What Must Happen for Arizona Stadium to Reach Capacity
In this story:
Arizona picked up its sixth win of the season on Saturday, improving to 6-3 on the year with a 24-20 comeback victory over Kansas.
The Wildcats played complementary football late, getting stops defensively and letting the offense slowly crawl back into the game. The knockout punch came courtesy of tailback Quincy Craig's 24-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, putting the Wildcats ahead for good.
Noah Fifita had a difficult day, completing just 16-of-31 passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns. However, his pair of touchdown passes brought him into a three-way tie with former Wildcats Willie Tuitama and Nick Foles with 67 career touchdown passes at Arizona, a program record.
Fifita's shot at Arizona history and the Wildcats' potential to secure a bowl bid for the first time under coach Brent Brennan should have been enough to draw a big crowd for a close game with the Jayhawks.
Instead, the Wildcats couldn't fill the stadium.
The announced attendance for Saturday's game was 41,115, which is 81% of Arizona Stadium's capacity of 50,782. That crowd built later into the game, but was fairly empty at kickoff. So, where were the fans?
Crowd moments before kickoff. pic.twitter.com/nsJGrhtslL
— Justin Spears (@JustinESports) November 8, 2025
The short answer is that building crowds takes time, while losing them takes very little.
In 2023, the Wildcats went on a wild run, finishing 10-3 behind Fifita under center and star wideout Tetairoa McMillan torching defenses along the way. Still, it was a struggle to fill the stadium. When Arizona hosted No. 11 Oregon State, the Wildcats managed to bring in 45,000 fans.
It wasn't until Nov. 18, once Arizona had entered the rankings at No. 17, that the stadium attendance crossed 50,000 in a game against No. 22 Utah. The result? a 42-18 drubbing of the Utes.
It's hard to get on fans for not consistently spending money on tickets when prices only seem to increase, and sit in the Arizona heat, rather than watching it for free at home in an air-conditioned room. If that's you, fair enough.
But the impact of a full crowd can't be understated. Not only can it help a team win, but it also establishes a culture and standard for a program to follow. That's something Brennan has been driving home this season, and a bunch of fan support and a red sea in the stands on Saturday would only solidify that vision.
Arizona won the Alamo Bowl over Oklahoma to finish that season, but then lost coach Jedd Fisch to Washington, as well as several key players. With Brennan entering the frame to pick up the pieces, the crowds still showed up to start the season.
However, the numbers dwindled as the Wildcats struggled, bottoming out with just over 38,000 people in attendance for a game against Houston. As a team loses, the team loses fans in the crowd as well. Makes sense.
This season, Arizona has rebounded well, however. Clinching a bowl game should be seen as meeting expectations in year two for Brennan, but the Wildcats have been exciting to watch as well, with big plays in the passing game and a stifling defense, thanks to new defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales.
Many excuses have been given as to why fans haven't shown up. The weather, the kickoff time, low expectations, etc. That should all go out the window now because Arizona is winning again. However, I don't think those crowds return until Arizona wins consistently or puts together another historic campaign.
It would be nice to see a large crowd for Arizona's final home game against Baylor, sending off several seniors in a good way. But to routinely pack the stands, Brennan and the Wildcats might have to prove that this season is a true step back up the ladder and that the success can be sustained.
Let us know what you think of Arizona's season so far and the attendance as well. To do so, follow us on our X account by clicking on the link.
Logan Brown is an alumnus of the prestigious Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. He currently works as a General College Sports Reporter On SI. Logan has an extensive background in writing and has contributed to Cronkite Sports, PHNX Sports, and Motion Graphics.
Follow loganabrown