Arizona's losing streak currently sits at 13 games after a 24-16 loss to BYU to open the 2022 season Saturday night. However, the mood after the latest defeat felt different than most of the other games over the course of the streak, which dates back to 2019. The Wildcats nearly pulled off an upset of USC in the 2020 opener, but even the mood of the team after that loss felt different compared to the optimism expressed by the coaches and players after Saturday's loss.

UA pulled to within one score late Saturday night despite trailing 21-3 at one point. The fight displayed by the Wildcats in the second half of the loss to BYU has given the team something to rally around heading into this weekend's home opener against San Diego State.

All things considered the coaches and players feel good about the direction the team is headed under new head coach Jedd Fisch. UA was able to limit many of the mistakes that cost it games in the previous two seasons all while working in new systems on both sides of the ball with a number of new players contributing in key positions.

"There were some times when you could see, really, our football team fight, scrap and claw the way we would expect them to," Fisch said Monday after watching the game film of the season opener. "Need to be better. Not accepting the loss, but I'm very optimistic about what it's gonna look like on Saturday night."