Arizona got back on track into the win column on Saturday night with a dominant win over Northern Illinois. As the Wildcats get ready for a game against former conference opponent in the Washington State Cougars, Arizona head coach Brent Brennan took the podium on Monday and shared his thoughts on the win over the Huskies and what the UA can expect on Saturday in the Palouse.
Brennan noted Arizona’s struggles running the ball and protecting Noah Fifita against NIU, personnel updates including the loss of safety Daylen Austin, and Wazzu’s trio of strong running backs and passionate fanbase creating a challenge this weekend in Pullman.
Brent Brennan:
Brennan on Arizona’s focus ahead of Washington State this week:
“Saturday night was a great night for our team in Casino Del Sol Stadium, and we got to enjoy that until Sunday, and then we’re on to the next, which is another road game in a tough environment against a good opponent. We get back to playing one of our old rivals from the Pac-12 days.
This is one of those games where I know that the focus for us is just going to be heavy on what sounds basic, but turnover battle, tackling, special teams execution, and penalty avoidance, avoiding those sins that hurt your chances to win in a tough environment on the road. So I’m excited to get to practice tomorrow. I’m excited to see the players. We had a good day yesterday, going through the film and moving on to the next thing. But now this is all about this week, and that’s where our hearts and minds are at. And we’re excited to get going.”
Brennan on his assessment of the run game:
“When we talk about Redline, I felt like some of that execution wasn’t where it needs to be in terms of the run game, and some of that was just missed assignments. And so, cleaning that up is an absolute priority for us this week. That’s something that we have done a really good job of, and I felt like the week before we ran the ball well against a really good BYU team. So that’s something that we are aggressively attacking right now.”
Brennan on wide receiver Brandon Phelps playing in the slot:
“Well, I think Brandon Phelps is just a good football player, and the truth is, if you wanted to put a good football player inside, outside, they can make it go. Some of the stuff we ask those guys to do is different. Some of the play calls, it’s just like body types. The one thing for me with receivers, just being an old receiver guy, is I don’t want to have all the same type of body types at receiver. I don’t want a bunch of speed and space guys [or] a bunch of monsters. I want to be able to mix and match that. And BP’s one of those kids that’s a tough-ass kid, and he can make plays, and that’s shown up the last couple weeks.”
Brennan on Arizona’s opening drive of the second half against Northern Illinois:
“To me, that was Redlining, and that was something that we talked about. That is the execution that we’re looking for with our offense – having the kind of explosiveness and the consistency that we want, and so when we were talking going into that game, we had talked about the previous two games coming out of halftime. We did not play our best football, and so that was a point of emphasis for us going into the game against Northern Illinois.”
Brennan on Tyrese Boss being listed over Dwight Bootle in the latest depth chart:
“Bootle was banged up last week, and then Tyrese played well.”
Brennan on tight end Cole Rusk and safety Daylen Austin’s injuries:
“I don’t have any updates on Cole right now. Actually, I do need to tell you – Daylen Austin has a season-ending injury, which is really unfortunate. He’s a great kid. He’s going to be a great player here, but he’s got a little bit of a mountain to climb. So we’re supporting him on that journey right now.”
Brennan on the old Pac-12 Conference:
“Well, for me, that was the conference that I grew up with. You know, it’s the conference that I played in. I coached in it. So I have a lot of fond memories of that. I think the travel was easier. There weren’t any cross-country trips. So, I mean, if you’re thinking about travel from here, I guess this trip that we’re making this weekend would have been the most challenging travel in the old Pac-12, right? But, that’s what we’re the world we’re living in right, like everything is constant change, and I think the teams that adapt to that the best and and find ways to move forward with the current structure we’re in are the ones that have the best chance to be successful.”
Brennan on Wazzu defensive coordinator Trent Bray:
“Trent is a really good friend of mine. We spent a lot of time together when we were coaching Oregon State, and we’ve spent a lot of time together since then as friends. He’s Uncle Trent to my kids, and we’ve had a lot of fun together. Trent is an outstanding football coach, and he’s going to have – that defense is physical. They are sound. They fly to the football. He’s going to have those guys ready to play, and I know that.”
Brennan on what game day is like in Pullman, WA:
“They did a really good job redoing that stadium. I think that was during my time at Oregon State, where they did all the upgrades to the stadium in the end zone facility and their home sideline, they redid all that. But, they got good fans. People show up for that team. I think this is going to be for them a big game because we’re the first Power Four team to be going in there this season. And then also you have the old Pac-12, you have that history, which I think some people will think that’s cool. So we expect a good crowd. We expect a tough game.”
Brennan on any memorable games in Pullman:
“Not really. I’ve coached a bunch of games there. We went up there with San Jose State, I think my second year, and got drilled pretty good with Mike Leach and that gang. It was always fun when he was there, just because his pregame comments or his postgame comments were always so so interesting and so entertaining, right? But I don’t have anything specific for me there at Wazzu.”
Brennan on Washington State’s trio of running backs:
“They’re all a little bit different, and they do a good job mixing up the personnel packages, which is something that I think is really really challenging. Just making sure that you’re matching personnel when they’re bringing in heavier sets, or big tight ends, or going back to 11 personnel, or whatever. So I think that’s going to be something that our defense is going to have to be on point with.
Obviously Kirby’s a smart coach, and so he’s going to be really creative with what they do offensively, with what his background is, and where he’s been, and the people he’s been around, and what he’s grown up in, and so we’re expecting to be really challenged that way with different running backs. They also have a really good tight end that they’ll move around, they have good receivers. They’ve got a playmaker in Blood that they’re going to move all over the place, and so it’s just one of those things where we’re going to have to be ready for a lot of stuff.”
Brennan on the pressure Noah Fifita has taken this season:
“I think everybody has a piece of the execution, and obviously we don’t want Noah Fifita getting hit at all if we can avoid it. Protection is O-Line, tight ends, backs. It’s the receivers getting open on time. Like, everybody has a piece of it.”
Brennan on safety Cam Chapa getting more comfortable:
“I felt like watching him Saturday night was the most confident and physical I’ve seen him play since he’s been here. So, maybe that’s just him settling in, him getting used to the speed of the game, him getting used to who he’s playing against, or him getting used to the scheme and being able to play.
I think that’s one of those things for young players and them getting their chance. When players get a new scheme, and they learn what to do, and they really know it, to me, that’s when you see their talent show up. Because they know what to do, they’re no longer processing, or thinking, or does that make sense? So for ‘Chop,’ I think all of a sudden, it was like, let’s go, and he’s confident, playing fast. You saw him trigger. You saw him play with physicality. I was really excited for him.”
Brennan on what more he can say about Noah Fifita:
“I mean, shoot, I don’t know. I’ll try and think of one, but that was a really special moment, and I think maybe those moments are more rare now than they’ve been in college football in the past because there’s so much movement and players transfer and all that stuff, but I just keep coming back to the fact that Noah Fifita has chosen Arizona every year since his senior year of high school. He’s chosen this place, he’s chosen these teammates, he’s chosen this program, this university, this city.
He’s the player of the week in the conference this week, and we haven’t talked about that. That’s my mistake. And he should be, right? You complete 91 percent of your passes for 300-plus and five TDs, like that’s a hell of a day for a quarterback, right? That kind of accuracy, combined with that kind of production.
But I’m optimistic as he continues to play great football, that the City of Tucson is going to show up for him because he’s showing up for this place year in and year out, and I think that’s one of those things where everybody always talks about wanting to have a premier quarterback or a high-profile player at that position – to me, the most important position in sport – and we have that guy here.”