Sources: QB Fifita likely starts for Arizona on Sat.

Pete Thamel, ESPNOct 28, 2023, 08:00 AM ET

Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita is expected to start his fourth consecutive game after taking a majority of the first-team reps in practice this week, according to sources.

Jayden de Laura is working back into the rotation after hurting his ankle on Sept. 23 and is expected to be available Saturday night when Arizona hosts No. 11 Oregon State. Before the injury, de Laura had started 16 straight games for Arizona.

Arizona is 4-3 and 2-2 in the Pac-12, and has played well with Fifita under center. He led Arizona to a 44-6 win at No. 19 Washington State last week and has completed 75.2% of his passes this season.

Fifita, a redshirt freshman, has impressed in the two losses he started for Arizona. The Wildcats played a triple-overtime thriller against USC and lost a one-score game to Washington, with Fifita throwing for eight combined touchdowns in those two games.

All of Arizona’s touchdowns in its win over Washington State, oddly, came on the ground. But Fifita threw for 342 yards and completed 34 of 43 passes in that dominant road victory.

Arizona hasn’t reached a bowl game since Rich Rodriguez was the coach in 2017 and went winless in 2020 under Kevin Sumlin. Jedd Fisch has the Wildcats two wins from bowl eligibility with five games remaining.