‘There’s lots of things about that program that are fantastic’: Arizona coach Brent Brennan previews big-time matchup vs. Utah
· Yahoo Sports
Arizona is preparing for its biggest game of the season, and coach Brent Brennan wants to see a full house.
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The Wildcats have yet to sell out the 50,782-seat Casino Del Sol Stadium this season, and haven’t sold out the stadium since a 2024 game against Colorado, per Tucson.com writer Justin Spears.
With No. 3 Utah in town, Fox pregame show Big Noon Kickoff broadcasting live from Tucson and a 5:30 p.m. MST kickoff, Brennan is ready to see Tucson show up to support the No. 22 Wildcats.
“This is the game to show up for your alma mater, to show up for your university or show up for this city and how this institution is wired into the city of Tucson,” Brennan said at his weekly press conference.
“... Let’s show everybody how freaking dope the city of Tucson is. Let’s show them what this institution, the University of Arizona, is all about by going absolutely nuts.”
Brennan pointed to the atmosphere at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Utah’s 28-20 win over BYU as a bit of inspiration for the Arizona home crowd.
“It looked fantastic. Yeah, it looked great. I’ve coached in a bunch of games there over the course of my career as an assistant and as a head coach and they have a great game day,” Brennan said. “You could see that it had an impact on BYU at times in that game, and that’s what I’m talking about here in Casino Del Sol Stadium on Saturday night. Our fan base, the Zona Zoo, our alums, the city making that incredibly challenging for Utah.”
The stakes are especially high for Arizona, which is 4-2 in Big 12 play. The Wildcats need an upset win over the undefeated Utes to remain in the Big 12 title race and have a still have a chance at making the College Football Playoff.
For Utah, a victory not only preserves an undefeated season, but moves the Utes one win away from clinching their first-ever spot in the Big 12 championship game in the event’s final year of operation.
Whether the atmosphere turns out to be formidable or not, the Utes are facing a formidable opponent in Arizona. Add in the fact that the Utes have to hit the road following an emotional rivalry win over No. 9 BYU last week, and it’s going to require everything Utah has to come out of Tucson with a win.
Quarterback Noah Fifita has had Utah’s number in the last two meetings — a 42-18 loss that was the low point of the Utes’ 2023 season and a 23-10 loss in 2024. Utah’s defense will be tested once again by a fast-paced, explosive offense led by a good quarterback.
Fifita is fourth in the nation in passing yards this season (2,794) and has one of the nation’s highest explosive pass percentages (7.8% of his pass plays result in a gain of 30 or more yards, per Hudl IQ).
Utah has given up explosive passing plays in nearly every Big 12 game, and has allowed 233.8 passing yards per game, ranking No. 102 in FBS. Yet it’s tough to bet against the Utes’ defense after what they’ve shown through the first nine games, including wins against top-15 opponents BYU and Houston.
Utah’s red-zone defense has been stellar, and despite giving up a lot of passing yards, the Utes rank No. 15 in the nation in points per game with 16.3. Utah has also intercepted opposing quarterbacks 13 times, tied for No. 4 in the country.
“They’re super good on defense, incredibly good in the red zone. And so it’s going to be a physical, physical game and that’s what it is every time you play Utah,” Brennan said.
Quarterback Devon Dampier and Utah’s offense, however, dominated the talk in Brennan’s press conference.
Dampier registered four touchdowns in Utah’s win over BYU, two of which were rushing scores. The dual-threat senior presents a big challenge for Arizona’s defense.
“That’s kryptonite in all of football. Who are the best quarterbacks in the NFL? All the guys that can move. So guys that they’re able to utilize plus-one run game or escape these incredibly athletic, twitchy defensive linemen,” Brennan said.
“So I think that’s a challenge for all of college football and obviously Dampier is exceptional at it.”
Arizona will hope to contain Dampier’s rushing abilities, but Brennan is not tipping his game plan, obviously.
“We’re getting ready to play the No. 2 team in the country. I’m not going to give you anything schematically or how are we going to slow down this incredible player, right?” Brennan said. “But we’re going to do everything we can to do it. And they combine that with a great running game. They got receivers that can make plays. They got a bunch of big tight ends. Their O-line is massive and athletic and tough.”
Brennan is familiar with Utah’s offensive brain trust in offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven and quarterbacks coach Ryan Gunderson, working with the pair at both Oregon State and San Jose State. He also worked with Utah safeties coach Derrick Odum at San Jose State.
“Those guys are really good people and really good football coaches. The success they’re having doesn’t surprise me because I believe in those guys,” Brennan said.
Brennan has coached against Scalley as a defensive coordinator a number of times, both as a head coach and assistant coach, but Saturday will be the first time facing off against Scalley as a head coach.
Brennan has a lot of respect for Utah’s program heading into Saturday night’s big-time matchup.
“There’s lots of things about that program that are fantastic. There’s been a consistency there. They’ve played in the Rose Bowl. They’ve won the conference. I know it was the old conference (Pac-12), but they’ve done a great job since moving from the Mountain West into the Power Four,” Brennan said.
“I got a ton of respect for what they do there. Coach Scalley’s doing a great job. They’re very well-coached. Three guys that I worked with over the course of my career are coaching on that staff there. I love those guys. I believe in them. I’m happy for them and I’m excited for this big-time matchup on Saturday night.”