The No. 20 Arizona Wildcats are coming off a 31-7 loss to the No. 14 Kansas State Wildcats on Friday, and they are smarting about a lot of things entering their bye week.
Perhaps no single statistic is rankling coach Brent Brennan more than the self-inflicted penalties that Arizona is creating on their own.
Through three games, the Wildcats (2-1) have 28 penalties for 269 yards. Through two games Arizona was already tied for No. 118 in FBS with 19 total penalties. That put the Wildcats at No. 121 in penalties per game (9.50).
So the nine penalties for 74 yards the Wildcats gave up against Kansas State will certainly keep them in the lower echelon of that list until Big 12 action kicks off in two weeks.
Frustration doesn’t begin to cover where Brennan is at with that particular area of the game.
Fixing it is on his to-do list once the team gets back to Tucson.
“The biggest thing we learned as a football team is we have to be more disciplined,” Brennan said to reporters after the game. “The penalty game, especially tonight and in Week 1 (against New Mexico) has been damaging.”
With no game until Sept. 28 for the Wildcats, this will give Brennan and staff time to work with players to try and correct the issues.
But some of that will come down to his players, too.
“That’s something where, as coaches, I think we can be more demanding of players in the small, technical pieces that can hopefully help you avoid some of those penalties. Every player has to do look at that and say, ‘What am I doing with my technique? My footwork?’ That gives them a chance to block someone correctly or cover a receiver correctly. I think that’s a big part of it. The good news is we have two weeks and we can go to work.”
Penalties certainly made a difference on Friday night, but so did Arizona’s inability to consistently run the ball.
The Wildcats had Quali Conley, but he gained 48 yards and scored a touchdown. Arizona was without Jacory Croskey-Merritt, who sat out due to an eligibility issue related to his 2019 redshirt season.
Wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan had a great bounce-back game on the edge, as he caught 11 passes for 138 yards but was unable to score a touchdown. His quarterback, Noah Fifita, threw for 268 yards but did not find the end zone and threw an interception.
When Arizona returns to the field, they will go to Utah to open Big 12 action on Sept. 28.
The 2026 Arizona Legacy Races in Buckeye, Ariz., are ringing in a new year for futurity horses December 30 – January 6, at the Buckeye Equestrian & Events Center. Formerly known as the MVP Futurity and Greg Olson Futurity, these two races have been a staple in many professional trainers’ schedules for decades. This year, the two events boast $22,000 in added money.
Linzie Lindsey and Fame Dancin Yola claimed the Round 1 win with a 17.577 for $1,959. Barbara Merrill rode TKW Eye Am Tess to the 2D win.
After finishing out of the 1D money in Round 1, Loralee Ward and Dark Honey ran the fastest time of the futurity with a 17.030 to claim the Round 2 win. The duo also earned the Futurity Reserve Championship for $1,652.
Lindsey and Fame Dancin Yola finished second in Round 2 with a 17.164, adding $1,603 to their futurity earnings and claiming the Futurity Championship for another $2,019.
Jenna Duhon and PMC AintSheBeautiful earned the Round 2 2D win. In the 2D Average, it was Estella Martin and Quanahs Kingdom claiming the win.
Round 1 of a very tough Derby went to Jana Bean and Feature This Goodbye with a 17.268. 2025 futurity standout Blissful Version and Lora Nichols finished second in Round 1 with a 17.282, won Round 2 with a 17.032, and claimed the Average win.
“Buddy” and Nichols were in contention for the highest money-earning futurity horse of the previous season, before the cancellation of the last two major events of the season due to EHV-1. By $7 million sire Winners Version, Buddy banked over $300,000 in his futurity year.
Megan McLeod-Sprague and Seis Corona (“Jagger”) were hot off the 2025 National Finals Rodeo. The duo won the Roohide Hot Rod with a 17.004 for $1,368. They also earned the Friday Open 1D win for $1,083.
With the first 16-second run of the weekend, Sherry Cervi and MP Meter My Fame won the Saturday Open 1D with a 16.969.
Rita Cheeney and HP Dash Ta Fairfax ran the only other sub-17-second run of the weekend, with a 16.996 that took the top spot in Sunday’s Open 1D.
Nichols and Buddy doubled down on their derby earnings, placing deep in the Open 1D both days, as well as the Roohide Hot Rod, and Big Time Boss.
Youth competitor Tabitha Dyal also had an outstanding weekend, earning Open 1D money Friday, Saturday, and Sunday aboard Slym Shady. She swept the Youth 1D on Slym Shady and earned Open 1D, Open 2D, and Youth 1D checks on Promise Me Fame Guys and Smooth Operraider. Dyal wrapped up her weekend with several checks in the Big Time Boss.
Authorities say a prominent California agriculture heir is accused of traveling to Arizona to kill his estranged wife amid a bitter divorce, a case now drawing national attention for its cross-state trail and high-profile ties.
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On today’s Digital Pregame Show presented by Little Caesars, J.B Long, D’Marco Farr, and Maurice Jones-Drew preview the Los Angeles Rams’ Week 18 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium. The trio discuss key players to watch, game predictions, and more. Tune in for kickoff at 1:25pm PT on FOX.
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