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1974 Arizona Wildcats football team

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American college football season

1974 Arizona Wildcats football
ConferenceWestern Athletic Conference
Record9–2 (6–1 WAC)
Head coach
Home stadiumArizona Stadium
Seasons← 19731975 →
1974 Western Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
BYU $ 6 – 0 – 1 7 – 4 – 1
Arizona 6 – 1 – 0 9 – 2 – 0
Arizona State 4 – 3 – 0 7 – 5 – 0
New Mexico 3 – 4 – 0 4 – 6 – 1
UTEP 3 – 4 – 0 4 – 7 – 0
Colorado State 2 – 3 – 1 4 – 6 – 1
Utah 1 – 5 – 0 1 – 10 – 0
Wyoming 1 – 6 – 0 2 – 9 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion

The 1974 Arizona Wildcats football team represented the University of Arizona in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) during the 1974 NCAA Division I football season. In their second season under head coach Jim Young, the Wildcats compiled a 9–2 record (6–1 against WAC opponents), finished in second place in the WAC, and outscored their opponents, 263 to 174. The team played its home games in Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Arizona.

Despite a 9–2 record, the Wildcats were not invited to a bowl game due to not winning the WAC (BYU defeated Arizona in their head-to-head matchup to win the WAC) and at the time, under WAC rules, only the conference winner would earn a bowl bid, in which case, the Fiesta Bowl.

The team's statistical leaders included Bruce Hill with 1,814 passing yards, Jim Upchurch with 1,004 rushing yards, and Theopolis Bell with 700 receiving yards. Linebacker Mark Jacobs led the team with a school record 200 total tackles.

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 14San Diego State*No. 17W 17–1038,914
September 21at Indiana*No. 17W 35–2035,683
September 28at New MexicoNo. 15W 15–1024,404
October 5UTEPNo. 12
  • Arizona Stadium
  • Tucson, AZ
W 42–1338,051
October 12at UtahNo. 12W 41–824,082
October 19at No. 17 Texas Tech*No. 9L 8–1740,231
October 26BYUNo. 16
  • Arizona Stadium
  • Tucson, AZ
L 13–3734,116
November 9Colorado State
  • Arizona Stadium
  • Tucson, AZ
W 34–2133,116
November 16at Air Force*W 27–2434,802
November 23Wyoming
  • Arizona Stadium
  • Tucson, AZ
W 21–1434,467
November 30Arizona State
  • Arizona Stadium
  • Tucson, AZ (rivalry)
W 10–040,872
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Game summaries

Texas Tech

In a matchup of two top-20 teams, Arizona fell on the wrong end of it against Texas Tech, and lost in a low-scoring game for their first defeat of the season and ended their chances for an undefeated record.

BYU

After losing on the road at Texas Tech, the Wildcats returned home and faced BYU in a big test in the WAC. The Cougars would outplay the Wildcats to give Arizona their second straight loss and take control of the WAC. The loss ultimately prevented Arizona from winning the WAC, as BYU went on to clinch both the conference title and Fiesta Bowl berth.

Arizona State

In the regular season finale, Arizona battled Arizona State in the annual rivalry matchup. The Wildcats were looking to break a nine-game losing streak against the Sun Devils, with their last win occurring in 1964. Both teams held each other scoreless through the first three quarters before Arizona broke through in the fourth for a 10–0 shutout victory, and finally ended their decade-long streak of misery to ASU. To date, this remains the most recent shutout in the rivalry series and the only home win over the Sun Devils in the 1970s for the Wildcats. Also, it turned out to be Young's first and only win against ASU as Arizona's coach, as he would lose to them for the rest of his tenure. The victory led to the Wildcats winning nine games in a season for the first time in school history.

Roster

1974 Arizona Wildcats football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
WR 23 Keith Hartwig So
WR 86 Scott Piper Jr
OT 76 Brian Murray Jr
OT 70 Allyn Haynes Sr
G 66 Jay Bledsoe Sr
OC 53 Bob Windisch Jr
G 71 Greg Hodgeson So
G 68 Paul Schmidt Jr
FL 18 T Bell Jr
QB 1 Bruce Hill Jr
RB 2 Willie Hamilton Sr
RB 3 Jim Upchurch Sr
RB 6 Tex Randolph Jr
TE 85 Tom Camptell Sr
TE 88 Dan Howard Jr
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
DT 77 Mike Dawson Jr
NG 56 Glenn Gresham Sr
DT 78 Grant Swanson Jr
LB 41 Mark Jacobs So
LB 46 Obra Erby So
NG 93 Jon Abbott Fr
DE 87 Rex Naumetz Sr
DE 83 Willis Barrett So
CB 17 Vince Phason Sr
CB 28 Rousell Williams Sr
FS 10 Mike Battles Sr
FS 40 Dennis Anderson Jr
SS 34 Joe Colace So
SS 31 Greg Preston So
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
DE 32 Mitch Hoopes Sr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

References

  1. "1974 Arizona Wildcats Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  2. "Arizona Football 2016 Media Guide" (PDF). University of Arizona. 2016. p. 107. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  3. "1974 Arizona Wildcats Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  4. 2016 Media Guide, p. 86.
  5. "Aztecs fall to Arizona". Daily Times-Advocate. September 15, 1974. Retrieved October 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Arizona guns down spunky I.U., 35–20". The Indianapolis Star. September 22, 1974. Retrieved October 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "No. 18 Arizona edges New Mexico". The Wichita Beacon. September 29, 1974. Retrieved October 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "UTEP coach now believes in Wildcats". Tucson Daily Citizen. October 7, 1974. Retrieved October 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "5–0 Arizona rips Utah, 41–8". The Sunday Oregonian. October 13, 1974. Retrieved October 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Texas Tech jars Arizona by 17–8". The Victoria Advocate. October 20, 1974. Retrieved October 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Sheide shreds Wildcats 37–13". The Daily Sentinel. October 27, 1974. Retrieved October 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. "Cats thump Rams, 34–21". Casper Star-Tribune. November 10, 1974. Retrieved October 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Air Force loses to Arizona, 27–24". San Antonio Express-News. November 17, 1974. Retrieved October 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. "Pokes drop 21–14 decision". The Billings Gazette. November 24, 1974. Retrieved October 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. "Jacobs leads 'Cats victory over ASU". The El Paso Times. December 1, 1974. Retrieved October 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. "Arizona suffers first loss of season at Texas Tech". Arizona Daily Star. October 20, 1974.
  17. "BYU takes care of Arizona, moves into first place in the WAC". The Salt Lake Tribune. October 27, 1974.
  18. "10 years of frustration ends for Cats". Arizona Daily Star. December 1, 1974.
  19. "Nine years...Cats get a kick out of ASU win". Tucson Daily Citizen. December 2, 1974.
  20. "Wildcats shut out ASU in defensive battle to finally end rivalry losing streak". Arizona Daily Wildcat. December 2, 1974.
  21. "Is UA football on the rise under Young?". The Arizona Republic. December 4, 1974.
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