Brent Brennan explains what’s behind Arizona’s slow starts ahead of Cincinnati game

The Wildcats overcame an early 14-point deficit at Washington State, but an undefeated Cincinnati team awaits in Tucson

Sep 26, 2026; Pullman, Washington, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Brent Brennan looks on against the Washington State Cougars during the first half at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Brent Brennan and the Arizona Wildcats head into Week 5 coming off a 34-24 win on the road at Washington State. It wasn't always pretty, but the Wildcats got it done and ensured an undefeated non-conference season.

Now attention turns toward the Cincinnati Bearcats, who are 4-0 on the year and 1-0 in conference play after a 31-26 win at home against Kansas State in Week 4.

Coach Brennan spoke to assembled media this week, discussing Arizona's slow start this season, and the performance of key offensive contributors and how they might be deployed going forward in 2026:

On Arizona's slow starts this season

"First play the game you give up a sack, and then drop a 35-yard pass, and so to me there's like some mistakes there. It's kind of that simple, right? Like we're a rhythm offense, and we need to get into that kind of momentum. I think for our defense, there's always going to be a little bit of a learning curve for our defensive staff because we are different. There's no opponent film that they can watch and say, oh, that's what they're going to do against this, because no one plays what we play."

On how RB Ismaila Mahdi will get integrated into the offense

"There's been a lot of conversation about it...there was a little bit of a time for him just getting kind of comfortable. I'm excited that I feel like the process is accelerating, and we're starting to see better versions of [Mahdi]. I think the timing of that is good with where we are in season right now."

On freshman Caleb 'Jet' Smith's breakout

"Let's see what he does at the end of the season. Let's see what that thing looks like as time goes. Like that's the hardest part for freshmen, the season's longer, the practices are longer, everything's more intense, the reps are way more intense. I'm so excited for Jet. He's worked super hard. He's a very mature young man. It's important to him right away. He had the respect of the team because of how hard he worked. When he got here, he was just like that. The plays he made in critical situations were just tremendous."

On safety Cam Chapa's improvement

"I think he's just playing with confidence. I think he knows what to do. I think there's always some of that when a new player that hasn't played the game yet for you, and I think that is showing up for him. He's playing with confidence and he's playing fast, and that's showing up to a lot of positive plays for him."