Arizona has now lost four games in a row following Saturday's lost against West Virginia. Sitting at 3-5 on the season, the Wildcats will have to win at least three of their final four games to earn a trip to a bowl game. That starts with a trip on the road this weekend to take on UCF who has lost five games in a row, so someone is ending their losing streak on Saturday.
Here is what coach Brent Brennan had to say during his press conference on Monday.
Q: When you look at the 4th quarter, do you feel that was Noah and T-Mac improvising or did you see some progress in the offense?
Brennan: "I think their was some progress in the offense. I think a couple of those plays were things that we wanted to call earlier in the season and just didn't get to them. I think anytime you put the ball in a special players hand, you have a chance for something special to happen."
Q: What have you seen out of UCF on film?
Brennan: "I think everybody in this conference is good. It looks like they have a really active front on defense. I haven't spent any time on their offense yet. Obviously coach Malzahn has been doing a great job coaching football teams for a really long time. We're going to play a team on the road. It's going to be another tough game in this conference. They have really good personnel and it's one of those things where both of us have struggled at times this year, so this is going to be a hard fought battle."
Q: What are you seeing with some of the challenges on the inside run game?
Brennan: "In regards to last week, those safeties were really active. That's why you saw us have a little bit more of an RPO game in the game plan last week than we had in previous weeks... Sometimes moving those big people up front (on the offensive line) is challenging."
Q: What are some of the challenges of traveling across the country?
Brennan: "Any time you travel and you're going on the road, it's something totally different. I think for our football team, the biggest thing is control what we can control. We played a lot of games across the country at my previous stop and it's always about how you handle the travel and not let that be an excuse. We know we're going to Florida. It doesn't matter. The football field is going to be the same size and width and length. Let's get ready to play."
Q: Regarding the offensive line, some guys switched sides. What was the thought process behind that and how do you think it worked?
Brennan: "I thought it was better last week than it was the previous week. Michael (Wooten) is a young player and an unexperienced player, but he did some really good things on Saturday. Taking Big Jonah, our best offensive lineman to protect Noah's blindside I think makes sense to me. There was a ton of conversation about that as we went throughout the course of the week... We felt like that was the best configuration for us."
Q: Throughout the past few games, the broadcasters have been somewhat critical of the route concepts and how you guys are running routes. Do you think that's fair and why do you think guys are maybe questioning some of the routes?
Brennan: "That's interesting. I don't watch the TV copy, so I'd be curious to ask those guys what they're talking about. I feel like what we're doing schematically is sound. One of the challenges that we face has been a lot coverage towards T-Mac, so trying to be creative and move him around and give him a chance to play in different spots in the formation has been a thought process for us."
Q: There are four games left in the season. Is their anyone who hasn't played that you could see getting onto the field and is their any conversation about limiting some of the guys who have only been in a little bit?
Brennan: "There is, and then there's also the urgency to win this game. Those are ongoing conversations. I think you might see Eduwa (Okundaye) play a little bit. I think he can help us in some spots and with the injury situation that we're experiencing, it makes sense to try to get some of those guys because I think there's a benefit for that too. As hard as some of those lessons are, we're still building a football program, we're still developing the young players on our team and the best way for them to do that is in the games."
Q: Montana Lemonious-Craig played the least amount of snaps he has played in a game this year. Is that a personnel decision?
Brennan: "Yeah, I think just continuing to evaluate all parts of our football team. We felt like Chris Hunter has been doing some good things, so he is getting a little bit more live game reps. Montana is still an important player for us. He is still going to play a lot, but you're going to continue to see Chris Hunter play too."
Q: As well as the defense has played, it had to be frustrating to give up those two big plays. What did you identify as what the breakdowns were on the jet sweep and the big passing play?
Brennan: "Yeah, I think that was frustrating because those two big plays kind of broke our back. They were game-changing plays. I think maybe a step late... A technical detail that ended up being really impactful."
Q: How do you look at special teams beyond Tyler Loop?
Brennan: "I think we need to improve. I think that's obvious. I think Tyler has been such a weapon so regards to our kickoff coverage, that hasn't been impactful because he hammers the ball out of the end zone every time. In the games where we have had issues with that, I think there has been small details or an inexperienced player, trying to find the best guys available to execute those things for us considering the amount of players that are unavailable to us. That presents some challenges in that space for our football team."
Q: Have you seen Dalton Johnson take on more of a leadership role with some guys out?
Brennan: "Yeah, and Dalton has been a leader for us even when Gunner, Stukes and Manu were on the field. He is a consistent football player and a tough guy. The guys really respond to him and he is one of those guys that we needed his voice. Without those three leaders on the field, we absolutely need Dalton to continue to step up and be a positive voice for our defense and for our football team."
Q: You've talked about the race to maturity and getting these guys up to speed. Where are you at right now in terms of that?
Brennan: "We are still running and we're building a football program. There are challenges that pop up every day with those young players, but it's also a learning opportunity for them. It's also valuable experience that they're gaining in the process. As tough as some of those moments are, we've got to find the good as we try and correct what's not good. Some of those young guys are playing their tails off and giving us good minutes and reps in games. We've got to help them fix the things that aren't right, so hopefully they can continue to develop into the players we think they can be."
Q: This season hasn't gone the way that you had hoped it would. How has this whole thing affected you personally?
Brennan: "I think for me, I'm still excited about this team and I'm still excited to be here. We have four games left and if we play well, we get to play five. I look at it as you're always building the football program, you're always developing the players and to me that process is ongoing. It never stops, you're still coaching everything and especially when you've had an injury situation like we've had, you have to get guys ready to play. You have to find the value in that for what they're experience is going to be and how that experience is going to pay off for us hopefully in these games that are coming here."
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