The No. 23 Arizona Wildcats suffered a tough 40-39 Week 11 loss to the No. 2 Utah Utes on Saturday. It was a game that slipped through the Wildcats' hands, as a botched fourth-down call late in the contest led to the team's loss. During his postgame press conference, head coach Brent Brennan opened up about what actually transpired on that play.

Brennan claimed that Arizona was attempting to get Utah to jump offsides right before the two-minute warning, according to Justin Spears of The Arizona Daily Star and The Wildcaster. Center Zach Henning accidentally snapped the ball when he wasn't supposed to, and everything fell apart from there. After providing an explanation, the 53-year-old head coach took accountability for the late-game mishap.

“Brent Brennan said Arizona was trying to draw Utah offsides before the two-minute timeout,” Spears reported. “Center Zach Henning wasn't supposed to snap it, but he did. Brennan took responsibility for the decision.”

The loss will be a hard pill to swallow for Arizona. Especially considering how well the offense played against Utah. Quarterback Noah Fifita may have had the best game of his career, finishing the contest with 356 passing yards, three touchdowns, and one interception while completing 62.7% of his pass attempts.

Article Continues Below

Two of his wide receivers, Chris Hunter and Isaiah Mizell, surpassed the 100-yard mark, while Gio Richardson had 94 yards himself. Arizona relied heavily on the passing game, as the offense only generated 59 yards on the ground against the Utes' stout run defense.

The Wildcats have just two games remaining on the schedule. Technically, the program is still in the hunt for a College Football Playoff appearance, but their chances are grim. At the very least, the team is bowl-eligible this season. Arizona will play again in Week 12 with a road game against the Kansas State Wildcats.