Wildcats HC Brent Brennan Analyzes Win Over Kansas State
In this story:
Head coach Brent Brennan was ecstatic about his team's 23-17 win over Kansas State, going 3-0 for the first time since 2015 at home.
Brennan was more than happy with the way his team battled in a physical back-and-forth matchup that went downn to the very end.
By the final whistle, Arizona dominated K-State on the ground, rushing for 234 yards compared to their 105.
On the defensive side, Arizona was able to hold Avery Johnson to just 88 yards passing and pummel him when he attempted to take off. He had -16 yards on seven rushes.
Here is what Brennan had to say about the team's triumphant win.
On responding after a bad third quarter
"I think every football game when you're playing against a program that's as good as you say, there's going to be back and forth, back and forth. Those guys have won a lot of football games for a really long time. They're extremely well coached. They have good players. And so there's going to be back and forth. What I love is, I love the response, because we had two really ugly plays back to back, and then we responded in all three phases. And that's that is what good teams do, is when something goes wrong, you respond, and that's redline."
On Ismail Mahdi's big game
I'm so proud of that kid. Like, what an awesome human being he is. Like, I don't know much, I don't know much time you guys have spent with him, but just his energy, the smile on his face, the way he makes you feel when you're around him, he's really special... Ish just kept showing up and kept ripping off big runs with physicality and finish and receivers walking downfield, there's a lot of good there."
On the defense's huge performance
"I think Coach (Danny) Gonzalez and that staff did an awesome job with the plan. I think it was a mixture of that and other stuff. Different personnel groups are trying to match their personnel groups. I think anytime you hold any division one team to under 200 yards of total offense, that's a special night, that is a hell of a football night. And so our defensive staff and those players should be ecstatic, and we're ecstatic for him, because that was that big time."
On his faith in Michael Salgado-Medina after missing three field goals
"I got faith in Michael, and he had two bad plays, but then he responded to get the field goal after that. So I believe in that young man, and he's going to be a great player here for years to come."
On what he's learned about his team through three games
"I've learned that this team loves to compete and they care about each other. I think that's why you see that kind of effort. That's why you see that kind of celebration, like, I don't know if you saw our sideline in the fourth quarter when our defense was out there, it was on fire. It was awesome. And so this team really cares about each other. It's important to them. Every day, they show up to work their tails off, and they do it for each other. It's an unselfish group."
What did you think of Arizona's win over K-State? Let us know on our X account. Just click the link to find us and be sure to follow.
Nathaniel Martinez and a set of shoulder pads at 7 years old. He later graduated from Pima Community College in 2023, where he began writing for the Pima Post. He is working to achieve a Bachelor’s in Mass Communication and Media Studies.