Key Coaching Change Fuels Arizona Wildcats’ Upset Victory Over Utah

During their bye week, the Arizona Wildcats made a key change that played a pivotal role in their stunning upset of the Utah Utes. Head coach Brent Brennan revealed on Monday that he appointed tight ends coach and passing game coordinator Matt Adkins as the primary play-caller for the 23-10 victory.

Previously, offensive coordinator Dino Babers had been handling play-calling duties for the first three games of the season. However, Brennan shared that Babers assisted in the transition to Adkins, stating that it was the “right time, with the help of Dino, (for Adkins) to step into that role,” according to the *Tucson Star*.

The plan had seemingly been for Adkins to gradually take on more responsibilities as a play-caller, and the bye week provided the perfect opportunity to make that shift. Arizona now prepares to face Texas Tech on Saturday.

In addition to the win, the Wildcats (3-1, 1-0 in Big 12) delivered a balanced performance on offense. Arizona ran 61 plays, with an even split of 30 runs and 31 passes, resulting in nearly equal yardage. The running game, led by Kedrick Reescano’s 73 yards and Quali Conley’s 72 yards, produced 161 yards total, averaging 5.4 yards per carry.

Quarterback Noah Fifita contributed 197 passing yards, completing 19-of-31 attempts. He threw both of Arizona’s touchdowns, though he also had one interception.

This was Arizona’s most balanced attack since their win over Northern Arizona, where they rushed for 188 yards and passed for 173 yards. However, that game, a 22-10 victory, saw the Wildcats struggle against an FCS team that was coming off a losing season and adjusting to a new head coach.

Brennan brought Babers on board as offensive coordinator in February. Babers, who spent eight seasons as Syracuse’s head coach, finished his tenure there with a 78-70 record, leading Syracuse to the top 25 in three of his last six seasons. Babers also had ties to Arizona, having served under the legendary Dick Tomey as wide receivers coach, running backs coach, and offensive coordinator from 1995-2000.

Brennan himself worked as a graduate assistant under Tomey at Arizona and later joined Tomey at San Jose State, where Brennan eventually became the head coach.

Adkins had a long-standing relationship with Brennan, having worked under him at San Jose State for five seasons as tight ends coach and passing game coordinator. Before joining San Jose State, Adkins, a former college football player at Southern Oregon, built his coaching career in the lower college ranks, starting as a graduate assistant in 2017.