Coach Brennan Talks About Arizona Football's Upcoming Match Against Utah

 By: Makensie Sherard

The University of Arizona football team has already endured their fair share of ups and downs this season. The brutal 31-7 loss to Kansas State left a bad taste in the mouth of coach Brennan and the entirety of the team. However, Brennan seems to be maintaining an optimistic outlook about the remainder of the season by stating "We can play better. Coming off a game where you only scored seven points.. it doesn't feel good. There's no way that it can. And that's on me. That's why we've been spending every day and every night in here working on and trying to come up with the best way to move the football effectively. But I am optimistic that we will improve." Arizona will face arguably their toughest opponent of the season this Saturday at the University of Utah.

Preparing for the matchup has proven to be tricky for Arizona as it remains unknown whether or not Utah's starting quarterback Cameron Rising will be playing this Saturday. Rising obtained a wrist injury in week two against Baylor, and Utah's true freshman quarterback Isaac Wilson has stepped into the role. Wilson has won both games as a starter, including an away win against ranked Oklahoma State. Wilson proved to be a weapon on his feet as he ran 6 times for 41 yards against Oklahoma State. Arizona has been struggling to defend quarterbacks who can run the ball. Earlier this season, Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson and New Mexico's Devon Dampier both rushed for over 100 yards against Arizona. However, Wilson has struggled with turnovers with a 58.5 pass completion percentage on the season as well as 5 TDs and 5 interceptions. Arizona may be able to force turnovers on the young QB this Saturday.

Cameron Rising is capable of running the ball against Arizona as well. Rising's experience in college football makes him more capable of protecting the ball with 62.1 percent of passes completed on the season, 7 TD's and no interceptions. When asked about the defining difference between the quarterbacks, coach Brennan responded "A decade of college football experience... Cam has had so many opportunities in big games and big moments in big arenas and that part of it. But Wilson looks like a really good player and obviously handled that situation great last weekend and that's as tough of an environment that you're gonna have to play in at Oklahoma State. Whoever we end up playing against, I think we're gonna be playing against a really good player."

Utah relies heavily on their run game and they may have the upper hand in that aspect of the game, with Arizona's starting running back Jacory Crosky-Merritt currently ineligible. The stand-out running back made his presence known during the first game of the season against New Mexico where he rushed for 108 yards, one touchdown, and 8 carries. The NCAA is currently determining whether or not Jacory redshirted his freshman year at Alabama State. Jacory was ruled out for the past two games against Northern Arizona and Kansas State, and it is doubtful he will be eligible for the upcoming game on Saturday vs. Utah. Coach Brent Brennan told reporters that there are no updates from the NCAA regarding the running back's eligibility status.

Arizona's special teams has also hurt the teams' performance in the first 3 games. Arizona has struggled to find a consistent punter and a different starting punter has been named in all three previous games. Jordan Forbes played against Northern Arizona in week two, with 5 punting attempts averaging 44 yards and totaling 220 yards. Tyler Loop, named the starting kicker for Arizona, punted against Kansas State with two attempts averaging 41.75 yards and totaling 167 yards. It was not stated outwardly who would be named the starter in the upcoming game against Utah, but Brennan told reporters "we are going to use the guy that gives us the best chance to hit the ball with timing and operation."

Arizona's offensive line has encountered big changes this season after losing All Pac-12 left tackle Jordan Morgan. Morgan was drafted in the first round to the Green Bay Packers after playing a crucial role in Arizona's 10-win 2023 season. Morgan was key to Arizona's success, and losing him has left a big gap in the offensive line. Rhino Tapa'atouti was a redshirt freshman during Morgan's final season with the Wildcats where he observed and gained knowledge from the talented offensive tackle. Rhino took over the position as a young player in the 2024 season.

Coach Brennan was asked about Rhino's new role during the press conference multiple times and he responded by saying "...I think he's a young player that's learning on the fly. I think he's gonna be a great player for us, as he continues to grow and improve... And I'm excited to see his process when you're going against a defensive front that's as good and as talented as Utah's is." It is clear that coach Brennan has faith in his new freshman starter to protect QB Noah Fifita's blindside at a high level.

Coach Brent Brennan was very outspoken during the press conference about his admiration for Utah coach Kyle Whittingham. He responded to reporters by saying "The things I've always admired about Coach Whittingham's teams is that they're always incredibly sound in every phase. They do a great job at playing team football so offense, defense, special teams... I think they're always the most physical team we play every year." Arizona will need to match Utah's talent and intensity in each facet of the game in order to perform an upset this weekend.