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“Dr. Blitz� has a soft side.

You might perceive ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ defensive coordinator Don Brown as a prickly, cantankerous, old-school coach, and you wouldn’t necessarily be wrong.

But if there was any doubt about the way Brown feels about his players — and the way they feel about him — it’s been erased over the past few days.

Brown got choked up Tuesday while discussing what last week’s 10-3 victory over Cal meant to the Wildcats. It ended ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s 20-game losing streak and was the program’s first victory in over two years.

“I’ve been part of a lot of wins,� Brown said amid preparations for Saturday’s home finale against Utah. “I’ve been part of a lot of disappointments. But the reality is, this whole thing has not been about how I feel. It’s been about finding a way to get these guys to have a smile on Saturday night, and I’m just glad we were able to do it.�

Brown’s defense deserves most of the credit. The Wildcats limited the shorthanded Golden Bears — who were without quarterback Chase Garbers and several other starters – to 122 total yards. It was the lowest yardage output by a UA opponent since 2012. It also the first time ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ had held the opposition without a touchdown since 2013.

As Brown noted, the Wildcats played much of the game in the Golden Bears’ backfield.

“The thing that I’m starting to see that’s starting to make me feel good — because it has to; otherwise they should send me home — is four sacks, nine quarterback knockdowns, eight TFLs,â€� said Brown, who’s in his first season as ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s defensive leader.

“If we’re not doing those things, I shouldn’t be here. So that’s an important piece, and we’re starting to see that on a week-in, week-out basis.�

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ has 10 sacks in its past three games. The Wildcats had eight in their first six. Last year, they had two in five contests.

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ ranks fourth in the Pac-12 in sacks per game and total defense, and second in pass defense. The Wildcats haven’t ranked higher than eighth in the conference in total defense since 2010.

So clearly Brown and his players are doing their jobs. The players rewarded Brown with a Powerade shower that wasn’t caught on camera. While others were dousing Jedd Fisch, Anthony Pandy and Jalen Harris made sure Brown got a good soaking.

“No one saw that one, but Coach Brown got some love too,� said Pandy, a senior linebacker. “Me and Jalen made sure he got love.

“He was happy. He was ecstatic. That’s the happiest I’ve probably ever seen him.�

Brown was asked Tuesday what he was feeling as he walked off the field at ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Stadium.

“Just real happy for my boss (Fisch). He’s put a lot of time and effort into these young people. Really happy for the staff. But like I said, this has been all about the players,� Brown said. “Seven hundred-plus days — I mean, damn. And we got an effort like that?

“The game of football introduces a man to himself. Happy for the guys. I’m probably more happy for the guys that have been there the whole time. That’s toughing it out.�

Brown let the players know how he felt in the locker room and the following day at practice. They have come a long way since spring, when Brown wasn’t sure some of them had what it took to succeed in his demanding system.

“I just told them how happy I was for them, but more how proud I was of them,� Brown said. “And told them I loved them, which I do.�

More Plummer plaudits

Brown’s job is to make life miserable for quarterbacks. They’re the enemy. But he has nothing but admiration for ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ QB Will Plummer.

“He can hang around me anytime he wants,� Brown said. “That guy’s a special guy. And if anybody doesn’t see that, move on.�

Plummer earned the respect of his coaches and teammates by battling through injuries to finish last week’s game. He injured his throwing shoulder in the second quarter and bloodied his right hand in the third. Plummer made multiple trips to the locker room. He was determined to keep playing.

“The kid’s just a battler,� senior center Josh McCauley said. “He just works so hard every day. And just to see him going back and forth, it’s like, ‘Oh, another thing came up.’ And he’s just, ‘All right, what’s next? I gotta go back to the locker room. I gotta get stitches.’

“There was no quit in him. He just kept fighting. (It) got to a point where it’s like, ‘I know Will’s not going to give up. Will’s not gonna leave this game.’ So props to him. He’s so tough.�

McCauley would know. He has played through multiple injuries and hasn’t missed a game since the 2019 Territorial Cup, when he returned from a knee injury that kept him out the previous two contests. McCauley attributed his desire to play to a combination of love for the game and not wanting to abandon his teammates.

“We had guys like Cody Creason, who just came off an ankle surgery, and he was fighting through just to play that game,� McCauley said of his former linemate, who returned for the ’19 finale after a five-week absence. “You fight for guys like that. He was a senior that year. You want to give everything you got for those guys. It’s just something you gotta do.�

Extra points

Brown on second-year safety Jaydin Young, who played well against Cal after struggling the previous week at USC: “There’s a third-and-short play. (The) A-gap opens. And JY, the young freshman, he makes that tackle like this. (Brown snaps his fingers.) And he made it look easy. If he doesn’t make that tackle, we got a problem. There’s a young guy that has had to put big shoes on and has had to go through the growth process of becoming a great tackler, and he’s doing that.�

Freshman offensive lineman JT Hand was supposed to play one snap vs. Cal — a six-lineman look on the third play from scrimmage. He ended up playing a career-high 52 snaps because of injuries. “He did great,� offensive line coach Brennan Carroll said. “He’s been great all season, just learning and working and trying to get better and improve his technique and fix the things he needs to work on. He went and showed us he can get us out of a game.�

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham to reporters on ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ ending its losing streak: “That game has to give them confidence. They got the win, and I’m sure they are going to do everything in their power to continue the momentum. Conversely, we are going to do everything in our power to try to get a win on the road.â€� The Utes have won two in a row to improve to 6-3, 5-1 in the Pac-12.