TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Noah Fifita threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns, Isaiah Mizell scored on a 71-yard catch on the game's second play and No. 25 Arizona shut down Iowa State for a 39-3 win on Saturday night.
The Wildcats (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) played as a ranked team for the first time this season, having moved into the AP Top 25 despite not playing last week.
Arizona was sharp following its bye, jumping to a quick 15-0 lead and dominating both sides of the ball to match its best start since the 2014 team opened 6-1.
“Coming into this thing we had a plan and that plan was really based on playing a physical football game,” Arizona coach Brent Brennan said. “I think that physicality showed up all night.”
Fifita completed 27 of 34 passes and hit Henry Gabalis for a 40-yard touchdown with 6:41 left before sitting out the rest of the game. Mizell finished with eight catches for 134 yards.
The Wildcats stagnated offensively for most of the second half, but it didn't matter the way their defense was playing.
Arizona held the Cyclones (3-4, 1-3) to 221 total yards, including 52 yards on 31 carries to end their 23-game streak of running for at least 100 yards. Aiden Flora, who entered the game ranked ninth nationally in rushing yards per game (113.3), had 36 yards on 12 carries.
“They're good and we struggled,” Iowa State first-year coach Jimmy Rogers said. “Not going to point the finger at one person, it's a collective group effort.”
The Wildcats overwhelmed Iowa State from the start, going up 15-0 on Mizell's 71-yard TD catch and Quincy Craig's 6-yard touchdown run the next drive. Kendrick Reescano added a 5-yard TD run to give Arizona a 25-3 halftime lead.
The Wildcats were just as good on defense, holding the Cyclones to 112 first-half yards.
“I thought our defense was lights out,” Brennan said.
Iowa State crossed Arizona's 40-yard line three times, its only points coming on Kyle Konrady's 40-yard field goal. The Cyclones failed on a fourth-and-3 from the Wildcats 22, thanks to an open-field tackle by Cam Chapa, and lost a fumble on an ill-advised pitch by quarterback Jaylen Raynor while trying to avoid a sack.
Connor Moberly relaced Raynor to start the second half and it didn't help — ISU didn't cross midfield once in the second half.
“It doesn’t change my feel of who he (Raynor) is as a leader or what he’s capable of,” Rogers said. “We were just looking for a spark there.”
Part of Iowa State’s offensive woes came from its inability to convert on third down.
The Cyclones didn’t have their first third-down conversion until midway through the third quarter and finished 3 for 14. Iowa State also was 1 for 3 on fourth down.
Iowa State: A bye week did little to help the Cyclones. They fell into an early hole and had no chance of recovering with an offense that stagnated no matter who was behind center.
Arizona: The Wildcats got off to a great start and dominated both sides of the ball to win their fifth straight. A move up in the rankings could be next.
Iowa State: Hosts Oklahoma State next Saturday.
Arizona: At No. 8 Texas Tech next Saturday.
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Iowa State cornerback Seth Johnson (3) makes a diving tackle against Arizona wide receiver Caleb Smith (20) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)
SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgarians headed to the polls on Sunday to elect their next president in a campaign centered on growing economic hardship and drone attacks on Black Sea shipping.
The vote will also be the first major test for the Moscow-friendly Progressive Bulgaria party of Prime Minister Rumen Radev after its triumph in parliamentary elections in April.
Despite a record number of candidates, the race is expected to be decided in a runoff between incumbent President Iliana Yotova, backed by Radev’s party, and former caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov, who is backed by pro-Western opposition parties.
The campaign has focused heavily on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the widening hostilities in the Black Sea, where recent drone attacks on commercial vessels off Bulgaria’s coast have heightened security concerns in the European Union and NATO member country.
The strikes have raised concerns over Russia’s intentions to escalate the conflict and prompted the government to ask Bulgaria's partners for assistance to strengthen its maritime security.
Candidates have also sought to address public anxiety over rising energy prices and inflation, as many families, particularly in rural areas, struggle to make ends meet.
Polling stations, which opened at 7 a.m., are to close at 8 p.m., after which initial exit polls will be announced while preliminary results are expected on Monday.
The election will likely go into a runoff as none of the 27 candidates is expected to win outright. Turnout must be above 50% of 6.6 million registered voters, and the winner needs a majority of votes. Projections have Sunday’s turnout at less than 40%, indicating a likely Nov. 1 runoff.
Yotova, a 62-year-old journalist and former member of the European Parliament, is the country's incumbent president and a front-runner in the race.
She previously served as vice president under Radev, during his two terms as head of state. She took over the presidency in January 2026, when Radev stepped down to run for parliament, and is now seeking her own mandate.
She's running as an independent but also has the official backing of Progressive Bulgaria and the Socialist Party, where her career began.
If she wins, Yotova will become Bulgaria’s first elected female president.
Analysts expect her to continue Radev’s policy to keep Bulgaria on its European path but at the same time call for improved relations with Russia and the lifting of sanctions. Both Yotova and Radev have called for a diplomatic solution to end the war in Ukraine.
Addressing supporters at a rally this week, Yotova said she “advocated for peace through negotiations, rather than force”.
Observers say that Yotova’s victory would keep the presidency in the hands of the ruling majority, and such concentration of power could prevent institutions maintaining effective checks and balances on policy decisions.
Yotova's main challenger is economist Andrei Gyurov, a former deputy governor of the central bank and caretaker prime minister who led the country in the early months of 2026. He is supported by the pro-Western reformist opposition.
Gyurov, who has often expressed firm support for Ukraine, signed a security cooperation agreement with Kyiv during his premiership.
“I want Bulgaria to have a voice of its own in Europe. A reliable NATO ally that defends its interests through preparedness, strong diplomacy and a clear position,” he told supporters this week.
Latest opinion polls give Yotova an edge in the first round of the race by giving her between 40 percent and 45 percent, versus Gyurov’s 25-30 %, with a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
But some observers believe that Gyurov could have a better chance in a runoff, where results can be influenced by voters who supported candidates eliminated in the first round.
Presidents in Bulgaria are elected directly for a five-year term and can serve no more than two terms. While the post is primarily ceremonial, the direct election gives the president greater political authority. The president leads the armed forces and can veto legislation, signs international treaties and appoints ambassadors.
Posters featuring independent presidential candidate Andrey Gyurov and his vice-presidential running mate, Georgi Kandev are displayed on screens during their campaign's closing event in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, on Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova)
