What Brent Brennan said about Arizona's matchup with No. 15 BYU

Brennan discussed the Provo crowd and last year's loss ahead of this Saturday's showdown

Sep 5, 2026; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Brent Brennan celebrates a touchdown with quarterback Noah Fifita (1) during the second quarter of the game against the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks at Casino Del Sol Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Brent Brennan and the Arizona Wildcats travel to Provo, UT, to kick off Big 12 play against the No. 15-ranked BYU Cougars on Saturday, looking for revenge after last year's agonizing 2OT loss in Tucson.

Arizona (1-0) cruised past FCS NAU in Week 1, 35-7, behind a dominant performance in the trenches and from quarterback Noah Fifita.

However, a trio of turnovers and sloppy play defensively early in the game clouded an otherwise stellar performance, creating key things the Wildcats must improve upon before the showdown against BYU.

Coach Brennan spoke about preparing for BYU, last year's loss, the impact of BYU's home crowd in 2024, as well as his long-standing relationship with head coach Kalani Sitake, in a media availability this week:

On turning attention to BYU

"[They've] been one of the best teams in the conference for the last few years. They have outstanding players in lots of different positions. They're coached very well and this is a big-time football game. We get to go on the road, we get to play in a tough environment, it's going to be a lot of fun."

On using last year's loss to BYU as motivation

"It's all about tomorrow's practice and what we are going to do with that. How serious are they going to be about their recovery? We have 50 new players and I'm sure they have a bunch new also. So we're really not focused on that as much as you might think. It's in the past, so we're focusing on right now."

On his long-standing relationship with BYU coach Kalani Sitake

"Kalani is one of my favorite people in this profession. I have a lot of respect for him. When he came to Corvallis I was the only guy on the [Oregon State] staff that was a holdover, so he asked me where to live and moved into our neighborhood. Our kids ran around the neighborhood together, which was so fun. I definitely think fondly on those times, it's been fun to get to compete against him the last few years."

On preparing for BYU's rushing attack

"When you play these guys you know it's going to be a physical game. Their running back [LJ Martin] is a total stud. He's powerful, he can finish runs, he's hard to bring down. We got to get population of the football, one guy is not going to get him down. He's a really impressive player."

On the crowd in Provo when Arizona played there in 2024

"I didn't feel like the crowd was a problem in 2024. I feel like we didn't play very well. I think we turned the ball over too many times. They have a great crowd though, I think that's one of those things that if you let that be an excuse it will be."