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Two close losses to quality teams around the midpoint of the season. Record at or near .500. And then? Winning streak.

Arizona football made it three in a row Saturday, upsetting No. 25 Cincinnati 30-24 at Nippert Stadium.

After some early issues stopping the run, the Wildcats dominated the Bearcats. If not for some breakdowns in the red zone and on special teams, it wouldn’t have been close.

After crashing to a 4-8 record in Brennan’s first season — a massive disappointment after the ‘23 Wildcats went 10-3 in Jedd Fisch’s final campaign — Arizona takes a 7-3 mark into Senior Day vs. Baylor.

Not even the biggest UA backers saw this coming.

How did the Wildcats get it done Saturday? Here are my top five takeaways:

1. Depleted, not defeated

It was looking grim early.

Cincinnati ripped off one big run after another against a depleted UA front missing defensive end Tre Smith and tackle Tiaoalii Savea. That’s about 570 pounds of beef.

Additionally, linebacker Max Harris dressed but didn’t play after hurting his knee last week.

In the first quarter alone, the Bearcats bullied their way to 140 rushing yards on just eight carries — 17.5 yards a pop. They had runs of 39, 21 and 54 yards in the first six minutes of the game.

Cincinnati had just 50 net rushing yards over the final three quarters.

What changed? Three things I noticed:

– The UA front appeared to do less stunting and twisting. Stunts and twists are when defensive linemen crisscross after the snap. It’s a good way to confuse offensive linemen. But it can also result in would-be tacklers jumping out of gaps against the run.

– Better discipline on the back side. On his 54-yard run in the first quarter, Tawee Walker started right before cutting back to the left. Arizona did a better job of mitigating those potential cutbacks as the game progressed. Linebacker Riley Wilson, in particular, played a big role in negating those plays.

– More involvement from the defensive backs. Defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales had no choice but to bring up his safeties and trust his cornerbacks to cover downfield. Treydan Stukes led the Wildcats with nine tackles. Dalton Johnson was right behind him with eight.

This was a masterful performance by Gonzales considering how many key players were missing. On the very first play from scrimmage, he surprised Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby with zone coverage, leading to an interception by Jay’Vion Cole. Gonzales later utilized the “amoeba� defense, where linemen and linebackers pace about before the snap to create further confusion.

Baylor’s multifaceted offense will present new and different challenges. I’m certain Gonzales will be up to the task.

2. New balance

This past week’s “Cats Stats� feature examined Arizona’s offensive balance — or, as the numbers showed, imbalance.

Adjusting for sacks and scrambles — which are both called pass plays — Arizona entered Saturday with a 42.4% true run rate. That was the fourth-lowest mark in the Big 12.

Offensive coordinator Seth Doege flipped the script on Cincinnati.

Arizona had 42 rushing attempts — its second most this season — compared to 31 pass attempts. Even if you move sacks and scrambles to the pass column, the Wildcats had more running plays (37) than passing plays (36).

What’s truly notable about this development is that it was a tight game. Arizona had a true rushing rate of greater than 50% two previous times this season — blowout victories over Hawaii and Colorado. The Wildcats were at 49.3% in their one-sided win over Weber State. Every other game before Saturday was 46.8% or lower.

By sticking with the run, Arizona was able to establish itself as the more physical team. Whether it was the blockers opening holes or running backs Kedrick Reescano (13 carries, 94 yards) and Quincy Craig (11-52) refusing to go down on first contact, the Wildcats let it be known that they weren’t going to finesse their way through this game.

That mentality even made its way into the receiver room. Wideout Chris Hunter provided the escort for Reescano’s 50-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Hunter picked off two Bearcats well downfield as Reescano worked his way up the left sideline and into the end zone.

Just because Doege committed to the run vs. Cincinnati doesn’t mean he’ll do it again vs. Baylor and/or ASU. He’s a big believer in taking what the defense gives.

But the impact an effective, methodical ground attack can have is undeniable. More, please.

3. Noah’s mark

It appeared, for the longest time, that Noah Fifita wouldn’t break the UA record for passing touchdowns against Cincinnati. It would have been a total Noah move to wait until the Baylor game so he could do it in front of the home crowd.

Then it happened, early in the fourth quarter, on a beautifully designed play by Doege. On third-and-7 from the Cincinnati 15-yard line, Gio Richardson, lined up in the slot to the right, ran a crossing route into the left corner of the end zone. It was the perfect call against man coverage. Richardson was wide open, and Fifita lofted the ball into his arms.

Fifita finished 23 of 31 for 294 yards. He was efficient and clutch.

His third-and-19 connection with Kris Hutson for a first down late in the second quarter was arguably the turning point in the game. It extended a drive that enabled Arizona to get within 14-10 at halftime. Had the Wildcats not converted there, they could have been down 17-7 — or worse.

On Arizona’s penultimate offensive possession, with the score 27-24, Fifita had to convert a pair of third downs to bleed the clock and at least set up a field goal.

The first was a precise strike to Luke Wysong on an out pattern — barely beyond the outstretched hand of Bearcats defender Christian Harrison. The second was a fastball to Kris Hutson on a stop route — a play the two appear to have mastered.

There are many things to admire about Fifita — his modesty and leadership skills ranking atop the list. One of the things I like about him is that he seldom, if ever, has two off games in a row.

Fifita wasn’t sharp as a passer vs. Kansas. His legs were a bigger weapon than his arm in that game.

Aside from a handful of missed connections, he was on point against Cincinnati — leading the Wildcats to victory in an entirely different way.

4. Potentially costly combo

About those breakdowns in the red zone and on special teams ...

Woof. They nearly cost Arizona dearly.

The Wildcats scored just one touchdown in five trips to the red zone. Making matters worse, they missed a pair of field goal attempts.

Red-zone woes were a major problem early in the season, mostly because of negative plays that created difficult down-and-distance scenarios. That version of Arizona reappeared in Cincinnati.

The first failure began with a dropped pass by Richardson and a 2-yard sack. The next trip was waylaid by a 3-yard loss on first down and a false start on third.

At the end of the half, a holding penalty pushed the Wildcats back. On the first drive of the third quarter, a designed QB run didn’t work. Then Fifita and Spivey weren’t on the same wavelength on a third-down fade pass.

The good news: Michael Salgado-Medina made both field goal tries sandwiching intermission after missing twice earlier.

Avery Salerno’s snaps were a little high, and Cincinnati’s Logan Wilson influenced both kicks with pressure off the edge — getting a hand on the second one for a block. But the ball just wasn’t coming off Salgado-Medina’s foot cleanly. Even his make at the end of the first half was a hooking line drive.

He made clean contact on the 24-yarder in the third quarter that trimmed Arizona’s deficit to 14-13. And he absolutely nailed the 51-yarder that bumped the Wildcats’ lead to 30-24 with 1:34 to play.

Brennan could have benched Salgado-Medina, who’s had an up-and-down first season as the primary placekicker. But every time Brennan has stuck with him, Salgado-Medina has come through.

5. Built different

I’ve been pushing the idea of “dreaming big� since Arizona crushed Colorado to get to 5-3.

But even in the best-case scenario, I didn’t have the Wildcats winning at Cincinnati.

I’d seen too many no-shows under similar circumstances. Those scars don’t just fade away.

But just like the 2023 team, this squad is built different. These Wildcats are mentally tough. They play for one another. They don’t surrender.

And now they’re in a position where a repeat of ‘23 is on the table.

Baylor is dynamic offensively but vulnerable defensively. The crowd should be the best of the season. Add the emotion of Senior Day, and it’s Arizona’s game to lose.

The Territorial Cup will be a dogfight, as always.

Playing without its two biggest stars, quarterback Sam Leavitt and receiver Jordyn Tyson, ASU barely squeezed past West Virginia on Saturday. Leavitt is out for the season. Tyson is expected to be back. Either way, the gap between the programs isn’t nearly what it was a year ago — if there is one at all.

How much has the vibe changed for the Wildcats since then? suggested that UCLA might give Brennan, a Bruin alum, a call about its head-coaching vacancy.

That idea — which I don’t think has much merit; Brennan isn’t going anywhere — would have been unfathomable last November.

Yet here we are, pondering the possibilities, which suddenly seem infinite.