TUCSON, Arizona — Following Arizona Football’s heart-wrenching 33-27 defeat in double overtime against the No. 18 ranked team in the country on Saturday night, head coach Brent Brennan faced the media to defend his in-game decisions.
Despite the Wildcats racking up nearly 400 yards of total offense and scoring 27 points against a defense that had previously allowed just 12 points per game, the loss left fans and players frustrated.Brennan, acknowledging the disappointment, stood by his aggressive approach this season, particularly on fourth downs.
“First off, I've been extremely aggressive this year on fourth down,” he said. However, his choice to play conservatively late in the game, opting for two run plays while up a touchdown with four minutes left, drew scrutiny. Brennan attributed the failure to execution, stating, “We just didn't block it well enough.”
With the game tied and just 19 seconds remaining at Arizona’s own 25-yard line, Brennan’s decision to kneel and head to overtime, rather than attempt a long pass play, sparked debate. “I felt like we were playing with confidence. I felt we were playing good defense, and I just said let's go win it in overtime. I didn't want there to not be an opportunity for that,” he explained.
In the secnd overtime, BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier scored what turned out to be the game winning touchdown.
Brennan praised his team’s grit, saying, “I love the effort, the intensity, how tough our kids are, you know how we responded the other night.” Still, he shared the frustration felt across Tucson and Wildcat Nation: “Just like everybody else, I’m pissed off we didn't get it done.”
Now, the 4-2 Wildcats face 5-1 Houston in an 11 a.m. local time kickoff (9 a.m. in Tucson). To prepare for the early start, Arizona will practice Thursday morning to acclimate.
