It was just about a year ago, after a miserable 49-7 loss to Arizona State that capped Brent Brennan’s nightmarish first season with the Arizona Wildcats, that he uttered these words with agitation:
“Stick with us. You’re going to love every minute of it.”
It was not, perhaps, his finest read-the-room moment after a 4-8 season. Keyboard warriors hammered him with glee and sarcasm, certain he would be proven dead wrong.
(OK, that was somewhat fair.)
But now we have to ask:
Are you loving it?
At least liking it a lot?
To check out the vibe around the program, I popped onto campus for the matchup against Baylor on Saturday, when the clouds gathered over Casino Del Sol Stadium, the skies darkened and eventually it rained all over the Arizona Wildcats.
But not on their parade.
In case you’ve missed November, Brennan’s team is riding a sunny, feel-good four-game winning streak, crushing Colorado, kissing Kansas goodbye, conquering Cincinnati and, on Saturday, bashing Baylor 41-17 with a blitz of 27 consecutive second-half points.
Yeah. The Wildcats’ short- and long-term outlook has brightened considerably.
Enjoy.
Don’t overthink it. Just enjoy.
Arizona has surged to 8-3, and that alone is reason to celebrate in these parts. Since 1998, the Wildcats have reached eight victories only six other times – 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2023.
“I’m so proud of this team — the players, the coaches, our strength staff, our recruiting staff, everybody that touches this program,” Brennan said. “It speaks to the alignment that we have at Arizona right now. And that is special. That is really special. And, I promise you, that has not happened everywhere. But it’s happening here right now.”
From the moxie of quarterback Noah Fifita to the mad-genius scheming of defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales, the Wildcats are on a serious roll heading into the regular-season-ending Territorial Cup showdown at Arizona State on Friday.
Multiple times last week, Brennan praised the team’s chemistry — veterans who chose to stay, transfers who wanted in, and freshmen who bought what Brennan was selling.
“We believe in Coach Brennan,” said sixth-year senior Treydan Stukes, whose momentum-building interception in the end zone early in the fourth quarter preserved a 21-17 lead against Baylor.
“Every day in practice we get after it. So, you know, we earned this opportunity.”
The opportunity: Beat the hated rival and set up a chance at 10 wins with a bowl game victory.
As you know, Brennan distilled his preaching about effort, execution and accountability into one word this season: Redline. Well, vroom, vroom, baby.
“There’s an awesome vibe and energy to this football team —not just on game day, but in the practice environment, and when we get together and meet,” Brennan said. “It is really, really special.”
Brennan invoked Redline again at halftime on Saturday, exhorting his guys to “elevate their collective physicality.” The defense responded with a stunning second half: zero points allowed, three turnovers, and two fourth-down stops.
Baylor quarterback Sawyer Robertson, the national leader with an average of 321.0 passing yards entering the game, mustered just 162 against Arizona. The Wildcats sacked him three times and had 10 tackles for loss. The D is legit.
“When we play with that kind of physicality, it’s a lot of fun to watch,” Brennan said.
If you had asked me anytime during the offseason if Brent Brennan was the right guy at the right time at Arizona, I would have said, “I have no idea.” If you ask me if he will sustain or improve on 2025, I’ll say, “I have no frickin’ idea.”
But what has happened these past four weeks feels like the start of something special — and there’s no reason not to grab hold of that feeling and ride it as long as you can.
Brennan was fired up enough to end his press conference with a vociferous “BEAR DOWN, BABY!”
How about you?
Are you loving it?
At least liking it a lot?
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