The middle eight (last four minutes of the first half and the first four minutes of the second half) has been a concerning trend for Arizona the last three games, especially to start the third quarter.
Arizona head coach Brent Brennan even went as far as saying it's a crisis, as the Wildcats turn their attention to 18th-ranked BYU.Â
Against the downtrodden Oklahoma State Cowboys, Arizona had back-to-back three-and-out drives to start the third quarter last week. In the middle eight against Kansas State, Arizona punted, missed a field goal, punted, surrendered two touchdowns and wide receiver Javin Whatley threw the Wildcats' first interception of the season.Â
Arizona allowed a touchdown and then its offense had a turnover on downs in the Wildcats' 39-14 loss to No. 14 Iowa State in Ames.Â
âWe need to fix this," Brennan said after the Oklahoma State game. "This is a crisis. ... Thatâs obviously something we need to work on â and weâll work on it fast.â
Arizona head coach Brent Brennan tries to make his point to the officials after the Wildcats were penalized in the third quarter of the season opener against Hawaii, Aug. 30, 2025, at Arizona Stadium.
Arizona's struggle in the middle eight and the third quarter "comes down to execution, and that's part of redline â a big part of it," Brennan said. In Arizona's 41-19 loss to BYU last season, the Wildcats trailed 14-7 at halftime, but the Cougars capitalized on two UA turnovers in the third quarter and jumped out to a 24-7 lead.Â
"When you're playing in a conference as competitive as the Big 12, you can't miss opportunities," the Arizona coach added. "Those are opportunities we have to take advantage of."Â Â
