5 takeaways from the Arizona Wildcats’ 23-10 upset of No. 10 Utah | Michael Lev
Arizona and Brent Brennan pulled off a stunning upset Saturday night that would have made his mentor proud.
UA 23, Utah 10 was a Dick Tomey Special.
Defense. Special teams. Clutch quarterbacking. Grit.
The Wildcats made it difficult on themselves at times — it wasn't truly, finally over until Gunner Maldonado's interception with 2:26 to play — but they never wavered. They never succumbed to the pressure. They never let the moment overwhelm them.
After two-plus weeks of gripes and doubts, unranked Arizona knocked off No. 10 Utah at Rice-Eccles Stadium, where the Utes seldom if ever lose. It was the signature victory the Wildcats and Brennan — already feeling the heat from UA fans — desperately needed.
Here are my top five takeaways from a surreal night in Salt Lake City:
Utah freshman quarterback Isaac Wilson threw 20 incomplete passes. Two were intercepted. Eight others were broken up.
Arizona's defensive backs would not give up a completion without a fight. Tacario Davis was credited with five pass breakups. Fellow cornerback Emmanuel Karnley, subbing for the apparently injured Marquis Groves-Killebrew, had two. Several required them to claw the ball out of Utah receivers' hands.
The Wildcats stopped the Utes on fourth down four times. Davis was the difference-maker twice.
The first instance came on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line early in the second quarter. Having earlier been stuffed on a fourth-down running attempt, Utah tried a pass this time. The Utes isolated tight end Caleb Lohner, a 6-foot-7 former basketball player, on the left side.
The only problem with that? Davis is 6-4. He smothered Lohner, and the ball fell incomplete.
Davis did it again on fourth-and-6 from the UA 44 late in the third quarter. Former Wildcat Dorian Singer — who had a monster night with nine catches for 155 yards — lined up to the left and broke to the inside. Wilson threw a catchable ball. But Davis swatted it to the turf. If this were basketball, Davis would have been called for "over the back." No flags were thrown.
The secondary played a sparkling game overall, especially considering that nickel back Treydan Stukes got hurt again. Genesis Smith took his spot, and there was no noticeable drop-off. Smith even had Arizona's other interception.
Aside from changing the composition of the defensive line, UA defensive coordinator Duane Akina broke out a formation that the Wildcats hadn't shown before.
Their defensive tackles — Isaiah Johnson and Stanley Ta'ufo'ou made their first starts of the season — often lined up wider than usual. At times, they were encroaching on the "B gaps" — the space between the offensive guards and tackles.
In conjunction with that, a linebacker, either Jacob Manu or Taye Brown, would line up about a yard back directly across from the center. They took an aggressive stance, as if they were rushing — which they frequently did. But they also dropped back into coverage at times.
That front clearly confused Wilson, a true freshman making his third career start. Wilson was 7 for 7 in the first quarter. He was just 13 of 33 the rest of the game.
After Arizona's base defense was gashed on the ground by Kansas State, Akina had to come up with some wrinkles. They were especially effective against a quarterback who doesn't have nearly as much experience as the not-quite-100% Cam Rising.
Playing from ahead also helped. Wilson felt more and more pressure as the game progressed, both psychologically and physically.
The Utes had 11 more passing attempts than rushing attempts — 14 if you shift sacks into the passing column. That's not Utah football.
Arizona's offense had its moments against one of the nation's better defenses. But, like the Utes, the Wildcats settled for field goals far more often than they would have preferred.
As a result, their lead was just 16-10 with 12:03 to play.
On the ensuing possession, Arizona faced two third-and-11 situations. Noah Fifita made two of the best throws of his UA career.
The first came from the UA 25-yard line. Fifita made a pre-snap adjustment. Utah sent six pass rushers. Tailback Quali Conley got just enough of blitzing linebacker Johnathan Hall, who still crashed into Fifita's plant leg.
Fifita stood firm and launched a perfect pass to Devin Hyatt on a post route for a 41-yard gain. Hyatt had maybe a half-step of separation on Smith Snowden but didn't have to adjust to the ball at all.
Three plays later, third-and-11 again. Utah brought four rushers this time. Fifita rolled to his right. On the run from the Utah 40, he fired the ball toward the back of the end zone. It hit tight end Keyan Burnett between the two eights on his No. 88 jersey. Touchdown.
Fifita hasn't been as efficient this season as last. Even Saturday, he threw for less than 200 yards.
But Fifita came up huge when Arizona needed him most. He was tough. He was crafty. And he was pinpoint.
Did you notice who the pass catchers were on those two plays? Or, more to the point, who they weren't?
Tetairoa McMillan got off to a hot start, catching six passes for 50 yards in the first quarter. He was targeted four additional times but couldn't reel in any of them.
The Wildcats won anyway.
"The more we spread the ball, the more it gives us a chance to get T-Mac one on one," Brennan said during his postgame interview on AM-1290. "We were really feeding him early. Then they started pushing coverage to him. And then the ball went other places"
Burnett — who, like McMillan, was Fifita's teammate in high school — was a player I had pegged as a possible breakout performer in 2024. Yet through three games, Burnett had just three catches.
Offensive coordinator Dino Babers intimated that Burnett had been banged up and was looking more like the training-camp version of himself thanks to Arizona's bye. He caught five passes for 76 yards — both career highs. (Burnett had nine career catches entering Saturday.)
No other Wildcat had more than two receptions or three targets. But Hyatt's grab was as significant as any. And Jeremiah Patterson's lone catch went for a touchdown.
Arizona proved it can score and win even if McMillan is slightly off his game — which won't happen often.
Although the spread dropped to 7.5 points by kickoff, few gave Arizona a chance against Utah. The Wildcats seemed to be trending in the wrong direction. The Utes were coming off their own signature win at then-No. 14 Oklahoma State.
But Brennan and his staff got busy during the bye. They made personnel and play-calling adjustments.
The players, meanwhile, brought an attitude to the altitude of Salt Lake. It never felt like a physical mismatch. Many recent Arizona-Utah matchups have been.
And just like that, a team that seemed destined for a .500 start and a two-game losing streak is 3-1, 1-0 in the Big 12 — with an excellent chance to get to 4-1, 2-0 with a home game coming up against Texas Tech.
The following week will present another stern test — a return trip to Utah to face currently unbeaten BYU. But the next road game, vs. UCF, might not be as difficult as originally thought after Colorado thumped the Knights 48-21 in Orlando.
College football changes so much from week to week; you never know how 18-to 22-year-olds will handle victory or defeat.
But Saturday's performance should turbo-charge the Wildcats' confidence, which had to have been a lagging a bit. They needed a game like this to prove something to themselves and quiet the doubters who already were questioning Brennan and his staff.
All parties delivered. Dick Tomey would approve.
Contact sports reporter/columnist Michael Lev at . On X(Twitter):
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