Matt Adkins taking over offensive playcalling duties 'was the right time' for Arizona football

After a close evaluation of Arizona’s offense entering the bye after the Wildcats’ blowout loss to Kansas State, UA head coach Brent Brennan made a change with Arizona’s playcalling duties heading into its upset win over No. 10 Utah on Saturday.

After three games with offensive coordinator Dino Babers at playcaller, Arizona gave the primary playcalling responsibilities to tight ends coach and passing game coordinator Matt Adkins. During his news conference on Monday, Brennan said, “We felt like going into the bye week was the right time for Coach Adkins, with the help of Dino, to step into that role.”

“That was how we approached it,” Brennan said. “Coach Babers is on board with this, he’s been great about it, we’ve had a lot of conversations about it and he’s incredibly supportive of Matt and the staff.”

In his first game as the Wildcats’ conductor on offense, Arizona didn’t have an all-time team performance, and records weren’t broken, like wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan’s 304-yard performance in the season opener against New Mexico, but it had a balanced approach.

In 61 total plays, Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita had 31 pass attempts, and the UA ran the ball 30 times, out-rushing the Utes 161-84. Running backs Kedrick Reescano and Quali Conley combined for 145 yards on 21 carries.

In Arizona’s passing attack at Utah, the Wildcats extended drives and scored points with pass-catchers besides McMillan, who had six catches for 50 yards — all in the first half.

Fittingly, the first game with Adkins as the playcaller, Arizona tight end Keyan Burnett, who had a stellar training camp and looked due for a breakout season, had his best game as a Wildcat with five catches for 76 yards and a 35-yard touchdown, the final haymaker in the fourth quarter for the Wildcats against the Utes. The previous third-down play on that drive was a 41-yard catch by redshirt freshman Devin Hyatt, the younger brother of former Biletnikoff Award winner Jalin Hyatt.

Arizona’s pre-snap creativity was also evident in slot receiver Jeremiah Patterson’s goal-line touchdown, where he was motioned inside and lined up just behind right tackle Jonah Savaiinaea before cutting outside to the pylon after the snap. With the help of a cornerback blitz that freed up space, Patterson had a clean look for a touchdown.

The box score suggests Saturday night in Salt Lake City was just another day at the office for Arizona, but the Wildcats made timely plays and scored points whenever they were in striking distance. Arizona didn’t bat 1.000, but it was the most complete and well-balanced game it has played this season.

That’s a tough decision for Brennan, considering the 63-year-old Babers has 16 more years of coaching experience than the UA head coach and is among the elder statesmen on the UA football staff that have successfully coached in college football for decades.

“When we first brought Coach Babers in here from the beginning, the intent was to really help the young coaches grow and develop and he’s been doing a fantastic job with the offensive staff. ... With the game against Utah, it was a strategic advantage for us to not disclose that before,” Brennan said.

Adkins is a younger up-and-coming coach who worked under Brennan for six years at San Jose State. Before that, Adkins played quarterback at Southern Oregon and graduated from the NAIA school in 2012.

“I reached that weird age where you graduate from college and you’re supposed to move in with your parents,” Adkins said in August. “For me, that was moving to Sweden and coaching with my dad.”

Adkins was the offensive coordinator for the Carlstad Crusaders of the Swedish Football League. The following season, in 2013, he was named head coach in the league. In the fall, Adkins managed assistant offensive duties at Southern Oregon, which he called “a perfect time in my life,” because he was a playcaller for 30 games in one calendar year.

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

Even though Adkins has taken over offensive playcaller duties at Arizona, “everyone is working really well together and Coach Babers is such an important part of what we’re doing here and I really value his contribution to our offense, the players, the coaching and the mentorship he’s providing to our young coaches,” Brennan said.

‘No Fefe’

Arizona quarterbacks coach Lyle Moevao didn’t coach against Utah in Salt Lake City after his mother, Sheila Alofaituli, died last week.

The grieving Moevao spoke to the team leading up to the game and shared stories about his mother, including her time as the “team mom” at Oregon State, where he quarterbacked the Beavers from 2006-09.

“When they were leaving for a trip, she would get on the team bus, which is crazy for a parent to get on a team bus,” Brennan said. “She would pray for everybody and say, ‘No fefe,’ which in Samoan, it translates to ‘No fear.’”

Several Arizona staffers wore shirts with “No Fefe” emblazoned on the chest.

“We wore those shirts in honor of her and Coach Moevao,” Brennan said.

Fifita Sharpied “Sheila” on his wrist tape for the game on Saturday.

Said Moevao, in a post on X (Twitter): “No words can express how thankful my siblings and I are to Noah and the rest of the team (and) staff for their love and support at this time. My mom was definitely present on the field (Saturday) night in spirit and she’s most definitely smiling from above, screaming at the top of her lungs, ‘Go Wildcats! No Fefe!!!’

“This will definitely be one to remember for my family and I.”

Davis named Big 12 Defensive POW

Arizona junior cornerback Tacario Davis was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week following the Wildcats’ win Saturday.

Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week, TCU returner JP Richardson was named Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week and Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby earned Newcomer of the Week honors.

Davis becomes the first UA defensive player to earn Big 12 weekly honors. Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan was the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week following the Wildcats’ season-opening win over New Mexico.

Against the Utes, Davis had seven solo tackles and five pass breakups — three on fourth-down plays.

“It was great to see Tacario smiling and having fun,” Brennan said. “I think he cut it loose and really enjoyed the moment. He responded to the big stage and the big crowd the way you’d expect him to.”