TUCSON (Interstat) — Noah Fifita threw for 284 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score, and Arizona defeated Cincinnati 34-7 on Saturday at Casino Del Sol Stadium in a Football Bowl Subdivision game. Arizona improved to 4-1. Cincinnati fell to 4-1. Fifita completed 25 of 37 passes and carried eight times for 17 yards. The Wildcats scored in every quarter and held the Bearcats to a single touchdown. Cincinnati’s only score came on JC French IV’s 2-yard run with 1:56 remaining, and Stephen Rusnak added the extra point. Michael Salgado-Medina made all of his extra-point attempts and added field goals of 23 and 35 yards for Arizona.

Arizona opened the scoring at 10:21 of the first quarter when Kedrick Reescano rushed left for a 10-yard touchdown. Salgado-Medina kicked the extra point. Cincinnati’s best early chance came later in the first quarter, but Rusnak missed a 53-yard field goal attempt. The Wildcats added to their lead just before halftime when Salgado-Medina connected on a 23-yard field goal with one second left in the second quarter.

Fifita took over in the third quarter. He scored on an 8-yard run up the middle at 9:29, and Salgado-Medina’s kick made it a three-score game. Fifita then found Brandon Phelps on a short right pass that went 24 yards for a touchdown at 3:07. Salgado-Medina again converted. Arizona’s defense continued to frustrate Cincinnati, forcing punts and limiting the Bearcats’ rushing attack.

In the fourth quarter, Salgado-Medina made a 35-yard field goal at 12:11. Fifita later tossed a 5-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Powell at 5:21, capping an Arizona drive and pushing the margin to 34. Cincinnati avoided the shutout when French rushed up the middle for 2 yards and a touchdown at 1:56. Rusnak’s extra point accounted for the final point.

Fifita, a 5-foot-11, 195-pound quarterback from Nuku’alofa, Tonga, was the game’s top performer. He completed 25 of 37 passes for 284 yards and two passing touchdowns and added eight rushing attempts for 17 yards and one rushing touchdown. In his previous outing, Fifita completed 22 of 36 passes for 297 yards and four touchdowns while running 11 times for 20 yards against Washington State.

French led Cincinnati by completing 16 of 29 passes for 153 yards and rushing nine times for 29 yards and one touchdown. Isaiah Johnson caught six passes for 60 yards. Cole Tabb ran six times for 19 yards and caught four passes for 40 yards. Gi’Bran Payne carried 11 times for 24 yards. Larenzo Fenner caught two passes for 22 yards, Elijah Jones had one catch for 12 yards, Gavin Grover had one for 9 yards, Lyviel Waters had one for 6 yards and Malachi Henry had one for 4 yards. Samaj Jones ran once for 2 yards. Max Fletcher punted five times for 240 yards for Cincinnati, while Arizona’s Chase Ridley punted once for 42 yards.

Cincinnati’s defense got a heavy workload and was led by Jasper Beeler, who made 12 tackles. Simeon Coleman added 10 tackles and half a sack. MJ Cannon recorded eight tackles and an interception. Jonathan Thompson and Antwan Peek Jr. each had eight tackles, and Damaine Wilson also finished with eight. Jacob Finley made seven tackles. Brian Simms III had five tackles and one sack. Patrick Bauer and Kenny Worthy each had four tackles. Jaylon White-McClain and Josh Hough each had three tackles, with Hough adding half a sack. Marquaze Parker and Marqavious Saboor each had two tackles. Drew Logan had two tackles and one sack. KK Meier had two tackles. Filip Maciorowski had one tackle and one quarterback hurry. Cam Roetherford and Thomas Johnson each had one tackle.

Arizona’s defense also made key stops. Taye Brown had seven tackles and two quarterback hurries. Chase Kennedy had seven tackles and half a sack. Quinn Olson made five tackles. Jay’Vion Cole had five tackles and one quarterback hurry. Lee Molette III had four tackles. Everett Roussaw Jr. recorded one quarterback hurry. The Wildcats also got a balanced receiving effort. Isaiah Mizell caught four passes for 67 yards. Tyler Powell had five catches for 40 yards and a touchdown. Brandon Phelps caught two passes for 36 yards and a touchdown. Tre Spivey had three catches for 36 yards. Caleb Smith had three catches for 25 yards. Chris Hunter III had two catches for 20 yards. R.J. Mosley had one catch for 11 yards, and Shane King had one for 4 yards. Reescano rushed 21 times for 57 yards and caught two passes for 19 yards to go with his touchdown. Giovanni Richardson caught two passes for 26 yards.

The victory gave Arizona its fourth win in five games and handed Cincinnati its first loss. Cincinnati had opened the season with wins over Boston College, Western Carolina, Miami of Ohio and Kansas State. Arizona had beaten Northern Arizona and Northern Illinois and Washington State while losing to BYU before Saturday. Arizona’s offense finished with balance through Fifita’s passing and Reescano’s rushing. Cincinnati moved the ball at times but could not finish drives until the late touchdown. The Bearcats’ defense kept the game from becoming more lopsided with stops in the second and third quarters, but Arizona’s control of field position and Salgado-Medina’s kicking helped the Wildcats pull away. Cincinnati will look to regroup in its next game, while Arizona will carry momentum from the home win.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Arizona 47, Cincinnati 27. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Arizona with an 87.6 percent probability to win. Cincinnati had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of +7. The total score of 41 went over the over/under line of 55.5.