2 weeks Ago By Michael Lev Arizona Daily Star
“Lev it on the Field” is back for Game 11. It’s the Star’s unique look at Arizona’s upcoming football matchup and other happenings around the Big 12 through the eyes of UA beat reporter-turned-columnist Michael Lev. Away we go .
.. Ten games into Brent Brennan’s tenure, we just might be there.
Michael Lev is a senior writer/columnist for the Arizona Daily Star , Tucson.com and The Wildcaster . The Arizona Wildcats finally appear to have an identity.
Brennan wanted to see something against Houston that he hadn’t seen often enough. He wants to see it this week against TCU, the following week against Arizona State and, he hopes, for many weeks and years to come. Arizona has to play harder than whomever it’s playing against.
“You're always trying to elevate how hard you play,” Brennan said this week. “That's one of those things that can be an equalizer ..
. if you're playing a team that's better than you or somebody on the road. Always demanding great effort from our team is going to be an absolute staple of what we do.
” Arizona defensive back Owen Goss, right, scoops up a Cougar fumble near the 1-yard line, ending a Houston scoring threat late in the fourth quarter on Nov. 15, 2024, at Arizona Stadium. All-out effort helped the Wildcats force three UH fumbles.
Brennan saw the signs against the Cougars. Defenders hustled downfield to force fumbles. Superstar receiver Tetairoa McMillan sprinted downfield to ensure teammate Quali Conley reached the end zone.
“You always want to have as many Arizona jerseys in the picture on the film at the end of the play as possible,” Brennan said. “We'll continue to push that and drive that,” he added. “And (if) the players will hold each other accountable to that high standard, then we will continue to get better.
” That effort needs to be readily evident in Fort Worth, Texas, on Saturday. The Wildcats — and Brennan — cannot afford a repeat of their last road trip. They ventured to Orlando, Florida, to play UCF, but they basically didn’t show up.
That can’t happen again. Even as the program was sputtering in Jedd Fisch’s first season (which he dubbed “Year Zero”), the team played with unrelenting effort — which inspired hope of the turnaround that eventually came. The Cats need to make it hard on the Horned Frogs by playing as hard as they possibly can.
Anything less doesn’t bode well. Take that for data! Former UA offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes has been TCU’s head coach for three seasons. During that time, the Horned Frogs have authored three comebacks from deficits of at least 17 points.
It happened twice during Dykes’ magical first season of 2022, when TCU improbably reached the national championship game. The latest such rally occurred on Oct. 26.
TCU trailed Texas Tech 31-14 midway through the third quarter before storming back for a 35-34 victory. What’s remarkable about this TCU team — and emblematic of this Big 12 season — is that the Horned Frogs also squandered a lead of 17-plus points. TCU led UCF 31-13 with 5:03 left in the third quarter on Sept.
14. The Knights rallied to win 35-34, scoring the winning touchdown with 36 seconds remaining. (Rincon) Market report Going up: Spoilers You don’t want to face Lance Leipold and the Kansas Jayhawks right now.
After a five-game losing streak — four decided by six or fewer points — Kansas has won three of its past four. That includes upsetting then-No. 17 Iowa State and handing then-No.
6 BYU its first defeat. Next up: Deion Sanders and No. 16 Colorado on Senior Day at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Buffaloes will reach the Big 12 Championship Game if they win out. The Jayhawks are standing in their way and won’t give an inch of ground. Kansas safety Marvin Grant and linebacker Cornell Wheeler prevent BYU wide receiver Chase Roberts, left, from getting a first down on the final play of the game in the Jayhawks' upset of the Cougars on Nov.
16, 2024, in Provo, Utah. Going down: Multiple bids It was always a long shot. Now it’s all but impossible: The Big 12 won’t place more than one team in the College Football Playoff.
The extremely narrow path to being a two-bid league went like this: BYU and Colorado win out; Buffs defeat Cougars in Big 12 title game; both advance to expanded CFP. BYU’s loss to Kansas killed that dream. For proof, look no further than how the CFP Selection Committee disrespected the Cougars , dropping them to 14th — one spot behind SMU, whom they defeated in Dallas.
A question from my X “Wouldn’t it be more prudent to take the money they want to give Brennan for his buyout and put it into an NIL so that they can get better players to support him?” — @zona7378 via X/Twitter This question refers to the possibility of UA athletic director Desireé Reed-Francois deciding to move on from Brennan — whom she didn’t hire — after one season and raising the $11 million-plus necessary to satisfy his buyout. Regardless of whether that happens — the next two weeks will be telling — the question also leads to another one: What is the best way to allocate your money in the new era of college athletics? We know that revenue-sharing is coming . That could mitigate the impact of NIL — but it won’t eliminate it.
The top players in football, men’s and women’s basketball and a handful of other sports still will be compensated above and beyond their rev-share pacts. Whether the money is coming from the institutions or private donations, does it still make sense to spend top dollar on coaches? Are you better off acquiring the best roster you can get in the transfer portal? Will facilities again become a differentiator? Interesting times ahead for Arizona and the college sports world at large. Threads Utah will don hand-painted 'Malama Lahaina' helmets for its final home game vs.
Iowa State on Saturday. It’s been a rough year for Utah. But the Utes proudly will play their final home game in the most magnificent and meaningful helmets you’ve ever seen.
This year’s hand-painted beauties have been dubbed “Malama Lahaina.” They pay tribute to the program’s Polynesian tradition while also honoring “the resilience and spirit of Maui in the wake of the devastating Lahaina fires of 2023,” per UNISWAG . The red helmets feature black Hawaiian tattoo art and an outline of Lahaina’s Front Street.
They’re being paired with Utah’s black uniforms with red accents. The overall look is as good as it gets. What he said .
.. “TCU, I think, is the sixth- or seventh-best passing offense in the country.
So that's kind of the biggest thing. ..
. Houston, I don't know if they were that great statistically. TCU is more explosive.
” — UA safety Owen Goss on the differences between TCU’s offense and Houston’s What he meant ...
“This is a completely different ballgame. We knew Houston was one-dimensional; if we could get the Cougars into third-and-long, they were cooked. This isn’t that.
The Horned Frogs throw the ball all over the yard. They have a real quarterback. They have multiple receivers who can hurt you.
We gotta rally and tackle these guys in space. If we don’t, it’s gonna be a long afternoon.” The other side Steven Johnson, via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram : It’s not often you face a receiver as gifted as Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan.
When the Horned Frogs face the Wildcats ...
priority No. 1 for TCU will be finding a way to slow down a receiver that many think could change the outlook of one NFL franchise in the upcoming NFL Draft. Mock drafts project that McMillan will be at the top of the board with the likes of Colorado’s Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward.
McMillan leads all Power Four receivers with 1,136 yards, and he also has seven touchdowns. Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, left, steps through a trio of Houston defenders after snaring a catch over the middle in the third quarter of their Big 12 game on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, at Arizona Stadium.
McMillan stands at 6-foot-5 and has more than enough speed to run away from defenders. TCU coach Sonny Dykes doesn’t see many flaws in his game. “He’s what you would get if you were going to design a receiver .
.. he’s long, he can run, he’s got a huge catch radius,” Dykes said Tuesday.
“I really think that’s the strongest characteristic that he’s got. His ability to make competitive plays on the ball, adjust to the ball. Somebody with his size doesn’t typically have that type of body control.
” Pick to click (aka #fadelev) Lots of home underdogs to choose from on this week’s Big 12 slate. Houston’s getting the most points (eight), but I can’t pick the Cougars no matter how sweet their “Houston Blue” uniforms are; they were just too inept last week. So the choice here is Utah, which is a seven-point ’dog against Iowa State.
Do we really think a Kyle Whittingham-coached team is going to lose every conference home game it plays? As bad as their offense has been, the Utes’ defense is still one of the best in the league. I’m calling for an outright upset in Salt Lake City. (season record: 5-4-1) One last thing We’re in for a treat Saturday.
The matchup in Fort Worth features two semifinalists for the Biletnikoff Award honoring the nation’s best receiver: Arizona’s McMillan and TCU’s Jack Bech. They are two of three semifinalists from the Big 12, along with Colorado’s Travis Hunter. No other conference has more than two.
I have no idea who’s going to win it. San Jose State’s Nick Nash has the most prolific numbers, but will the electorate vote for someone on a middling Mountain West team? Two-way phenom Hunter is the best player in college football and the favorite for the Heisman, but is he the best receiver? No one’s more talented or has more “wow” plays than McMillan, but is anyone outside of Tucson paying attention to Arizona football these days? It’s a really tough call this year. But we don’t have to worry about that Saturday.
We can just sit back and enjoy the show. Contact sports reporter/columnist Michael Lev at [email protected] .
On X(Twitter): @michaeljlev Respond: Write a letter to the editor | Write a guest opinion Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sports Reporter/Columnist.
