What Brent Brennan said at his press conference to open Territorial Cup week

It’s Territorial Cup week, with the 99th meeting between Arizona and ASU on tap for Friday night in Tempe. It’s always a big game because of the rivalry, but this edition has a little extra sizzle on it because of how both teams are doing.

It’s only the second time since joining the Pac-10 together in 1978 that both the Wildcats and Sun Devils have at least eight wins entering the game. The other time was in 2014, when the UA won 42-35 in Tucson to clinch a spot in the Pac-12 title game.

ASU (8-3, 6-2) is still alive for the Big 12 championship this time around.

“I think it makes it more exciting,” UA coach Brent Brennan said. “It certainly makes it more exciting for the fans, knowing that both teams are coming into it playing good football. And I think that’s what it should be. You want these games to have a big impact. You want these games to be meaningful in the Big 12 Conference.”

Arizona (8-3, 5-3) has won four in a row and can improve its bowl resume with a victory.

Here’s what Brennan said at his Monday presser to open Territorial Cup week:

On the rivalry: “I think it’s one of the best rivalries in college football. It’s such a unique thing just being in the state of Arizona, there’s so many kind of families divided by these two schools. I think it’s just a really, really special thing, and we’re excited to play. Rivalry games just have so much to them, that make them so fun and exciting. Then when you have two teams come together, they’re both playing good football, I think just have a little extra juice to them.”

On ASU: “We got a lot of respect for Coach Dillingham and the team up north. Obviously they’re one of the best teams in the conference. You see how effectively they’re running the football right now, how much they’ve changed with the quarterback, and just what that is and what that’s become. Finding ways to win football games, finding ways to run the hell out of the football.”

On if Jeff Sims is similar to other mobile QBs Arizona has faced: “All those guys are their own. He does throw well enough, and you see him make throws when he has to. But obviously he’s a really athletic guy and a big guy, and they’re doing a great job of moving the football, being a combination of their run game, how they’re blocking it and and how they’re moving it with his legs. So obviously that presents a challenge for our defense.”

On ASU’s defense: “Just an incredibly active group. That they’re physical, they play hard, they got multiple player up front that can get to the quarterback, and they’re really sound on the back end. We know that we’re going to play a really good team who’s also, without question, our biggest rival. And so that part of it, when you know those things, finding ways to try and attack what they do. And on a short week, everyone’s pressing on that because we know how good they are.”

On the three post-TD unsportsmanlike conduct penalties vs. Baylor: “I can’t say publicly what I said to the guys in that moment. We talk about those things a lot, and discipline is so important to this football team. And in those moments, we lost our composure, and that’s not okay. I don’t care who you are or how you impact our team. Player, coach, nobody. Nobody is worth 15 yards. Now the thing that I did like, I like how we responded with our kickoff team after those two that backed us up and put us at that disadvantage spot. I was really proud of that. I thought that was a great showing by them, but that’s unacceptable. We don’t want any part of that, I don’t want that to be who we are. Our team knows that, our players know that, our coaches know that.”

On containing that emotion in the rivalry game: “That’s one of the major tricks about it, is it you want your team to play right up on the edge, but not off the cliff. And so that’s something that we have to do a really good job of talking about. It’s a big football game, and the most important thing is playing good football, and when you do things that hurt your chances to do that because you can’t control yourself, it’s unacceptable. It’s treason.”

On his first experiences with the rivalry: “I did see a couple of my brother’s games in person when he was playing here. So that was probably my intro to it. Really, really fun. A bunch of those guys, Salave’a was playing, Dave Fipp those are really fun, fun memories of that. One was up there, and just how intense it was in the stands between the fans from the school up north and our fans. But I think that’s that makes it fun, just so many people in the state of Arizona went to one school or the other, and that just kind of adds a bunch of fuel to fire.”

On Dalton Johnson winning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week: “Isn’t that awesome? Just how special for that young man. Like I said on Saturday, one of the players that chose to come back and had lots of people trying to lure him away from Arizona. He loves his teammates, he loves the U of A and he loves Tucson and to see him play as well as he did in his last home game. Just how special is that, right? Just incredible.”

On if he’s had players come to him saying they can play despite trainers saying otherwise: “I’m not kidding, the medical questions belong to the medical staff. They do not belong to anybody on our coaching staff. Ever. Doctors and trainers make those decisions.”

On the offensive and defensive lines overcoming injuries: “I think that’s one of those things, when you’re putting a team together you’re always, especially on the offensive and defensive front, you’re always trying to build depth in that spot, just because those guys take such a pounding. And I thought those guys did a good job in there, and I was really excited about it. And I’ve said it before, I really believe in Josh Oglesby. I think he’s an outstanding football coach, and those players love him, and they work incredibly hard for him. And I think it showed that they were prepared, prepared to play, which was great.”

On Dick Tomey’s impact on the rivalry: “Coach Tomey was one of the best in this rivalry, in terms of his success rate. He was also, his footprints are all over kind of my thought process, just really focusing on the one week season, and how do we play with poise? The things that are in our control. We can’t control the crowd or whatever, but what do we control? And we control how we respond to the moment, how prepared we are going into it. And I think that’s where I’m leaning also this week.”

On the linebackers holding hands before the snap ahead of Jabari Mann’s pick-six: “I just think this group, this team, is really close, and I think it’s really special. And it’s not always that way. That started in practice. I think two of the linebackers did it on one play, so Coach (Josh) Bringuel made a huge point about it in a meeting. And then in the next practice, all four of them did it. It’s just kind of a fun team thing back and forth, and then it showed up in the game, which was funny. As long as it didn’t negatively impact the outcome of the play, Like that part of it was good.”

On what his reaction would have been on the offensive side as a player: “What is happening over there?”

On OL Matthew Lado: “I think he’s making great progress as a player. That transition time was so hectic, because I think I’m pretty sure it was 19, 19 freshmen had gotten here on a Sunday, and then Coach Fisch took the job the following Saturday, and then I was here on Tuesday. So it was just hectic. I mean, it’s just crazy. So just trying to give those guys a chance to get to know me, and give them a chance to get to know the coaches that we were bringing in, the staff who were assembling, it was just really hectic. He’s always been a really respectful kid. Got great parents. I’m excited about his process, and I think that’s one of those things that with this program, we want to do a great job recruiting Arizona kids to the University of Arizona, and then when they’re here, we want them to have a good experience, but also really develop as part being here and being a part of the team. I think Matt’s on a good trajectory.”

On bringing in former players to talk about the rivalry: “With this short week, I’m leaning more on the guys that played here and were part of this rivalry around the staff. We’ve got a bunch of guys that spilled blood in this game, like they know exactly what it is. You’re talking about, Bobby Wade or Joe Salave’a or Ronnie Palmer, obviously Chuck (Cecil) and Ricky (Hunley). Lean on those guys and let those guys tell the story of what this game means is much more impactful. And because it’s short week, we got everybody just focused hard on the process.”