The last time Brent Brennan faced BYU football in LaVell Edwards Stadium, his Arizona Wildcats were violently and forcefully shown the door in a 41-19 blowout victory. That was in 2024, when the Cougars were undefeated and the breakout stars of the Big 12 Conference in just their second year of membership.
Arizona, in their first year of Big 12 competition, hovered around .500 while navigating new terrain. Despite boasting an elite offensive 1-2 punch in quarterback Noah Fifita and wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, the Arizona attack was stifled by the immovable BYU defense, which forced a number of turnovers in the decisive victory.
Now two years later, the Wildcats are coming back to Provo for a rematch, and Coach Brennan doesn't expect the Cougars' home crowd to make much of an impact.
According to him, it didn't influence the outcome in 2024, either.
"I didn't feel like the crowd was a problem in '24," Brennan recalled. "I felt like we didn't play very well. [...] I think that we turned the ball over too many times. I think that's a very separate issue. They have a great crowd, though, and you know that part of it I respect, and we know that going in there. And I think that's one of those things that if you let that be an excuse, it will be."
Arizona head coach Brent Brennan today in his weekly press conference, on returning to LaVell Edwards Stadium for the first time since the Wildcats' 41-19 loss in Provo in 2024:
— Greg Wrubell (@gregwrubell) September 7, 2026
"I didn't feel like the crowd was a problem in '24. I felt like we didn't play very well...I think…
On one hand, that's just good coaching and media work for Brennan. His primary point was to eliminate excuses -- take control of the game and avoid giving a stout BYU side any advantages -- and from that perspective, Brennan's tactic is sound.
Behind a veteran quarterback, the Wildcats should be able to execute their game plan irrespective of crowd noise.
On the other hand, Provo is a notoriously challenging road trip in college football, and the biggest crowd in the Big 12 Conference. And Brent Brennan just gave that crowd some bulletin board material.
BYU is favored to win their Big 12 season opener by about a touchdown; it's a favorable line for a BYU team that nearly fell to Arizona in Tucson a year ago, needing a late comeback led by freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier and double overtime to capture a rained-out contest in the desert. And though Arizona isn't expected to return to its 2025 form this season (the Wildcats finished the year ranked, if you can remember), Kalani Sitake and the Cougars don't see this as a guaranteed win.
On the side of BYU, however, is their twelfth man in the stands. We'll watch and see if BYU's home field advantage comes out ahead on Saturday.
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