The turnaround of Arizona’s defense this season is catching national attention.
Arizona first-year defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales was named Defensive Coordinator of the Week by CBS college football insider Matt Zenitz following the Wildcats’ defensive masterclass against Kansas State.
“It’s a great tribute to our players because players win games, coaches don’t,” Gonzales said of the honor. “Those guys executed a game plan and they did a nice job. They invested in what Kansas State did during the week. It’s a great honor and I’m really appreciative of it, but that’s because we have great players and the players earned that opportunity.”
Arizona allowed just 193 yards of total offense against Kansas State. K-State had three explosive pass plays (15-plus yards) and three explosive runs (10-plus yards) to total 164 yards, including a 75-yard run by wide receiver Jayce Brown in “Wildcat” formation, “which drives me crazy,” Gonzales said.
“Our team did a great job responding in that moment because that was a catastrophic three-minute football period that you could have,” Gonzales said. “When that was over, we we weathered the storm.”
Arizona defensive lineman Deshawn McKnight (0) dances his way up field after sacking Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson (2) in the second quarter, Sept. 12, 2025, in Tucson.
In the 47 other offensive snaps for Kansas State, Arizona surrendered 29 yards.
“Any time you hold any Division I team to under 200 yards of total offense, that’s a special night,” said Arizona head coach Brent Brennan after the game. “That is a hell of a football night. Our defensive staff and those players should be ecstatic. We’re ecstatic for them because that’s big time. ... We gotta give the defense their flowers. That was awesome.”
If it weren’t for the explosive plays, “we would’ve boat-raced them,” Gonzales said.
Entering the bye week, Arizona’s defense ranked 10th nationally — second in the Big 12 — in total defense, allowing just 222.3 yards per game. Arizona is also 10th in college football in points allowed per game (8.7), and is tied with Houston for the most interceptions in the Big 12 this season.
Arizona held Kansas State to 88 passing yards and Weber State to just 68 passing yards the week before, marking the first time Arizona held back-to-back opponents under 100-plus passing yards since Georgia Tech (65) and Illinois (75) in 1995 — the peak of the “Desert Swarm” era.
Arizona defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales and the defensive unit watch the big-screen replays during a review on targeting by linebacker Jabari Mann against Weber State in the second quarter on Sept. 6, 2025, at Arizona Stadium. Mann was eventually assessed the penalty and ejected from the game.
Arizona has the third-best third-down defense in the Big 12, with a 22.5% conversion rate, along with the second-best fourth-down defense at 16.7%.
UA’s success on defense has been consistent, but the variety of formations and disguised blitzes have been different week-to-week. Against Kansas State, Arizona blitzed defensive backs Treydan Stukes and Ayden Garnes and used a four-linebacker lineup for the first time this season.
“A lot of people compare what we do on defense to Army or Air Force on offense,” Gonzales said. “It’s not traditional and it’s not what you see every week, so you have to limit what you do on a week-to-week basis, then pin our ears back and see if our kids choose violence.”
During the bye week, Gonzales joined “Spears & Ali” on ESPN Tucson to discuss the current state of Arizona’s defense and what has been the most significant component to the UA’s success on defense. Here’s part of the conversation:
When you’re recruiting and crafting your defense, what traits do you look for in players to match with what you want to do?
Arizona linebacker Chase Kennedy (7) comes in untouched to sack Weber State quarterback Jackson Gilkey (2) during the third quarter, Sept. 6, 2025, in Tucson.
A: “It’s the beauty and luxury of what we do. You recruit to a certain thing that you would like to do on defense, but we went through the spring, and we put a list together, as a defensive staff, of our top 22 players and who can help us get to where we want to go and who we think can help us be the best that we can be on defense.
“You take those top 22 (players) and design what gives them the best chance to be successful. We run a bunch of traditional defense, but we just do it a thousand different ways, so it’s hard to decipher from the beginning. If you can put your players in the best opportunity to be successful, the belief happens faster, and you play better.
“I thought (last) Friday night, we did a great job with substitutions and matching what the offense was giving us. They put three receivers on the field with one tight end, then we put in four linebackers. They put in two tight ends, and we put in four (defensive) linemen.
“I thought our kids were really in tune with how we were going to manage that during the game, and I thought they did a great job executing it. If you don’t have guys that can handle that stuff, it’s not going to work. We have some really smart football players.”
Arizona defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales hands out fives to his unit after a stand against Weber State, Sept. 6, 2025, at Arizona Stadium.
What’s your evaluation of the defense through three games and what has led to the turnaround?
A: “I can’t stress this enough: we have really good players. I’m excited about where we’re going. We’re probably a little bit deeper than anticipated coming out of fall camp. (Defensive back) Gavin Hunter has played his tail off, and he has provided us some depth in the secondary. ... I thought Gavin Hunter would be a good player this year, but I had no idea he was going to be as good as he is, which is awesome.
“Up front, I think we have a bunch of depth, and we’ve proven that through the first three games. I tell our guys all the time, we’ll treat you right during fall camp and get you right before August 30th. After August 30th, you should feel terrible for the rest of the year. The way this has worked out, we might be the healthiest football team going into the Iowa State game, which would be great.
“If we can get (defensive end) Tre Smith, (linebacker) Riley Wilson and (defensive back) Treydan Stukes and all of those guys back and healthy, that would be outstanding. ... It doesn’t matter who we play. You’re going to hear me use this term a lot: we have a faceless opponent, and our worst enemy is the University of Arizona.
“We have to clean up the little things that we’re doing wrong to be dominant. We played well against Kansas State, we didn’t play perfect. We played good enough to win. ... There’s always room for improvement.
“It’s easy to stress that improvement when you win than it is when you lose, so we’ve been all over them this week.”
What was the purpose of that four-linebacker scheme?
A: “There’s a lot of speed and athleticism right there. We challenged our guys all week long and I think everyone in the Tucson community was concerned about (Kansas State quarterback) Avery Johnson and his legs and ability to run. After what he did to us last year in Manhattan, we challenged those guys, ‘This dude is not going to run for a freaking yard.’ ... Our guys did a phenomenal job of buying in and having that determination. He had -16 (rushing) yards by the way, so they passed the test on that.”
As you prepare for 12th-ranked Iowa State, what are keys for your defense to maintain momentum?
Arizona Wildcats defensive back Genesis Smith (12), right, keeps track of defensive back Jack Luttrell (13) as the DB’s run coverage drills, Aug. 12, 2025
A: “The key will be the same all year long, which is it’s a faceless opponent. Iowa State happens to be the next one. We’re working on Iowa State this week as we attack the bye week. You see graphics all the time, ‘Bye has a 68% chance of beating somebody.’ That stuff is real because if you just take this week and screw it off, you’re going to go backwards.
“I’m a firm believer that you never stay the same; you either get better or you get worse. ... The most important thing we have to take care of is the University of Arizona to not beat the University of Arizona. ... If the University of Arizona can fix the University of Arizona, there’s going to be a problem in Tucson for the Big 12, and that’s what I’m excited about for this football program.”
Cats open Big 12 play as one-score underdogs
For the second game in a row, the Arizona Wildcats are one-score underdogs.
Arizona kicks off as a 7.5-point underdog for its Big 12 opener against the 12th-ranked Iowa State Cyclones in Ames on Saturday, according to Action Network.
The over/under for Arizona-Iowa State is 49.5 points.
Arizona’s matchup against Iowa State will start at 4 p.m. on Sept. 27 at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa, on ESPN. Arizona and Iowa State are both coming off bye weeks.
Arizona (3-0) is off to its best start in a decade after wins over Hawaii, Weber State and Kansas State. The 12th-ranked Cyclones (4-0) are the highest-ranked team in the Big 12, with wins over Kansas State, South Dakota, Iowa and Arkansas State.
The battle between Arizona and Iowa State will be the seventh contest between the Wildcats and Cyclones, dating back to 1948. Arizona is 4-1-1 all-time against Iowa State. Arizona won the last matchup, 21-12, in Ames in 1968.
