New Mexico

No. 21 Arizona kicks off first season under Brent Brennan against New Mexico

Published

1 year ago

August 30, 2024

No. 21 Arizona kicks off first season under Brent Brennan against New Mexico

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona took three short years to go from one of the worst programs in the FBS to a 10-game winner on the rise.

That was under Jedd Fisch. Now it’s Brent Brennan’s turn and he appears to have a stacked deck.

Kicking off a season with more expectations than any in recent years, No. 21 Arizona opens the Brennan era Saturday night at home against New Mexico.

“My message to the team is: it’s all about us,” Brennan said. “It’s about our process and how we prepare. It’s very, very simple, it’s boring and it’s not sexy. I think that sometimes gets lost.”

After seven seasons at San Jose State, Brennan takes over an Arizona program that climbed from the depths of a school-record 20-game losing streak to winning seven straight games to close out last season, the current longest run in the FBS.

Fisch took some players with him when he moved to Washington, but two key ones remained: quarterback Noah Fifita and receiver Tetairoa McMillan.

With two of the program’s best players opting to stick around, several others joined them, giving Brennan a stacked roster for his first season.

Fifita and McMillan headline what could be one of the nation’s most explosive offenses and the defense, long an issue in Tucson, took massive strides last season. Arizona has numerous playmakers back on defense, including linebacker Jacob Manu — the Pac-12’s leading tackler a year ago — cornerback Tacario Davis and safeties Dalton Johnson and Gunner Maldonado.

The Wildcats were ranked in The Associated Press preseason poll for the first time since 2015 and now get a first chance to show that it was warranted in their first Big 12 season.

“I had that thought walking out here just now, how much has changed in seven months,” Brennan said. “It’s surreal but also really, really special, but I’m excited, just like our players are.”

Bronco’s Lobos

Arizona won’t be the only team with a new head coach at Arizona Stadium.

Veteran coach Bronco Mendenhall was hired during the offseason to replace Danny Gonzales, who was fired after four mediocre seasons. Mendenhall had a successful stint at BYU before spending the past six seasons at Virginia, where he led the Cavaliers to three straight bowl games.

The Lobos got the Mendenhall era off to a shaky start last week, blowing a 17-point lead in a 35-31 home loss to Montana State.

“I saw capability, certainly, two defensive touchdowns, some fourth-down stops and some other positive things, but not consistent enough, not clean enough and not sound enough really, from beginning to end, to put the game away,” Mendenhall said.

Talented connection

Fifita and McMillan give Arizona one of the nation’s most talented duos.

Fifita began last season as the backup, but played so well in place of injured Jayden de Laura that he kept the job when de Laura returned. Fifita threw for 2,869 yards and 25 touchdowns with six interceptions, setting a school record with a 72.4% completion rate.

McMillan was the top-rated recruit in program history nearly three years ago and has lived up to the hype. The native of Hawaii caught 90 passes for 1,402 yards and 10 touchdowns last season, helping him become the first Arizona player to earn preseason AP All-America honors.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

Source link

Click to comment

New Mexico

Republican New Mexico lawmakers convene public safety task force

Published

12 hours ago

December 1, 2025

Press Room

Republican New Mexico lawmakers convene public safety task force

State

Zip Code

Country

Source link

New Mexico

Cut your own tree in New Mexico with a $5 permit from BLM

Published

1 day ago

December 1, 2025

Press Room

Cut your own tree in New Mexico with a permit from BLM

The Bureau of Land Management will begin selling Christmas tree permits in New Mexico on Nov. 24.

Permits will be available at the Farmington, Taos, Socorro and Rio Puerco field offices, as well as at the New Mexico State Office, according to a community announcement. The permits must be purchased before Dec. 24 and cost $5 per tree.

Permits and maps can be obtained over the counter at local BLM offices or, for some locations, online at https://forestproducts.blm.gov. If purchasing online, buyers must have access to a printer to print the permit and map.

When transporting a tree taken from BLM public land, the haul tag provided with the permit must be attached to the tree.

The BLM has developed georeferenced maps compatible with any georeferenced map mobile application. Those with a smartphone can download a map before heading out to harvest a tree by visiting the BLM website.

Before visiting a local BLM office to obtain a permit, it is recommended to call the office to confirm services and staff availability. The locations where permits may be available include:

Rio Puerco Field Office, 100 Sun Ave., NE, Suite 330, Albuquerque, NM 87109, (505) 761-8700
Socorro Field Office, 901 S. Old U.S. Hwy 85, Socorro, NM 87801, (575) 835-0412
New Mexico State Office, 301 Dinosaur Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87508, (505) 954-2000
Farmington Field Office, 6251 College Blvd, Farmington, NM 87402, (505) 564-7600
Taos Field Office, 1024 Paseo del Pueblo Sur, Taos, NM 87571-5983, (575) 758-8851

For more information about Christmas tree permits, contact the local BLM office or the BLM New Mexico State Office at 505-954-2222.

This story was created by reporter Andy Dossett, ADossett@usatodayco.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.

Source link

New Mexico

Lobos give bowl-bound Eck extension to 2030

Published

2 days ago

November 30, 2025

Press Room

Lobos give bowl-bound Eck extension to 2030

New Mexico football coach Jason Eck has agreed to a five-year contract extension that will keep him with the Lobos until 2030, the school announced Sunday.

In his first regular season as head coach, Eck took the Lobos to a 9-3 record — the program’s best mark since 1982 and only the fourth time they have won nine games since 1997.

Eck’s new deal includes an increase in average salary to $1.75 million from $1.25 million, sources told ESPN.

A former Wisconsin offensive lineman, Eck spent three seasons as head coach at Idaho where he went 26-13 before being hired by the Lobos last December.

New Mexico’s nine-win season and 6-2 record in the Mountain West earned them a tie for first place in the conference. But the conference’s tiebreaker (based on a composite average of nationally recognized metrics: Connelly SP+, ESPN SOR, KPI and SportSource rankings) determined that Boise State and UNLV would face each other in the title game.

If Eck can lead the Lobos to a bowl win, however, it will be the first 10-win season the program has had in 43 years.

Source link