What Brent Brennan said after Arizona's Week 1 win over Northern Arizona

Brennan spoke about Noah Fifita and the new stadium renovations after a Week 1 over NAU

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

Year 3 of the Brent Brennan era in Tucson is off to a good start, as the Arizona Wildcats jumped all over Northern Arizona on Saturday night - ultimately securing a 35-7 victory at Casino Del Sol Stadium.

The Wildcats weren't without their warts, notably a pair of lost fumbles and shaky defense from the team's new look secondary, but quarterback Noah Fifita led a balanced offensive attack into the end zone on three of the team's first four drives, while the defense took down NAU's Ty Pennington five times in a dominant performance up front.

Ahead of a big time Week 2 showdown at BYU, coach Brennan spoke to the media about his team's preparedness for NAU, the new features at Casino Del Sol Stadium, and performances from key veterans and newcomers.

Here is a selection of what he said on Saturday night in Tucson:

On Arizona's hot start

"Our guys were excited. I thought our coaching staff did a fantastic job preparing them to play. We were moving the ball great, putting points on the board, our defense answered with stops. There's a lot to be excited about from that."

On the fixes at Casino Del Sol Stadium

"I do think it was an awesome night in the stadium. What our administration has done with the lights and the sound system. Us being on a different sideline with our faithful alumnus who've been there forever. I thought the change up was really really cool, I thought the Zona Zoo was outstanding. It was a huge step in terms of creating a game day atmosphere that people are going to be excited about. The energy was awesome."

Oh the team's improved third down efficiency

"Some people will tell you that the only calls that matter are third down and red zone calls. Everything else is just call whatever you want. We don't see it that way, but I think there was a lot of good execution there. When Noah [Fifita] is playing at that level, he gives us a real chance not just with his ability to make good decisions throwing the football, but also with his ability to create with his legs and still throw on the run, which makes him a dangerous person on third down."

More on Noah Fifita's performance

"He's such a good player and he's so efficient and I think you saw that on the first deep ball for the touchdown to [Tre] Spivey. It was an incredible throw, it's as good a throw as you can make. It was in the absolute perfect place for that. We have incredibly high expectations for Noah, but so does Noah, and nothing he does surprises us. We expect that high level of consistency to continue."

On Quinn Olson getting an interception after being put on scholarship

"He got to lead the team and bear down in the locker room after the game. Quinn Olson is an awesome young man. He does everything right. He is a guy that is always putting in extra work. He walked on here, did it the hard way. He has total respect of the football team. And then for him to make that play on the sideline tonight was awesome. I'm excited about his future here, he's going to be a great player and a great teammate."