown after the first quarter.

Fifita, a 5-foot-11, 195-pound quarterback from Nuku’alofa, Tonga, completed 31 of 34 passes for 325 yards. He also ran six times for 4 yards and accounted for four passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown. In Arizona’s previous game, a loss at BYU on Sept. 12, Fifita completed 23 of 31 passes for 230 yards, ran 11 times for 38 yards and accounted for one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown.

Northern Illinois rotated Taron Dickens and Brady Davidson at quarterback. Dickens, a 5-foot-11, 175-pound Miami native, completed 25 of 37 passes for 228 yards and one touchdown. He carried seven times for 9 yards. Davidson, a 6-foot-5, 224-pound Columbia, Missouri, product, completed 4 of 6 passes for 27 yards.

DeAree Rogers led the Huskies with 10 receptions for 68 yards. Cam Thompson caught three passes for 62 yards and one touchdown. Rickey Taylor Jr. added five receptions for 57 yards. La’Don Bryant had two catches for 26 yards, Zaire McKinney had two for 17 yards, Liam Russo had two for 15 yards, Joe Stein had one for 8 yards, and Kelan McInerney had one for 5 yards. Jason Fowler recorded one reception for no gain, while Jaiduan Cranford did not record a statistic.

Telly Johnson Jr. paced Northern Illinois on the ground with 12 carries for 69 yards. Elijah Porter ran four times for 8 yards and scored one touchdown. Porter also caught one pass for minus-5 yards. The Huskies generated some early momentum, but Arizona’s defense tightened in key situations and forced Northern Illinois to settle for field-goal chances. Northern Illinois moved the ball effectively at times but could not convert enough drives into points.

Arizona’s passing game distributed the ball across several targets. Chris Hunter III had five receptions for 73 yards and one touchdown. Isaiah Mizell caught five passes for 49 yards and one touchdown. Brandon Phelps added three receptions for 45 yards, R.J. Mosley had one for 32 yards, Cole Rusk had three for 25 yards, Rodney Gallagher III had three for 23 yards, and Tyler Powell had three for 11 yards and one touchdown.

Caleb Smith delivered a special-teams highlight for the Wildcats. He returned one kickoff for 23 yards and two punts for 69 yards, including one touchdown. Chase Ridley punted once for 32 yards. Michael Salgado-Medina did not record a statistic. Kevin Moorer Jr. made one tackle and one quarterback hurry, while Leroy Palu and Jabari Mann each added one tackle. Lee Molette III finished with seven tackles. Cooper Blomstrom led Arizona with 10 tackles and half a sack. Arizona’s six touchdowns came through four Fifita passes, one Fifita run and Smith’s punt return.

Defensively for Northern Illinois, Jashawn Nelson recorded seven tackles and one sack. Marshall Washington and Kyon Conyers each made seven tackles. Brady Kerperin, Yassine Falke, Jay’shon Thomas, Jack Murray and Liam Lindo each had five tackles. Falke added an interception, and Murray had one sack. Malik Armstrong made four tackles. Aaron Warren, Andruw Ellis and Avery Jones each had three tackles. Amari Washington, Jordan Bellamy and Kole Sneed each recorded two tackles, with Bellamy and Sneed adding one sack apiece. Jacob McGhee, JT King and Montrel Canion each had one tackle. Jake Ference punted three times for 109 yards.

JJ Schlenhardt made a 38-yard field goal in the first quarter. Schlenhardt later missed from 41 yards in the first quarter and from 54 yards in the fourth quarter. In the third quarter, Dickens completed a short pass to Rogers for a 6-yard touchdown, but the play was nullified by an ineligible downfield penalty on the Huskies. Arizona kept control after that sequence and finished the game with its most complete offensive performance of the young season.

Arizona entered the game after a 28-17 loss at BYU on Sept. 12 and a 35-7 home victory over Northern Arizona on Sept. 5. Northern Illinois had lost 28-24 at home to Illinois State on Sept. 12 after opening the season with a 40-0 loss at Iowa on Sept. 5. The Huskies will next play at Georgia State on Sept. 26. Arizona will play at Washington State on Sept. 26.

Northern Illinois is scheduled to host Air Force on Oct. 10, visit Wyoming on Oct. 17, host Hawaii on Oct. 24, visit UNLV on Oct. 31, visit San Jose State on Nov. 7, host Nevada on Nov. 14, visit North Dakota State on Nov. 21 and host UTEP on Nov. 28. Arizona is scheduled to host Cincinnati on Oct. 3, visit West Virginia on Oct. 10, host Iowa State on Oct. 24, visit Texas Tech on Oct. 31, host Texas Christian on Friday, Nov. 6, host Utah on Nov. 14, visit Kansas State on Nov. 21 and host Arizona State on Nov. 28.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Arizona 34, Northern Illinois 26. Interstat’s ELO system gave Arizona a 98.7 percent probability to win. Northern Illinois had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of plus-33.5, and the total score of 59 went under the over/under line of 50.5.