Arizona hopes to build on 'character win' in Big 12 home opener vs. Texas Tech

Gritty. Gutsy. Resilient.

In the Arizona Wildcats' win over 10th-ranked Utah in Salt Lake City last week, a venue only four teams have beaten the Utes since 2018, the UA showed "no fefe," which is Samoan for "no fear."

Arizona has latched on to the "no fefe" mantra, a phrase Arizona quarterbacks coach Lyle Moevao's late mother, Sheila Alofaituli, who died in September, would say to Moevao's former teammates and coaches during his playing days at Oregon State. Following Alofaituli's passing, several Arizona players and staffers wore "No Fefe" shirts against Utah to honor Moevao's mother. 

After three games of failing to play a complete game, the no-fear mindset helped the Wildcats upset the Utes for the biggest win under first-year UA head coach Brent Brennan. The Wildcats (3-1) hope to carry it over when they face the Texas Tech Red Raiders (4-1) on Saturday for the Big 12 home opener. 

Arizona cornerbacks coach Chip Viney said the UA's triumph in Salt Lake City was a "character win" for the Wildcats. 

"Where everything is against you, everyone is against you and everyone counts you out, you go out and weather that," Viney said. "I think any time you coin a victory as such, it's important you point those things out. As we all know, it doesn't alway go as we plan it.

"It's the games when it's tough, it's the games when you have to fight, it's the games when the calls don't go your way and you have to play a fourth down, but you just play the game," he added. "I felt like we did that. I left there thinking this is a character win for our program." 

When Arizona led 16-10 in the fourth quarter against Utah, Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita completed two critical third-and-11 passes to wide receiver Devin Hyatt and tight end Keyan Burnett, whose touchdown in the back of the end zone ultimately put away the Utes. Arizona's final touchdown drive is among the most memorable sequences in a regular-season game for the Wildcats in recent years.  

Arizona offensive coordinator Dino Babers, who spent his first game as the secondary offensive playcaller with tight ends coach Matt Adkins conducting the offense, said Fifita "reminded me of Doug Flutie making plays" and showed moxie and toughness on the deep pass to Hyatt, where a Utah defender collided with Fifita's "lead knee," Babers said.

"There are so many guys that would've backed off of that, not used their legs, maybe make that ball flutter a little bit and give the DB a chance," Babers said. "He never hesitated for the team and put his knee out there and zip that thing in there. That was a big-time throw.

"That's big-time football. That's a big-time throw," Babers added. "It was really exciting to see him perform like that."

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Babers couldn't emphasize enough the importance of Arizona's victory over Utah and called the Utes "a very, very difficult opponent and to get a win up there is a very big deal."

"That's a big-time win," he said. "Now we just have to see where we go from it. Are we just going to be a flash in the pan? Or are we going to really turn this into something big? Everyone is working hard to see if we can do that not only for the players and Coach B, but also the community and this university." 

Since Arizona is in its inaugural season in the Big 12, the newness of the league, culture and opponents help the Wildcats stay on track and not potentially overlook opponents. 

"It's all new for us, so it's something we have to get used to," Brennan said. "Texas Tech hasn't been on our schedule since these kids have been playing here. It's a totally new opponent. Watching the film and seeing how good they are, making sure we have a clear understanding of how efficient they are in all three phases, we need to bring our best game Saturday night."

Although Texas Tech has scored the most points (41.6) in the Big 12 this season, the TTU defense has also allowed the most (34.4). The UA coaches are eschewing looking at any weakness for Texas Tech as a positive omen for Saturday; plus, the Red Raiders are tied for first place in the Big 12 standings. 

"I know they've given up some points, but that doesn't matter, because who would've thought we would do what we did last week in Utah?" asked Babers. "But when the kids are locked and they're focused and motivated, it's amazing what you can accomplish when no one decides or cares who gets the credit." 

Egos are prohibited inside the walls of the Lowell-Stevens Football Facility. For Arizona "to do what we need to do, we need to drop the 'E' so we can all G-O and head in the exact same direction," said Babers.

"I believe that's what this team wants to do, and we're all for it," he said. 

While the win over Utah was historical for multiple reasons and galvanized the team after two weeks of distress following a blowout loss to Kansas State, Arizona can double-down on its legitimacy against "a big-time opponent coming into town" for the first game at Arizona Stadium in nearly a month. 

"I'm really excited for the city of Tucson to show up for this football game. I think that's one thing we've gotten a taste of in our last two opponents, what it's like to play at Kansas State and what it's like to play at Utah," Brennan said. "Obviously, next week we go to BYU, but this week we get to play at home. The special thing about playing at home, you get to share it with your fans and your friends and family.

"I'm excited to see the city of Tucson, our fans. I know the Zona Zoo sold out in less than a day. I'm excited for our student section to be rocking and for the Big 12 to get the experience of what it's like to come play in Arizona Stadium. It's going to be a big-time night here and I can't wait for that," he added. "Got a lot of work to do, the work is not done, but we're excited about getting to Saturday night."