We all hoped Arizona would come out against Kansas and play well because we believed the Wildcats needed to in order to win and secure bowl eligibility.
They didn’t. And they didn’t.
Uneven performance. Victory earned. Bowl game achieved.
The Wildcats got on the board first in their second possession but from there it was a struggle, especially offensively. The line, which had been a strength this season, struggled to keep pressure away from Noah Fifita and Fifita, when he did have time, was not his usual
accurate self.
Receivers dropped passes, and the defense was showing cracks, leading to a 17-7 deficit just before halftime.
It looked like the game might be all but over when a Fifita pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown in the final minute before the break, but a defensive holding wiped out the turnover and two plays later Arizona scored a TD to make it 17-14 at the half.
Order restored, the Cats wouldn’t reach the end zone again until the final minute when Quincy Craig ran through a gaping hole for a 24-yard game-winning touchdown.
So yeah, not the cleanest game. It was a game, however, where Arizona showed its toughness and was able to take advantage of some calls and bounces that finally went their way.
Asked about that after the game, Brent Brennan pointed out that the calls were not breaks so much as they were correct, and he’s right. There was a hold on the pick-six and another interception later in the game was overturned because the ball did hit the ground.
If we’re at the point of counting the referees making the right decision as a break, well, it’s 2025 in the Big 12.
But alas, for the first time all season it seemed as though the big plays and calls that could have gone either way went for Arizona, and it was a good thing too because without them the team and program would have suffered a devastatingly disappointing loss.
Instead, Brent Brennan and his team got a pivotal win.
“Lots of people chose to be here and lots of people chose to stay and they either chose to be here, they chose to come or they chose to stay because they believe in the University of Arizona and they believe what we’re doing with our football program,” Brennan said after the game when discussing the feelings on the field and in the post-game locker room.
It’s a far cry from where Arizona was around this time last season, and Brennan cited the alignment within the athletic department that allowed the program to revamp its coaching staff and go out and bring in new players.
“And that’s what we’re excited about,” the coach said. “Like this is a stepping stone, right? Like, yay, we got to six. Like, that’s not good enough for me. That’s not good enough for these kids, right? We want to keep playing good football. How can we continue to improve, continue to find ways to elevate Arizona football? That’s what we’re doing.”
There are still many people who do not believe in Brennan or what he is doing. That is seen in some media, a good number of fans and the empty seats that permeated Arizona Stadium Saturday afternoon. While it is understandable to have doubts about a coach who has a career record below .500 and was in charge of the disaster that was 2024, it is unfair to at the same time not give credit to the man for what he has accomplished this season or to hold this year’s roster responsible for the disappointment you’ve felt in the past.
Last year was awful. This year is much better. Next year and beyond? Who knows.
None of us expected the team to compete for a conference title this season, although it is easy to look back at close losses to BYU and Houston and think about what could have been. But we did hope for improvement and a season that would provide evidence that Arizona Football does not have to reside at the bottom of a chaotic Big 12 conference.
We’ve gotten that.
We don’t know what else we’ll get this season. Arizona has three conference games left and the line from what would appear to be the least-winnable is on the more competitive side, so it would seem the possibility is there for more wins in the coming weeks.
Would beating Cincinnati solidify belief? How about Baylor? Certainly knocking off ASU would satisfy the masses, even if the Sun Devils are a wounded squad heading into the Territorial Cup.
However the regular season ends, we know the Cats will get one more game after that. While this is not a big accomplishment for some programs, given where Arizona was one year ago and where the expectations were just a few months ago it should be viewed with both pleasure and pride.
And, of course, hope. Because if this season has shown us anything it is that the Wildcats are moving in the right direction, and with that we should all be excited to see just how far they can go.
