5 takeaways from Arizona’s 49-7 loss to ASU in Territorial Cup | Michael Lev

Arizona was out-everything’d in the Territorial Cup game against Arizona State on Saturday. It was ugly. Brutal. Nightmarish.

When the outcome rivals the most lopsided result in rivalry annals — and the home team is on the wrong side of history again — it’s a hard thing to come back from. Kevin Sumlin didn’t survive after the program hit rock bottom in 2021. Can Brent Brennan come back from this?

Brennan spoke like a man with a plan after the game — reflecting on the “misery” of 2024 and looking ahead to the needed changes that are coming. UA athletic director Desireé Reed-Francois was in the room during Brennan’s postgame news conference. The two appeared to be cordially chatting as they exited.

On the field, the Wildcats were never in it against the Sun Devils. Arizona failed to compete in its most meaningful game of the season. The final score — ASU 49, UA 7 — doesn’t fully illustrate how lopsided it was.

Where was the fight? Where was the grit? Where was the pride?

The only time we saw Arizona push back came after the game. After former Wildcat Jacob Kongaika planted an ASU pitchfork into the Block A logo at midfield, UA receiver Montana Lemonious-Craig yanked it away. A brief kerfuffle ensued.

Too little, too late.

Here are my top five takeaways from a discouraging ending to a deeply disappointing season:

1. Gotta go

Despite this season’s results, I’m quite certain that Brennan knows a lot more about football than I ever will.

But I will never understand or agree with the decision he made with about five minutes left in the third quarter.

Arizona trailed 35-7. The Wildcats faced fourth-and-2 at their 43-yard line. On the previous play, third-and-3, they ran the ball — seemingly to set up a fourth-down try.

Then Brennan sent out the punt team.

Jaws dropped in the press box. No one could believe what they were seeing. How could Arizona punt in that situation?

Brennan said afterward that he didn’t want to give the ball to ASU at the UA 43 because of how easily the Sun Devils had been moving it up and down the field. But if that’s your thought process, why give the ball back to them?

Also, Arizona was trailing by four touchdowns and had just gotten a break — a missed 21-yard field goal. If there was any remote chance of making a game of it, this was it.

Instead, in the middle of a “Red Out,” Brennan essentially waved the white flag. What kind of message does that send to your team? Are you trying to win or just trying to save face?

It’s not the first time Brennan has made a puzzling fourth-down decision this season. He talked about self-evaluation after the game. Here’s a place to start: Am I making the best in-game decisions to embolden my players and give them the best chance to win?

2. Skattebo’d and smothered

ASU’s offensive game plan was no secret: The Sun Devils were going to send tailback Cam Skattebo at the undermanned UA defense time and again.

The Wildcats knew what was coming and they were powerless to stop it.

Skattebo ran through them, over them and around them, finishing with 177 yards on 21 carries. And he wasn’t the only one inflicting damage.

Sidekick Kyson Brown totaled 100 yards on eight carries. ASU finished with 281 rushing yards to Arizona’s 84.

I’m loathe to question any football player’s toughness or desire. But it got to a point Saturday where certain Wildcats didn’t seem particularly interested in taking on Skattebo, who seeks contact every time he runs.

Defensive end Tre Smith said Arizona’s game plan was to force Skattebo outside so that he was running laterally instead of north-south. That sounded a lot like the plan against UCF’s RJ Harvey — which didn’t work either.

Smith and others all too often overcommitted to the inside, opening huge swaths outside the numbers. And, like the UCF game, the Wildcats’ tackling was abysmal.

You can’t try to arm-tackle Cam Skattebo. That’s like bringing a pocket knife to a shootout.

The run game’s success opened play-action opportunities for Sam Leavitt. Receivers were running wide open across the field.

It was a clinic by ASU and Kenny Dillingham, who brought the fight to Arizona. The Wildcats did not fight back.

3. Fruitless finales

Saturday very likely marked the last time Tetairoa McMillan and Jonah Savaiinaea will don UA uniforms. Both are true juniors who are projected to be first-round picks in the 2025 NFL Draft.

At least McMillan got to play. Savaiinaea suited up but had to sit out after suffering a lower-leg injury the previous Saturday at TCU.

You know the injury had to be debilitating if it kept Savaiinaea from playing; he’d never missed a game in his Arizona career.

It is incredibly rare for a true freshman to start from Day One on the offensive line, but that’s exactly what Savaiinaea did. He began his career as a guard, moved to right tackle as a sophomore and shifted to left tackle when his team needed him to do so. He did all of it without complaint — which will only enhance his NFL stock.

McMillan undoubtedly did the same by showing up and playing hard when others in his position might have opted out. Fittingly, he scored Arizona’s only touchdown, toasting ASU’s Keith Abney II with an out-and-up move.

Noah Fifita threw that pass. He and T-Mac have been teammates and best friends since junior high. They’ve connected for countless touchdowns. They’ll never forget the last one, even if the overall outcome wasn’t what they wanted.

4. Seen and heard

Several scenes epitomized the afternoon at Arizona Stadium — and the season for the Wildcats:

During pregame warmups, Treydan Stukes, Gunner Maldonado and Jacob Manu sat together on the UA bench. All sported sleeves and/or braces for their wounded knees. Think the Arizona defense could’ve used those dudes?

Stukes and Maldonado represented the Wildcats for the opening coin toss, along with Savaiinaea, center Josh Baker and former linebacker Byron Evans. Yes, three of the four captains who walked to midfield couldn’t play.

About midway through the fourth quarter, receiver Devin Hyatt suffered a horrific-looking ankle injury. Every player on both teams took a knee as Hyatt was tended to. He was helped onto a cart. Multiple teammates tapped his helmet and shoulder pads. The injury made a bad day feel that much worse.

As the game drew to a close, chants rang out throughout the stadium: “A-S-U! A-S-U!” ... “Let’s go Devils!” ... “This is our house!” ... “Skattebo! Skattebo!” It was a complete and total takeover.

Finally, the postgame skirmish. It was tame compared to other rivalry-fueled dustups across the country. But major props to Lemonious-Craig for confronting Kongaika. Lemonious-Craig lost his starting job midway through the season. He easily could have checked out. He demonstrated how much he still cared by standing up for his school.

5. What’s next

Unless something changes, Brennan isn’t going anywhere. So how does Arizona go about fixing what’s quickly turned into another mess?

It won’t be easy — especially since Brennan has lost the fanbase (or at least the ones who make their voices heard on social media and message boards).

He could have built up some goodwill with a respectable performance against the Sun Devils, but that didn’t happen. If anything, his approval rating sunk even further.

Injuries legitimately handicapped the 2024 Wildcats. But they don’t excuse the offense’s inability to execute even the most basic plays. Or the defense no-showing against UCF and ASU.

The transfer portal provides a path to a quick fix. Arizona most assuredly can offer playing time. But players also want to know they’ll be developed. This coaching staff has a lot to prove in that regard. Staff changes would help — especially at offensive coordinator and/or QB coach. The Wildcats need a new direction on that side of the ball.

I’ve never heard a bad word about Brennan as a person. His players seem to love playing for him. He desperately wants to succeed here as his mentor, Dick Tomey, once did.

But being a good guy only takes you so far in this cutthroat business. You have to win.

Brennan appears to be getting a second chance. If his Wildcats don’t start winning, he won’t get a third.