Brent Brennan Analyzes Double Overtime Loss to No. 18 BYU
The Arizona Wildcats battled with the No. 18-ranked BYU Cougars to the very end in a 33-27 loss that went down to two overtimes.
The Wildcats scratched their way from a 14-point deficit in the first quarter to leading the Cougars by 10 points in the fourth quarter, ultimately losing the game in a thrilling end.
Plenty of mistakes were made in that game, which was otherwise a solid game that showed just how far the Wildcats had come along from the team that lost 41-19 last year.
Although visibly let down by the loss, head coach Brent Brennan still had plenty of positive things to say about the growth of his team and where they can go from there.
Here is a collection of what he had to say about the loss, what players performed well and how they can improve going into next week's game with the Houston Cougars.
On coming back following the weather delay
"We're down 14 Points, make some plays, we rally back, we come out of the weather delay and really dig in and get in. Well, the interesting about the weather delay that happened, there's still three quarters left of football to play. So there's so much football left to play, and I thought our team did a great job of answering the call in that moment."
On the decision to not try for points at the end of the half
"I just felt like we were playing a good football team. And I felt like I liked how our defense was playing at the time. And so those things are a little bit, it's a combination of analytics and a combination of field and so you also saw us benefit from going for it on fourth down on multiple drives in this game. That's the hard part about it. If you get it, everyone's like, 'Yay.' If you don't, everyone's like, 'What are you doing?'"
On Kedrick Reescano and Kris Hutson having big games
"Ked has been sidelined a little bit with some injury stuff, but it was great to see him run the ball with the physicality and the playmaking that we think he's capable of. And then, Kris Hutson, it was great to see him get going. And I think he's also had some injury stuff that slowed him during training camp and throughout this season. But tonight is the night where I'm like, 'Oh, there he is. That's the playmaker that we know you to be.'"
On improving from a loss
And to me, like it's getting back to work, it's getting back to red line. It's getting back to the things that got us off to a 4-1 start. It's what gave us a chance to beat the No. 18 team in the country tonight. I know we didn't do it, but we're right there knocking on the door. And as disheartening as tonight was to me, there's a lot of positive in that game, and we need to be excited about that."
On Dalton Johnson's leadership
"Dalton Johnson is a leader. He's a great player. He's an awesome human being, and he's a die hard Wildcat. He's been here through all of it. He's been here. This is year six and he's just one of those guys that continues to show up every day, continues to lead, continues to be a positive voice for the football team, continues to make plays on game day... The great thing about who he is, he's going to be upset about how this thing ended, too and he's going to push the team to go to work and get to fix it."
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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.