Arizona football focused on 'school, recruiting and recovery' leading up to bowl season

Every Arizona football player and staffer had their moment with the Territorial Cup following the 25th-ranked Wildcats' win over No. 20 Arizona State in Tempe on Friday. 

Some players took a victory lap around Mountain America Stadium with it, while others simply hoisted the Territorial Cup up for a photo to post on Instagram. 

Do the Wildcats treat the Territorial Cup like the NHL's Stanley Cup? Do they drink special beverages out of the historic trophy given to the winner of the UA-ASU football rivalry?

"I'm not sure that would be healthy," joked Arizona head coach Brent Brennan on Monday. "The cool thing for me is that thing is back here. We get to be excited about that. It is such a special rivalry, just given the proximity of the two schools and the impact it has in the state of Arizona, it makes it so special.

"I like the idea of the Stanley Cup, where everyone gets it for the day. The scary thing for me is what if someone lost it. It'd be like, 'Oh my God, Coach Brennan lost the cup!' I do like the idea."

Between the undefeated month of November and the Wildcats (9-3) punctuating the regular season with a five-game winning streak and beating the Sun Devils for the third time in four years, "it's an exciting time here," Brennan said.

"A lot of good stuff going on," Brennan said. "We're excited to get going for bowl practice and find out where we're going and all of that good stuff. It's been a hell of a weekend, I'll tell you that." 

Arizona won't know what bowl game they're playing in; however, it's likely they'll play in the Holiday Bowl on Jan. 2 in San Diego. ESPN currently projects Pittsburgh or SMU as likely opponents for the Wildcats in the Holiday Bowl. Arizona could also earn bids to the Vegas Bowl, LA Bowl, Sun Bowl or Alamo Bowl. 

For now, the Wildcats are focused on "school, recruiting and recovery," Brennan said.  

"It's a big recovery week for us," Brennan added. "It's a long season. The physical brand of football that we play, our bodies are beat up. A little bit of rest, a lot of recovery, a lot of time in the training room, all of those things for our players, so when we do get ready to go to work on our next opponent and wherever we go for our bowl game, we're ready to attack that phase of our preparation." 

Brennan discussed a number of topics during his news conference this week, as the Wildcats prepare for bowl season and Wednesday's early signing period for the 2026 recruiting class. Here's what Arizona's head coach talked about:

Considering the messy situation with Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin accepting the LSU head coaching vacancy amid the Rebels' playoff run, along with other college football programs dealing with the coaching carousel, do you have an appreciation for Arizona's stability this season?

A: "This is a crazy year, crazy situation with all of that kind of stuff. I've mentioned it a lot, I think we have great alignment with our coaches, really good alignment with our administration and I think we're really fortunate for that. I think we're fortunate to have outstanding coaches and people we have in our building right now." 

Since it's that time of year, have you had any conversations about potential contract extensions for assistant coaches and coordinators?  

A: "We haven't gotten into that too much, because the game was two days ago and we're trying to let everyone decompress. We're having to have a lot of personnel conversations right now.

"National Signing Day is in two days, so our focus has been on our personnel, our roster and then also what's happening (on Wednesday)."

Arizona defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales highlighted ASU quarterback Jeff Sims' ability to run the ball and then limited his running ability on Friday. What do you like about how Gonzales designed a scheme to limit Sims and running back Raleek Brown? 

A: "I think our defense has been fantastic all year. That speaks to the quality of the coaching and the quality of the players, because the players have to be willing to put in the work, put in the extra (work) and execute at that kind of level against a really good football team — a team, the week before, that ran for almost 400 yards on somebody in the Big 12.

"I think Coach Gonzales has done a fantastic job on that side of the ball — I think that whole side of the ball has. It's been really fun to watch them progress throughout the season.

"Whenever you put a game plan together for somebody, you don't know if it's going to go that way. You're confident in what you do, you're confident in the answers and adjustments you can make in-game. But the people you're playing, they have a say in that, too.

"I think our defensive staff and offensive staff have done a great job of that all year, adjusting to what's happening in game." 

You attended the Arizona-Norfolk State basketball game on Saturday, and once you were shown on the McKale Center video board, you were greeted with a standing ovation. Considering what you and the program have gone through, what did that moment mean to you?

A: "I thought it was awesome. It's one of those things I love about this place, the city of Tucson and how important the university is here. For them to be excited about the Territorial Cup coming back to Tucson this year after what it was last year, it was awesome.

"It was an incredible moment. It was fun to be there and feel that energy and excitement from our fans."

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There were a handful of times you were spotted talking to Gonzales when Arizona was on offense. Is that normal? Does he talk about what the opponent is doing defensively? 

A: "That's the value of having someone who's been a head coach on your staff. It can be anything. 'Hey, what do you think here? Should we punt it? Go for (a two-point conversion)? Want to go for it? What do you like? Can you stop them from here?'

"I think that's been healthy between Danny, (offensive coordinator Seth Doege) and I — and (special teams coordinator Craig Naivar) — in-game.

"How do we want to handle whatever situation we're in? ... Those questions, having somebody to talk about it quickly and get a good answer and everyone be on the same page. 'OK, this is what we're doing, here we go!'"

What is your case for Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita — who has passed for a career-high 2,963 yards and 26 touchdowns and five interceptions (lowest since taking over as starter in 2023) — to be named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year on Thursday?

A: "I would talk about how incredible his touchdown-to-interception ratio is. That award should go to the most important player on his team, and I don't think there's any question that's Noah Fifita for us." 

Gonzales was recently nominated for the Broyles Award, which is given to the top assistant coach in college football. What's your case for Gonzales winning the Broyles Award?

A: "You look at what this team has been statistically and what they've considered where we were a year ago, and all of the new pieces to the puzzle they had to integrate and play at a high level.

"Talk about redline, when you watch us play, it shows up every snap. The second-best passing defense in the country, number one in takeaways, there's just so much progress made there.

"I think it's cool to see what Coach G and what that staff was able to do and also those players. Those players have to buy into that and be willing to take the coaching and hit those bags every day.

"I bet they don't like hitting those bags every day, but they still do it. It's a part of our identity and who we've become and that's good coaching." 

Johnson named Big 12 DPOW

Another week, another honor for Arizona redshirt senior safety Dalton Johnson, who was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week on Monday. 

Johnson contributed a forced fumble and an interception in No. 25 Arizona's 23-7 win over 20th-ranked Arizona State at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe. 

Johnson shared the weekly honor with Iowa State linebacker Caleb Bacon. TCU running back Jeremy Payne and Houston quarterback Conner Weigman were named Big 12 Offensive Players of the Week. 

BYU returner Parker Kingston earned Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week honors, and BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier was named Big 12 Freshman of the Week for the seventh time this season. 

TCU's offensive line and Texas Tech's defensive line received the "Beef of the Week" award from the Big 12. 

Johnson was also named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week last week following his 18-tackle performance in the Wildcats' home finale against Baylor.  

"I just think that's incredible, two weeks in a row," Brennan said on Monday. "A senior, stuck through it, did it right, played for multiple coaching staffs. I just think the guy is special." 

Johnson remains the fourth Wildcat to receive Big 12 weekly honors this season. Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week twice. UA running backs Ismail Mahdi and Quincy Craig also earned Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors this season. 

Johnson, who could conceivably earn All-Big 12 first- or second-team honors, has the sixth-most tackles (97) in the Big 12 this season — the most by a defensive back. Johnson, Arizona defensive back Treydan Stukes and UA cornerback Jay'Vion Cole are tied for the second-most interceptions (4) in the Big 12 this season. 

Johnson is on pace to become the first Arizona safety since Darrell Brooks in 2004 and '05 to lead the Wildcats in tackles in back-to-back seasons. Johnson's 97 tackles this season are more than his season total from last year. 

Arizona ended its regular season with a 9-3 record and now awaits its postseason fate, which will be unveiled on Sunday, Dec. 7, at 10 a.m. on ESPN.