Arizona

What Arizona coach Brent Brennan said ahead of trip to Kansas State

Published

2 months ago

September 9, 2024

What Arizona coach Brent Brennan said ahead of trip to Kansas State

After playing the first two games in the friendly confines of Arizona Stadium, the UA hits the road for the first time when it visits 14th-ranked Kansas State. It’s a Friday night game, which means the time to prepare for a top-15 opponent on the road has been condensed.

“We kind of essentially lost Monday, so this is a Tuesday practice,” UA coach Brent Brennan said. “There’s not a huge difference that way. I think just the biggest difference will that we’re going on the road playing an excellent team.”

To prepare for the environment at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, which holds 50,000 but drew 51,240 for K-State’s first home game, Arizona is piping in crowd noise at practice.

“That’s the only thing can do,” Brennan said. “The good news is that this team and these players do have experience playing in some tough venues over the last few years. Playing at Oregon or Washington or Utah, those places are all places that are really, really rowdy. I think that you gotta lean on some of that and try and be smart with what you do, in terms of how you huddle, how you communicate. Working through that in practice because that’s how it’s going to be on game day.”

Here’s what else Brennan said at his Monday presser:

On Kansas State: “I think we’re playing an excellent football team. They’re really good in all three phases. They had a nice win on the road last weekend against Tulane. Good players, they’re extremely well coached, they play with real physicality. Obviously it’s gonna be a great game day atmosphere in kind of that venue. Coach Kleiman is a fantastic football coach. I think those guys have done a really nice job everwhere they’ve been. Obviously the results speak to themselves, and when you turn on the tape I think it’s really impressive about how they play in all three phases.”

On how the players feel about this game: “I think they’re fired up. We just had a great practice, and I’m really excited about that. I think that’s a good indication of kind of where they’re at in their mindset in terms of attacking the practice environment. We’re off to a good start today. Obviously, we’ve got a lot of work to do because of the short week. It’s heavy gameplan conversations and some long days. But that’s the nature of this time of year, especially on a short week so. But the players are fired up. I think everyone’s excited. I’m sure Kansas State is, too.”

On the offensive line: “Like I mentioned the other night, there was some good stuff, too, done by that group. And did have some guys, some new guys, playing in there. Grayson (Stovall) had never played before. He had to snap every ball, and that’s a eye-opening experience, and so I give him a lot of credit. I thought he handled it really well. There’s a couple simple mistakes here that we can clean up easily, which we’ve already worked on starting yesterday. I think hopefully, as time goes, we’ll be more and more healthy, and some of the people that are not available right now will come back to us and get in the mix. But after watching the film, I think we were encouraged, because there was some better stuff that we were able to get done that we realized in game.”

On missing veteran center Josh Baker: “I don’t think anyone on our football team undervalues Josh Baker. He’s an excellent player and an excellent leader. He’s team captain, he’s awesome. Everybody knows exactly how special he is and how important he is to our football team.”

On when decisions are made about if injured players will be available for a game: “Those are always decisions made by our medical staff, not by me. And so if they tell me that so and so can go, then so and so can go. Coaches will never make those decisions. That’s all medical people, doctors and training.”

On Jacory Croskey-Merritt’s status, and what the issue is: “It’s where it was when I talked to you guys on Saturday. We’re still trying to find out exactly what went on. We’re working through it.”

On switching punters and if that’s permanent: “That’s going to be something that’s going continue to play out over time as we watch it. I don’t know if that decision’s been made yet.”

On failing to convert a 3^rd down: “I think it’s a couple things. I think it was a couple of missed throws, missed opportunities, that part of it is really, really frustrating. And sometimes when you’re in those situations, you kind of try and press, and we just gotta relax and let the game come to us and execute the details of our assignment, and we’ll have higher level execution.”

On penalties: “I spoke on Saturday night (and a) week ago, my concern was what I considered the self-imposed, negatives. The after the whistle nonsense that can really, really hurt you. Some of the other penalties that happen when you’re playing football, you know, we’re not coaching holding or whatever. To me, I tend to focus more on the controlables. That conversation has been ongoing. It was ongoing really, really aggressively last week with just the stuff that happened kind of after the whistle. It’s all the stuff that’s either after the whistle or before the whistle that really, really gets me fired up. Offside, false start, and then any nonsense after the whistle, whatever that is.”

On the defense vs. NAU: “I thought the defense was outstanding. I thought we did a great job of getting population football. There’s just some really, really good effort. I thought the D-line did an outstanding job, and obviously that helped the linebackers put up some big numbers in terms of their tackles. It’s exciting to see them respond, because I know they were frustrated from the week before.”

On if Tetairoa McMillan had bad body language, as ESPN+ reported during the broadcast: “No, I actually thought T-Mac handled it pretty well. I think everybody was frustrated for stretches in that game, and I think it’s important for every player on our team, but more importantly for the leaders, to understand that their body language has influence. Guys feed off of that, whether it’s positive or negative. Again, that’s something that’s in our control, and something that we coach really hard.”

On whether to return kickoffs out of the end zone or take the touchback: “It depends week to week. There’s games where we’re going to be really aggressive that way and there’s games where we’ll make a determination whether or not we’ll bring those out. So it just depends on lots of factors: who were playing, where we’re playing, what kind of kickoff guy they got, what kind of kickoff team they have. There’s a bunch of components that go into this, those decisions are made game by game.”

On Noah Fifita’s freedom to change the play: “Sometimes there’s stuff that we double call, but then also sometimes there’s stuff that would probably be more (about) protection. He does it every game.”

On Kansas State QB Avery Johnson compared to New Mexico’s Devon Dampier: “I think the difference is, is that I think Avery’s more of a complete player. He’s got arm talent, and then he’s faster. Like he’s ridiculously explosive.”

On being excited in locker room after an uneven win: “I’m not going to let anything on the outside take away from the joy of winning. Those moments are special, and they need to be celebrated and enjoyed by everybody. We can fix the stuff we need to fix later, but in that moment, with the team in a locker room, there’s nothing like it. There’s nothing like a locker room after a win. It’s a really, really special place, and so we’re going to enjoy the hell out of those when they happen.”

On Jeremiah Patterson: “I’m really encouraged by him. I think he’s going to be a really good player for us, and I think he’s just going to get better the more he plays. The way he approaches practice and workouts, he’s definitely dead serious about his process and improving every day. He was raised by good people at College of San Mateo, those guys did a great job. I’ve been watching Jeremiah since he was in high school, because he was right down the street from us (at San Jose). It’s awesome to see him doing the things he’s doing.”

On the debut of the red helmets with ‘Cats’ in script: “I think anything that the players get excited about is good. I love it. I think that’s fun. I think that’s part of college football. Some people may or may not agree with it, but for me, it’s all it’s about the players.”

On his history with Kansas State: “The only time I’ve been out there was when I was an assistant with Coach Tomey at San Jose, I believe we went out there in 2007 and we’re still trying to tackle Jordy Nelson.”

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Arizona

Two Cubs Prospects Earn High Marks for Their Arizona Fall League Performance

Published

19 mins ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

Two Cubs Prospects Earn High Marks for Their Arizona Fall League Performance

The Arizona Fall League gives organizations a chance to see how some of their prospects might look when facing other stars in pipelines around the league, and for the Chicago Cubs who have a loaded farm system, this allowed them to formulate a plan for a group of their minor leaguers.

Things seem to be brewing for the Cubs this winter.

Unlike last year, they have been aggressive in the early portion of the offseason, already making trades to upgrade their bullpen by acquiring Eli Morgan, and giving themselves a solid backup catcher by landing Matt Thaiss from the Los Angeles Angels.

More moves are expected to come for Chicago, specifically regarding their starting rotation.

By adding a reliever and backstop with early trades, that allows them to hold onto some of the money they allocated to potentially get this done in free agency.

However, shipping out more talent is something they might continue to do.

Someone they could potentially look to move coming off his good showing at the Arizona Fall League is Jonathon Long.

When sharing some final thoughts on what occurred at this year’s AFL, Melissa Lockard of The Athletic gave high marks for two Cubs prospects who competed in this event, Long being one of them.

He followed up his strong Double-A season with an eye-catching performance in the Arizona Fall League by slashing 338/.425/.662 with six home runs.

Long could become an outfield option for Chicago down the line, but with other more heralded prospects who play his same position, he could be expendable as the front office searches for ways to improve their Major League roster.

The other player who received high marks shouldn’t surprise anyone.

Moises Ballesteros continues his ascent, following up his breakout performance in 2024 with a .316/.376/.557 slash line, five homers and four doubles in his 19 AFL games.

There was some thought he could be the backup catcher for the Cubs next season based on their need for offensive output at that position, but there are still questions about how he performs on the defensive end that could cause them to use him elsewhere while he continues to develop.

Still, he was impressive with the bat in his hand, prompting Lockard to state he “continues to look like a potential middle-of-the-order fixture.”

Whether it’s at designated hitter or he does become Chicago’s catcher of the future eventually, knowing he has this ability to be an elite offensive producer when he gets the call to The Show should excite the organization and fanbase.

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Arizona

Arizona State could push Big 12 title chase to final weekend

Published

8 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

Arizona State could push Big 12 title chase to final weekend

TEMPE, AZ (AP/AZFamily) — The Arizona State Sun Devils are set for a huge matchup this weekend when they host the BYU Cougars at Mountain America Stadium.

Saturday’s game in Tempe will have massive implications in the Big 12 Conference with multiple teams chasing a title game appearance.

A win over the 14th-ranked Cougars would massively boost title game hopes for the 21st-ranked Sun Devils. Ticket prices have been soaring for the highly anticipated conference game.

Arizona State Head Coach Kenny Dillingham joined Good Morning Arizona on Thursday to talk about the team’s expectation-busting season. Watch the full interview in the video player at the top of this page.

Things to watch this week in the Big 12 Conference:

Game of the week

No. 14 BYU (9-1, 6-1 Big 12, No. 14 CFP) at No. 21 Arizona State (8-2, 5-2, No. 21), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

League newcomer Arizona State has a three-game winning streak and BYU is coming off its first loss. The Cougars, after losing at home to Kansas, still control their own destiny in making the Big 12 championship game. They can clinch a spot in that Dec. 7 game as early as Saturday, if they win and instate rival Utah wins at home against No. 22 Iowa State.

Arizona State was picked at the bottom of the 16-team league in the preseason media poll, but already has a five-win improvement in coach Dillingham’s second season.

The undercard

No. 16 Colorado (8-2, 6-1, No. 16 CFP) at Kansas (4-6, 3-4), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (Fox)

Coach Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes are in prime position to make the Big 12 title game in their return to the league after 13 seasons in the Pac-12. If BYU and Utah win, Colorado would be able to claim the other title game spot with a win over Kansas. The Buffs have a four-game winning streak.

The Jayhawks need another November win over a ranked Big 12 contender while trying to get bowl eligible for the third season in a row. Kansas has won consecutive games over Top 25 teams for the first time in school history, knocking off Iowa State before BYU.

Impact players

Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht has thrown a touchdown in a school-record 14 consecutive games, while receivers Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel both have more than 800 yards receiving. San Jose State is the only other FBS team with a pair of 800-yard receivers. Becht has 2,628 yards and 17 touchdowns passing for the Cyclones (8-2, 5-2), who are still in Big 12 contention.

Inside the numbers

Oklahoma State goes into its home finale against Texas Tech with a seven-game losing streak, its longest since a nine-game skid from 1977-78. The only longer winless streak since was an 0-10-1 season in 1991. This is Mike Gundy’s 20th season as head coach, and his longest losing streak before now was five in a row in 2005, his first season and the last time the Cowboys didn’t make a bowl game. … Baylor plays at Houston for the first time since 1995, the final Southwest Conference season. The Cougars won last year in the only meeting since to even the series 14-14-1. … Eight Big 12 teams are bowl eligible. As many as six more teams could reach six wins.

Repeating 1,000

The Big 12 already has four 1,000-yard rushers, including three who did it last season. UCF’s RJ Harvey is the league’s top rusher (1,328 yards) and top scorer with 21 touchdowns (19 rushing/two receiving). The others with consecutive 1,000-yard seasons are Texas Tech career rushing leader Tahj Brooks (1,184 yards) and Kansas State’s DJ Giddens (1,128 yards). Cam Skattebo with league newcomer Arizona State has 1,074 yards.

Devin Neal, the career rushing leader at his hometown university, is 74 yards shy of being the first Kansas player with three 1,000-yard seasons. Cincinnati’s Corey Kiner needs 97 yards to reach 1,000 again.

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Arizona

What BYU coach Kalani Sitake said about Arizona State game

Published

16 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

What BYU coach Kalani Sitake said about Arizona State game

BYU’s stock plummeted this week.

After suffering a 17-13 loss to Kansas — their first loss of the season — the Cougars dropped from No. 6 to No. 14 in the College Football Playoff Rankings and into a tie with Colorado for first place in the Big 12.

And now they’re 3.5-point underdogs to Arizona State (8-2) in arguably the biggest game on the college football schedule this weekend. The winner will be in the pole position for a berth in the Big 12 championship game; the loser will be all but eliminated.

BYU coach Kalani Sitake knows anything can happen in the Big 12, and the Cougars are still very much alive for a berth in the College Football Playoff.

“You look at the conference, there’s a lot of parity … anyone has a shot,” Sitake said during his weekly press conference.

Here is a snapshot of what Sitake said ahead of BYU’s game with Arizona State:

Sitake on ASU Coach Kenny Dillingham

“Kenny Dillingham is a really good coach. I have a lot of respect for him and the way he coaches his team. You can tell he’s got a great connection with his players, and he’s a local kid so he’s from that area. He grew up an ASU fan and knows what that program can do. … I think he did it the right way bringing in a lot of local staff. … I know a lot of guys on his coaching staff. They’re really good coaches, good men.

“Looking at the talent that they have, it’s a difficult matchup. You have to be ready. We’re going on the road. We already know the time for that game and that it will be a little better weather than what we have here [in Provo]. Looking forward to the matchup. I think the goal is for us, like we said every week, stay humble, stay hungry and find ways to get better.”

Sitake on ASU Quarterback Sam Leavitt

“Really good player. He comes from a good family. He’s super athletic. He can run, he’s got an accurate arm. I think he’s got a great football IQ. He’s dangerous. He’s got a lot of football to play. I think he he saw some opportunities over there at ASU and you look at him, he’s thriving in it. He’s going to be a difficult matchup for us for sure. But man, it’s good to see good young men that you know are from amazing families get what they want. He’s doing some really cool things and he’s going to be doing really good things for a long time becauase I think he’s only a freshman right now. The sky’s the limit for him. Hopefully we just don’t see that great ‘sky limit’ performance this weekend.”

Sitake on BYU’s Recent Offensive Struggles

“There’s a fine line between it all … the key to execution is just eliminating the mistakes. There shouldn’t be any mistakes. Whether it’s alignment issues or technique issues or even running the wrong route or not doing the correct assignment. So all that should be cleaned up. But there’s also some room for improvement where you can actually install some stuff. You want to have a foundation of stuff that you’re good at and that you could lean on, but that’s the stuff that everybody knows is coming. So we have to have that and you have to have a little bit of install that gives you the favorable matchup, depending on who you’re going against.”

“That’s what we’re trying to get done. Obviously it’s worked quite a bit, and the offense they’re getting in the red zone. We’ve just got to score touchdowns. It’s hard to get in the red zone and only kick field goals. Even though you have a good kicker like Will Ferrin you’re going to need to score points and score touchdowns and finish the drives. It gives you a little bit more motivation and a little bit more ‘umph’ when you’re trying to get it done, so that’s what we’re focusing on.”