Nineteen seconds.
In the wake of Arizona’s double-overtime loss to 18th-ranked BYU on Saturday, the hot topic among followers of Arizona football is Brent Brennan’s decision to kneel with the ball on the UA 25-yard line despite having two timeouts with 19 seconds left on the game clock.
Instead of risking a turnover and giving BYU a chance to win the game, “in that moment, I was like, ‘Let’s go win it in overtime,’” Brennan said after the game.
The counterpoint to Brennan’s decision: why not attempt completing a pass on a shallow route and getting out of bounds to either set up kicker Michael Salgado-Medina, who made a 57-yarder last week against Oklahoma State, for a long field goal or potentially a Hail Mary throw from Fifita to the stable of receivers the Wildcats are rotating?
Ironically, in the game Arizona used to promote its “redline” collaboration with Phoenix Raceway, the Wildcats took their foot off the gas pedal and played it safe.
Brennan hears the pushback and understands the frustration with the decision, but he still stands by it.
Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita (1) threads a pass through the arms of BYU linebacker Isaiah Glasker (16) in the first quarter their Big 12 game, October 11, 2025, Tucson, Ariz.
“First of all, I’ve been extremely aggressive this year on fourth down, and I was extremely aggressive on Saturday night,” Brennan said.
Arizona converted 4 of 6 fourth-down conversions against BYU. The Wildcats have attempted 15 fourth-down conversions this season, converting 10 of them (66.7%), which ranks sixth in the Big 12. Last season, the Wildcats had 18 fourth-down plays. The 10-win Arizona team that won the Alamo Bowl in 2023 went for it on fourth down 15 times in 13 games. So, Brennan is right, they have been more aggressive this year.
Back to the decision to kneel with 19 seconds left: “To me, that’s a situation, you know you’re playing against an excellent defense with an active front. They’re going to play some sort of big coverage, which is going to make it challenging to throw the football.”
BYU’s defense held Arizona’s pass catchers to 57 yards after catch (YAC), a game after the Wildcats had 205 YAC against Oklahoma State. It’s conceivable that even if Arizona completed a pass, BYU’s linebackers and secondary would’ve kept the Wildcats on the UA’s side of the field.
Arizona head coach Brent Brennan greets wide receiver Kris Hutson (4) at the bench after he broke open for a TD reception against BYU in the first quarter of their Big 12 game, Oct. 11, 2025, at Arizona Stadium.
Additionally, BYU kicker Will Ferrin is the reigning Big 12 Co-Special Teams Player of the Year and a preseason All-Big 12 selection. Ferrin is 47 of 56 (83.9%) on field goals in his career and has made field goals from 56 and 54 yards out.
“Their kicker is a sure-fire, NFL, Tyler Loop-type guy,” Brennan said.
Attempting a play instead of kneeling runs the risk of fumbling and coughing up the football to BYU and putting the ball in a position where Ferrin can make a game-winning field goal in the final seconds. Then the narrative would be, was Brennan too aggressive?
“To me, I felt like we were playing with confidence,” Brennan said. “I said, ‘Let’s go win it overtime. Let’s not have an opportunity for (a field goal).’ I think it’s complicated, because I know there are people that are pissed off I went for it on fourth down in the third quarter and then they’re mad (about the kneel).
“Every situation is different and we have to make those decisions in a short time frame. I felt good about the decision at the time. I felt like going into overtime, when we scored a touchdown, I thought that was it. It got called back (for holding), but I thought, ‘OK, we got it.’ Obviously, it didn’t turn out that way, but that’s how I felt at the time and that’s why I made the decision I made.”
Arizona head coach Brent Brennan fires up his squad as the rain falls in the second quarter against BYU, Oct. 11, 2025, at Arizona Stadium.
Brennan said those decisions are discussed with offensive coordinator Seth Doege and defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales.
“’Hey, what do you think we’ll get here?’ Those conversations happen all game,” Brennan said. “I think we have great communication with our staff, I think we have great alignment and we’re all on the same page with how we’re moving forward right there.”
Hindsight is 20-20. Arizona’s reality: the Wildcats are 4-2, and their only two losses are to Top 20 teams. The Wildcats have six opportunities — four on the road, including this Saturday against Houston — to come up with two wins and get to a bowl game. Colorado is the only opponent in this upcoming stretch with a losing record. Five of Arizona’s remaining opponents have winning records.
“We’re devastated — and we still are,” Brennan said. “The only thing we can do is go to work and learn from it and learn what we didn’t get done and what we have to do in those moments to give us a chance for the outcomes that we want. I’m not spending any time looking backwards; I’m moving forward. I’m moving forward with this team. ... I’m confident in this team.
“I love how we’re playing. I love the effort, the intensity and how tough our kids are, how we responded the other night. Just like you guys, just like everybody else in Wildcat nation, I’m pissed off we didn’t get it done. But we don’t have time to feel sorry for ourselves for how that ended, because we have an incredible challenge this week, and it’s on us. We have to go work at attacking this next thing.”
Here are other pertinent items of discussion from Brennan’s press conference on Monday:
Brennan, on Doege’s offense in the first half of the season: “I understand everyone is upset about Saturday night. I also know that we had 400 yards of offense and scored 27 points against the eighth-ranked defense in the country that had previously given up 12 (points). I believe in it. I believe in his play-calling. It’s going to continue to get better. We’re in the first year of this thing and it’s going to get better as we continue to progress.”
Brennan, on wide receiver Javin Whatley dropping the game-tying touchdown in double-overtime: “Nunu is one of those kids that’s competitive, and no one wants to make that play more than he does. That’s a talented group. They’ve made plays for us this year. I think (wide receivers coach) Bobby Wade does an incredible job coaching that group.
“When we have an opportunity to make plays in the pass game, you have to make them. That’s the nature of that position. ... Those kids are good players and they’re busting their ass. He just dropped a ball. You wish he would’ve finished it.”
Brennan, on Houston: “They’re 5-1, they’re playing with a lot of confidence. Their offense has moved the ball on everyone they’ve played. Their QB is a dual-threat guy and is talented and can make throws. We’ll expect to see quarterback run game after the other night. Defensively, they’re multiple. They have an active defensive front and you can tell their well-coached. We have a lot of respect for these guys, so this is a huge week for us.”
Extra points
Former Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan hauled in his first NFL touchdown reception, in the Carolina Panthers’ 30-27 overtime win over the Dallas Cowboys. McMillan had three catches for 29 yards and two touchdowns on Sunday. McMillan gifted the game ball to his grandfather, Willie McMillan, who celebrated his 75th birthday on Sunday.
Former Arizona kicker Lucas Havrisik signed with the Green Bay Packers last week and made two field goals and three PATS in Green Bay’s 27-18 win over the Bengals. Havrisik has kicked for the Colts, Rams, Browns, Bills and now Packers since going undrafted in 2022. Havrisik, who was a substitute teacher in Cleveland before he signed with Green Bay, replaced the injured Brandon McManus. There are three former UA kickers in the NFL between Havrisik, Nick Folk and Tyler Loop, which is the most by any school.
